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Successful integrity: Arthur Foliard on the Design Next podcast

This week, we sit down with Arthur Foliard, Executive Creative Director at Koto‘s New York studio.

Heading up one of the world’s hottest studios, having worked across the globe, rebranded global megabrands, and living it up in NYC, it’s no wonder Arthur is an inspiration to many. But while he takes it all in his stride, we hear more about the personal values that have really put his career in place.

This episode was recorded the week after Koto launched their Amazon project; an epic challenge that consolidated the entire Amazon portfolio into a cohesive, attractive brand landscape, fit for millions of global customers. It launched with such praise and admiration from the design industry, for both the scale of challenge and also the aesthetic outcome.

Not only did this huge project just launch, but also Koto were celebrating three years of the New York studio in the week we recorded this conversation!

Some of our fave projects from the Koto NYC team

If you know Koto already, you probably know their approach is rooted in radical optimism. And Arthur naturally embodies this, even when talking about hardships in his own personal design career journey.

“Being a good designer is being a good person.”

This comes through in his leadership style too, which is obviously shaped by the inspirational Koto leaders and founders; “I think one thing I’ve learned is to create a safe space.”

But what about his personal take? Arthur has been let go from jobs, made tough decisions about relocating for work, and has the same moments of imposter syndrome that we all do. We discuss what change means to him, how he embraces it, and how he deals with it.

You will be struck by the incredible integrity, laced with refreshing humour, that Arthur has for his work.

In particular, we loved to learn about a Koto approach to happiness, passed from Co-founder James to Arthur. When you’re having a tough time, zoom out and consider whether it’s your long-term happiness or your short-term happiness that’s being affected. This will guide your decision-making around change. Use this for yourself, and for those you’re responsible for in your studio, too.

In the episode, expect more key takeouts like this, a little bit of swearing, and lots more funny, honest stories!