Design Your Life by Vince Frost

As a teenager, Dr Michael Brand experienced moving from Canberra to Washington as both traumatic and exciting. It was on a journey back to Australia via family in Nepal with his brother, they were aged 15 and 18 respectively, that he first experienced Islamic art. He can trace a direct line from that experience to his field of study and life’s work. Brand has recently retired as Director of the Art Gallery of NSW, after guiding it through the most significant transformation in its history. He’s led galleries all over the world, from the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, to the J Paul Getty Museum in LA and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. He started his career as curator of Asian art at the National Gallery of Australia under the iconic James Mollison. Brand is a scholar of Indian and Islamic art, architecture and landscape design and has led these world-class art museums at some of the most challenging in their history. Listen in as Vince and Michael discuss trying to be ethical in the art world, falling in love with Asian art in Nepal aged 15 and being sent to NYC by Frank Robertson to buy art. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The question of living well is a big one. What does it actually mean? For Eva-Marie Prineas, home is where the heart is, and the way a home is planned has the most impact in how it feels to inhabit when it’s complete. Prineas founded her eponymous architecture practice in 2004. Perhaps unsurprising considering she would sit in the back yard of her family home in suburban Sydney and sketch the roofline. Her background and passion for heritage conservation and environmentally low-impact design form the basis of her work, and led her practice to win the Australian Institute of Architects ‘Best in Practice Prize in 2024. Listen in as Vince and Eva-Marie discuss drawing Sydney’s heritage Finger Wharf to scale by hand as a graduate, what it means to be a B Corp Certified architecture practice and how everything she designs stems from place. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lily Froehlicher inherited a love of luxury from her mother and a passion for travel from her father—interests that shaped her desire to create beautiful experiences for others. After studying in Paris, Shanghai, and London, and gaining experience at Hermès and Chanel, she joined Invisible Collection at its inception. Now Managing Director, she leads the online platform connecting design lovers with handmade, limited-edition furniture by top global designers. A strong advocate for sustainability, Lily believes true luxury should be both beautiful and responsible. Listen in as Vince and Lily discuss Invisible Collection’s NYC debut in an apartment designed by Pierre Yovanovitch, French craftsmanship, and the unique differences between French and American interior design. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once a music-obsessed kid dreaming of designing record covers, Chris Law found his rhythm in the world of sneakers. The iconic shoe designer, known by everyone who’s anyone in the sneaker world, shares how hip-hop culture, graphic design, and a love for storytelling led him to work on some of the most famous sneaker designs, ever. “Icons that are so big in the history of sneakers,” including the Adidas Superstar and Converse Chuck Taylor. In this episode, Chris unpacks the heart of sneaker culture — from Portland’s creative scene to global fashion trends — reflecting on the magic of seeing your designs in the real world, and the emotional power shoes carry. He speaks about the evolution of the industry, from boutique stores to collectors, and the growing wave of fashion brands entering the sneaker space. Listen in as Vince and Chris discuss the connection between footwear design, car design and typography, why he believes every brand has a voice, and what it’s like inside his creative process, where sketches, nostalgia, and conversation feed innovation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in public housing on Roosevelt Island in the middle of New York City’s East River, Elie Gamburg went to sleep every night staring at the city’s remarkable skyline from his bedroom window. His father was an artist and his mother a mathematician, so, “I guess I sort of had to do architecture if nothing else.”  Gamburg is a Design Principal at KPF, a global architecture firm known for designing some of the most innovative and high-profile buildings around the world. Working from New York and London, with a lot of travel around the world in between, Elie has been innovating for cities for over 20 years. His work is consistently sensitive to human scale, urban context, and sustainability. Some of the more famous projects he has worked on at KPF are the Seaport Square Master Plan and Channelside in Boston, Atlantis The Royal in Dubai and NYU Shanghai.  As a kid, everything was about buildings. Drawing them, looking at them, reading about them. After high school, he spent a summer at Cornell University, to see if he was cut out for his life’s ambition. Unsurprisingly, he was. Much of his time is still spent at school; he’s taught studios at his alma maters, Cornell and Harvard. He was an adjunct professor at NYIT for eight years and has served as a guest critic at Yale to name a few.  Listen in as Vince and Elie discuss how 100 years ago New York was the Dubai of the times, the concept of Central Social Districts, and why he has Ganesha, the god of wisdom, mischief and fun on his desk.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As an architect, are you influenced by the environment you grew up in, even if your work looks vastly different to where you spent your formative years? John Pawson thinks so. He grew up in the north of England in the 1950s with his four sisters, playing with kids from houses around their family home. Despite being a master of minimalism, he grew up in a house that was quite the opposite. John Pawson CBE has spent over forty years making rigorously simple architecture. His work spans everything from London’s Design Museum to the Czech Republic’s Cistercian Monastery, Calvin Klein’s store on Madison Ave in New York and a range of private homes and the furnishings to go with them. His work is defined by the use of natural materials, a sensitivity to light and spare spaces that have a feeling of calm. At a turning point in his life as a young man, Pawson set off on a ‘round the world ticket with nothing to lose. His first stop was in Nagoya, where he had the idea to become a Buddhist monk. When that failed, he went to Tokyo and met Shiro Kuramata. Despite having no formal qualification as an architect, his accolades are many. They recognise his influence as one of the world’s leading architects. In 2007 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contribution to architecture in the UK. Listen in as Vince and John discuss knocking down walls to redesign Hester van Royen’s rented flat, the moment Calvin Klein turned up to his office unannounced in 1993 and how starting out can often feel painfully slow. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children of immigrants are often hard workers; they’re under pressure to live up to their parents’ dreams. And it’s often thought that creativity and hard work don’t go hand in hand. Jean Lin has proven quite the opposite. Growing up in Massachusetts she was aware she came from a different place to her friends. But she credits her different upbringing, one focused on valuing family, hard work, integrity, with her success. Lin is the founder and gallerist of the downtown NYC design gallery and studio Colony. The designer’s co-op in Tribeca that’s changing the way New Yorkers shop for their interiors. With Colony, her goal is to support and foster independent designers and makers. Unlike traditional galleries, who take a 40% commission, her model is based on a monthly co-op fee (to cover the rent) and a small 15% commission. Then there’s The Designers’ Residency, an incubator program that mentors the next generation of young designers. She’s also authored a book, ‘What We Keep’, published by Abrams last year. It offers advice from artists and designers on the joy and benefits of living with the things you love. Lin originally moved to New York to train as a fashion designer at Parsons School of Design. She always knew she didn’t quite fit in with the fashion set. It was when she landed on her love for art and design more broadly that her career really started to sing. Fast forward to today and she has taught at Parsons, and guest lectured everywhere from Rhode Island School of Design to Pratt Institute and Tama Art University in Tokyo to name just a few. Listen in as Vince and Jean discuss working on J Lo’s fashion brand, having the transformative realisation that design is literally everything around us and why it’s better value to buy it once and buy it well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it better to start a business with a fully fleshed out plan? Or can passion be the driver for success? In the case of George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, intent is everything. And you can achieve global success and excellence in your field “while still being fun and nice”. The partners in business and life founded their international creative design studio, Yabu Pushelberg, in 1980 with curiosity, passion and energy, and have been creating immersive environments and design considered products ever since. Both come from hard working families in Ontario, Canada, whose parents were gifted craftsmen, instilling in them the value of handmade art and objects. When they began, their focus was on interior design. Today, they’re a multidisciplinary practice with over 100 employees across their New York and Toronto studios addressing multiple layers of the human experience. They care about how people feel in the places they contribute to making. For them, it’s all about designing the world they want to live in. From interiors for skyscrapers to lighting for homes, considered furnishings, and bespoke products for clients including LVMH, Four Seasons Hotels, Molteni&C and Glas Italia, Yabu Pushelberg’s style is a symphony of ideas, never a reflection of trends. Listen in as Vince, George and Glenn discuss and the liabilities that come with ego, the importance of staying curious, and the secret to staying relentlessly determined for decades.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does having a social agenda matter when you’re a landscape architect? At first, you may not think so. But when you truly understand the impact a compassionate designer can make on the spaces we inhabit, the answer is clear. Sacha Coles is a Global Design Director at ASPECT Studios and founder of the design practice’s Sydney studio. As a global design influencer, Sacha leads projects of transformational change spanning placemaking, infrastructure, play space, academic, civic institutions, and green infrastructure. If you live in Sydney, his work has impacted your life. Most likely for the better. His focus is on innovative design within a social framework, reinforcing the role that cities can play in creating economic and creative opportunities. Sacha is interested in uplifting quality of life, encouraging social equity and elevating the human spirit through design. He's been recognised as one of the top 30 Landscape Architects working globally and holds several advisory and board positions in the field. Listen in as Vince and Sacha discuss how growing up with parents obsessed with wellness and the outdoors has shaped him, redesigning some of Sydney’s most iconic public places, and bringing cityscapes closer to nature.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a change-maker in the humanitarian space is universally understood to be driven by the desire to help others. Equally, a love of travel and being motivated by difficult and hard to manage problems can be a huge benefit to working in the sector. Thanks to parents who were avid travellers, and her childhood home in Massachusetts being filled with foreign exchange students, Jocelyn Wyatt grew up curious about the world. After completing a BA in Anthropology at Grinnell College and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, she was on her way to Washington DC where she got involved in global development work. Her dream career, travelling and doing good, was set. Wyatt is CEO of Alight, a humanitarian organisation where she leads a team of over 3,500 members globally as they work alongside displaced people to co-create high-quality services and programs that address their needs. She’s also the former CEO of IDEO.org, the nonprofit design organisation she co-founded in 2011 after leading IDEO’s social innovation practice, where she spoke widely about how Human Centred Design is changing the social sector. She’s also worked for humanitarian organisations in Kenya and India, is a program advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative, an advisory board member to Marketplace, a board member for Airbnb.org, Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative, and an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow. Listen in as Vince and Jocelyn discuss being on the ground at IDEO at the birth of Design Thinking, how spending time in cultures very different to her own have shaped her, and how the Human Centred Design Toolkit democratised design. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re kicking off the new year by hearing from two internationally acclaimed experts in data-driven cross-sector insights and global market intelligence. We hope the takeaways from this conversation helps set you up for a dynamic 2025. When you’ve been in business together for 25 years, and life partners for 30, parameters are important. Almost as important as knowing the right parameters to put into your AI tool to get a reliable result. Martin Raymond and Chris Sanderson are expert at both. As the founders of The Future Laboratory, they help brands and businesses around the world succeed by spotting the deviancy happening in culture before anyone else does. They’re both innately curious about the world around them, and about people. Their foresight presentations are legendary for anyone interested in being at the bleeding edge of trends. A journalist and creative director by trade, they founded the editorial platform for future trends in 2000. Just the two of them, and their dog. Fast forward to today, and they’ve collaborated with over 1,000 businesses in 50 countries worldwide, sharing foresight and ideas with over 20 sectors. Their desire to understand what makes people tick is what drives them. Listen in as Vince, Martin and Chris discuss how the tropes we now laugh at were once signs of innovation and change, the questions every CEO has and what AI can, and can’t, do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Designing sustainable tall buildings is no mean feat. Especially when the average lifespan of a commercial office building can be as little as 20 years. Oliver Tyler, Managing Director of WilkinsonEyre, one of the world’s leading architecture firms, spends his time doing exactly that. Delivering projects like the Battersea Power Station redevelopment and the award winning 8 Bishopsgate building in London with engineering and sustainability at the forefront. He’s helped build some of the most remarkable landmarks in the world. It seems his career was destiny. Aged eight or nine he was told, ‘you ought to be an architect’, thanks to his interest in building things and drawing things. Around the same time his parents were rebuilding a property, and the process of seeing drawings manifest into a built form captured his imagination for good. Tyler’s other key projects include the recently completed Elizabeth Line Liverpool Street Station, the £500 million reconstruction and oversite development of London's Bank Station and the Emirates Air Line cable car over the River Thames. He has a particular interest in the technical development of materials and the advancement of building envelope design and has guest lectured at Oxford Brookes University, is an editorial board member of the New Steel Construction magazine and sits on the judging panel for the Structural Steel Design Awards. Listen in as Vince and Oliver discuss why he knew wanted to be an architect at just eight years old, building tall buildings among London’s medieval streets, and what the city will look like in 50 years’ time. https://wilkinsoneyre.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 150th episode, part two, of Design Your Life coincides with the 30th anniversary of Frost*collective. If you tuned in to Episode 150, you'll know that over recent weeks, we've asked our audience to ask Vince anything. In this episode, you'll hear his son Luca Frost ask Vince a selection of these questions and interview him about what motivated him to move his life and business to Australia, and the failures and successes along the way. If you're not familiar with our host, Vince Frost is the Founder, CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective. He's also a globally recognised and awarded creative who is passionately committed to designing a better world.   After becoming the youngest Associate Director at the infamous London design consultancy Pentagram, he started his own studio, Frost* Design in 1994. Together with his team and leading arts and cultural organisations, government, and business he works to help bring visionary ideas to life.   This year, Vince was recognised with the Australian Design Prize by the Australian Good Design Awards for his impact on Australian design, and named as an Indesign Luminary. He is an Executive Committee member of D&AD, a member of IGA (Alliance Graphique Internationale, Switzerland) and Honorary Fellow of ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers, London) and a Member of the University of Technology Sydney's Entrepreneurial Advisory Board.  In 2006 Vince was the subject of a retrospective at Sydney Opera House and he continues to be an international ambassador for the design industry, judging and speaking on the value of design and how it can change people's lives and our world for the better.  Listen in as Vince and Luca discuss meeting Anna Wintour and feeling out of place at Japanese Vogue, the phone call from Peter Clemenger that changed everything, and what he's most proud of. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to episode 150! This week, we're turning the mic on our host. In a serendipitous turn of events, this 150th episode of Design Your Life coincides with the 30th anniversary of Vince Frost's other baby, his strategic creative studio, Frost*collective. Over recent weeks, we've asked our listeners and social media followers to ask Vince anything, and today his eldest son, Luca Frost, is in the interviewer's chair. If you're not familiar with our host, Vince Frost is the Founder, CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective. He's also a globally recognised and awarded creative who is passionately committed to designing a better world.   After becoming the youngest Associate Director at the infamous London design consultancy Pentagram, he started his own studio, Frost* Design in 1994. Together with his team and leading arts and cultural organisations, government, and business he works to help bring visionary ideas to life.   This year, Vince was recognised with the Australian Design Prize by the Australian Good Design Awards for his impact on Australian design, and named as an Indesign Luminary. He is an Executive Committee member of D&AD, a member of IGA (Alliance Graphique Internationale, Switzerland) and Honorary Fellow of ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers, London) and a Member of the University of Technology Sydney's Entrepreneurial Advisory Board.  In 2006 Vince was the subject of a retrospective at Sydney Opera House and he continues to be an international ambassador for the design industry, judging and speaking on the value of design and how it can change people's lives and our world for the better.  In the first of this two-part series, Vince unpacks his childhood, adolescence and early years as a designer. We cover everything from his move to Canada from England as a young child, where his dad would build igloos in the back yard, to what motivated him to go to design school, and what it was like working at the famed international design studio Pentagram in 1980s London. Listen in as Vince and Luca discuss being chased by skin heads after moving back to England from Canada in 6th form, watching Alan Fletcher, John McConnell and David Hillman, “designing stuff, before computers,” and typesetting Polaroid magazine in five languages with John Rushworth. Tune in next week to hear him respond to our audiences' questions in part two. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Collette Dinnigan has a storied history as one of Australia's must successful fashion designers. Ever. But that's just one chapter of her creative life.  Her adventurous spirit and love of colour, fabric and proportion make total sense in the context of her childhood. In the mid 70s, her father built a yacht and set sail from Durbin, South Africa for the world with his young family. When they settled in New Zealand her creative mother got involved in textile design, Collette would get the remnants and patterns, piecing them together into garments.  Her list of accolades is long. Collette became the first Australian to mount a full-scale ready-to-wear collection in Paris in October 1995, and in 1996 was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show on the prestigious Paris Fashion Week schedule. By the early 2000s, she was the darling of the international fashion scene. Dressing celebrities who didn't want to wear the old houses on the red carpet, but something more youthful and new. In 2013, she was ready for change. Never afraid to take a risk, she controversially closed the doors to her business, instead of selling. When you get to know her, you'll understand why.  Today, her focus on collaborations and interiors satisfies her creative drive. She's collaborated with luxury brands like Qantas, Audi and Dom Perignon, authored children's books, designed interiors for restaurants and hotels and created wallpapers and ceramics. She's even been on Celebrity MasterChef, a credit to her commitment to pushing herself outside her comfort zone. She's authored two coffee table books, the second, ‘Bellissima, An Australian—Italian Affair', designed by Vince is on shelves in all good bookstores today.  Listen in as Vince and Collette discuss her love of interiors, gardens, food, friends, curiosities, art and travel, why she chose to shut down her business rather than sell it, and rolling down 40-foot waves in the Indian Ocean. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born in the small town of Hastings, New Zealand, Derek grew up in a working-class family with limited financial means and modest aspirations. His unexpected passion for photography ignited when he was a young bank teller and noticed a wedding photographer's bank statement, revealing the potential to make a living from photography. This serendipitous moment set Derek on a journey that has taken him around the world, from Sydney to Los Angeles, London, and back to Sydney. Along the way, he has worked with high-profile names such as Stella McCartney, David Walsh (MONA) and Donald Trump (in his pre-President days).  Throughout his career, Derek has learned that mastering photography goes beyond understanding technical aspects like light, composition, and form. It's equally about communication, direction, and most importantly, honesty. “That's kind of all you have – honesty. I think people appreciate you when you are honest with them”.  It's this kind of transparency that helps him capture the best images and achieve the best results for his clients.  Listen in as Vince and Derek discuss the role of communication when working with individuals, agencies, magazines and fashion brands, and how photographing Stella McCartney unearthed a surprising connection to a Beatles parade he attended as a baby.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In some families, the parents' DNA instructs so clearly the way their children think and work that it's impossible to deny the familial impact. Jason Bruges is the product of just this. His dad was a software and computer engineer, and his mother a trained artist. Both influenced where and how he came to be a multidisciplinary artist and designer. His eponymous Jason Bruges Studio is internationally renowned for creating interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the world of architecture, site specific installation art and interaction design. Considered a pioneer of this hybrid in-between space, Jason has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists and designer-makers. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University in London, Jason borrowed £1,000 from his dad for an airline ticket and flew to Hong Kong to meet his grandfather at the airport. He'd only met him a handful of times before. Within weeks he had a job offer from the famed architect Norman Foster. This later led to his role at the groundbreaking brand experience agency, Imagination back in London, where his work on the Millenium Dome was considered an early example of interaction design. It was soon after, in 2002, that Jason created his own studio. Listen in as Vince and Jason discuss how being noticed by Tom Dixon helped him start his studio, the influence of Jean Nouvel's animated façades, and designing a hotel lobby in 2002 that changed colour based on the clothes of guests passing through. https://www.jasonbruges.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's economy, people are more considerate about what they'll spend money on, retailers have to fight to hold or grow their market share. If there's one person who knows this better than most, and will be the first to step into the ring, it's Felicity McGahan. McGahan is the Group CEO of STRAND, the Australian handbags and luggage retailer, where she is leading a transformational vision for growth by modernising, digitising and internationalising every aspect of the business. Backed up by 20 years at Gap, where she left as VP or North America Marketing, and key executive roles at Reebok, Sportsgirl, Esprit, Cotton On and Sussan, she's been with amazing brands at the right time. And been mentored by best-in-class leaders, building a reputation for successfully evolving brands for growth.   Her career in retail isn't a total surprise. Her Dad had a chain of footwear stores, and her mum was the original Sportsgirl, modelling for the iconic Australian retailer through the 70s and 80s before becoming their ever Wardrobe Consultant, “When I grew up, she was styling Kylie Minogue for Locomotion.” She was destined for it.  Listen in as Vince and Felicity discuss forging her birth certificate aged 14 to get a job, where she finds her enthusiasm and drive, and what it takes to turn a retail business around.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to exist professionally as an artist? Does being business minded compromise an artist's creativity? If it's a frank discussion on the topic you're after, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran is the artist to have it with.  Nithiyendran is a Sri Lankan born contemporary artist whose work is often described as bold, hyperbolic, exaggerated and expressive. He's achieved huge success in his decade-long career — his artwork has been presented in museums, festivals and the public domain, including significant presentations at the National Gallery of Australia, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Dhaka Art Summit and Art Basel Hong Kong. In 2019, he received a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship recognising his outstanding talent and exceptional professional courage, and his 368-page monograph, titled RAMESH, was published by Thames & Hudson in 2022. Heavily influenced by his upbringing as a Tamil migrant in Sydney's west, Nithiyendran was an incredibly high achiever academically, but it wasn't until he arrived at the University of New South Wales to begin his BA in Fine Arts that he felt he existed outside a minority. Listen in as Vince and Ramesh discuss why no one in art wants to talk about business, how growing up as a migrant in Australia shaped him and the importance of respecting other people's work and input.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some people take a lifetime to find their true north, the thing they want to spend their days working on. That's not the case for Sean Perkins. Growing up in South Yorkshire in the 70s, it wasn't cool to get good grades. Even though he was smart, he flunked almost everything. Everything, but art. From a young age he was exposed to, “the future, all this incredible visual culture”, by way of Japanese mementos his dad would bring back from work trips to Tokyo. And the fashion his mum would wear after disappearing to the fashion shows in Paris to stock her boutique in Huddersfield. Today, he's one of the most influential graphic designers of our time. He's created visual identities for some of the world's most recognisable brands with his London-based studio North Design. And the brands and clients relationships he builds — they stand the test of time. Some of his identity systems are still being used 20+ years after he and his partners Jeremy Coysten and Stephen Gilmore first created them. Think Tate Modern, Barbican Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District, ACMI. And perhaps most notably, the project that put his name on the map as a young designer, the UK's most iconic roadside assistance company, the RAC. Listen in as Vince and Sean discuss, growing up buying albums for the covers, learning from Gert Dumbar, and the highs and lows of running their respective studios. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not every path to success is a straight one. Mike Tosetto knows this firsthand. From growing up in Sydney's Inner West as a skate kid who took photos with a disposable camera of the local street art — or, as her calls it, ‘mad graph' — to living out back for two years at Ayres Rock Resort, to playing didgeridoo on stage at the Glastonbury music festival. His path has been anything but direct. After realising his job at a supermarket chain wasn't going anywhere, he got a job at a publishing house, and started hanging around the graphic design department and tinkering with computers with the IT guys. But it was when he stumbled upon a University of Sydney open day that things really started to unfold in the right direction. He got into a digital media master's degree, and his path was set. Today, Mike runs one of the foremost animation studios in Australia. Creating motion branding for businesses like Samsung, Adobe, Adidas, Microsoft, Google, Binge and Bugatti, translating strategic concepts into motion. Listen in as Vince and Mike discuss being burnt out and not being able to see the woods for the trees, the relentless pursuit of delivering great outcomes, and the future of motion design.   https://neversitstill.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hurricane Katrina and the Northern Rivers Floods may have happened over a decade apart and on opposite sides of the world. But the disasters have a lot in common. New Orleans and Lismore found themselves caught in the eye of the storm when the cities, both located for prosperity around a major waterway but on compromised ground, were inundated by water and devastated in the process.  The other thing these disasters have in common are Elizabeth Mossop and Dan Etheridge. The academics met in New Orleans at a two-day symposium called ‘Reinhabiting NOLA' in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Mossop was instrumental in the creation of the Coastal Sustainability Studio at Louisiana State University, a multi-disciplinary research laboratory that has been profoundly influential in the direction of Louisiana's efforts in resilience planning and design. Etheridge worked for Tulane University helping to establish applied research coastal restoration programs. The two clicked and stayed in close contact, but they could never have imagined they'd end up working together, using their research and experiences in New Orleans to help plan a thriving future for Lismore following the floods. Together, at Living Lab Northern Rivers, they're doing just that. Listen in as Vince, Elizabeth and Dan discuss; how growing up with science-obsessed fathers shaped them, experiencing New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and why we need to do things fundamentally differently to thrive in our changing world.  https://www.llnr.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much does your environment shape your life, and what can city-makers do to make our lives better? Michael Stott has spent over 25 years crafting narratives for cities around the world, considering how they can be made better for the people who inhabit them. As Head of Cities and Places, Masterplanning & Urban Design at DBI, one of Australia's foremost multidisciplinary design practices, he's at the forefront of Brisbane's evolution as a global city in time for the 2032 Olympics. Stott grew up in the picturesque Vancouver seaside communities of White Rock and West Vancouver, and he credits his childhood exploring the vast landscapes of his home country with setting the tone for his life. And his fascination with balancing the scale of small and big when it comes to shaping cities.  He credits his journey from art into linguistics, architecture, design and finally planning with his interest in understanding the pattern language of cities and how they speak to us. Listen in as Vince and Michael discuss; how embracing local culture can help you feel at home, the influence of legendary architect Lord Richard Rogers and the UK's Urban Renaissance and why Istanbul is one of his favourite cities in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In life and in business, how big a part does luck play in our success? And are our good ideas really good at all? Professor Frederik Anseel is the newly appointed Dean of the University of New South Wales' Business School and an expert in what works, and what doesn't, in business. He's spent his career researching organisational psychology, leadership, how to motivate people, how to treat colleagues with respect and how to be authentic. It's this combination of the study of management and psychology that changed from a very niche field to one of wide-spread interest during the COVID pandemic. Anseel grew up in a small town 15 minutes from the French border in Belgium, where education, even university, is free for all. One side of his family are engineers, the other teachers. It's clear how his upbringing has defined his view of life, value of education, and area of academia.  Listen in as Vince and Frederik discuss; how the 2008 GFC shifted the narrative for the hero CEO paradigm, the art of getting office politics right and the surprising origins of the Type A personality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 80s, Stiff Records, the British independent Punk Rock and New Wave record label, had an open-door policy. You could walk in and pick up posters, stickers and pin badges most days of the week. Jeremy Leslie was one of the kids doing just that. He'd catch the bus over to Notting Hill from the London College of Design to visit the shop. Originally, he was there for the music, but it was the storytelling in the design that made a lasting impression. Leslie is an internationally recognised creative who's been making magazines for over four decades. He's also the founder of magCulture, the iconic London magazine shop. After having his eyes opened to the world of design by a thoughtful art teacher, he's gone on to art direct quarterlies, monthlies and weeklies, and spent the noughties developing award-winning magazines at John Brown Publishing. He's written four books about editorial design, and in 2018 was awarded the Mark Boxer Award by the British Society of Magazine Editors for services to the magazine industry. Listen in as Vince and Jeremy discuss the legendary English graphic artist Barney Bubbles, their favourite magazines of the 90s (The Face and i-D), and how the independent print scene has been empowered by digital and the internet.  https://magculture.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You could argue a lot of kids grow up with a love of drawing. This one knew he wanted to be an architect in high school. When his older brother brought home some Rotring pens, it all clicked. Domenic Alvaro is the Director and Global Design Leader at Woods Bagot, one of the world's leading architecture firms. Drawing is a huge part of his professional practice to this day. He's a long-term collaborator of Frost*collective and someone the studio is immensely proud to have worked with over the years. Dedicated to agitating traditional typologies, he is an architect who breaks from convention to unlock spatial potential. He's led projects all over the world, ranging from mixed use developments that redefine the way nature can be woven into a city, experiential large-scale transportation links, landmark commercial precincts, holistic masterplans and residential that defines the way we will live tomorrow.  Listen in as Vince and Domenic discuss why micro projects like his globally award-winning Small House have relevance at the larger scale, bringing back laneway culture for Sydney with the massive Ivy project, and the singular beauty of Peter Zumthors The Therme Vals in Switzerland.  https://www.woodsbagot.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having a knock-out creative career five decades long is one thing. Setting up a charity to inspire the same creativity in the next generations is another. But the iconic British design duo, who are also husband and wife - Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady Frances Sorrell CBE - have done just that. Frances and John started their lives in design both aged of 14 when, in different parts of London, they attended free Saturday morning classes at their local colleges of art and design. Neither were from well-off families. John had never been to an art gallery and most of his peers were dropping out of school aged 15 to get jobs. The experience was a revelation that paved the way for full-time study and their careers in design. It was also the prime motivation for the formation of the Sorrell Foundation in 1999 with the aim of inspiring creativity in young people to change their lives and make the world a better place. After meeting through work, the Sorrell's launched their now legendary design studio, Newell and Sorrell, in 1976. They've redesigned some of the UKs most high-profile organisations, including British Airways, The BBC and the Royal Mail. After 25 years in business, they sold to Omnicom, and have spent the past 25 working to give young people pathways to higher education in the creative industries. Their achievements and accolades are too long to list. John is co-founder and chairman of London Design Festival and co-founder of London Design Biennale and is a UK Business Ambassador, appointed by successive prime ministers to help promote Britain's creative industries abroad. John was appointed CBE in 1996, was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bicentenary Medal in 1998 and holds numerous honorary fellowships and degrees. John was awarded a knighthood in the 2008 New Year Honours List for services to the creative industries. Frances is a tour de force in her own right. She is Chancellor of the University of Westminster, London, has Honorary Fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects, Falmouth University, Hereford College of Arts and Plymouth College of Art. She holds Honorary Doctorates from the Open University, Coventry University and University for the Creative Arts, and has been a visiting Professor at University of the Arts London. As Creative Director at Newell and Sorrell she won over a hundred awards for creativity and effectiveness. Listen in as Vince, Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell discuss; cold calling BP fresh out of art school and designing their exhibition stand at the Paris Air Show six weeks later, growing up on the same working-class council estate as Rod Stewart, and why you have to put your money where your mouth is if you really believe in something. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are considered lucky when they find something they're skilled at and love, then make it their vocation. Growing up with a parent they've inherited that skill and passion from helps, especially when they're exceptionally talented. Both Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have parents who helped them on their path to a life shaped by creativity. Olsen's father, John Olsen, who passed away aged 95 in 2023, is arguably Australia's most famous artist. Her mother was a painter, too. Ormandy's mother was a sculptor, who tirelessly championed his creative pursuits. He knew he wanted to be an artist from age five. After meeting on the first day of art school in Sydney — it was love at first sight, depending on who you ask — the two became best friends. After graduation, they set about creating a tangible product people would want to buy. By the late 80s they were making jewellery for Kylie Minogue and INXS and opening a tiny shop in Sydney's Strand Arcade. Dinosaur Designs, their jewellery and homewares business, is 40 years old next year. They have seven stores in Australia and one each in New York and London, with stockists globally.  They're also both successful artists in their own right. Not to mention their daughter Camille. The trio are preparing a group show to be held in Paris later this year.  Listen in as Vince, Louise and Stephen discuss; being born into the art world, how they've made their marriage and business work and how children have a natural ability to get inside a subject when it comes to art.  https://www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being driven is one thing. But being driven by trauma is another. It's a special kind of motivation, and when combined with a competitive nature and natural feel for what an audience wants, great things can be achieved. Aidan Anderson is the Founder and CEO of The Local Project — the fastest growing design platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The platform is followed by design and architecture lovers worldwide, and champions authentic design, showcasing and supporting architects, designers, makers and suppliers. Incredibly, he started it by profiling his friends and local makers on an Instagram account run from his dusty furniture workshop. The Local Project now has an audience of over 4 million across print, video, digital and social media. Anderson has no formal training, and has always just made the content he wants to see. He first fell in love with design and architecture working on building sites to make extra money in the summers of his teenage years. The furniture workshop opened when he dropped out of an architecture degree at university just three months in. He credits the agility that comes with youth as one of the keys to his success — he was 21 when he started the business in 2016. Listen in as Vince and Aidan discuss; how Australian architecture is perceived internationally, the powerfully addictive nature of social media, and how the hand you're dealt defines you.  https://thelocalproject.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's an art to bringing history into modern creativity as more than a reference.  Sibella Court is adept at it. The creative director, author and interior and product designer has made a career out of creating with her love of history at the forefront. When you learn she grew up with two incredibly creative parents — a builder father skilled in transforming spaces and a mother who specialised in Central Asian textiles — her multifaceted creative career comes as no surprise.  After studying history at university in Sydney, and getting a start at Australian Vogue, she spent a decade shooting editorial in New York. Since returning to Australia in 2006, she's written and published six books, hosted a TV series, and designed the interiors for some of Sydney's best-known restaurants and bars, including Mr Wong's and Palmer & Co.  Listen in as Vince and Sibella Court discuss her lifelong love of history, working at Australian Vogue in the early 90s and the seismic impact the death of a parent can have.  https://thesocietyinc.com.au/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a small country with a small population, the Danes are incredibly well-known on the global stage as highly skilled when it comes to design. In Viggo Haremst's case, he knew he wanted to be an architect, like his father, very early in life. But he credits his Swedish mother for his commitment to process and detail. As a Design Director and Partner at the prominent Danish architecture firm Henning Larsen he steered the winning proposal for the Canberra Theatre Centre and is leading the city-shaping Lighthouse at Darling Park in Sydney. The practice believes good design begins with curiosity, and is leading the world when it comes to evidence-based building design with a focus on investigating and prototyping innovation in sustainability. Viggo is a sought-after keynote speaker who delivers insights into Henning Larsen's design method and projects, and the future of workspaces.  Listen in as Vince and Viggo discuss learning about limits from Zaha Hadid, how to create a longer life cycle for a building and why Danes are so good at design.  https://henninglarsen.com/en See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much do the environments we inhabit impact our health and wellbeing? And does our emotional state impact our physical health? Dr. Esther Sternberg is internationally recognised for her discoveries in the science of the mind-body interaction in illness and healing, and the role of place in wellbeing. She is a pioneer and major force in collaborative initiatives on mind-body-stress-wellness and environment interrelationships.  Her inspirational and popular books — there are three, the latest ‘WELL at WORK: Creating Wellbeing in Any Workspace' has just been released — are backed by science and are changing the way we design public and private places for people. Dr. Sternberg's list of achievements is extensive. She's advised the World Health Organization and the Vatican, and briefed high level U.S. Federal Government officials. She's also moderated a panel with the Dalai Lama and been recognized by the National Library of Medicine as one of the women who ‘Changed the Face of Medicine'. She has authored over 240 scholarly articles and edited 10 technical books on the topic of brain-immune connections and design and health.  Her two decades-long research with the U.S. General Services Administration, using wearable devices to track health and wellbeing in the built office environment, is informing healthy design standards for workplaces in the public and private sectors around the world.  Listen in as Vince and Dr. Sternberg discuss immersive reality nature recharge rooms, being one of only ten girls in a class of 110 at medical school and the best prescription for a healthy building. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think of life on earth in the context of the universe, being human can seem absurd. That's what British artist and illustrator Paul Davis thinks. When he was 17, growing up in Somerset in England, his father died suddenly. But he'd already taught him everything he needed to know about space, time and human existence.  Davis' sometimes controversial work has been widely published and exhibited. He's regularly commissioned by international broadsheets and magazines, has created animated idents for BBC Radio 4, and his handwriting has been used in animated adverts for American Express.  The artist's craft is born from a deep curiosity about the idiocy and beauty of being alive. And a compulsion to make art as a form of therapy. He doesn't just want to make art. He has to. And he's not shy about being satirical. Despite a long battle with alcoholism (he's been sober for over six years), his work has made him a London icon.  Listen in as Vince and Paul discuss his experience of alcoholism and thoughts on AA, drawing Trump giving himself a blow job, and how to know when you've pushed it too far.  https://www.instagram.com/paulcopyrightdavis/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The craft of graphic design has changed dramatically since the 80s. Computers. The popularisation of branding. Over the past four plus decades John Rushworth, the design behemoth Pentagram's longest serving partner, has seen it all. Despite these seismic shifts, he believes the thinking and innate human ability it takes to do truly impactful work hasn't changed.  Rushworth has had a huge impact on the world of design. He's delivered graphic solutions to clients across almost every industry from Polaroid to Great Western Railway with his in-dept approach to design. Working closely with his clients, he works to draw out what it is that truly makes them who they are. Then turns them into strategically focused and visually compelling brands. He's also had a huge impact on Vince Frost – he was his boss at Pentagram and the person who has influenced his career and design philosophy more than any other creative.  Growing up in working class Yorkshire, he'd never heard the word design. It was a student teacher at his, “if I'm honest, pretty bad school,” who'd studied the craft that set a task to design an album cover that his eyes were opened. At age 14, he was good. At his Preston College of Art graduation show he was picked up by Conran Design Group. A year later he moved to Pentagram, just in time for their 10th birthday party. In 1987 he became the studio's first associate and two years later was the first employee to be invited to become a partner.  The creative has been member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) since 1994 and a Director of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund since 2012. His work has been exhibited worldwide and has received many international awards including a gold medal at the Lahti Poster Biennale and multiple D&AD silver pencils.   Listen in as Vince and John discuss the business of design, the impact of computers and AI on the design process, and what Vince learned working under him at Pentagram in the 90s.    https://www.pentagram.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past decade, the debate about the role of books in our increasingly digital world has been a hot one. This devotee of the printed form is unequivocal. She believes content online has simply pushed publishers to make better books.   Emilia Terragni is Associate Publisher at Phaidon Press, the world's leading publisher of books on art, design and culture. Phaidon turns 100 this year. Terragni has been there for 22, specialising in books on architecture, design, food, fashion and art, and is considered one of the most influential editors working in the field today.  Born and raised in Como, Italy, by a creative family where books were incredibly important, she ran away aged 19 to study in Venice. A PHD in fine art set her on the path to a career as a curator or art critic. But it was during her time in the archives of the Vitra Design Museum cataloguing the work of architect Mexican architect and engineer Luis Barragán that she met with Phaidon, and the rest is history.  Listen in as Vince and Emilia discuss working together on Nan Goldin's iconic photography book The Devil's Playground in 2003, the privilege of working with the prolific British graphic designer Alan Fletcher to his dying day, and being named The Queen of Cookbooks by the Wall Street Journal.  https://www.phaidon.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which parts of our heritage and childhood form who we are and impact what we do in later life? If you spend your childhood wallpapering your bedroom walls with drawings of Europe's great buildings, are you desisted for a career in built environments? Does being a self-confessed neat freak make you better at simplifying complex problems? In this case, the answer is resoundingly, “yes!”.  Carlo Giannasca is a multi-award-winning graphic and three-dimensional environmental designer who is a sough-after thought-leader and speaker at universities and design conferences worldwide. For almost four decades, he's been engaged in helping people and their communities reimagine and implement new possibilities for work, learning and life.   He's also Partner and Managing Director of Frost*collective. During his 20-year professional partnership with Vince, he's transitioned from Creative Director to Managing Director, and led major environmental graphics and wayfinding schemes for Qantas' terminals and headquarters, the International Towers at Barangaroo and Sequis Tower Jakarta.  Listen in as Vince and Carlo discuss; getting his start in the 80s with Australia's first iconic designer Garry Emery, how sneaking out of a hotel in Venice aged 10 on a family holiday and having to find his way back alone impacted him, and what it means to earn a 4th dan black belt in karate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Buckminster Fuller and Cedric Price were mentors when Peter Murray OBE was studying architecture in the 1960s. Peter Cook and the Archigram Group were idols, “they were the Beatles of architecture at the time”. Not a bad selection of teachers for someone interested in the craft from the age of ten.  Since then, Murray has had a huge impact on shaping the city of London. Although he qualified as an architect, he didn't become one. His calling was to carve out a huge career writing about and promoting it. He founded the design and architecture magazine Blueprint and the global communications company Wordsearch. And curated major exhibitions at the Royal Academy in London. He also started the London Festival of Architecture - now a significant annual event in the cultural life of the capital.  Murray has written and published books about architecture, been a Mayor's Design Advocate, Chairman of the London Society and a Visiting Professor at the IE Business School in Madrid. He is Chairman of the Temple Bar Trust and has gathered a huge list of accolades through his career. Including the OBE he received for leadership in the arts, architecture, city planning, design, publication and charity in 2021. He's also a keen cyclist, raising money for charity each year through cycling, and advocate for active cities.   Today, his time is focused on the New London Architecture centre, which he founded in 2005 as a centre for debate and discussion about the changing face of the capital. Some might say London is a better place to live thanks to him.  Listen in as Vince and Peter discuss working in design media in swinging 60s London, how his wildly successful studio Wordsearch came to be, and why, when you see an opportunity, you have to take it.  https://nla.london/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. One person who has lived through the changes with her dream job intact is Katrina Strickland. The journalist and author is editor of one of Australia's most widely-read magazines, Good Weekend, which appears in print and online every Saturday in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. After realising that the law career she'd studied for didn't float her boat, Strickland secured a cadetship in the business section of Melbourne's Herald Sun. Later, she transitioned to covering and editing the arts before moving into magazines, first at The Australian Financial Review, where she edited its monthly glossy magazine for three years, and then, six and a half years ago, to Good Weekend. For someone whose father warned her, when she said she wanted to be a journalist, that, “many journalists are alcoholic no-hopers”, her determination and consistency has paid off. In 2013 her book, Affairs of the Art, about the role those left behind play in burnishing a late artist's reputation, was published by Melbourne University Publishing. Today, her gratitude for and commitment to a career she considers a huge privilege show no signs of slowing down.  Listen in as Vince and Katrina discuss why human stories make for the most-loved content, the brutal pace of working on a weekly publication, and what can happen in the black window between when you go to print and when your publication comes out in the world. https://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Landing a job at the London architecture firm you idolise right out of college is a good sign for any young architect, particularly one from another country. Landing the Great Court at the British Museum as your first project is another. Any architect starting out with these two achievements under their belt would wonder, ‘Where to from here?' Daniel Goldberg is known for his progressive approach to designing from the inside out, with a focus on spatial theory and anthropology. His childhood interests of art and the technical aspects of how things are built have evolved into a wildly successful architectural career focused on the psychology of the way people want to live.  As Founder and Principal at State of Craft – the multi-disciplinary global design studio famous for their integrated approach to architecture and interiors – he's worked on some incredible projects including The Shard residences in London and One Sydney Harbour. He's won the John Barrett Award, was nominated Young Engineer of the Year in 1999 and has had his work published in leading design magazines around the world including Wallpaper, Detail and Architectural Digest.  Listen in as Vince and Daniel discuss what he learnt in his formative years working for Sir Norman Foster, why designing a yacht is akin to designing a small world, and Edward Hall's 1960s science of proxemics spatial psychology theory.  https://www.stateofcraft.co.uk/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After inheriting a Nikon F3 camera from his photographer uncle in his teens, Andrew Quilty set about casually documenting life. Later, when he was studying photography in the day, and working in a bottle shop at night, a regular took an interest in his work. He turned out to be a photo editor at the Fairfax media company; this was a time when Australia newspapers were punching above their weight on a global stage. Fate had set the wheels in motion for a life and career Quilty never could have imagined. Today, Quilty is a multi-award-winning photojournalist whose work has been published by The New York Times, BBC News and TIME Magazine - and garnered accolades worldwide. He's won a World Press Photo Contest award, a Pictures of the Year International award, a Sony World Photography award and six Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley, the highest honour in Australian journalism.  On a two-week assignment in 2013 to shoot the Afghani cricket team he fell in love with Afghanistan and spent the next eight years living in and documenting the wartime country and its people. He's travelled to two thirds of the country's 34 provinces and produced two books on his time there. The first ‘August in Kabul' is a novel about America's last days of occupation, and the second ‘This is Afghanistan' is a visual record designed in by Vince Frost with Wing Lau. Both books are published by The University of Melbourne - ‘This is Afghanistan' will be released this month.  Listen in as Vince and Andrew discuss; the ethics of beautifying death and tragedy, how recently media have become fair game in war zones, and the story behind his harrowing Walkely Award Winning photograph and article ‘The Man on the Operating Table'.  Buy 'This is Afghanistan' - https://www.mup.com.au/books/this-is-afghanistan-hardback See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not many kids dream of designing a billboard one day. It was at age 11, when he picked up his first commission from the printer (business cards for his equally entrepreneurial teenage brother), that he realised he was hooked on design. Soon after, a school careers night opened his eyes to commercial art, and his future was set. Some would call it a singular talent for designing original ideas. If you ask him, it's down to hard work and luck.  Ant Donovan is a multi-award-winning creative who has attracted widespread attention throughout his career. As Partner & Group Creative Director at Frost*collective, he's helped some of the world's biggest brands find people-centred solutions to difficult problems. Ant has had a huge impact in the design space over the past two-plus decades globally. And if you're Australian, there's a very slim chance you haven't been impacted by his work.  Ant's career in design has taken him on an amazing journey, from flying in a helicopter above the most populated city in the world to riding a hovercraft in the remote wilderness of Australia's outback. His first ‘real' job was as Art Director at the critically acclaimed photography and culture bible, Black+White magazine. Since then, he's worked with a diverse range of organisations and industries; from large-scale corporations, tourism bodies and retail giants, to iconic cultural institutions, not for profits and one-person start-ups. His passion and relentless drive to make work that matters is what gets him out of bed.  Listen in as Vince and Ant discuss designing layouts for David Bailey, Rankin and Testino aged 22, what drawing an entire typeface by hand with a Rotring pen can teach you about design, and how to find original ideas in today's oversaturated world.  https://www.frostcollective.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian art scene has dramatically evolved over the past decade. A place that was once seen as belonging to wealthy collectors has opened up to absolutely anyone who is interested and inspired. ‘Front page news', once dedicated to sport, has recognised the important place of art in our everyday lives.  Kym Elphinstone is the Founder and CEO of Articulate, Australia's leading communications consultancy for culture and the arts. She's represented many of Australia's biggest cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, Carriageworks and the Powerhouse Museum through to more than 12 temporary public art projects for John Kaldor as well as grass-roots festivals and art fairs platforming emerging artists. She's had a major impact on the profile of the arts in this country.  She cites her background in law as a formative experience but one that didn't offer the creativity she yearned for. In London in the early 2000s, she realised she needed to pursue her first love: the arts. After moving to Sydney, she soon took up a role at the MCA, and a few years later found herself starting her own business with the Biennale of Sydney as her first client.  Listen in as Vince and Kym discuss the difference between art and design, why it's important to only work with people and on projects you believe in, and public art as placemaking.  https://articulatepr.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Architects are often drawn to designing buildings that are iconic because they're incredibly sculptural or different. But it's designing what he calls ‘Everyday Buildings', and making them better, that makes this one tick. His firm believes it's these background buildings that often make cities special.  Paul Monaghan, who co-founded the incredibly successful architecture practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris in 1989, is an internationally acclaimed architect whose work is focused on redefining the built environment. He's the Liverpool City Region's first Design Champion, advises government on how to promote high-quality design for cities and is a generous educator and speaker. He's also committed to helping young and disadvantaged architects get a foot in the door.  Listen in as Vince and Paul discuss; growing up in 60s Liverpool with his dad's set squares in the living room when The Beatles were still around, the power of being able to sketch an architectural idea by hand, and the incredible task of working on the UKs House of Commons.  https://www.ahmm.co.uk/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warehouse living gained popularity in the 60s and 70s in major urban centres, particularly New York. Industrial buildings were empty, and artists loved their affordability and vast open layouts. But it wasn't until the 80s that Australia caught on.  Jeff Provan co-founded Neometro, Melbourne's long-standing design-focused and socially led development group in 1985. He is an active and integral figure in Melbourne's design community with a raft of accolades for his approach to design, construction and sustainable development.  Jeff's ongoing commitment to creating homes that make people happy, connect them with their local community, and improve health and wellbeing has a huge ongoing impact on how people live in the city. And his philosophy for creating places that will stand the test of time and be loved by the people who live in them is summarised in The Framework For Healthy Buildings, which will be published in October.  Listen in as Vince and Jeff discuss the eternal appeal of warehouse living, designing buildings for people to love, and the elements needed to create a truly healthy place to live.  https://neometro.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether we realise it or not, when we're at work we're promoting ourselves every day through our personal brands. The way we position ourselves professionally does impact our success. As a freelancer or as someone working within an organisation, this applies to everyone from entry level roles right through to CEOs. Entrepreneurs perhaps have the biggest challenge of all in this space.  Stephanie Bown is a neuropsychologist and leadership expert who incredibly knew she wanted to help people thrive from just 15 years old, in part thanks to the advice of a psychologist uncle. She is focused on inspiring leaders to fully turn up themselves to enable individual and collective success. For Stephanie, it's all about the pivotal moments that tie us together and those that break us.   Listen in as Vince and Stephanie discuss creating thriving communities at work, what we can all learn from athletes and why it mostly boils down to, ‘just be more you'. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music is emotional, and sound is a powerful tool for tuning in to feelings and memories. Music helps us recall people, places and experiences. A song can take us back to a time in our lives we may not have thought of for years or even decades.  Dan Higson and Nick West know this better than most and are leading the way when it comes to creating memorable and emotive sonic branding and music strategy for brands with their globally awarded sound studio, Smith & Western.   Dan began his career trying to be a pop star in 80s London. He even made it onto Top of the Pops, the iconic British music chart TV show. Around the same time, Nick was in Japan, going to music festivals in the mountains on weekends. Later he paid his way busking with a didgeridoo while learning how to write music in his basement.  Listen in as Vince, Dan and Nick discuss the science behind making music and sounds, why you can't copywrite chord progressions or drum patterns, and how AI is impacting their industry.  https://smithandwestern.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resilience isn't always a quality that's obvious to the people who display it. Often, resilience is survival. It's resilience combined with a positive outlook, can-do attitude, tenacious nature and sense of community that have helped Dion Horstmans reach a place in his life where he's able to do what he loves for a living. And it's not a position he takes for granted.  Today, the artist's work is displayed in private and public spaces across the world. ‘Supersonic' – a massive sculpture made up of over 100 pieces of bright yellow tubular steel welded together into the landmark entrance of Melbourne's Collin's Square – is seen by millions of people every day.  Growing up between New Zealand and the Cook Islands, things weren't always so golden. With a single mum living on welfare and violence as a theme, Hortsmans spent his childhood turning to art as a place he could go to be in control, a place of safety. After burning out in the film industry - he was making props and models for blockbusters films like Star Wars, Mission Impossible and Moulin Rouge - he decided to try and make a career of art. It wasn't long before he received a life-changing phone call.  Listen in as Vince and Dion discuss cutting his teeth working with tools in the film industry, thinking at age 15 he wouldn't make it to 21, and doing everything from working as a doorman to sweeping the floors of an abattoir.  https://dionhorstmans.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Buildings pose a huge problem when it comes to carbon, and the architects of today with a conscience are grappling with the environmental debt of the buildings they design.  Quino Holland, Director at Fieldwork, is tackling the issue with an environmentally conscious sensitivity that also considers how buildings can foster community to improve the lives of the people who live in and around them.  The award-winning architect credits his childhood growing up in a Peruvian mountain village at the gateway to Machu Picchu in the late 80s with his interest in archaeology and the past. But his sights are very firmly set on using his architecture practice to improve necessary and important community infrastructure and decarbonise construction for the future.  Listen in as Vince and Quino discuss community-led development, winning the award-winning Collingwood Yards project as a fledgeling architecture practice and adaptive reuse.  https://www.fieldworkprojects.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Architects and building materials are synonymous, but an inquisitive entrepreneur with a passion for using natural materials to create spaces with soul has flipped the architectural surfaces industry on its head. With his collaborative approach, premium product and innovative approach to business Ben Kerr, the Founder and CEO of Eco Outdoor, has the world's leading residential architects knocking down his door.    Kerr's hugely successful – now global - business with over 100 highly engaged employees supplies and installs natural architectural surfaces and outdoor furniture to architects in Australia and the USA. In his early days Kerr studied history and economics in London and went on to work as a political researcher for TV. After flunking an interview with the award-winning current affairs program Insight, he decided to help his landscaper brother and saw an opportunity in product. With what started as a pile of pebbles he's created an international design-led business with purpose focused on his love of modern history and architecture.     Listen in as Vince and Ben discuss the role products play in design, how to ignite and direct passion in people, and how the pallet of materials used to build China's ancient cities are very similar to those we use today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not many people can say they grew up in an architecturally designed home furnished with modern classics featuring black lacquered ceilings and slides for transitioning between floors.  Daniel Boddam can. He also spent weekends playing with architectural drawings and materials on the floor of his parents' studio, so it's no surprise he's established himself as one of Australia's most sought-after high-end residential architects and furniture designers.   These days he's focussed on his new furniture showroom, due to open in Melbourne in the coming weeks, and using local materials in an effort to reduce the embodied carbon footprint of his work.  Listen in as Vince and Daniel discuss being exposed to his mother's colourful homeland Venezuela as a child, the first piece of furniture he fell in love with and the life-changing 'dark period' in his life.  https://danielboddam.com/  https://www.instagram.com/danielboddam/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facade Design doesn't have the high profile of architecture, but its impact on how we experience our cities and buildings, as well as their environmental impact, is significant.  Troy Donovan is Principal Facade Designer at Prism Facades and is one of the foremost voices in façade design worldwide. He works closely with architects on public and commercial projects to design, detail and construct the faces of some of the most iconic buildings around the world. Case in point; he's the Lead for the Sydney Opera House Trust Bronze Project to redesign the architectural bronzework for the interior and exterior of the entire precinct.  Thanks to his phenomenal technical drawings and knowledge sharing, some of which he does live, Donovan has amassed an impressive Instagram following. Although he doesn't see himself as an academic, he uses the platform to educate and inspire.  Listen in as Vince and Troy discuss the niche industry of facade design, appropriating techniques from automotive production for architecture, and why the AMP building at Circular Quay is his favourite building in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.