Welcome to Works In Process / Ep (No episode number)
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 Realm a podcast studio on app with Mother Design, Felt Not Heard, and an incredible internal team. It debuted at #1 on the Apples podcast charts and was featured in It's Nice That as well as Print Mag. And Brand New named it one of the top 10 wordmarks and monograms of 2021.
And before that, Ritesh has worked with and for 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 Where Are The Black Designers? -a nonprofit design advocacy organization.. and with his upcoming venture as Founder of 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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Where Are The Black Designers?
Other links Ritesh wants you to know about:
What Does It Mean to Decolonize Design?
Dori Tunstall: Decolonizing Design Practices in Academia (VIDEO)