Take five with POV Budapest: Mouthwash Studio on design as sensemaking

What began as a creative experiment among friends – a podcast and print magazine called Mouthwash – has evolved into one of the industry’s most influential design studios. Over six years, Mouthwash Studio has built a reputation for ‘sensemaking,’ helping brands like Nike, Thom Browne and Air Company navigate complexity through holistic design that challenges industry standards. With a team of 20 spanning multiple time zones, Co-founder and Creative Strategy Director Alex Tan has learned that running a successful studio requires balancing spectacular creative work with sustainable business practices and meaningful culture. Ahead of the studio’s talk at POV Budapest – the graphic design conference taking place September 11-14, 2025 – we caught up with Tan to discuss the studio’s evolution, their philosophy of operating as a ‘product’ rather than a service, and why design is ultimately about making sense of the world we’re shaping together. TBI: Hey Alex, it’s been a while! How’s 2025 been shaping up for MW.S? AT: Hey all! It’s nice to be chatting again. Feels like every time we’re asked this question, I answer it the same way: we’re the busiest we’ve ever been. I suppose there are worse ways to answer. But all things considered, we’re really happy with the team, the work, and the growth we’ve seen come out of 2025.