My Life In Design Podcast

Hosted by Claire Blyth

Arts Design

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Episodes

104

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

How did some of the some of the world’s best designers, strategists, and agency leads, get into design? How did they know it was even a thing they could form a career around? I’m Claire Blyth, founder of design focussed PR agency Red Setter. I’ll be speaking to some of my favourite people in design to talk about how they got where they are today.

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60 recent

November 12, 2026Episode 955 min

Jo Smith - Head of Design for Gin, Rum and Liqueur at Diageo

This week Claire sat down with Jo Smith, head of design for gin, rum and liqueur at Diageo. Jo speaks to audiences globally at conferences such as London and Paris Packaging Week and EPDA. She’s worked across packaging design, brand strategy, comms and product innovation at some of the world’s biggest brands such as Dove, Pepsi, Cadbury and Walls. In this episode, Jo talks to Claire about: + The pros and cons of freelancing - its flexibility and variety, but challenges of career progression and project continuity + Moving in-house and advocating for design throughout the full product development process + On having role models at Diageo who have shown the real human side to leadership LINKS: Red Setter Dba Diageo

November 5, 2026Episode 840 min

Mike Wittrup, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Brand Design Agency Barkas.

This week Claire sat down with Mike Wittrup, co-founder and creative director of brand design agency Barkas. Mike is also co-founder of a drinks company and a small-stake owner in the historic Copenhagen-based football club, Boldklubben af 1893, known as B.93. At Barkas, alongside co-founder Daniel Rørbæk, he's worked on brands such as Marshall, Chobani, Glossier, Acne Studios, National Film School of Denmark, the Danish Film Institute and IKEA. In this episode, Mike talks to Claire about: + A long-term collaboration with IKEA, including creating the living room of the future + Supporting and investing in a local football club, using design and creative ideas to build community + On choosing to prioritise team culture and shared experiences over entering industry awards LINKS: Red Setter Dba Barkas

October 29, 2026Episode 738 min

Panna Rose, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ODA

This week Claire sat down with Panna Rose, co-founder and managing director of London based brand design agency ODA. Panna’s background is on the account management and client relationship side of the business, and after many years as the MD of Williams Murray Hamm, set up ODA with partners Sarah Westwood and Grant Willis. She’s a trustee of Phab, a non-profit that provides places for people to feel independent, meet friends, and gain confidence. And an ambassador for Good Nugget. She’s won numerous awards including Transform, DBAs, D&AD pencils and worked on brands including Airtime, Costa Coffee, Royal College of Surgeons, King’s Trust Bank and Domino’s. In this episode, Panna talks to Claire about: + Building a career in client services and account management, starting in packaging and moving into corporate identity and branding across leading agencies, before co-founding ODA + Developing strong client relationships, and as agency owner having both her agency’s back, and her clients’ backs as well + Supporting emerging talent through internships, work placements and encouragement to the next generation to get involved and stay curious LINKS: Red Setter Dba ODA

October 22, 2026Episode 653 min

Bryan Edmonson - Founder & Creative Director of SEA

This week Claire is joined by Bryan Edmondson of London based design studio SEA, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. He’s lectured in universities around the UK, speaks at conferences globally such as D&AD, Birmingham Design Festival and Northern Design Festival. He has work held at museums including the Cooper-Hewitt in New York City; and has created and worked with brands such as Jamie Oliver, EMI, Monotype, Adidas, Rolls-Royce, Christie’s, Nokia and GF Smith. In this episode, Byran talks to Claire about: + Founding and growing a design studio over three decades and working across multiple sectors, including music, fashion, hospitality, beauty, and outdoor brands + The importance of business education, professional representation and support for the design industry + Advice for emerging designers: focus on quality, develop a distinctive voice, learn from design history, and persevere through rejection LINKS: Red Setter Dba SEA

October 15, 2026Episode 544 min

Anthony Burrill - Graphic Artist, Printmaker & Designer

This week Claire is joined by graphic artist, printmaker and designer Anthony Burrill. He’s renowned for his ability to distill ideas into simple yet striking forms. His work is represented in the permanent collections of the V&A, the Design Museum in London and the Cooper-Hewitt in New York; and been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the Royal Academy in London, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Triangle in Milan. He’s spoken globally at design conferences in cities including London, Berlin, Barcelona, Toronto and Mumbai. Anthony also has an upcoming exhibition at London's National Theatre starting on the 22nd of October. In this episode, Anthony talks to Claire about: + Early opportunities creating animations and graphics for MTV, followed by freelance work in advertising + Moving from commercial projects towards making independent artwork, prints and books + How letterpress printing and the phrase “Work hard and be nice to people” shaped a defining series of prints and his career (and the origin story behind that iconic print) LINKS: Red Setter Dba Anthony Burrill

October 8, 2026Episode 449 min

Irma Boom - Book designer - 100th episode!

This week Claire is joined by legendary bookmaker, Irma Boom, who marks our 100th episode in the series. Irma Boom is the most widely renowned and laureated book designer in the world today. She's commonly known as the 'Queen of Books', having created around 600 of them. In her bold, experimental style, she challenges the convention of traditional books in both physical design and printed content. She was the youngest ever recipient of the Gutenberg Prize, and since has received over 50 more awards. A selection of her books are held from the permanent collection of MoMA and a personalised Irma Boom archive has been set up in the University of Amsterdam and the Vatican Library. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at D&AD’s London headquarters. In this episode, Irma talks to Claire about: + Treating book design as an artistic, idea-led practice rather than simply designing a cover + The role of collaboration, creative control and persistence in bringing books to life + Creating for brands like Chanel, and researching the history of books through archives and libraries, including the Vatican Library LINKS: Red Setter Dba Irma Boom

October 1, 2026Episode 341 min

Tim Perry - Founder of TP Consulting & Former Managing Partner of Webb deVlam

This week, Claire is joined by Tim Perry, a trained industrial designer who led the agency Webb deVlam through to its sale in 2016. Before that, Tim worked in design strategy at the height of Nokia’s success. He has judged for D&AD and Creativepool and is now a consultant, working with leaders of independent design agencies to help them grow. He has also developed a series of training courses focused on the business side of design. In this episode, Tim talks to Claire about: + His time working at Nokia at its peak selling over a million handsets a day - and the impact of the iPhone launch + His move into packaging design, then scaling an agency and navigating the complexities of its sale + How he moved into design strategy consulting and advising independent agencies on growth LINKS: Red Setter Dba TP Consulting Signal Awards

September 24, 2026Episode 245 min

Greg Quinton, the co-chief creative officer of Design Bridge & Partners

This week Claire is joined by Greg Quinton, the co-chief creative officer of Design Bridge & Partners. Greg’s team has won over 2,000 awards at the highest level in design, over 380 D&AD pencils, including two black and over 20 yellow pencils. They’ve won 30 Cannes Lions, including the Grand Prix and Greg was jury president there this year. He served two terms as D&AD trustee and chair of education and is a coach at Imperial College London. He’s the co-author of the updated A Smile in the Mind, a graphic design university course favourite and has worked on brands such as HSBC, London Symphony Orchestra, The National Gallery and Aston Martin. In this episode, Greg talks to host Claire about: + His luck in having creativity as part of the DNA of his family and being a right-brained person + On the importance of finding your passion and not chasing the money + How he doesn’t believe in perfection and that we’re all a work in progress LINKS: Red Setter Dba Design Bridge & Partners

September 17, 2026Episode 149 min

Henrik Kubel, co-founder of London-based type foundry A2-TYPE.

Kicking off the 10th series of My Life in Design is typeface designer Henrik Kubel, co-founder of London-based type foundry A2-TYPE. Henrik’s work spans cultural, editorial and brand identities, with major projects including bespoke typefaces for Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark and Rail Alphabet 2, created with pioneering designer Margaret Calvert for Great British Railways. He has also designed type for organisations including The New York Times Magazine and The King’s Trust, with his work recognised by D&AD, the Type Directors Club and ISTD. In this episode, Claire talks to Henrik about: + His discovery of type design and why custom type is so vital to branding + Knock-backs, education and the importance of self-belief + How he’s embracing AI right now - and what he thinks the future holds for type design LINKS: Red Setter Dba A2-TYPE

July 2, 2026Episode 1257 min

Roger Sho Gehrmann, the VP of Partnerships at MassiveMusic

In this bonus episode, recorded live at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, Claire met up with Roger Sho Gehrmann, the VP of Partnerships at MassiveMusic. One of the pioneers of audio branding, MassiveMusic shapes brands through music, sound, and voice, including names like TikTok, L’Oreal, Colgate and Philips. Roger has become known as 'the sonic branding guy’ and here he shares his trailblazing audio brand journey. Roger shares his career from a ‘jingle’ obsessed childhood in Australia, to art school and to forging his own creative path with skate videos leading to his first major career opportunity. He discusses the concept of sonic branding and the importance of sound in communicating brand values and emotions He also shares his advice to young creatives entering the design and branding industry

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