Welcome to Works In Process / Ep 21
This is Part 2, the combined episode with be listed as a bonus :) Coming Soon
Design is About feedback
There’s a really big need for us to rethink the entire curriculum that we’ve been teaching for 50 plus years. Advocate strongly for unlearning and have honest conversations with the graduates. Because if we’re not getting feedback from the people who have gone through our classes, you’re doing a disservice to the institution as well as the students.— Ritesh Gupta, Founder / Volunteer / Lover of Techno, Streetwear, and Greyhounds---
Ritesh is a Wieden+Kennedy alum, a former director at 2 Shark Tank companies, and specializes in product design, product management, branding, and growth analytics for mission-driven companies. 
He recently rebranded and rebuilt https://www.realm.fm/ (Realm) a podcast studio on app with https://www.motherdesign.com/ (Mother Design), https://fnh.mx/ (Felt Not Heard), and an incredible internal team. It debuted at #1 on the Apples podcast charts and was featured in https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/mother-design-realm-rebrand-graphic-design-290421 (It's Nice That) as well as https://www.printmag.com/post/serial-box-becomes-realm-and-gets-a-thorough-rebranding-from-mother-design (Print Mag). And https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_and_identity_for_realm_by_mother_design.php (Brand New) named it one of the https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/the_year_in_review_part_5_the_best_in_icons_monograms_wordmarks_and_mascots_2021.php (top 10) wordmarks and monograms of 2021.
And before that, Ritesh has worked with and for https://sagmeisterwalsh.com/ (Sagmeister & Walsh), Cooper Hewitt, Disney, and Hungry Harvest. Currently, he’s the Senior Director of New Product Ventures at Gannett/USA Today.
We’ll get into some of that, but I want to focus on his support and championing of the shift in Design,  to include more advocacy, accountability, and access. Ritesh has been helping change the landscape with his volunteer work for https://www.watbd.org/ (Where Are The Black Designers?) -a nonprofit design advocacy organization.. and with his upcoming venture as Founder of https://www.usefulschool.com/ (Useful School),  A useful, fun, affordable, 10-week product design virtual program catered to the people who needed it. Ushering in more diversity, autonomy, and practicality into the profession.
Enjoy!
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Mentionshttps://www.realm.fm/ (Realm)
https://sagmeisterwalsh.com/ (Sagmeister & Walsh)
https://www.gannett.com/ (Gannett)
https://www.usefulschool.com/ (Useful School)
https://www.watbd.org/ (Where Are The Black Designers?)
https://www.futurefonts.xyz/ (Future Fonts)
https://sharptype.co/ (Sharp Type)
https://www.greenlightbookstore.com/book/9781797203850 (SPIKE LEE Book)
Other links Ritesh wants you to know about:
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-design/ (What Does It Mean to Decolonize Design?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJmlSOZapUE (Dori Tunstall: Decolonizing Design Practices in Academia) (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_oS6azqtYI (Even by design - Linda Dounia Rebeiz (Config 2021))(VIDEO)
https://themaleescholarship.org/ (The Malee Scholarship)
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Follow Ritesh Gupta via:
https://www.ritesh-gupta.com/ (Ritesh's Website)
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Credits
Produced by https://hearsay.productions/ (HearSay Productions)
Intro / Outro Music: https://youtu.be/x-YJDmyMld0 (The System Has Failed Us - The Passion HiFi)

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About the Works In Process Podcast:
A podcast series by George Garrastegui, Jr. — designer, educator, and creative catalyst. Works In Process is a collection of discussions that explore and demystify the creative process. I interview individuals to gain more insight into the ways they work and the projects they produce....