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This week Claire met up with Paul Watmough-Halim and Jan Stein, the co-founders of the brand studio Hyperfocus. 

Paul was named by Creative Boom as one of the top creatives of 2025, and has spoken around the world with Jan at festivals such as D&AD. Paul was head of design at clothing brand Bench and has worked on German media channel Funke and the Olympic Games for Coca-Cola. Jan has worked on brands such as Google, Swisscom and Red Bull and both are the co-hosts of the Brand Review on YouTube. 

On the podcast they share their early discovery of art and design, their uniting love of skateboarding, to the influence of music, DJ-ing and creating album art. Jan shares the huge impact of growing up in East Berlin when the wall came down and seeing the world through new eyes. And they share the creative and eye-catching ways that they’ve made their mark in the world of brand design and becoming the 'go-to' for other agencies to design their websites.

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We’re back with our second guest of season 9, the award-winning Rejane Dal Bello, founder of Studio Dal Bello. Rejane joined host Claire Blyth at a live audience recording at D&AD’s headquarters, talking about her book ‘Citizen First, Designer Second’ and its unique perspective on design. 

On the podcast Rejane shares her design journey through her book, with insights, and advice for designers who want to make a meaningful impact. 

She discusses the undervaluation of design in society and the need for greater awareness of its impact.

And she explains why she hates the word branding and the feeling of creating hierarchies in design. 

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In the first podcast of series 9, Claire met Samar at Pentagram’s new London studios for a wide-ranging conversation on design, culture, and global identity.

Samar is known for her creative, multilingual approach to design, working at the intersection of cultures. Her work spans major global projects - from city rebrands such as Dubai, to launching Apple’s brand in Arabic, and campaigns for many clients including Porsche across technology, culture, and AI.

 On the podcast, Samar shares her journey from Beirut to London, and her path to becoming a Pentagram partner in 2023

She explores the challenges of building cohesive brands across languages and cultures  

And offers sharp insights into today’s design industry, from trends to challenges

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In the last of the series, Claire sat down with Phil Jones, a true design innovator and a major force in the UK’s creative, digital, design and sports industries. Now best known as the founder of the invite-only Podge Lunches, Phil is also a mentor, consultant, and former MD of leading digital and typography agencies. He’s a pioneer of digital design and was voted into the BIMA Digital Hall of Fame in 2012.

On the podcast, Phil shares his epic career journey from typesetting for London’s best design agencies, founding one of the first digital studios in the UK and creating the first websites for brands including Canon and Diesel, to the origins of the very first Podge Lunch - and how it became such an influential design community-building event.

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This week, Claire is joined by Helena Raven, managing director of brand design and innovation partner Bloom. She has helped shape work for major brands such as McVitie's, KP snacks, Tango, Heineken, Talisker and Virgin Atlantic. Helena shares her early career as a professional ballet dancer, and how an injury redirected her path into marketing, comms, and ultimately brand design - via roles in government and the charity sector. Her perspective on the big challenges facing the design industry, including the impact of AI (where it's the attitudes and behaviours, not the technology, that concern her most) and her priorities for leading a successful agency, and why the real magic happens in the chemistry, culture and trust built within client relationships.

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This week, Claire sits down with Jono Holt, founder of the communications and design studio Otherway. Founded in 2013, the agency now boasts a 75-strong team across London and New York, known for building brands such as Lucky Saint and Butternut Box, creating standout work for Smythson, Hylo, Strongbow, and Deliveroo, and nurturing long-term partnerships with icons like Fortnum & Mason.

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This week on the podcast, Claire is joined by Radim Malinic, creative director, designer, podcaster, and bestselling author. As the founder of Brand Nu and Brand Nu Books, Radim has worked with global names like Harry Potter, Adidas, and the London Film Museum. A regular keynote speaker at events including OFFF, Adobe MAX, and TEDx, he’s the author of six acclaimed books, with his seventh arriving in spring.

Radim shares his life in design from growing up in the Czech Republic, to moving to London and becoming a self-taught creative. He discusses the evolution of his creativity from design, to writing to publishing (we highly recommend his books!) and overcoming burnout along the way. He also shares the importance of not waiting for things to happen - but making your own opportunities, from starting his own studio, to publishing and even creating his own coffee company.

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Recorded at London Packaging Week, Chloe Templeman, ECD at Pearlfisher, joined Claire on the podcast to talk about her life in design so far. Chloe leads the creative vision of the London studio overseeing a diverse portfolio of brands across food & beverage, beauty, tech, healthcare and lifestyle. Her work during her career includes clients such as Fortnum & Mason, Smirnoff, Lipton Iced Tea, Tanqueray Ten, Wild Deodorant, Nivea and Heineken, and has been recognised with various accolades, including D&AD Pencils, Pentawards, FAB Awards and DBA Design Effectiveness Awards.

On the podcast Chloe shares her journey, from starting out in Scotland, to moving to London and building a successful career at top brand design agencies including Brand Union and Design Bridge, culminating in joining Pearlfisher 18 months ago.

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This week, we’re coming live from Transform Tuesday at the Crown & Two Chairman pub in London’s Soho, with Simon Dixon, co-founder of DixonBaxi. 

Simon shares his journey from setting up his first agency straight out of an art foundation course, to where he is today running one of the best known branding agencies. 

He gives great advice on how to get noticed as a young person entering the industry. 

(NOTE - On Spotify, the chapter notes are auto-generated from the sound and it’s recording Aporva’s name as Apulva which is annoying!! I’m looking for ways to change or remove this, but in the meantime - it’s Aporva! 😀) 

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Recorded at FutureBrand’s Amsterdam HQ, Queenie Lo, President of Spatial Design, joined Claire on the podcast to share her life in design so far. Queenie leads the global team to create immersive, insight driven brand experiences across retail, hospitality, and branded environments for global clients including LVMH brands such as Sephora and YYX, McDonald’s, Bentley, Bottega Veneta and Adidas.

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