Design Notes

Tuuli and Kivi Sotamaa are the brother and sister team behind Ateljé Sotamaa, a studio creating emotionally-appealing objects and holistic architectural environments.

In the episode: Tuuli and Kivi S…

Marko Ahtisaari is the artistic director of the Helsinki Festival, a former product design lead at Nokia, and co-founder of Dopplr and Sync Project.

In the episode: Marko Ahtisaari expands on his jou…

A transdisciplinary artist, Stephanie Dinkins focuses on AI’s intersection with race, gender, and social equity.

In the episode, recorded live onstage at SPAN: Stephanie Dinkins unpacks how and why w…

James Bridle is an artist and author working across technologies and disciplines. His artworks have been commissioned by galleries and institutions, and exhibited worldwide.

In the episode: James Bri…

A design director working on Google Home and wearables, Isabelle Olsson also oversees CMF (color, material, and finish) for all Google hardware.

In the episode: Isabelle Olsson explains how she disco…

In this episode, Liam speaks with Jesse Reed, identity designer and co-founder of Standards Manual—a publishing imprint known for preserving and republishing historic design style guides and assembla…

In this episode, Liam speaks with Ryan Snelson about his experience redesigning MySpace, championing a gritty and expressive experimental aesthetic, and understanding the constraints of technology an…

In this episode, Liam speaks with interdisciplinary designer Sang Mun of YAW Studio. In the interview—recorded in Seoul, South Korea—Liam and Sang explore how the ZXX typeface, which was born from Sa…

In the twelfth episode, Liam speaks with illustrator Libby VanderPloeg about how she relates to her uniquely illustrative work, deciding what to share with the world, and what happens when the work t…

In the eleventh episode, guest host Aaron Lammer speaks with “robot tamer” and founder of the research studio ATONATON, Madeline Gannon, about how to make robots more approachable, how to design thei…

Guest host Amber Bravo speaks with architecture critic and author Alexandra Lange about her new book, The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids.

Together, they examin…

Cameron Koczon is a Partner at Fictive Kin, a New York-based design and engineering studio whose unique approach to product development starts with “a Seinfeld” - an app that does nothing - and ends …

In this episode, guest host Aaron Lammer speaks with Deeplocal CEO Nathan Martin about the work of an innovation studio, how Deeplocal’s ownership of its design process makes work like punk rock, and…

In this episode, Liam speaks with game designer, professor, and philosopher Bennett Foddy about  using frustration as a design pattern, positioning games at the intersection of art and software, and …

In the sixth episode, guest host Aaron Lammer speaks with designer and professor Molly Wright Steenson about pattern languages, the important similarities between architecture and AI, and the publica…

In the fifth episode, Liam speaks with Mitch Paone, Principle and Creative Director at DIA Studio, about creating a jazz solo out of the creative process, using a beginner’s mindset to unlock new pos…

The fourth episode is a special edition featuring Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of DuoLingo, recorded at SPAN 2017 in Pittsburgh. In the interview, Luis and guest host Aaron Lammer discuss why von…

In the third episode Lizzy and Darlene Okpo, the designers and sisters behind New York-based fashion label William Okpo, detail what gives their line its identity, the personas that shape a collectio…

The second episode features the winners of this year’s Material Design awards, who sat down to talk with Liam while being honored for their work at SPAN Pittsburgh. Listen as the creative teams from …

In the premiere episode, Liam speaks with Mark Talbot and Youngjin Yoon of Talbot & Yoon, a New York-based design firm focused on objects, furniture, and home goods. The designers discuss making play…