Brands need to adopt a ‘human-centred’ way of thinking – with design at its heart – in order to continue to compete in a complex masterpiece, according to Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo’s chief design officer. Steve Wynne-Jones spoke to him. This article is available to Premium and Premium Plus subscribers only.

For someone who lives and breathes design, PepsiCo’s Mauro Porcini admits that the nuances behind the perfect pint of Guinness had him stumped on his first visit to the Irish capital.

“I studied at Dublin’s National College of Art and Design for a year, and on the first night I arrived, I made the worst mistake you can make in an Irish pub,” he says. “I went to the bar and ordered a Guinness, and while it was settling, I picked it up and started drinking it, without waiting for the second pour. That’s a serious error, I know!”