Kevin Bethune on Design, Innovation and The Power of Curiosity

Today’s guest is Kevin Bethune – designer, innovator, founder, engineer and author. Kevin has had a multi-faceted career, starting out as a mechanical engineer in the nuclear power industry before focusing on business and design where he ended up at Nike designing two shoes despite being employed on the business side vs a product designer. But that’s Kevin all over – he follows his heart and passion and leads the path for others to do the same. Kevin is now the founder and Chief Creative Officer of dreams, design and life – a think tank that works with companies to deliver design and innovation services using a very human-centric approach – something much needed today.  In this conversation, Kevin tells me how growing up feeling like an “other” whether it was in his school, his neighbourhood or workplace has somewhat shaped how he views what design should be today, and also how organisations should put design front and centre from the outset to ensure they create a more inclusive and forward-thinking business.  And we talk about his great new book, Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation, published by MIT press which offers Kevin’s personal story as well as leadership lessons on design, innovation and forging a path which is aligned to your purpose. This was a wide-reaching conversation which I really enjoyed and think you will too. ----------- Kevin Twitter / Instagram / dreams • design + life Buy Kevin's book here Danielle Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter