This week in our Architecture Series - From Lego to Skyscrapers, Vince speaks to the South African architect paving the future of retail, Nicolas Criticos. 

Nicolas is responsible for the store design creative direction of South Africa’s biggest department chain Woolworths. Nicholas was also the Creative Lead of the $200 million renovation of the David Jones flagship store in Sydney’s CBD.

In conversation with long-time friend Vince, the two explore why effective design is crucial to create an emotional connection with customers, how bricks and mortar can thrive in the digital age, and what the future of retail design has in store.

This week in our Architecture Series - From Lego to Skyscrapers, Vince speaks to the South African architect paving the future of retail, Nicolas Criticos. Nicolas is responsible for the store design creative direction of South Africa&rsquo;s biggest department chain Woolworths. Nicholas was also the Creative Lead of the $200 million renovation of the David Jones flagship store in Sydney&rsquo;s CBD.
In conversation with long-time friend Vince, the two explore why effective design is crucial to create an emotional connection with customers, how bricks and mortar can thrive in the digital age, and what the future of retail design has in store.

Your life is the biggest design project you will ever undertake!

In his Design Your Life podcast series, Vince Frost discusses how design principles can be applied to everyday life with a group of leading creative guests.

Listen in as designers, journalists, CEOs and founders reveal the key turning points in their lives and talk about the role design has played in shaping the success of their brands and careers. designyourlife.com.au

Vince Frost is the CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective, a strategic creative group dedicated to designing a better world through human-centered design. Its goal is to design experiences that enrich lives by combining specialist skills to tackle complex challenges and drive superior results.

Your life is the biggest design project you will ever undertake!
In his Design Your Life podcast series, Vince Frost discusses how design principles can be applied to everyday life with a group of leading creative guests.
Listen in as designers, journalists, CEOs and founders reveal the key turning points in their lives and talk about the role design has played in shaping the success of their brands and careers. designyourlife.com.au
Vince Frost is the CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective, a strategic creative group dedicated to designing a better world through human-centered design. Its goal is to design experiences that enrich lives by combining specialist skills to tackle complex challenges and drive superior results.

In his Design Your Life podcast series, Vince Fro…

Design Your Life with Vince Frost

In his Design Your Life podcast series, Vince Frost discusses how design principles can be applied to everyday life with a group of leading creative guests.

Listen in as designers, journalists, CEOs and founders reveal the key turning points in their lives and talk about the role design has played in shaping the success of their brands and careers. designyourlife.com.au

Vince Frost is the CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective, a strategic creative group dedicated to designing a better world through human-centered design. Its goal is to design experiences that enrich lives by combining specialist skills to tackle complex challenges and drive superior results.

In his Design Your Life podcast series, Vince Frost discusses how design principles can be applied to everyday life with a group of leading creative guests.
Listen in as designers, journalists, CEOs and founders reveal the key turning points in their lives and talk about the role design has played in shaping the success of their brands and careers. designyourlife.com.au
Vince Frost is the CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective, a strategic creative group dedicated to designing a better world through human-centered design. Its goal is to design experiences that enrich lives by combining specialist skills to tackle complex challenges and drive superior results.

Designing the future of retail with Nicholas Criticos

Having a knock-out creative career five decades long is one thing. Setting up a charity to inspire the same creativity in the next generations is another. But the iconic British design duo, who are also husband and wife - Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady Frances Sorrell CBE - have done just that.

Frances and John started their lives in design both aged of 14 when, in different parts of London, they attended free Saturday morning classes at their local colleges of art and design. Neither were from well-off families. John had never been to an art gallery and most of his peers were dropping out of school aged 15 to get jobs. The experience was a revelation that paved the way for full-time study and their careers in design. It was also the prime motivation for the formation of the Sorrell Foundation in 1999 with the aim of inspiring creativity in young people to change their lives and make the world a better place.

After meeting through work, the Sorrell’s launched their now legendary design studio, Newell and Sorrell, in 1976. They’ve redesigned some of the UKs most high-profile organisations, including British Airways, The BBC and the Royal Mail. After 25 years in business, they sold to Omnicom, and have spent the past 25 working to give young people pathways to higher education in the creative industries.

Their achievements and accolades are too long to list. John is co-founder and chairman of London Design Festival and co-founder of London Design Biennale and is a UK Business Ambassador, appointed by successive prime ministers to help promote Britain’s creative industries abroad. John was appointed CBE in 1996, was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bicentenary Medal in 1998 and holds numerous honorary fellowships and degrees. John was awarded a knighthood in the 2008 New Year Honours List for services to the creative industries.

Frances is a tour de force in her own right.She isChancellor of the University of Westminster, London, has Honorary Fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects, Falmouth University, Hereford College of Arts and Plymouth College of Art. She holds Honorary Doctorates from the Open University, Coventry University and University for the Creative Arts, and has been a visiting Professor at University of the Arts London. As Creative Director at Newell and Sorrell she won over a hundred awards for creativity and effectiveness.

Listen in as Vince, Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell discuss; cold calling BP fresh out of art school and designing their exhibition stand at the Paris Air Show six weeks later, growing up on the same working-class council estate as Rod Stewart, and why you have to put your money where your mouth is if you really believe in something. 

Having a knock-out creative career five decades long is one thing. Setting up a charity to inspire the same creativity in the next generations is another. But the iconic British design duo, who are also husband and wife - Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady Frances Sorrell CBE - have done just that.
Frances and John started their lives in design both aged of 14 when, in different parts of London, they attended free Saturday morning classes at their local colleges of art and design. Neither were from well-off families. John had never been to an art gallery and most of his peers were dropping out of school aged 15 to get jobs. The experience was a revelation that paved the way for full-time study and their careers in design. It was also the prime motivation for the formation of the Sorrell Foundation in 1999 with the aim of inspiring creativity in young people to change their lives and make the world a better place.
After meeting through work, the Sorrell’s launched their now legendary design studio, Newell and Sorrell, in 1976. They’ve redesigned some of the UKs most high-profile organisations, including British Airways, The BBC and the Royal Mail. After 25 years in business, they sold to Omnicom, and have spent the past 25 working to give young people pathways to higher education in the creative industries.
Their achievements and accolades are too long to list. John is co-founder and chairman of London Design Festival and co-founder of London Design Biennale and is a UK Business Ambassador, appointed by successive prime ministers to help promote Britain’s creative industries abroad. John was appointed CBE in 1996, was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bicentenary Medal in 1998 and holds numerous honorary fellowships and degrees. John was awarded a knighthood in the 2008 New Year Honours List for services to the creative industries.
Frances is a tour de force in her own right. She is Chancellor of the University of Westminster, London, has Honorary Fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects, Falmouth University, Hereford College of Arts and Plymouth College of Art. She holds Honorary Doctorates from the Open University, Coventry University and University for the Creative Arts, and has been a visiting Professor at University of the Arts London. As Creative Director at Newell and Sorrell she won over a hundred awards for creativity and effectiveness.
Listen in as Vince, Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell discuss; cold calling BP fresh out of art school and designing their exhibition stand at the Paris Air Show six weeks later, growing up on the same working-class council estate as Rod Stewart, and why you have to put your money where your mouth is if you really believe in something.

Designing design with Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell

People are considered lucky when they find something they’re skilled at and love, then make it their vocation. Growing up with a parent they’ve inherited that skill and passion from helps, especially when they’re exceptionally talented.

Both Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have parents who helped them on their path to a life shaped by creativity. Olsen’s father, John Olsen, who passed away aged 95 in 2023, is arguably Australia’s most famous artist. Her mother was a painter, too. Ormandy’s mother was a sculptor, who tirelessly championed his creative pursuits. He knew he wanted to be an artist from age five.

After meeting on the first day of art school in Sydney — it was love at first sight, depending on who you ask — the two became best friends. After graduation, they set about creating a tangible product people would want to buy. By the late 80s they were making jewellery for Kylie Minogue and INXS and opening a tiny shop in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. Dinosaur Designs, their jewellery and homewares business, is 40 years old next year. They have seven stores in Australia and one each in New York and London, with stockists globally. 

They’re also both successful artists in their own right. Not to mention their daughter Camille. The trio are preparing a group show to be held in Paris later this year. 

Listen in as Vince, Louise and Stephen discuss; being born into the art world, how they’ve made their marriage and business work and how children have a natural ability to get inside a subject when it comes to art. 

https://www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au/

People are considered lucky when they find something they’re skilled at and love, then make it their vocation. Growing up with a parent they’ve inherited that skill and passion from helps, especially when they’re exceptionally talented.
Both Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have parents who helped them on their path to a life shaped by creativity. Olsen’s father, John Olsen, who passed away aged 95 in 2023, is arguably Australia’s most famous artist. Her mother was a painter, too. Ormandy’s mother was a sculptor, who tirelessly championed his creative pursuits. He knew he wanted to be an artist from age five.
After meeting on the first day of art school in Sydney — it was love at first sight, depending on who you ask — the two became best friends. After graduation, they set about creating a tangible product people would want to buy. By the late 80s they were making jewellery for Kylie Minogue and INXS and opening a tiny shop in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. Dinosaur Designs, their jewellery and homewares business, is 40 years old next year. They have seven stores in Australia and one each in New York and London, with stockists globally. 
They’re also both successful artists in their own right. Not to mention their daughter Camille. The trio are preparing a group show to be held in Paris later this year. 
Listen in as Vince, Louise and Stephen discuss; being born into the art world, how they’ve made their marriage and business work and how children have a natural ability to get inside a subject when it comes to art. 
<a href="https://www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au/">https://www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au/</a>

Designing Dinosaur Designs

Being driven is one thing. But being driven by trauma is another. It’s a special kind of motivation, and when combined with a competitive nature and natural feel for what an audience wants, great things can be achieved.

Aidan Anderson is the Founder and CEO of The Local Project — the fastest growing design platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The platform is followed by design and architecture lovers worldwide, and champions authentic design, showcasing and supporting architects, designers, makers and suppliers. Incredibly, he started it by profiling his friends and local makers on an Instagram account run from his dusty furniture workshop. The Local Project now has an audience of over 4 million across print, video, digital and social media.

Anderson has no formal training, and has always just made the content he wants to see. He first fell in love with design and architecture working on building sites to make extra money in the summers of his teenage years. The furniture workshop opened when he dropped out of an architecture degree at university just three months in. He credits the agility that comes with youth as one of the keys to his success — he was 21 when he started the business in 2016.

Listen in as Vince and Aidan discuss; how Australian architecture is perceived internationally, the powerfully addictive nature of social media, and how the hand you’re dealt defines you. 

https://thelocalproject.com.au/

Being driven is one thing. But being driven by trauma is another. It’s a special kind of motivation, and when combined with a competitive nature and natural feel for what an audience wants, great things can be achieved.
Aidan Anderson is the Founder and CEO of The Local Project — the fastest growing design platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The platform is followed by design and architecture lovers worldwide, and champions authentic design, showcasing and supporting architects, designers, makers and suppliers. Incredibly, he started it by profiling his friends and local makers on an Instagram account run from his dusty furniture workshop. The Local Project now has an audience of over 4 million across print, video, digital and social media.
Anderson has no formal training, and has always just made the content he wants to see. He first fell in love with design and architecture working on building sites to make extra money in the summers of his teenage years. The furniture workshop opened when he dropped out of an architecture degree at university just three months in. He credits the agility that comes with youth as one of the keys to his success — he was 21 when he started the business in 2016.
Listen in as Vince and Aidan discuss; how Australian architecture is perceived internationally, the powerfully addictive nature of social media, and how the hand you’re dealt defines you. 
<a href="https://thelocalproject.com.au/">https://thelocalproject.com.au/</a>

Designing the future of retail with Nicholas Criticos

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