Lydia Leith is a name you might know, and if you don't then you'll definitely be glad you read on.

The British artist and illustrator shot to fame with her coveted ‘Royal Sick Bags’ in 2011, and has since seen her work featured in exhibitions, in ceramics and even tattoos!

Her distinctive style and personality has earnt her commissions from major brands, as well as being shortlisted for Design Week’s ‘Rising Star Award’ two years’ in a row.

Recently, Lydia has been turning her hand to illustrating children’s plates…. Munchy Play® plates no less! Here we catch up with the designer, and learn more about her work.

Q: How do you describe your style?
I enjoy working with colours, my designs are often quite bold and simple. I like to create something fun, eye catching or playful, that might provoke a reaction or make the viewer smile.

Q: How did you create a ‘playful’ look for the Munchy Play® collection of kids’ plates?
I worked closely with Munchy Play to create designs that would appeal to a younger audience as well as parents. Testing the designs on children was a good indicator. We started with a strong colour theme and wove this through the different plate ranges. The plates are really fun and interactive so it’s a really exciting project to have worked on. 

Q: Why do you think children like bright colours?

Bright colours are stimulating and especially for younger children. I think bright colours are associated with play and fun. Making mealtimes more fun is part of the ethos so it made sense to introduce bright colours into the designs.

Q: Your range for Munchy Play is gender neutral, tell us a bit about how you tried to achieve this?
We were careful with colour choices, for example we picked universal colours, a mix of warms and cools to create a gender-neutral range. We also consciously created female and male engineers as part of the overall artwork for the Vroom-Vroom plate, so we haven't stuck to conventional/ old fashioned stereotypes.