WHY DESIGN?

“The world needs design more now than ever.” 

Most designers want to make beautiful things. 

Dan Harden wants to make meaningful ones. 

From building dangerous go-karts as a kid to designing more than 1,000 products (and winning 350+ awards), Dan’s career has been a masterclass in lasting impact. As CEO and founder of Whipsaw, Dan has shaped the modern design landscape while staying grounded in what truly matters: solving real problems for real people. 

In this episode of Why Design, Dan shares how he turned a passion for sketching and making into a globally respected studio, why the best designers obsess over details, and how to cultivate curiosity, clarity, and creativity over a 30+ year career. 

Don’t just listen. Go beyond the podcast. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 👇 

🌀 Why the “why” of design matters more than ever 

🪚 The discipline behind great design (and why it's more than a sketch) 

🔥 How passion, grit, and inspiration fuel longevity 

📐 What makes a design transcendent, not just functional 

🌍 Why industrial designers must think beyond consumerism 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “There are fundamentals about design that haven’t changed.” 

💬 “Creativity is not a tool you turn on, it’s a way of life.” 

💬 “Don't contribute to the malaise. Don’t do shitty products.” 

💬 “You can be creative designing a bolt.” 

💬 “Design should be gifting, not just commerce.” 

Resources & Links 

🧠 Connect with Dan Harden on LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harden-62389435/ 

🏢 Explore Whipsaw’s work: 

https://www.whipsaw.com/ 

🎧 Listen to Prism, Dan’s podcast: 

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ZHZoL0hOdzZfRcgAXeuvh?si=40de5239ef2548fc 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube → youtube.com/@whydesignpod 

📸 Follow on Instagram → @whydesignxkodu 

🎵 TikTok → _whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & Amazon → whydesign.club 

👉 Keep the conversation going. 

Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

📲 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube so you never miss an episode. 

👥 If this resonated, share it with a friend, designer, or team leader navigating their own creative journey. 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams hire top talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. 

🔗 Learn more → teamkodu.com 

“You have to be a certain kind of crazy to be a founder, especially in physical products.” 

Most people want to build something. 

Kenny Perkins actually did. 

After nearly dying in a car accident his senior year, Kenny clawed his way into the design world; starting at Fossil, shifting to helmets, and eventually co-founding Osmo, the first kids’ helmet to meet the e-bike safety standard. 

In this episode of Why Design, Kenny shares the journey from rebuilding a Mustang with his dad at 15 to building Impact Lab, a startup studio funding its own consumer brand, Osmo, by designing life-saving protection for others. 

Don’t just listen. Go beyond the podcast. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 👇 

💥 How a near-death experience reshaped his entire outlook on work 

🚲 The overlooked safety gap for kids in the e-bike revolution 

🛠️ Why physical product founders need grit, guts, and patience 

📐 How Osmo designed with parents and kids, not just for them 

📈 The smart way Kenny self-funded a startup without outside capital 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “I saw a dad wearing a helmet I designed… and two kids wearing ones I also designed but not for e-bikes. That stuck with me.” 

💬 “We didn’t just design for families. We designed with them.” 

💬 “This changed my relationship with work entirely.” 

Resources & Links 

🌍 Connect with Kenny Perkins on LinkedIn:  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjperkinsdesign/ 

🛡️ Explore Osmo Helmets: https://www.ozmohelmets.com/ 

🏢 Learn more about impctLAB https://www.impctlab.com/ 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube → http://www.youtube.com/@whydesignpod 

📸 Follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/whydesignxkodu/ 

🎵 TikTok → @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → https://linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & Amazon → www.whydesign.club 

👉 Keep the conversation going. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

📲 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube so you never miss an episode. 

👥 If this resonated, share it with a friend or colleague navigating their own founder or design journey. 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams hire top talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. 

🔗 Learn more → teamkodu.com 

“I got laid off weeks before my first child was born… and I was so happy.” 

Most people panic when they lose a job. 

Jordan Diatlo built a business. 

Just weeks before becoming a dad, Jordan was laid off. Instead of spiraling, he used it as fuel to start Leadoff Studio — now one of New York’s go-to design consultancies for health & wellness brands. 

In this episode of Why Design, Jordan shares how he went from rejected by corporate to building a values-driven studio that’s helped startups like Roman and Dame become category leaders. 

Don’t just listen. Go beyond the podcast. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 👇 

🔥 Why getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to him 

🏗️ The 5 values that drive every hire, project, and partnership at Leadoff 

🎯 How “niching down” created bigger opportunities 

📑 The portfolio formula that makes designers stand out 

👨‍👩‍👧 Why time > money when balancing family and business 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “I got laid off with a kid on the way, and I was so happy.” 

💬 “Somebody else’s win should feel as important to you as your own.” 

💬 “Design isn’t just about objects, it’s communication.” 

Resources & Links 

🌍 Connect with Jordan Diatlo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordandiatlo/ 

🏢 Explore Leadoff Studio: https://leadoffstudio.com/ 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube → http://www.youtube.com/@whydesignpod 

📸 Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whydesignxkodu/ 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn 

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music → www.whydesign.club 

👉 Keep the conversation going! Join the Why Design community and go beyond the podcast → teamkodu.com/events 

📲 Subscribe to Why Design on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube so you never miss an episode. 

👥 If this resonated, share it with a friend or colleague who’s rethinking their career path. 

⚡ About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams hire top talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more → teamkodu.com 

Most hardware startups die broke. 

Christian Reed’s didn’t. 

He turned a basement side project into Reekon Tools, an 8-figure construction-tech brand with tools that don’t break, content that hit 300M+ views, and a cult following of tradespeople. 

In this episode of Why Design, Chris sits down with Christian to break down exactly how he went from MIT → military → Formlabs → scaling one of the most talked-about startups in hardware. 

👉 Want more insights from world-class builders? Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 

• How a Kickstarter side project became an 8-figure company 
• Why building a product ≠ building a business (and what most founders get wrong) 
• The content playbook Recon used to rack up 300M+ views 
• The difference between scaling hardware and software — and why “muscle beats magic” 
• How to spot talent that thrives in startup chaos 
• The truth about AI in design: why it won’t replace you, but will expose you 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “Hardware development is a muscle activity. You just have to muscle through it. It never gets easier.” 

💬 “If you can’t make content and you don’t appreciate design, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot.” 

💬 “If you’re scared of AI, to be frank, it probably just means you’re not a good designer.” 

👉 Love this? Subscribe to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Amazon Music so you never miss an episode. 

Links & Resources 

🌍 Connect with Christian Reed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianrreed/ 

🔗 Explore Reekon: https://www.reekon.tools/ 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

📸 Follow on Instagram 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community: events, huddles, and workshops → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. whydesign.club  

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

Most careers follow a path. Jude Pullen chose not to. 

“I like being intellectually promiscuous; finding new tribes, then coming back with fresh ideas.” 

In this episode of Why Design, Chris talks with Jude Pullen; creative technologist, prototyper, and storyteller. Jude’s career spans Dyson, Sugru, and Lego, with projects ranging from poetic air-quality monitors to complex hardware systems. Today, he splits his time between the RCA and Lego, while advising companies on technology, creativity, and play. 

From challenging the myth of the “forever job” to reframing daydreaming as essential design work, Jude shares how portfolio careers unlock creative freedom, and why diversity, vulnerability, and playfulness are the real engines of innovation. 

💬 Keep the conversation going! Join the community and go beyond the podcast! http://teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 

💼 Why the “forever job” is outdated and what portfolio careers make possible 

💭 How daydreaming and downtime can fuel serious innovation 

🐦 The evolution of Jude’s open-source Good Air Canary project and why metaphors matter in design 

🤝 The power (and challenge) of building truly diverse teams across age, class, and background 

🌱 How vulnerability and “safe spaces” help unlock team creativity 

☯️ Why design needs more debate, discomfort, and cross-pollination to thrive 

🛠️ The role of prototyping not just products, but ideas and conversations 

👉 Enjoying these insights? Don’t just listen, join the Why Design community. Connect with founders, engineers, and design leaders at teamkodu.com/events. 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “I follow fear. Where there’s uncertainty in AI, diversity, sustainability, that’s where creativity lives.” 

💬 “I’m not interested in the tech for its own sake. The question is: should we make this, and what are the consequences?” 

💬 “Daydreaming is design practice. Busy isn’t the same as productive.” 

💬 “The best teams aren’t homogenous, they’re messy, diverse, and sometimes uncomfortable.” 

💬 “Play is underrated in business. If you want real breakthroughs, start with curiosity, not quarterly reports.” 

Resources & Links 

🌍 Connect with Jude Pullen on LinkedIn 

🔗 Explore JudePullen.com 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

📸 Follow on Instagram 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn 

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music whydesign.club 

👉 Subscribe to Why Design on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube so you never miss an episode. If this resonated, share it with a friend or colleague who’s rethinking their career path. 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams identify, attract, and hire the best talent in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more at teamkodu.com 

Most founders obsess over the product. Jordan Nollman says that’s the wrong game.

“We don’t just design the product. We design the tribe around it.”

In this episode of Why Design, Chris talks with Jordan Nollman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Sprout Studios. For over 20 years, Jordan has helped brands like Nike, Bose, and Microsoft create products that don’t just look good — they shape culture.

From launching a consultancy during the 2008 recession to building a multi-disciplinary team across hardware, packaging, UX, and venture design, Jordan reveals what early-stage founders usually get wrong and how design can make or break a company’s trajectory.

👉 If you’re building hardware or leading a design team, hit subscribe now —

this is 45 minutes that will change how you think about design.

What You’ll Learn

🌱 How starting a studio in a recession forced Sprout to out-innovate competitors

🎯 The branding mistake most founders make (and how to avoid it)

👟 What Nike and Burton taught Jordan about community-driven design

📦 Why great products fail without packaging, UX, and marketing in sync

🧠 The rookie errors early-stage teams make around design maturity

🤝 How Sprout partners with founders and VCs to turn design into long-term value

🔄 How Jordan grew from junior designer to CCO while staying hands-on with clients

👉 Enjoying these insights? Don’t just listen — join the Why Design community. Connect with

founders, engineers, and design leaders at teamkodu.com/events.

Memorable Quotes

💬 “If you’re just making objects, you’re already dead. We build tribes.”

💬 “Designers need to speak the language of business, not just form.”

💬 “Culture is the lens we design through. Without it, you’re just making stuff.”

💬 “If you want brand love, you need more than function.”

Resources & Links

🌍 Connect with Jordan Nollman on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnollman/

🏢 Explore Sprout Studios https://sprout.cc/

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube Why Design? - YouTube

📸 Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whydesignxkodu

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music

👉 Subscribe to Why Design on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube so you never miss an episode. If this resonated, share it with another founder who needs to hear it.

About Kodu

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner

to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We

help founders and teams identify, attract, and hire the best talent in

industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more

at teamkodu.com.

From Scarborough to Midtown Manhattan, Stuart Lee’s journey is one of grit, curiosity, and unshakable design intuition. In this episode, Chris sits down in person with Stuart to explore the formative moments that led to the founding of Prime Studio — the product and brand design consultancy behind household names like Harry’s, Welly, and MoMA. 

Stuart shares how rewiring motors and welding steel during his early apprenticeship helped him think more empathetically about design for manufacture, why he sees himself as a design doer (not a design thinker), and what still excites him after 27 years leading his own studio. 

It’s a rich, no-frills conversation on design craft, business instinct, and the value of simply being a good person in a small industry. 

In This Episode 

The Yorkshire lad who arrived in NYC with a suitcase and a portfolio 

Smart Design, Able, and the building blocks of Prime Studio 

“The design we do is never just design — it's operations, manufacturing, supply chain.” 

Why Stuart never plans too far ahead (and how that’s worked just fine) 

Lessons from building long-term client partnerships, from Unilever to Harry’s 

Teaching the next generation: real talk on job hunting, ChatGPT cover letters, and why “Dear Hiring Manager” just doesn’t cut it 

Royalties, equity, and what designers should really know about contracts 

“As a consultant, your only value is your people.” 

Quotes to Remember 

“It's work you're looking for, so you have to work at it.” 

“I’m not a planner. I kind of ride the wave — but I’ve been riding it for 27 years.” 

“I always say Smart Design is where I learned to be a designer. Able is where I learned the business of design.” 

“Royalties smooth things out. You might not get the big equity payout, but you get forecastable cash flow — and that’s everything in business.” 

🔎 Resources & Links 

🌍 Prime Studio 

💼 Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

📸 Follow on Instagram 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community: events, huddles, and workshops → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams identify, attract, and hire the best talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more at Home - Kodu 

“What happened was just the market need was so strong… it kept pulling us forward.” — Sam Shames 

In this episode, Chris sits down with Sam Shames — materials engineer, MIT grad, and co-founder of Ember Labs, the company behind the Ember Wave: a wearable that helps people regulate temperature and reclaim comfort on their terms. 

Over the last 12 years, Sam has led Ember from a student side project to a real business, launching two hardware generations, shipping over 200,000 units, and recently pivoting to a subscription model that’s rare in consumer wearables. 

We talk product-market fit in hardware, solving real pain points like hot flashes, scaling with a lean team, and what it really takes to make a physical product company sustainable, both financially and environmentally. 

Key Takeaways: 

🚀 The prototyping contest that sparked Embr Labs, and the overheated lab that started it all 

🚀 From student side project to Kickstarter success (and 4 years of learning in between) 

🚀 Building circularity into hardware, and why refurbishment isn’t just a sustainability play 

🚀 Subscriptions in wearables, how $20/month changed everything for Ember 

🚀 Designing for real needs, from aesthetics to AI that predicts hot flashes 

🚀 Founder evolution; why Sam stepped back and hired a CEO to scale the business 

Memorable Quotes: 

🟰 “We thought it was going to take six months. It ended up taking four years.” 

🟰 “It's never too early to think about manufacturing. Prototypes and products are worlds apart.” 

🟰 “At some point, we realized this wasn’t just a cool project. It needed to become a real business.” 

🟰 “The leap from Gen 2 to Gen 3 will feel like going from a flip phone to a smartphone.” 

Resources & Links: 

🌍 Connect with Sam Shames on LinkedIn 

🧊 Explore Embr Labs  https://www.embrlabs.com

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

📸 Follow on Instagram 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community: events, huddles, and workshops → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. 

💬 PS – Subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams identify, attract, and hire the best talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more at teamkodu.com. 

“It wasn’t just about a new product — it was about a new category.” 

In this episode of Why Design, I speak with Emilie Williams, industrial designer and co-founder of Hydrific, a new venture within LIXIL focused on building smarter, more sustainable water products for the home. 

Based in New York, Emilie has led the creative direction behind dozens of kitchen and bath products for household names like American Standard, Brizo, and Delta. Now at Hydrific, her work spans product design, branding, and business development — all aimed at rethinking how we use and value water in everyday life. 

We talk about what it takes to build a design-led venture inside a global corporation, why climate-conscious innovation needs both urgency and nuance, and how Emilie’s journey from graphic design intern to IDSA-recognised design leader has shaped her perspective on user needs, brand identity, and long-term impact. 

Key Takeaways: 

Why smart water tech is still underserved — and where the opportunity lies 

Designing a new category vs. launching another product 

What it looks like to build a brand, team and hardware platform simultaneouslyy 

The difference between greenwashing and grounded sustainability 

Lessons from leading design at scale — from Delta Faucet to LIXIL 

How Emilie bridges brand, physical product, and human experience 

Why visibility, equity and representation still need work in design leadership 

📌 Memorable Quotes: 

“Our brief was water stress. Not style, not finish. Water.” 

“You don’t have to have it all figured out — you just have to listen and keep showing up.” 

“We’re not here to make a gadget. We’re here to shift behaviour.” 

“Designing inside a giant corporation takes both conviction and patience.” 

Resources & Links: 

Connect with Emilie Williams on LinkedIn 

💧 Explore Hydrific by LIXIL 

Follow Emilie on Instagram 

 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

Follow Why Design on Instagram 

TikTok: @_whydesign 

Join the Why Design community: events, huddles, and workshops → teamkodu.com/events 

Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. 

PS – Subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams identify, attract, and hire the best talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more at teamkodu.com 

“The goal was always to amplify design’s value — not just make pretty stuff.” 

We’re kicking off Series 3 with a true heavyweight in the world of industrial design — Brett Lovelady, founder of the legendary ASTRO Studios and spin-off brand ASTRO Gaming.

Brett has spent three decades leading design, brand, and product strategy for culture-shifting companies like Nike, Xbox, HP, Sony, Dell, Logitech, and many more. His work has helped generate over $100 billion in new revenue for clients worldwide, and shaped some of the most iconic tech and lifestyle products of the last 30 years. 

In this conversation, we unpack the story behind ASTRO’s rise, how ASTRO Gaming became one of the most respected brands in gaming hardware, and what Brett’s learned from building design-led companies from the ground up. 

Brett’s focus is now on collaborating with founders, investing in design-led innovation, and helping creative people have more impact — without losing the soul of what makes design matter. 

Key Takeaways: 

🛠️ From agency to venture – How ASTRO Studios evolved from consultancy to brand builder 

🎮 ASTRO Gaming's origin story – What happened when designers built their own product company 

🎯 Design with conviction – Why standing by your ideas is as important as listening to users 

📈 Design drives value – How design leadership contributed to billions in revenue for global clients 

🔁 Building and exiting – Brett's experience co-founding and exiting multiple VC-backed companies 

👥 People, not just projects – Why mentoring, team culture, and design communities matter more than ever 

📌 Memorable Quotes: 

💬

“Designers don’t have to wait to be asked. They can originate ideas, shape strategy, and lead.” 

💬 “We weren’t chasing scale, we were chasing significance.” 

💬 “If you want to build a great culture, start with trust and shared ambition.” 

💬 “We built ASTRO Gaming with conviction. We used our own money, took risks, and made decisions quickly — like a product company should.” 

Resources & Links: 

🌍 Connect with Brett Lovelady on LinkedIn 

🌍 Follow Brett's new studio - AllStar Design

🚀 Explore ASTRO Studios 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

📸 Follow on Instagram 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community: events, huddles, and workshops → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. 

💬 PS – Subscribe so you never miss an episode! 

About Kodu 

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams identify, attract, and hire the best talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership. Learn more at teamkodu.com.