The Crit

James Melia, founder and creative director of London-based design agency Blond, joins the podcast for a conversation about packaging, brand names, and greater attention towards design in medical tech.

James's picks for his crit were:
Best design: Fussy refillable deodorant
Worst design: A desk he designed for his final project at university
Most successful design: An upcoming packaging design for a US brand
Most impactful feedback: His colleague Dana Salmanzadeh asking why James is the only person in the studio who pitches and presents projects to clients
Dream design: A catheter

The Crit
Graphics: Leonhard Rothmoser

Music: Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery, London
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Designer and researcher Liliana Ovalle visits the studio to discuss exploring different making cultures, learning the limitations of working with craft processes, and her dream of making altars for the home.

Liliana’s picks for her crit were:
Best design: Sinkhole Vessels
Worst design: Encuentros bar set
Most successful design: Fragment of a Staircase
Most impactful feedback: Curator Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher saying she creates designs that look playful but are actually quite serious, similar to the work of designer Shiro Kuramata

The Crit
Graphics: Leonhard Rothmoser

Music: Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery, London
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Marshall, industrial designer and partner at Pentagram, visits the studio to discuss the importance of trusting the process, the experience of moving from a designer to a creative director role, and the pleasures of seemingly intractable design problems.

Jon's picks for his crit were:
Best design: Honda. A Great Journey
Worst design: Exhibition design for UNIQLO
Most successful design: Yoto
Most impactful feedback: Daniel Weil telling him to trust the process (and all feedback from his wife)
Dream design: A range of cookware inspired by Richard Sapper’s La Cintura di Orione for Alessi

The Crit
Graphics: Leonhard Rothmoser

Music: Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery, London
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlene Prempeh, founder of A Vibe Called Tech, joins The Crit for our 2025 holiday episode, examining the pleasures and importance of “good enough” work; the porous barrier between commercial and artistic practice; and answering a series of festive questions about redesigning the holidays!.

Charlene's picks for her crit were:
Best design: Now You See Me: 100 Years of Black Design
Worst design: A project with a beauty brand during Black History Month
(Best holiday gift: An advent calendar)
Most successful design: We Are All They
(Best holiday decoration: A wooden star, made by her son)
Most impactful feedback: Non-existent feedback, teaching her to listen to her instincts when something feels wrong
Dream design: The Golden Stool
(Dream design change for the holidays: Food design)

The Crit
Graphics: Leonhard Rothmoser
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spandana Gopal, founder and creative director of the Tiipoi homeware brand, visits the studio to discuss rejecting exoticised portraits of India's design and craft traditions; the need to prioritise ethical, community-focused production; and the challenges of translating global sales of local craft into a thriving domestic market.

Spandana's picks for her crit were:
Best design: General Items
Worst design: “Silly candles”
Most successful design: Tiipoi, thriving as a business and abiding by its principles
Most impactful feedback: Mentorship by Simon Alderson, cofounder of twentytwentyone
Dream design: Rice cooking equipment for Alessi

The Crit
Graphics: Leonhard Rothmoser

Music: Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery, London
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.