Across the UK, many post-industrial towns and seaside high streets feel tired — dominated by charity shops, low-investment chain stores, and shuttered units. This lack of vibrancy erodes civic pride, reduces footfall, and discourages entrepreneurship.
Spend any time in Japan and it becomes obvious why so many designers treat it like a pilgrimage. It isn’t just the neon of Shinjuku or the minimalism of Muji that draws them in. It’s something more fundamental: a culture of care that seeps into every interaction, every sign, and every surface.
One of the things I find curious about the startup world is how often people talk about value — and how rarely they actually know how to find it.
Over the past few years, I’ve coached dozens of design leaders—from newly promoted heads of design to seasoned VPs across a mix of fast-growing startups and more established brands. Different industries. Different team dynamics. But time and again, the same patterns emerge.
One of the most common mistakes I see founders make is thinking about design too late. They’ll bring in a designer to “make things look nice” after the product is built—when the features are locked in, the UX is baked, and the real strategic decisions have already been made.
Hiring your first designer can feel like a black box. You know design matters. You want your product to feel polished, trustworthy, and easy to use. But what kind of designer should you hire first?