Guest hosts theatre students Alayna & Zoe
Majoring in theatre: Anticipation, connection and the breath before the curtain rises

What does the moment right before a show begins feel like?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, Sarah hands the mic to two guest hosts: University of Georgia theatre majors Alayna Young and Zoe Davidson. Together, they explore the charged, sensory-rich seconds before a performance starts, both from backstage in the wings and from the velvet seats of the audience.

From the click of a mic wire behind the ear to the dimming of the house lights, Alayna and Zoe reveal how these details shape emotion, memory, and connection. They discover that performers and audience members share many of the same feelings (anticipation, suspense, excitement) but experience them in subtly different ways.

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Listen if you’re curious about:

• How senses heighten anticipation before a show
• Why onstage vulnerability can outweigh perfection
• Sensory overlap between audience and performer
• How small details spark big emotions
• Why the “breath before it begins” connects us all

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Anticipation is full-body: heartbeats, breath and room buzz align
• Backstage items like zippers or headset mics spark emotional shifts
• Audience and performers share emotional arcs before the show starts
• Sensory cues trigger emotion and anchor memories
• The most powerful theatre moments are often unplanned and subtle
• Vulnerability builds connection: showing your human side draws people in

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Guests:

Alayna Young is a fourth-year theatre student exploring the relationship between performance and the senses. She’s passionate about the transformative potential of stepping into another character and how sensory detail deepens that transformation. Zoe Davidson is a third-year theatre student fascinated by the invisible threads between the stage and the audience. She’s been performing since childhood and sees theatre as a place for honest, human connection.

Thank you to Sara Gray from AIFS.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

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Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. 

#MultisensoryDesign #Theatre #Performance #SeeingSensesPodcast #MultiSensoryThinking #Podcast

Seeing sound and hearing fonts with LJ Rich
Mixing senses: Synaesthesia, AI and the unexpected music of fonts

Do you hear fonts? Can you taste music? 

In this episode of Seeing Senses, BBC technology presenter and world renowned AI music artist LJ Rich joins Sarah for a joyfully curious journey through sound, senses and unexpected connections. From AI for good to the serendipity of symphonies created by mass transit. LJ talks about synaesthesia, sensory pattern recognition and how this can unlock incredible problem-solving.

The episode includes a very special name that font game. This is (probably) a world-first music experiment that you can play along with.

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Listen if you’re curious about:

• How sound becomes colour, texture, emotion and memory
• AI for Good United Nations global summit on AI every year
• How LJ uses AI as a musical collaborator
• Why our brains love metaphors and unexpected juxtapositions
• How patterns inspire creativity in stuck moments

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Interestingness at the edges: Why unconventional thinkers make better models
• Sound is a shape, a colour, a taste: Inside LJ’s 3D multisensory perception
• Unexpected connections: The creative power of linking the seemingly unrelated
• AI as a collaborator: Labelled and transparent
• Music and memory: Composing Rubik’s Cube moves with melodies
• Typography as performance: How fonts feel and sound
• Oral culture & AI training: Why everyday conversations need a place in the dataset
• Multisensory dissonance: When a restaurant’s wallpaper spoils the food
• Permission to feel: A beautiful call to nurture creativity in all its forms

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This episode features music created by LJ Rich. If you would like to see a selection of fonts during the name that font game head over to Substack.

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Guest:

LJ Rich is a world-renowned AI music artist and TV broadcaster. Known for presenting on BBC Click, her one-woman AI-enhanced musical show has gained global recognition. She also MCs and co-curates high-powered events. She is considered a thought leader on how humans, creativity and AI are evolving. LJ makes the invisible layers of tech, sound and emotion feel gloriously human.
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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. 

#Synaesthesia #AIMusic #MultisensoryDesign #SeeingSensesPodcast #MultiSensoryThinking

Immersive gastronomy with Chef Jozef Youssef
Seeing flavour: Sight, filet-o-jellyfish & the art of multisensory dining

When is a jellyfish not just a jellyfish? And why might black jellies trick your brain, and your palate?

In this Seeing Senses episode, Chef Jozef Youssef of Kitchen Theory joins host Sarah to explore the strange, compelling world of multisensory gastronomy. From controversial dishes designed to provoke emotional responses to the subtle influence of cutlery on taste, this conversation dives deep into the visual language of flavour. And why our perception of food is never just about taste.

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Listen if you’re curious about:

• How sight shapes your expectations of flavour
• Why black jelly spheres can baffle even expert palates
• The science and strategy behind sensory mapping in experience design
• What the Bouba/Kiki effect and synaesthesia reveal about our crossmodal brains
• How Kitchen Theory went from blog to award-winning immersive supper club

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Sight as a Primary Sense in Eating: How visual cues dominate flavour interpretation
• Disgust by Design: Controversial dishes provoke emotional and cognitive reactions
• Black Jellies & Recognition Gaps: What happens when colour expectation is disrupted
• Sensory Mapping in Experience Design: A stage-by-stage approach to immersive dining
• Crossmodal Congruency: Beyond mixing senses to coherence and emotional resonance
• Synaesthesia & Learned Associations: How we build sensory meaning
• Bouba/Kiki & Shared Language of Shape: Cross-cultural insights into sensory perception
• Cutlery as Interface: Redesigning utensils to heighten attention
• Filet-o-Jellyfish: Fast food futures
• Leave Them Wanting More: Designing moments that linger beyond the meal

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Guest:

Chef Jozef Youssef is a sensory experience designer and the founder of Kitchen Theory, a restaurant with an award-winning immersive chef’s table supper club. He is a culinary innovator and experience designer whose work bridges the worlds of food, science, design, and emotion. He is internationally recognised for pioneering multisensory and immersive dining experiences that challenge the way we perceive flavour.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. This episode is dedicated to Syd because it’s her birthday: Happy Birthday Syd!

#MultisensoryDesign #KitchenTheory #CognitiveExperience #SeeingSensesPodcast #FoodPerception

Exhibition curation with Wellcome Collection’s Janice Li
Designing beyond sight: Curation, memory and multi-sensory engagement

“Having something to touch really brings you to the landscape.” Janice Li

What does yellow feel like? How can data become music? And what happens when a beautiful installation evokes a bad memory?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, curator Janice Li joins Sarah for a conversation about designing exhibitions that engage the whole body. They explore how materials, texture, scent, and sound create emotionally resonant experiences—far beyond what we see.

From cabbage-based soundtracks to yellow-infused memories, Janice shares how her multi-sensory curatorial work at Wellcome Collection and beyond encourages tactile, inclusive, and embodied learning. The episode unpacks how she weaves crossmodal storytelling and emotional access into exhibitions that linger long after you’ve left the space.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• How to design experiences with touch, scent, and sound
• What it means to curate with the body in mind
• Why memory and materiality are deeply intertwined
• How data, music, and emotion intersect in exhibition design
• The role of inclusivity and friction in curatorial practice
• What cabbage can teach us about nutrition and sound

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Multi-sensory engagement deepens emotional connection
• Embodied learning makes abstract concepts tangible
• Curating through texture, sound, and scent invites diverse interpretations
• Crossmodal experiences reshape how we perceive and remember
• The curator’s path can be self-initiated, transdisciplinary, and collaborative
• Materiality influences memory as much as message
• Tactile opportunities increase accessibility and attention
• Beautiful things can still unsettle— and that’s part of the work

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Guest:

Janice Li is a curator at Wellcome Collection (London) where she has curated Thirst: In Search of Freshwater (2025-26). Her curatorial work is seen internationally at the Victoria & Albert Museum, MoMu Antwerp, London Design Biennale, Milan Design Week and Venice Design. She advocates for and commissions transdisciplinary practices across the arts, humanities, and sciences as agents of change. Many of her projects investigate the interactions and movements between people and the ‘things’ they sense, make, use and wear across time and space in a crossmodal and transcultural context. Food Symphony (cabbage nutrition data as music); Sit, Feast on your Life at Milan Design Week. 

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where ther

Sonic strategy with Steve Keller
Seeing sound: Branding, emotion and sensory congruence

Can sound shift the flavour of what you're tasting, or alter how you feel about a brand?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, sonic strategist Steve Keller joins host Sarah to explore the intricate relationships between sound, perception, emotion, and branding. From sensory-driven advertising to cultural soundscapes and emotionally resonant experiences, they unpack how audio operates as more than a background layer. It’s a primary interface for memory, emotion, and meaning.

Steve shares insights from his career as the Sonic Strategy Director at Studio Resonate, SiriusXM Media’s creative hub, and explains how multi-sensory congruence can enhance both brand identity and personal experiences. The conversation ranges from the neuroscience of sound and taste to inclusive audio design, sonic seasoning, and the unspoken language of music as a social surrogate.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• What a sonic strategist actually does
• Why sound is the fastest sensory pathway to emotion
• How music and branding can influence memory and behaviour
• The role of culture in how we hear and interpret sound
• Ways sound can alter perception of flavour, space, and emotion
• How sound design intersects with ethics, diversity, and inclusion

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Sound is fast and emotional: It affects us before we even realise
• Sonic branding is essential: Audio is not optional in today’s branding landscape
• Visual and sonic elements must align: Congruency builds trust and recognition
• Cultural context shapes perception: Sound is not universal—it’s experienced through filters
• Music as emotional infrastructure: Especially in moments of isolation
• Transdisciplinary thinking: Sound is where science, psychology, and creativity meet
• Sonic seasoning: Auditory inputs can shift taste perception
• Future of sensory design: Immersive, inclusive, emotionally resonant
• Be sonically present: Pause and listen, it shapes your reality

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Guest:

Steve Keller is the Sonic Strategy Director for Studio Resonate, SiriusXM Media’s in-house, audio-first creative agency. He is recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities on sonic strategy and identity, blending art and science into award-winning content and sonic experiences for a variety of global agencies and brands. His research explores the ways music, sound, and voice influence perception and behaviour.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. 

Composing perfumes with Sarah McCartney
Seeing scent: Sound, memory and the emotional power of perfume

“I hear smells as sounds. Mint’s really pointy, whereas oakmoss is more like music…” Sarah McCartney

What does mint sound like? How do you describe something that can’t be seen?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, artisan perfumer Sarah McCartney joins Sarah to explore how fragrance communicates beyond words. They delve into the rich, cross-sensory connections between scent, sound, emotion, and memory. And why perfume is closer to music than to chemistry.

Sarah shares how she composes fragrances for exhibitions, operas, and unexpected collaborations. From the Courtauld Gallery to burlesque performances to a chocolate-themed scent for author Joanne Harris. The episode highlights the challenges of language in olfactory design, the individuality of scent perception, and how closing your eyes can sharpen your sense of smell.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• Why perfume is like music for the nose
• How fragrance shapes memory and emotion
• What it takes to design scent for art exhibitions and live performances
• The subjectivity of smell and the limits of scent vocabulary
• How olfactory design can elevate storytelling
• What it means to self-teach in a traditionally closed industry

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Everyone smells differently: Perception is shaped by memory, mood, and culture
• Scent and sound share a sensory structure: Both unfold in time and layers
• Language fails scent: Verbal description often falls short
• Fragrance design is collaborative: Working across disciplines creates richer experiences
• Smell deepens immersion: From galleries to gardens to stages
• Olfactory habituation is real: We stop noticing familiar scents
• Perfume is emotional: It bypasses rational thought and connects directly to memory
• Teaching scent opens access: Breaking industry secrecy through education and transparency

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Guest:

Sarah McCartney is the founder of artisan fragrance house 4160 Tuesdays. A self-taught perfumer, she began after careers including as head writer for Lush Cosmetics. Since 2011, she’s run workshops, launched Scenthusiasm.School, and represented artisan perfumers on the IFRA UK Executive Committee. She co-wrote The Perfume Companion, speaks internationally, and her award-nominated fragrances have featured in operas, galleries, and gardens. She’s also a regular contributor to BBC Radio on the fragrance industry.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. 

Designing for laughs with Rob Alderson
Seeing humour: Timing, tension and the sensory surprise of laughter

“There aren’t many creative practices where that’s so short: that connection and that sort of intensity between the audience and the artist.” Rob Alderson

What do graphic design and stand-up comedy have in common?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, writer, editor, and occasional comedian Rob Alderson joins Sarah to explore how both design and humour tap into fast, emotional reactions, often before we’re able to explain them. They discuss how structure, timing, and risk shape both visual communication and live performance.

You’ll hear how iconic magician’s assistant Debbie McGee became an accidental mascot for a comedy show, what a sign on a fridge can teach you about tone, and why parsnips are the perfect metaphor for creative expectations. The episode also touches on the shifting role of design in an AI-powered world, and the value of embracing humour to create moments that connect.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• Why design and humour often bypass logic and speak to feeling
• How graphic design shapes everyday interactions
• What comedy can teach us about vulnerability, timing, and creative risk
• The challenge of explaining the value of design
• Why ephemeral experiences can leave lasting impressions
• What happens when a live audience rewrites your show

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Humour reveals emotional truths we can’t always articulate
• Design is everywhere, even if people don’t see it
• Comedy and design share structure, tension, and payoff
• Ephemeral moments in comedy mirror fleeting but resonant design choices
• Memory is unpredictable—what we remember isn't always what we planned
• Parsnips and creative disappointment are oddly related
• Good design needs better storytelling to show its value
• Audience feedback reshapes creative direction in real time

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Guest:

Rob Alderson is the editor of Design Week, the UK’s oldest design magazine (designweek.co.uk). He previously held creative leadership roles at It’s Nice That, WeTransfer and Vimeo. However, the British Comedy Guide website says very simply “Rob Alderson is a comedian”.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. Thank you to Radim Malinic for the inspiration to make a podcast, and to podcasters Mili Tharakan, Klaudia Mitura and Suze Cooper for your generous advice. 

Crossing senses with Professor Charles Spence
Seeing senses: Sight, flavour and how expectation reshapes experience

“None of us believe that our senses affect us as much as, in fact, the evidence shows that they do.” Professor Charles Spence

What if your eyes are misleading your tongue?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, experimental psychologist Professor Charles Spence joins Sarah to explore how our senses cross paths more often than we think. From pink yoghurt that tastes sweeter to salty strawberry ice cream, he reveals how the brain uses sight to predict flavour, and how even trained wine tasters can be fooled.

They discuss the dominance of vision in taste perception, the pitfalls of unexpected packaging, and why a pencil and paper sometimes beat brain scans in his lab. It’s a science-rich journey into crossmodal perception, showing how our expectations shape experience across food, design, and daily life.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• How colour influences flavour
• Why vision overrides taste more often than we realise
• What crossmodalism really means in everyday perception
• Why blind tastings and disconfirmation reveal hidden biases
• How to design better multisensory experiences
• Why even experts fall for sensory illusions

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Visual cues shape flavour perception, often before we taste
• Crossmodalism explains how the senses work in combination, not isolation
• Sight dominates—even among expert tasters
• Colour, context, and packaging set powerful expectations
• Sensory illusions are common, and often go unnoticed
• Memory and perception are linked, especially around food
• Designing for the senses can create more memorable, effective experiences
• Expectation can override reality, even in flavour
• Simple tools often reveal more than high-tech equipment
• The senses influence us more deeply than we admit

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Guest:

Professor Charles Spence is a world-famous experimental psychologist who specialises in neuroscience-inspired multisensory design. He’s worked with many of the world’s largest companies, focusing on the design of enhanced multisensory food and drink experiences through collaborations with chefs, baristas, mixologists, chocolatiers, perfumiers, and the food & beverage and flavour & fragrance industries.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

//

Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken. Thank you to Radim Malinic for the inspiration to make a podcast, and to podcasters Mili Tharakan, Klaudia Mitura and Suze Cooper for your generous advice. 

This episode is dedicated to the life of my friend Moira Parker. 

What can you learn by going behind the scenes in an experimental psychology lab, a perfume maker’s studio, a stand-up comedy show or an immersive chef’s table supper club? 

This is the countdown to the launch of a brand new podcast
Seeing Senses with Sarah Hyndman
Where there’s more than meets the eye
Launching on Thursday 22nd May

Subscribe to the Seeing Senses podcast at https://seeingsenses.substack.com/ for updates and extras.

The podcast is for creators, small businesses and the curious. It uncovers the magic and science behind what makes us feel, starting at first sight. 

The first guests in series one include:
• Experimental psychologist Professor Charles Spence from the University of Oxford.
• Artisan perfumer Sarah McCartney from 4160 Tuesdays. 
• Editor of Design Week Rob Alderson on the stand-up show he created for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 
•  Chef Jozef Youssef, founder of Kitchen Theory, a restaurant with an award-winning immersive chef’s table supper club. 

Also joining me in series one are TV presenter LJ Rich, audio alchemist Steve Keller, artist Sue Webster, typographer Dan Rhatigan and podcast host Radim Malinic. 

Join me, Sarah Hyndman, as I talk to experts from different fields to discover how they connect what we see to what we sense and feel. Find out how they work with the senses to shape our emotions, memories and choices. How they create unforgettable experiences that people can’t help talking about. 

My guests are people who have inspired my multi-sensory journey over the last 12 years. What was only meant to be one year away from running my graphic design business back in 2013, turned into a whole new career, when I started to go to events and discovered that I could be a part of this amazing world where science meets creativity meets senses.

The most exciting ideas happen when we connect across different disciplines. 

About the host
Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and international speaker. She’s written books including the bestselling Why Fonts Matter (Penguin). Sarah co-publishes research with Professor Charles Spence, University of Oxford, and is chef Heston Blumenthal’s experiential font science expert. 

Sarah is the founder of  Type Tasting and curator of The Sensologists.

Subscribe to the Seeing Senses podcast at https://seeingsenses.substack.com/ for updates and extras.

Seeing Senses podcast
Where there’s more than meets the eye
What if your senses were the secret to creating unforgettable stories?

I’m Sarah Hyndman, and this is Seeing Senses — a podcast that uncovers the magic and science behind what makes us feel, starting at first sight.

From the colour of sound to shapes that taste sweet. I’ll take you behind the scenes with perfumers, scientists, writers, chefs, artists, musicians, makers, designers and athletes, to reveal how they connect what we see to what we sense.

Because the real alchemy happens when we talk to people across different disciplines.

It all started with my mass participation typography experiments. I set out to gather data, but what I kept discovering was something more human: how we each experience the world differently, in our own brilliantly unique way.

I’ll go beneath the surface to investigate what’s happening inside our brain and body. With sense-hacking tips you can try for yourself.

If you’re curious about how the senses shape your audience’s emotions, memories and choices, and how you can use that to tell stories people want to talk about, then this podcast is for you.

Subscribe now to the Seeing Senses podcast, where there’s more than meets the eye.

More content and info at https://seeingsenses.substack.com/