Baxter & Bailey could've taken the safe route for their Friday evening talk at OFFF. They could've showcased slick work for the Royal Parks, the Royal Mail, or the London Soundtrack Festival. Instead, they pulled back the curtain on what really goes on behind the pristine curtain of the design industry, revealing a tangle of mistakes, mishaps and moments of pure chaos. "We live in a world where everything we see is finished, polished and presented, which can be quite a daunting prospect for young designers entering the industry," they explained. "It's a nice reminder that even the most experienced designers mess up sometimes." With that, Matt and Dom launched into an hour of confession, comedy, and collective therapy. It was an airing of creative dirty laundry, shared in the spirit of learning and laughter. Practice what you preach Baxter & Bailey started with their own biggest fumbles, warming the crowd up for what was to come. Dom kicked things off with a tale from a night train journey in Russia en route to a crucial pitch for a telecoms giant. Sharing a cabin with a snoring stranger called Constantin from Moscow, he awoke to find his roommate enjoying breakfast in nothing but his pants. In the panic to flee, Dom left his carefully crafted presentation boards on the train. "What I learnt from that mistake was: even if you wake up and the first thing you see is an old Russian man's crotch, keep cool, don't panic and remember what you're doing," Dom told the crowd. Matt followed with a story from a concept presentation a decade ago. Just a few minutes in, the client's top boss entered the boardroom, watched in silence… then stood up, gave a thumbs down, and stuck out his tongue with a rude noise of disapproval. "I still cringe every time I hear that story," said Dom. A little help from their friends The pair soon revealed they weren't alone in their confessions. Before the talk, they'd floated the idea to British design legend Rian Hughes, who not only approved but offered his own disaster story. On screen, Rian recalled his first job interview at a Camden agency. Lost, rain-soaked, and 45 minutes late, he finally arrived with his portfolio strapped to a trolley. As he lifted it onto the table, he noticed something brown on his sleeve and realised he'd rolled the trolley through dog poo. One side of his portfolio was covered, and so was the director's mahogany table (not to mention the stench). "Despite this auspicious beginning, I got the job," said Rian. "But I don't recommend it as an interview technique – and the job was shit anyway. I lasted three months." With proof of concept secured, Baxter & Bailey launched The Design Laundry, a growing archive of creative calamities submitted by designers across the industry. The idea is that people share their worst moments, get them out in the open, and maybe learn something in the process. Here are just a few they aired at OFFF. Email fail Jamie Ellul, founder of Supple Studio, joined in from the remote countryside to share his cautionary tale. Early in his solo career, he landed a job designing a brochure for an accountancy firm. "I think it might have actually looked worse than it did in the beginning when I was finished," Jamie admitted. He sent the final artwork to print, then forwarded the printer's quote to the client before hopping on a train. Following weeks of radio silence, the client finally replied: 'Hi Jamie, I've been wondering how to respond to your email, having seen your note to the printer below on the email chain'. That note read: 'Please don't judge me—this is the shittest thing I've ever designed'. Cue laughter from the crowd – and a lesson in double-checking email chains. As Matt and Dom pointed out, email fails were the most common type of submission. We've all been there. Rude royal Next up: Francis Jackson, formerly of MetaDesign and OPX and now a psychotherapist, shared her story in a letter. Years ago, she worked with The King's Trust on a beautifully designed book promoting the value of art in the built environment, Art in the Public Environment. The problem was that a glaring typo was revealed by none other than the King of England himself after hundreds of printed copies went out across the country. What the front cover actually said was: 'Art in the Pubic Realm'. When the King was handed a copy while visiting the offices, he swiftly returned it, eyebrows raised. I'm sure Francis was hoping for the ground to open up beneath her at that moment! Rock shock Daljit Singh, co-founder of pioneering digital agency Digit, appeared onscreen in sunglasses, mid-holiday, to recount a transatlantic disaster. After landing in the UK from New York in 2007, Daljit got a message: Gene Simmons (yes, from KISS) wanted to meet him. Being a huge fan, he turned around, caught the next flight back, and headed straight to the hotel. But as he flew, doubt crept in, and he asked himself: could it be a prank? He'd played an elaborate hoax on his friend Simon not too long ago, so when told to ask for "Simon Smith" at reception (apparently Gene's alias), his suspicions grew. Still, he went upstairs, knocked on the door, and shouted, "Simon, come out, you massive tosser." None other than Gene Simmons opened the door. "You English guys have got such strange senses of humour," he said, before ushering Daljit in. The meeting lasted three awkward minutes. They didn't get the job. Lessons from the laundry After airing these disasters, Matt and Dom returned to each story to highlight the learning points. Jamie reminded us to treat every job (and every email) with care. Francis' typo showed that even major mistakes fade with time. Daljit's story offered a reminder not to let doubt derail bold decisions. The laundry pile grew with more stories, laughs, and stains, and the pair could've gone all night. Luckily, this won't be the last spin cycle for The Design Laundry. Dom and Matt are bringing the idea to future events and inviting more submissions through their website. Because if creativity is a messy process, there's no shame in airing a little dirty laundry.