Adrian Shaughnessy’s work crosses design, education and publishing. In 1989, he co-founded the design studio Intro, where he was creative director until 2004, when he left to work as an independent design consultant, and pursue his interests in writing and lecturing.

Shaughnessy teaches at the RCA on the Visual Communication programme and in 2005, he published the hugely successful book, How To Be A Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul. He is also co-founder of independent publishing venture Unit Editions, alongside Spin’s Tony Brook and Patricia Finegan.

Below we talk to Shaughnessy about failure and its place in the creative industries, and why creatives can benefit from the sometimes brutal world of the social media critique.