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In the last episode of series 9, Claire met up with Laurence Bendjenad, Creative Director of the brand design agency Lonsdale in Paris.

Laurence talks through her journey from dropping out of her law degree to finding her passion in design. She talks about working for some of the best CPG brand agencies and the opportunities to travel and live in San Francisco and NYC.

LINKS:

Red Setter

Dba

Lonsdale

This week Claire meets up with legendary designer Michael Johnson, founder of brand design consultancy Johnson Banks. He’s known for defining and designing brands that make a difference, such as UCL, Shelter, Jodrell Bank, University of Cambridge, RIBA and the UN Climate Change Conference - COP26. Michael speaks design conferences around the world, teaches at leading institutions including Ravensbourne, Kingston University, Glasgow School of Art, ArtCenter Pasadena, NYC’s School of Visual Arts, and the University of Cambridge. He is an award-winning author of multiple books including the ground-breaking Branding: In Five and a Half Steps. He has dozens of designs within the V&A’s permanent collection, he’s been the recipient of D&AD’s President’s Award and the winner of seven yellows and a black pencil.

In this episode, recorded live at Johnson Banks studio, Michael shares his career journey, complete with early challenges and rejections, to writing to Wally Olins (co-founder of Wolf Ollins) and a new door opening…

He talks about the evolution of his studio with it’s focus on working with brands that make a difference and the importance of aligning client work with personal and company values.

He also discusses the current focus on trends over longevity in brand design and how young designers need to focus on ideas.

LINKS:

Red Setter

Dba

Johnson Banks

This week on the podcast, Claire sits down with Jessie McGuire — Managing Partner of the independent design & creative studio Thought Matter. This year’s winner of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Communication Design.

With a career spanning some of the most respected studios in the industry, Jessie has built a reputation for shaping work that is not only beautifully crafted, but effective — helping brands connect more meaningfully with their audiences.

In this episode, Jessie shares her journey into design and how her career has evolved over time, reflecting on the realities of building a creative career that doesn’t always follow a straight path.

She also talks about the tension between creativity and commerciality — why great design can’t just look good, it has to work — and what success really means for studios today.

Along the way, we explore leadership in creative environments, the importance of knowing when to push and when to listen, and why the value of design is often only recognised in hindsight.

LINKS:

Red Setter

Dba

Thought Matter

Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards