2 May, 2025 In our weekly interview series, design leaders answer five questions about design, and five questions about leadership. Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock is founder of Soursop, an Amsterdam-based agency which works with clients like Nike, Gucci, The Ordinary and UNICEF on design, campaigns and content. He is also a trustee of D&AD. Design What would your monograph be called? 10 Things I Hate About Me. What recent design work made you a bit jealous? The MSCHF solitaire tee – and most things they drop to be fair. What I love about their approach is it’s client-less. Design for the joy of design. Not that deep. But also, quite deep when you look closer. A beautiful collision of contradictions. The MSCHF Solitaire Tee What’s an unusual place you get inspiration from? Nu Metal. Or more specifically, new Nu metal. I’ve got a lot of inspiration in how a new generation are taking the things I feel nostalgic for and turning into something familiar and totally new. Nova twins. Bring me the horizon. Wisp.  The energy of it all is infectious Name something that is brilliantly designed, but overlooked. Whisks. Sounds random, but they are just prefect. Design. Function. Elegant. Everyday. So perfect, we forget how brilliant they are. What object in your studio best sums up your taste? A painting by Sanjeewa Kumara, a Sri Lankan artist we commissioned over 10 years ago, before the studio was formed. Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock’s Sanjeewa Kumara painting Leadership What feedback felt brutal at the time, but turned out to be useful? When I got fired as a PA aged 21 for a, “lack of awareness at how bad I was at the role.” I knew from then on what kind of skills I did – and did not – have. I also learnt to constantly self-reflect on how I may impact others. Bonus: I also got told, “Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan,” by my mentor at Channel 4 when he rejected a pitch for a show I’d worked on. What’s an underappreciated skill that design leaders need? The ability to change their mind. What keeps you up at night? Palestine. What trait is non-negotiable in new hires? Curiosity and critical thinking (sorry I know this is two!). Complete this sentence, “I wish more clients…” …questioned the way things are, existentially and practically. Sometimes we seek the simplest way to get through the day, which is understandable. But we need to hold space to try new things and question if the way it is is always the way to ought to be. Brands in this article What to read next design/leader: F37 founder Rick Banks 17 Apr, 2025 design/leader: Lucky Dip co-founder Katie Cadwell 17 Jan, 2025