The Crit #30: Jon Marshall
Welcome to The Crit, a podcast from Disegno where designers review their own careers.
For those new to the show, each fortnight Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invites a leading designer to Kef Music Gallery to review their own work. Our guest reveals what worked best; what failed; what pushed their career to new heights; what feedback most shaped their practice; and what they feel needs to be redesigned.
At the end of each episode, to complete their crit, they’ll be asked to give themselves a grade for their career to date: fail, pass, commendation or distinction.
It’s a design-school crit, delivered every fortnight! Subscribe to the show here, or sign up wherever you get your podcasts from.
Episode #30: Jon Marshall
Jon Marshall is an industrial designer and a partner at Pentagram, where his work explores products, packaging and experiences, with a focus on new and emerging technologies.
Having trained at Ravensbourne and the Royal College of Art, Marshall got his start by working with designers Ross Lovegrove and Daniel Weil, before building his reputation as studio director for Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, a role that led him to partner with the pair to launch industrial design consultancy Map Project Office.
From creating products and experiences for IBM, Honda and Virgin Atlantic, to designing a children’s audio player for Yoto and a trophy for the Europa Conference League, Marshall’s work is always rigorous and highly attentive to the needs of its audience.
During his crit, Marshall talked about the importance of trusting the process, the experience of moving from a designer to a creative director role, and his dream of designing a range of cookware.
Show Notes: Charlene Prempeh
Best design: Honda. Great Journey.
Worst design: Exhibition design for UNIQLO LifeWear Day
Most successful design: Yoto
Most impactful feedback: Daniel Weil telling him to trust the process (and all feedback from his wife)
Dream design: A range of cookware inspired by Richard Sapper’s La Cintura di Orione for Alessi
This episode of The Crit was recorded at KEF Music Gallery London.
The Crit’s graphics were created by Leonhard Rothmoser.
The Crit’s music was created by Yuri Suzuki and Team Suzuki.