The Crit #39: Leyu Li
The Crit, a fortnightly podcast from Disegno, invites designers to reflect on their own portfolios, diving into their best designs and their biggest regrets.
For those new to the show, each episode sees Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford invite a guest to Kef Music Gallery to look back on their past projects. 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.
Our thirty-ninth guest on The Crit is Leyu Li, accompanied by show host Oli Stratford.
Episode #39: Leyu Li
Leyu Li is a London-based food designer who investigates the complex relationships between culture, technology, society and food.
From provocative speculative designs about lab-grown meat to performances involving hand-pulled noodles, Li’s work examines food as a vehicle for cultural exchange, technological advancement, and as a medium for understanding where society may be heading in future.
Her final project while studying at Goldsmith’s reimagined McDonald’s through the lens of Chinese medicine, reflecting on Western cultural norms and envisioning an alternative fast-food culture. Since then, she has continued to probe cultural hierarchies surrounding food, by redefining the Michelin Guide according to the principles of Chinese medicine and creating an Asian-inspired bakery brand, Hana no Hana.
During her crit, Li talked about using social media in her work, the challenges and opportunities involved in food design, and the pleasures of doing commercial work.
Show Notes: Leyu Li
Best design: cM Donald’s
Worst design: F.A.M Supper Club
Most successful design: Broccopork, Mushchicken and Peaf
Most impactful feedback: Someone commenting on her TikTok saying her work is “So Goldsmiths”
Dream design:Hana no Hana bakery
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.