Fiona Myles runs her own agency, Kin Branding, working at the intersection of brand strategy and design thinking. In addition, she works all over the world delivering workshops and education programmes to foster a design-led, creative economy with organisations like Nesta and the British Council. She shares the story of her career with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski, touching on everything from user-centred design to the nuances of encouraging entrepreneurs to embrace design in different cultures. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com.

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On this edition

• Marek Pawlowski, podcast host & founder, MEX (@marekpawlowski)
• Fiona Myles, Founder, Kin Branding, (@kinbranding)

Links

• Nesta, the innovation foundation Fiona works with.
• British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, which Nesta and Fiona work with.
• Creative Enterprise Programme, which Fiona is helping deliver for the British Council and Nesta.
• Creative Hubs Programme, which Fiona is helping deliver for the British Council and Nesta.
• Former British foreign secretaries, including Jack Straw, writing in the Financial Times about the future of the country’s influence. Mentioned by Fiona in relation to British involvement in the world.
• Mat Hunter’s conversation on the MEX podcast with Marek Pawlowski, discussing the work of the Central Research Laboratory. Mentioned by Marek and Fiona in relation to how design students successfully establish businesses of their own.
• Central Research Laboratory, a start-up accelerator located in West London and partnered with Brunel University, mentioned by Marek and Fiona as an example of an organisation supporting both hardware and software start-ups.
• Kwame Nyanning’s conversation on the MEX podcast with Marek Pawlowski, which touched on his interest in architecture and architecture-inspired ‘pattern languages’. Mentioned by Marek and Fiona in relation to paths into digital experience design.
• Lidia Oshlyansky’s conversation on the MEX podcast with Marek Pawlowski, where they talked about the importance of local associates when conducting research. Mentioned by Marek.
• Puntié, the digital ballet shoe developed by Mariana Palma, mentioned by Fiona as an example of entrepreneurship in Mexico.
• ‘Honing your elevator pitch‘, an article by Fiona for Nesta, in which she references Puntié, the digital ballet shoe.
• Roar Nigeria, a hub for start-ups, mentioned by Fiona.
• The Bartlett, where Fiona studied architecture.
• Doblin, now a Deloitte business, mentioned by Fiona as an example of an agency which pioneered design thinking.
• Wolff Olins, now part of McKinsey, mentioned by Fiona.
• Elmwood, a branding agency mentioned by Fiona.
• Design Council, mentioned by Fiona as an example client.
• The (London) Mayor’s Entrepreneur Competition, mentioned by Fiona.
• Startup Kano, a Nigerian tech hub mentioned by Fiona.
• TechHER Nigeria, mentioned by Fiona.
• Accountancy Age article on the sale of Smythe Dorward Lambert, an organisational communications agency mentioned by Fiona, to Omnicom Group in 1996.
• Equa Index by Emissions Analytics, mentioned by Fiona as an example client.
• GIZ, Germany’s international development agency, mentioned by Fiona as an example client.
• Department for International Development (DFID), mentioned by Fiona.
• Jay Doblin, mentioned by Fiona as a pioneer of design thinking in organisations.
• Lauren Bell of CosiCare, a start-up based at Central Research Laboratory, mentioned by Fiona as the winner of the London Mayor’s Entrepreneur Competition
• Terry Smith of Fundsmiths, mentioned by Fiona.

About MEX Design Talk & how to get in touch

The podcast for the MEX community, interviewing UX pioneers, exploring emerging technologies, user behaviour and how to design better digital experiences.

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Thanks

• Jukedeck, for the artificial intelligence engine which provided the music