Episode 220: She's Seen Awards From All Sides: Judge, Finalist, Winner with Kitty Lai

Kitty Lai has won awards, been a finalist and sat on a judging panel. She tells us what each side taught her about business and her personal brand. Kitty, an award-winning branding and packaging designer and founder of Me Brand, talks about her journey from senior roles at Ted Baker and Cath Kidston to running her own branding and packaging design business. Kitty shares how redundancy led her to starting an Amazon FBA business, which then led to a love of branding. From there, she grew her own brand, overcoming a fear of public speaking to talk on stage to hundreds in the US.  She explains how she moved into awards in the last two years, from winning at the Surrey SME Awards to becoming a finalist in two Women in Packaging Excellence categories. Kitty also describes judging for Design Rush, what makes packaging stand out, and why it should. We also review why AI makes designs that look the same. Finally, Kitty provides an honest view that awards results are still early in her business journey, and have not yet had the impact she expects in future. **About Kitty** Kitty Lai is a visual design expert, brand strategist, and the founder of ME BRAND. With a career spanning over 28 years at leading British brands like Ted Baker and Cath Kidston, she honed her skills in creating distinctive brand identities and packaging designs that speak directly to audiences. Her passion lies in collaborating with businesses to transform ideas into tangible, visually compelling products. Every design she creates is driven by a mission to help brands connect, resonate, and thrive in competitive markets.   **{1:43}** Moving from a career with Ted Baker and Cath Kidston to starting her own business. **{4:10}** Moving into personal branding while building her own. **{6:32}** Overcoming her fear of public speaking. **{7:45}** The women's packaging awards that Kitty first engaged with. **{8:58}** The robust entry procedure. **{10:33}** Becoming a judge for the Design Rush Awards. **{13:00}** The importance of packaging in the success of a product. **{15:49}** Kitty's advice to those looking to evolve their Branding and packaging. **{17:08}** The impact on Kitty's business of being involved in awards. **{17:58}** Future plans. **{19:07}** How AI is affecting branding and packaging. **{21:11}** Opportunities for further awards, podcasts and speaking bookings. **{22:28}** One key tip for listeners. **{23:40}** Sharing your corporate background when starting a new business. **{24:30}** What Kitty misses about corporate life and managing her work/life balance.   Connect with Debbie at: https://thebusinessawardsshow.co.uk                                         https://bestsmeawards.co.uk/                                        Connect with Kitty:  https://www.mebranddesign.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/me-brand-design-packaging/home/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mebranddesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mebranddesigns