Design Your Life with Vince Frost

What does it take to lead one of the UK’s oldest and most respected architectural practices into the future?  As CEO of Scott Brownrigg, Darren Comber has steered the 115-year-old practice through change, challenge and reinvention. From its early roots in Guildford to a network of studios spanning Amsterdam, London, New York, Singapore and Riyadh, Darren has played a pivotal role in shaping its global presence.  With a career defined by persistence, vision and curiosity, he reflects on the power of reinvention, the evolution of design, and why keeping energy alive is fundamental to sustaining a business over decades.  Listen in as Vince and Darren explore the art of leadership, the role of architecture in shaping society, and how to stay relevant in a fast-changing world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the true measure of success isn’t scale, but connection?  From a childhood spent in expat compounds of Saudi Arabia to founding one of Australia’s most admired design studios, Jeremy Bull, founder and principal of Alexander &CO., has designed far more than homes, he’s designed a life rooted in meaning, craftsmanship and human connection.  After overcoming years of illness and self-destruction in his twenties, Jeremy rebuilt himself – mind, body and practice – with a philosophy centred on people. Today, his award-winning studio is recognised globally for its distinct sense of authenticity, materiality and feeling. Whether it’s a handcrafted home, a hospitality space or his own live-work studio in Bondi Junction, every project begins with one question: how does it make you feel?  Listen in as Vince and Jeremy discuss designing for emotion, redefining success, and the future of how we live, work and connect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gabriel Hendifar, Artistic Director and co-founder of APPARATUS, shares insights from his design journey blending elements from music, fashion, and craft. He discusses how his Iranian heritage and childhood in Los Angeles shaped his sensitive approach to creating objects that tell stories. Gabriel highlights the significance of light, the importance of materiality, and the emotional charge of design. He emphasizes that designing is a creative act, not just for objects but also for life itself, framing everyday choices as opportunities for intentional living.

How do you go from almost joining the Marines, to leading the world’s largest hospitality design firm?  Born in Yorkshire and now based in Singapore, Chris Godfrey’s story is one of creative grit, adaptability and quiet determination. From humble beginnings as a teenage print boy in an architectural practice, to founding his own studio, to now serving as Co-CEO of HBA, the global design powerhouse behind some of the world’s leading hotels and residences, his career has been shaped by curiosity and craft in equal measure.  Listen in as Vince and Chris explore his remarkable rise through design, the future of global hospitality and wellness, and how his early lessons in resilience continue to shape the way he designs for life.  HBA: https://hba.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to shape culture through design?   For Peter Saville CBE, one of the most influential designers of our time, it has always been about perception. From his early work at Factory Records, crafting the visual identities of Joy Division and New Order, to collaborations with fashion houses like Yohji Yamamoto, Burberry, Calvin Klein and Chanel, Saville has consistently redefined how we experience music, fashion, and culture.  Now in his late sixties, he reflects on a career that blurred the lines between art, design and branding, sometimes to his dismay, as he laments the loss of authenticity in today’s brand-saturated world.  Listen as Vince and Peter explore his iconic album covers, his transition from music to fashion and cultural institutions, and why, in his words, he has “always been designing himself.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you build a design career that spans continents, cultures and scale, and then redesign your life after a wake-up call?  Rido Pin is a Director at Plus Studio, a solutions company for the built environment, with 11 studios across Australia and New Zealand and projects worldwide. Originally from the Netherlands, Rido’s journey has taken him from cycling the fields of Holland, to island life in Curaçao, to New York skyscrapers, and finally to Sydney, where he now helps lead Plus Studio’s rapid growth.  This conversation comes at a milestone moment: last week, Frost* unveiled Plus Studio’s new brand refresh, reflecting its collaborative culture and future vision.  Listen in as Vince and Rido talk about the launch of the new brand identity and what it means for Plus Studio, his career, and how resilience and well-being have shaped his leadership and outlook on life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you combine a love of design with a mind for business? For Ajaz Ahmed, it meant building one of the world’s most successful creative companies from scratch before starting all over again.  Ajaz is the visionary founder of AKQA, the global digital agency that he grew to 5,000 staff across 30 countries. After three decades at the helm, he stepped down and launched Studio One, an agile new venture built for the AI age, where creativity is unleashed and hierarchy stripped back.  Born in the Thames Valley and inspired by architecture from an early age, Ajaz began working at a software company as a teenager, driven by obsession with design and a fascination with business. His story is one of ambition, humility and reinvention.  Listen in as Vince and Ajaz unpack the role of AI in creativity, the myth of scaling and mediocrity, and why having taste still matters more than ever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in North London in the 80s, no one was talking about art or design. Life was about conversations with neighbours on the street, the good and the not so good. Four decades later, Paul Cocksedge’s work is grounded in these formative years. Known for his unorthodox approach to materials in works that span public art, sculpture and architectural installation, everything he designs is about human connection. Paul founded his eponymous studio with Joana Pinho in 2004, they met at the Royal College of Art in London. The studio’s work is underpinned by its extensive research into the possibilities of technology, materials and making processes. They’ve collaborated with the V&A in London to Friedman Benda in New York, plus luxury brands including Hermès, Swarovski and BMW and work by the studio is held in numerous important collections worldwide. Listen in as Vince and Paul discuss how to be human in the era of AI, stretching ideas at the Royal Academy of Arts with Ron Arad and why working in the public realm matters to him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Elad Yifrach was growing up his art teacher mother would entertain he and his sisters by setting up art projects on their dining room table. It wasn’t long before his bedroom was home to stacks of magazines covered in sticky notes, and he was studying a unique architecture and interior design course at Technion, “kind of like the MIT of Israel”. Yifrach is the Founder and Creative Director of L’OBJET, where he’s been bringing collections of the highest quality artistic objects to life for 20 years. His work exceeds traditional craftsmanship. Through effort, imagination and genuine collaborations with exceptionally skilled and open-minded craftspeople his collections transcend. A telltale sign of what was to come, his first prototypes were picked up by Bergdorf Goodman. Listen in as Vince and Elad discuss studying at the same design school as Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz, working with the Haas Brothers on making monsters, and the unbridled joy of bringing someone new into your creative practice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keith Hempel always knew he was going to be an architect. Growing up in Southern California with a creative mother and a technical father, he seemed destined for the vocation. A transformative, “eye opening” and “earth shattering” year studying the craft in Florence set him on his way.     Today, he helps lead a cohort of over 500 architects, engineers, landscape architects, interior designers and planners in his role as President/Chief Design Officer at LPA Design Studios. The integrated firm delivers timeless, sustainable built environments with a collaborative approach and focus on research-driven sustainable solutions.    Listen in wherever you get your podcasts as Vince and Keith discuss how his Grandmother helped build the Apollo spacecrafts, the strengths and limitations of creative intuition and why it takes years to truly become a leader. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.