Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune Interview Vernon Lockhart

VSA CEO Dana Arnett and dreams • design + life CCO Kevin Bethune recently interviewed Vernon Lockhart, the executive director of Chicago-based design education and mentoring initiative Project Osmosis. Lockhart also serves as an adjunct instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Design, and is the founder and principal of Art on the Loose, a creative consulting firm specializing in exhibition design and brand identity.

In this episode, Lockhart speaks to both metamorphosis and mentorship. Lockhart delves into the origins of Project Osmosis and how its building blocks might inform the future of design. It all began with an invitation.

“I learned quickly that the biggest reason why people aren’t exposed to something is because they never received an invitation,” he says.

Here’s more from Lockhart on breaking down barriers to design: “We all have the human right to be creative—I truly believe that we all do. And it shouldn’t be based on finance, or borders, or boundaries. You know that those things need to be removed and we need to do it in a way where we not only just break them down, but make sure that they can’t be rebuilt.”

“The Design of Business | The Business of Design” is a podcast from Design Observer, now in its 10th season. Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune co-host the show, exploring how design works within complex organizations to shape decisions and processes, drive innovation, evolve products and services, and more.

Click here to listen to the episode and learn more about this Design Observer podcast.