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.

Ab Rogers, creative director of the Ab Rogers Design studio, joins the podcast for a discussion focused on the architecture of healthcare, the horrors of wackiness, the need to welcome new people into architecture and design, and the creative potential for delight in everyday spaces.

Ab's picks for his crit were:

Best design: Maggie’s at The Royal Marsden

Worst design: Waiting room at the Charing Cross Hospital breast unit

Most successful design: Tate Modern Public Concourses or Comme des Garçons Paris

Most impactful feedback: Aric Chen describing his work as “wacky”

Dream design: A culture-centred health hub

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.

Material researcher and designer Ori Orisun Merhav sits her crit, exploring the ethos, experimentation and commitment to bio-inclusive co-creation that underpin her creations with lac, a natural polymer produced by insects.

Ori's picks for her crit were:

Best design: Something yet to come within Made by Insects

Worst design: The daily failures of material research

Most successful design: Lac chandelier for Design Sediments

Most impactful feedback: Nacho Carbonell’s advice to “Become the insect”

Dream design: A space and mindset to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration in material research

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 artist Samuel Ross, founder of fashion brand A-Cold-Wall*and design studio SR_A, visits the studio to discuss the challenges of working as an innovator within internal teams, the influence of architecture on his work, and creating designs that speak to a particular generation of British culture.

Samuel's picks for his crit were:

Best design: Partnership with Nike Group

Worst design: Designs where Ross’s team hasn’t managed to convince the client to adopt new processes

Most successful design: SR_A Hublot Tourbillons

Most impactful feedback: Provocative feedback from Kohler toilet

Dream design: Ethical and accessible garment production or creating public communal spaces through urban planning

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.

Futures designer Nick Foster sits his crit to mark the launch of his new book Could Should Might Don't, exploring the limitations of futurism, and the need for more mundane, rounded design thinking within the realm of the tech giants.

Nick's picks for his crit were:

Best design: Google’s Selfish Ledger

Worst design: Early-career, “thirsty could” design work

Most successful design: Projects that have left stakeholders with a better understanding of the breadth of what design is

Most impactful feedback: “Are you sure?”

Dream design: Black Mirror

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.

Danish designer Lise Vester visits the studio to discuss the impact of neuroaesthetics, hospices and CBT therapy on her work, as well as the role that designed sensory experience can have on improving people's everyday wellbeing.

Lise's picks for her crit were:

Best design: Dream View Bench

Worst design: Silhouette Cutlery

Most successful design: Idea Generator Chandelier 

Most impactful feedback: Receiving feedback about how her Dream View collection changed people’s mindset

Dream design: Working within healthcare facilities

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.

Benjamin Hubert, founder and creative director of Layer, joins The Crit to discuss moving beyond personality-driven aesthetics, creating objects for pets, his relationship with the media, and his desire to do more pro bono design work.

Benjamin's picks for his crit were:

Best design: Layer

Worst design: Diamond Chair

Most successful design: Dog toys for Earth Rated

Most impactful feedback: A Financial Times article

Dream design: Pro bono design work for charities, NGOs or community groups

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.

Tomoko Azumi, founder of TNA Design Studio, visits the studio to talk about designing furniture for small spaces, the differences between the design industry in Japan and the UK, creating a space for the UK Supreme Court, and the importance of making models by hand.

Tomoko's picks for her crit were:

Best design: Flow Chair for Ercol and a trolley for the UK Supreme Court

Worst design: Chairs for the UK Supreme Court

Most successful design: LEM stool for La Palma

Most impactful feedback: The V&A and the Crafts Council putting pieces from her graduation show in their permanent collections

Dream design: DIY kits for paper modelling

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.