About.
Hi I’m Jo.
I’m a trained industrial designer and founded product design and innovation agency Morrama in 2015 when I was 24. I have since established it as a multi-award-winning team that has been responsible for the design and manufacture of products for brands that have gone on to raise over $20 million in investment and sell tens of millions of units worldwide. I’ve also built and sold a grooming product business and am a Director of Kibu, a circular kids-tech brand and Eco-Flo Innovations, a plastic-free diagnostics company.
I’m very aware that we work in an industry reliant on production and consumption and champion sustainability both within my practice and the wider industry. In 2022 I co-founded the not-for-profit Design Declares and have encouraged over 800 designers and design businesses worldwide to make a commitment to act on climate change. Two years on we have chapters set up in Ireland, Brazil and Australia as Design Declares grows into a global community.
Believing that education is key to action, I authored the Sustainable Design Handbook. And, based on my experience working with startups, wrote the Startup Guide: Taking a Product to Market with my team.
Outside of the agency, I’ve been an Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Art for 4 years and a professional mentor. I also do talks and events on topics including sustainability in design, the future of the design industry and the importance of storytelling in design. I’ve been featured in BBC CEO Secrets, WIRED, TechRound and has been named as one of the top 10 women to watch in tech and STEM.
If you are looking for someone to speak at your next event, or have a design brief you’d like some advice on, or just want to reach out and have a chat…
Email me at jo@morrama.com
I’m passionate about creating innovative products and experiences that tell stories.
Features.
Sustainable product design requires holistic thinking
“Why the creative industry needs to redefine ‘good’ for a more sustainable future”
My call for the Awards industry to take action on how we define ‘good design’ in the - 2023 D&AD Annual
“A group of leading designers in London will back a global pledge this month to fight climate change by challenging projects from companies that they believe unnecessarily damage the planet.”
The Times - Designers come together to make their mark on campaign against climate change
“A list of design firms to know for anyone looking to bring diverse perspectives to their products”
Core 77 - 20 Woman-led Industrial Design & Innovation Firms
"You are in a really powerful position as a minority in the design industry”
Hear me talk about diversity in design on the Design Truth Podcast.
“Top tips from agency founder”
BBC - CEO Secrets
“If we really want to boost innovation in this country, focusing at least in some part on solving the lack of diversity in the design industry would be a good place to start.”
Creative Review - My search for female industrial design role models
"Top 10 Women to Watch in Tech”
About Time - #Shestartedit100
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2023
Elon Musk Does It. Sergey Brin Does It. Your Boss Might Do It. - WIRED
'Start Yesterday': 7 female founders share their tips for success in the creative industry - Creative Boom
How can designers be less reliant on plastic? - Design Week
Can the design industry better support the LGBTQIA+ community? - Design Week
2022
What I learnt . . . about being a woman in a male industry - The Times
Design Week’s biggest product stories of 2022 - Design Week
Design Declares scheme rallies designers at Design for Planet Festival - Design Week
Interview with Jo Barnard - This Design Life
"Declaring a climate emergency is just the beginning of the journey" - Dezeen
Millions of plastic COVID-19 tests end up in landfills. This biodegradable test could be a game-changer - Fast Company
Q&A with Jo Barnard, founder and Creative Director of industrial design agency, Morrama - MediaCat
Our industry is at odds with the safety of the planet - Designerati
Inspirational Female Founder Spotlight: Jo Barnard - The Successful Founder
Being a woman in the design/tech industry is a superpower - We Are Tech Women
2021
Why a cardboard shortage is driving innovation in packaging design - Design Week
Can we measure the environmental success of lockdown? - Creativebrief
My search for female industrial design role models - Creativebrief
2020
Design in 2020 – what will product design look like? - Design Week
10 Questions with Jo Barnard - Pentawards
2019How biomimicry is driving innovation in design - Design Week
What does Jony Ive’s departure mean for Apple? - Design Week
Rethinking smartphones with Jo Barnard - MEX Podcast.
Industrial designer Jo Barnard on founding a design agency for startups - Creative Lives in Progress
Talks & workshops.
2024
4 July - Sustainable packaging design | EIT Food network
17 June - Co-host | Design Declares event
11 June - Sustainable design workshop | Logitech (private event)
22 May - Designing our way to a more sustainable future | D&AD Festival
29 February - Designing for reuse | UCL
2023
5 December - Design Transforms | Central Saint Martins
14 November - The Future of Product Design | D&AD
17 October - Design for Planet Festival | Design Declares goes global
16 September - London Design Festival | Collective Wisdom
06 June - Takram Cast | Podcast (release date TBC)
25 May - Bangor University | Talk Design Live 2023/Siarad Dylunio yn Fyw 2023
19 May - Design Declares Monthly Session 04 | My Journey in Sustainable Design
February - Listen Up Startups! | Podcast (release date TBC)
25 January - Wagamama Annual Conference | The Challenges of Sustainability in Design (private event)
2022
09 November - Design for Planet | Exploring Next Practice (in-person only)
08 November - Design for Planet | Design Declares (online)
25 October - Hardware Pioneers | Building a Mission-Led Hardware Business on Kickstarter (recorded)
19 October - BSI Innovation Day | Design and Innovation Management (recorded)
22 September - London Packaging Week | Where to begin? Packaging priorities for start-ups
22 September - London Packaging Week | How doing right by the planet, can also be right for your business
20 September - London Design Festival | Participation in Regenerative Futures (recorded)
01 March - Design Truth, London | Sustainability and the Design Industry (in-person only)