Shows
Design NotesTrue is Better Than New: David Reinfurt on Evolving Graphic Design EducationIn this episode, designer, educator, and author David Reinfurt returns to the show to discuss his latest book, A *Co-* Program for Graphic Design. Born from a series of lectures delivered remotely, online, and together with collaborators and cooperators, the new book builds on his earlier “spoken” book, exploring some unexpected and intuitive overlaps between design and the rest of the world around us. In conversation, Liam and David cover the power of hands-on learning, the importance of going against expectations as a designer, and the positionality of design—its closeness to everyday life, how it affects those...2025-07-0145 min
Design NotesMaterial Design Gets Expressive: Inside Google's Emotion-Driven UX UpdateThis special episode digs into the latest evolution of Google’s design system: Material 3 Expressive. Liam talks with Material Design’s Android Product Manager Aneesha Kommineni, UX Researcher Michael Gilbert, and Creative Director Andy Stewart about the team’s latest emotion-driven UX update. They reveal how this system is grounded in user research and how it offers both developers and users more flexibility. The group also chats about making design more than objective, connecting to users' emotional landscapes, and driving business outcomes — all while considering tooling, usability, accessibility, and more. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes featuring...2025-06-1055 min
Design NotesBeauty Across the Board: Rich Fulcher on Making Beauty a UX Priority at GoogleThis season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design closes out with Rich Fulcher, former Google UX director and Material design lead. Fulcher remembers the career-defining journey of creating Material, what it was like to make beauty a UX priority, how to pressure test a system, and what he’s learned about world-building across disciplines. Today, he’s creating board games, continuing to apply the design-thinking and problem-solving skills developed during his time at Google. Leave us a rating, and subscribe so you don't miss new episodes with creative practitioners across disciplines. 📻2025-01-1452 min
Design NotesBreaking Silos (and Metaphors): A 'Roving Engineer' on Design & Engineering CollaborationThis season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design continues with Adrian Secord, who describes himself as a “roving engineer.” Adrian has over a decade of experience building systems and tools that transform design into robust product engineering at scale. Plus, a PhD in Computer Graphics. Here, he reflects on the evolution of Material Design and the (potentially) exciting possibilities for AI-driven UI. He shares insights on the complexities of large-scale design systems and highlights the need for designers and engineers to find common ground.2024-12-0953 min
Design NotesCode, Creativity, Performance: Will Larche on Engineering as Creativity with ConstraintsThis season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design continues with Software Engineering Manager and Musical Theater Writer Will Larche, who talks about his path to become an engineering manager at Google. Larche, a self-proclaimed “design fan,” describes engineering as “creativity with constraints.” Here, he explains how the development of Material over the years has led to closer collaboration between design and engineering, and imagines how new AI experiments might open up a new era of “Star Trek design.”2024-10-2143 min
Design NotesFab Components: Bethany Fong on Designing Material's Signature Floating Action ButtonThis episode is part of a special series celebrating ten years of Material Design. In the episode, Liam speaks with Bethany Fong, a Design Director at Meta who was a pivotal figure in the creation of Material Design. During her time at Google, Fong was responsible for designing the first set of Material components (including Material’s signature Floating Action Button), and went on to become a design Lead on the team. In their conversation, Liam and Bethany talk about the tactile nature of design, the importance of keeping a notebook, and how the heady ea...2024-09-0945 min
TechsploderLiam SpradlinJoin Jason Howell as he delves into the world of design with Liam Spradlin, discussing the subjective nature of design, the impact of generative AI, and Liam's experience creating the "Girasol" typeface.Please support this podcast on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/jasonhowell
Design influence in Switzerland
Material Design and deep personal meaning
Everything in design is interfacial
Does AI bypass intentional design?
Has Material Design achieved its purpose?
Where Liam's design sense began as a kid
Liam's Typeface design
Knowing when a design is done
Why do we accept bad design...2024-06-2155 min
Design NotesFacing Our Interfaces: Matías Duarte on the Future of Individualized DesignThis season begins with a special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design, which will explore the inception, evolution, and future of Google’s design approach. The first episode features the founder of Material Design and Design VP Matías Duarte, whose work on the system has pushed design forward at Google and across devices everywhere. In their conversation, Liam and Matías unpack how interfaces are made, used, and understood—and identify opportunities to move them further into the future via a highly crafted, individualized design approach. 👉 Read a full transcript 📻...2024-05-1544 min
Die Hard On A BlankNICK OF TIME!It’s Die Hard in real time!The ticking clocks are everywhere (and so are the dodgy Christopher Walken impressions) as Phil and Liam discuss the 1995 high-concept thriller Nick of Time! Mild-mannered accountant Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) arrives via train to LA’s union station, with his young daughter Lynn in tow. Shortly after his arrival, he is apprehended by Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) and Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia), who claim to be police officers. Smith then informs Gene that he has 90 minutes to assassinate the visiting Governor of California (Marsha Mason)…or they will kill hi...2024-03-131h 06
Rule #1 Podcast#36 Liam Rerucha, Social Media Marketing VideographerThis week the guys invite on Liam Rerucha, who is currently a professional videographer for Black Oak Creative, UCF Athletics and does freelance work for weddings. Liam brings on an insider prospective from the realm of social media videography, he discusses how he go into this field, the equipment it takes to produce high end videos and what goes into his creative process to catch the eye of viewers.
For Liam's work inquiries email: Liamrerucha1107@gmail.com
Liam's Socials:
Instagram: liamrerucha
Facebook: Liam Rerucha
2023-05-2947 min
Design NotesDesigning Better Code: How Google Engineers Make Coding a Creative PracticeLiam speaks with Googlers Connie Shi, a software engineer on Material Design, and Matvei Malkov, a software engineer on Jetpack Compose, and the trio unpack what makes coding a creative practice, and which creative choices are required when you build a design system for other developers around the world. The wide-ranging conversation turns from complex problem solving and technical logic to the concept of creativity as the question-provoking quality of a thought. 📝 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes2023-03-1442 min
Design NotesHow Fonts Change the World: Dave Crossland on Digital Type and Emotional ExpressionLiam and Google Fonts Specialist Dave Crossland explore what digital type can teach us about digital production, emotional expression, and where we fit in the world as designers; and how – with a little imagination – we might unlock new possibilities. 📑 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes2023-01-3136 min
Design NotesCoding (and Decoding) Social Spaces: Judith Donath on the Future of Life OnlineIn this episode, Liam speaks with Judith Donath, the founder of MIT’s Sociable Media Lab, inventor of e-cards, and author of The Social Machine: Designs for Living Online. Donath’s work offers crucial insights into the sociality of digital products and platforms, and the opportunities we have as digital producers to make things that truly meet sociable ends. In the episode, Donath unpacks some of this work, exploring potential futures for life online and the joy of learning (and sharing) something new. 📑 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes2022-12-2036 min
Design NotesFearless Design: Aline Borges on Composition and Creative Career ChangesLiam speaks with Aline Borges, a Zürich-based floral designer who’s made the leap from fashion coordination for magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar to independent floral design and installations. The conversation covers what it’s like to move between different creative fields (and countries), how to think about composition to tackle almost any creative challenge, and the courage and community it takes to start on a new venture. 📑 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes2022-11-2228 min
Design Notes⏮️ How Machines Help Us See Ourselves: Harvey Moon on Art Made Through Machine CollaborationIn this episode, we revisit a conversation from Season 1 with new media artist Harvey Moon, recorded in his San Francisco studio. Liam and Harvey discuss how Moon’s work reveals unseen properties of the world around us, the process of creating one’s own creative tools, and the kind of art that’s only made possible through collaboration with machines. The conversation expands on ideas about the way the world around us is designed and redesigned, and where that places us as designers. Read the full transcript: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/harvey-moon-new-media-artist S...2022-10-2530 min
Design NotesThe Impact of Shared Space: Ignacio Ciocchini on Designing NYC's Public FurnitureLiam speaks with streetscape and public space designer Ignacio Ciocchini, who’s created much of the public furniture that New Yorkers encounter every single day – from benches that provide personal space, to entire built landscapes for Bryant Park, to chargers for electric vehicles and more. The conversation ranges from the materiality of the built environment, to the ways in which it expands, constrains, and informs our experiences of life and socialization in a city, with a look toward the more human-focused future that Ciocchini envisions. Read the full transcript: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/ignacio-ciocchini-nyc-public-furniture 2022-10-1144 min
Design Notes⏮️ Learning From Your Virtual Twin: Kerry Murphy on Digital Fashion and Virtual EmbodimentIn this episode, we revisit a conversation from Season 1 with Kerry Murphy, co-founder of digital fashion house The Fabricant. We uncover how data are spun into virtual threads, and how virtual embodiment can foster self-actualization. In designing couture that doesn’t—or can’t—exist in physical space, The Fabricant also explores ideas of embodiment and self-actualization. Murphy pushes these concepts even further, by interacting with his own “virtual twin,” composed from 3D-scans of his body. Read the full transcript: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/kerry-murphy-founder-the-fabricant Subscribe to Design Notes: 👉Google Podcasts ...2022-09-2723 min
Design NotesDigital Anthropology: Tom Boellstorff on How Virtual Worlds Shape Our Actual LivesLiam speaks to Tom Boellstorff, Anthropologist and UCI Professor, whose ethnographic work in Second Life (documented in his book, Coming of Age in Second Life) provides important insights into how virtual space – and our interface with it – informs and interacts with our lives in actual space. In virtual worlds like Second Life, inhabitants exist only through their own acts of creation, which also serve as a primary mode of experiencing life in virtual space. Full transcript + images: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/tom-boellstorff-virtual-anthropology Subscribe to Design Notes: 👉Google Podcasts 👉iT...2022-09-1333 min
Design NotesWelcome Back to Design Notes: Season 2 TrailerIt's been a while, but Design Notes is coming back for Season 2 uncovering even more of what inspires and unites us in our work. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss new interviews with practitioners working on public furniture, the culture of virtual space, and more. Follow @DesignNotespod on Twitter for updates! Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2022-08-3001 min
Design Notes[SF Design Week] Julian Zigerli on Expressive, Un-Gendered Fashion DesignIn this episode, part of San Francisco Design Week's Digital Edition, Liam speaks with Julian Zigerli, a designer in Zürich, Switzerland creating clothing that allows everyone to decide how what they wear expresses who they are. In the interview, Zigerli describes how the rich culture of Switzerland impacts his work, what it means when someone asks for "straight" clothes, and how his creative practice adapted in a time of pandemic. Content warning: In this episode, the word "queer" is used in a reclaimed manner. Find out more about SF Design Week at sf...2021-06-0833 min
Waveform: The MKBHD PodcastAndroid 12 and the M1 iMac!This week, we take a deep dive into the many announcements from Google I/O, before we welcome David Imel to the episode, who brings us an interview with Liam Spradlin, a designer with Google and someone who worked on Material You. Finally, we discuss the M1 Apple lineup and the new specs from the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning.Links:Subscribe to the pod & share with friends: http://bit.ly/WaveformMKBHDSubscribe to the pod on YouTube for full videos: https://bit.ly/WVFRMPodcastYouTubehttps://twitter.com/wvfrm2021-05-281h 31
UX Design HuddleLiam Spradlin from Google Material Design talks about creating design systems and designing typefacesIn this Episode, we speak to Liam Spradlin, a designer on Google's Material Design System, Speaker, author, and host of the famous Design Notes Podcast. We spoke about designing a design system, the difference between Android and iOS, and how he went about designing several typefaces. Design Notes: https://designnotes.fm/Liams Typefaces: https://iamli.am/work2021-05-0343 min
Design NotesTheming with Moooi: Creating an Immersive Digital Flagship (2020 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of three interviews, recorded remotely with the winners of the 2020 Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Moooi, winning the award for Material Theming, focuses on aesthetic fundamentals like type, color, and imagery to create an immersive and expressive experience for their digital flagship. In the interview, Liam is joined by Margot Gabel and Rémy Barthez taking an in-depth look at how Moooi implemented an award-winning themed experience. 👉 PDF Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iT...2021-04-2021 min
Design NotesDark Theme with KAYAK: How Dark Mode Revolutionized a Brand's Approach to Color (2020 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of three interviews, recorded remotely with the winners of the 2020 Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. KAYAK has taken their comprehensive price comparison and travel booking experience to the next level by translating their brand into a dark theme. In the interview, Liam learns from Aleksandra Safarova and Mike Scopino how building a dark theme revolutionized KAYAK's entire approach to color. 👉 PDF Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Cast2021-04-2021 min
Design NotesMotion Design with Epsy: Using Meaningful Motion for Better Health Outcomes (2020 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of three interviews, recorded remotely with the winners of the 2020 Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Epsy uses motion meaningfully, guiding users living with Epilepsy through critical tasks to better their quality of life. In the interview, Liam is joined by Jennifer Stott and Marco Peluso to break down Epsy's approach to designing - and prioritizing - motion. 👉 PDF Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2021-04-2020 min
Design NotesThe Surprising Poetry of AI: BJ Best on Teaching Computers to Create ArtIn this episode, Liam speaks with BJ Best, a poet who teaches computers to do what humans can’t in the name of art. His network of ArtyBots is part of a vibrant scene of robots creating, sharing, and collaborating with one another on virtual art. In the interview, Best describes the reflective opportunities and editorial impact created by a bot-created body of work numbering in the tens of thousands. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2020-04-2132 min
Design NotesThe Magic Question for Creativity: Laurie Rosenwald on Making Mistakes on PurposeDesign Notes is a show about creative work and what it teaches us. In this episode, Liam speaks with illustrator, editorial designer, and author Laurie Rosenwald about how she’s managed to cultivate an aesthetic—and a career—around “making mistakes on purpose.” Learn how chaos and collage can come together to reveal unexpected creative potential, and let Rosenwald help make sure you’re never alone with a blank page. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2020-03-1730 min
Design NotesLearning From Your Virtual Twin: Kerry Murphy on Digital Fashion and Self-ActualizationIn this episode, Liam speaks with Kerry Murphy, co-founder of digital fashion house The Fabricant, to learn how ones and zeros are spun, woven, and stitched into virtual couture. In designing couture that doesn’t—or can’t—exist in physical space, The Fabricant also explores ideas of embodiment and self-actualization. Murphy pushes these concepts even further, by interacting with his own “virtual twin,” composed from 3D-scans of his body. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2020-02-1822 min
Design NotesA Prompt for Creative Renewal: David Reinfurt on A New Program for Graphic DesignDesign Notes is a show about creative work and what it teaches us. For the first episode of 2020, Liam speaks with David Reinfurt, founder of O-R-G, half of Dexter Sinister, and author of A *New* Program for Graphic Design. Together they explore the fluid notions of personal, corporate, and graphic identity throughout Reinfurt’s career, the importance of learning through practice, and the relationship between design and art. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2020-01-2135 min
Design NotesReflectly: Pushing the Boundaries of Material Motion (2019 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year’s Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Reflectly, a unique journaling app, won this year’s award for innovation by pushing the boundaries of Material Design and bringing it to life with fluid animations, a novel elevation model, and custom componentry. In the interview, cofounder Jacob Kristensen digs into the foundations of Reflectly and how its experience—from philosophy to specific interactions—came to life. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podca...2019-11-2613 min
Design NotesRuff: Building an Expressive Brand Identity with Material Theming (2019 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year’s Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Ruff is a focused note-taking app that won this year’s award for theming, building an expressive identity through the consistent application of color, typography, and shape. In the interview, Liam and developer/designer Bardi Golriz talk about what it’s like to add new features without losing focus, and how Material Theming impacts the process of developing an app. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉...2019-11-2615 min
Design NotesTrip.com: Designing a Universal Travel App for Global Users (2019 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year’s Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Trip.com is a travel app that won this year’s award for universality by accounting for users around the world with over a dozen supported languages and custom imagery. The interview unpacks what it’s like to build an app for the entire world, and what makes Trip.com a unique experience. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotif...2019-11-2609 min
Design NotesScripts: Using Creative Interactions to Make Learning Feel Accomplished (2019 Material Design Awards)This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year’s Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Scripts won this year’s award for Experience, with creative interactions, navigation, and content presentation. In the interview, I spoke with the Scripts team about using a color system to create a unique experience while expressing identity, and building interactions that make users feel accomplished right away. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts2019-11-2611 min
Design NotesThe Psychedelic Spark: GMUNK on His Aesthetic and the Importance of Creative DiscomfortIn this episode, Liam speaks with Bradley Munkowitz, also known as designer/director GMUNK, unpacking Munkowitz’s scintillating psychedelic aesthetic — inspired by actual psychedelic experiences — and why it’s important as a designer to continually challenge and be challenged, maintaining a healthy discomfort with one’s own work. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-10-3030 min
Design NotesVulnerability, Technology, and Art: Qianqian Ye on Creative Coding and Shared FuturesIn this episode, Liam speaks with interdisciplinary artist and creative coder Qianqian Ye in her San Francisco studio. The duo traces her journey from wielding calligraphy brushes to building a hand-holding glove, unpacking the vulnerabilities we all share as humans, how creative intent is communicated, and the importance of imagining other futures. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-10-0126 min
Design NotesHow Machines Help Us See Ourselves: Harvey Moon on Collaborating with Technology for ArtIn this episode, Liam speaks with new media artist Harvey Moon in his San Francisco studio. The duo discuss how Moon’s work reveals unseen properties of the world around us, the process of creating one’s own creative tools, and the kind of art that’s only made possible through collaboration with machines.Read a full transcript 👉Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-09-0330 min
Design NotesArt as Survival: Conor Grebel on Using Creative Work to HealIn this episode, Liam speaks with Conor Grebel about how lived experiences inform and are conveyed through creative work.Our conversation traces Conor’s journey toward creative work and the “ingredients” that help him craft soothing art for himself and others.Note: The first half of this episode deals with topics of panic attack disorder, anxiety, and psychological abuse. Read a full transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-08-0631 min
Design NotesI Hate Music Videos: Bayonet Records on Sonic Design and Releasing Music on Your Own TermsIn this episode, Liam speaks with Katie Garcia and Dustin Payseur, who together run independent music label Bayonet Records.Garcia and Payseur (who also leads the band Beach Fossils) break down the complex relationship between a record label and the creative work it supports, the qualities of sonic design, and the magic of releasing an album on your own terms. Read a full transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-07-0931 min
Design NotesWhat We Can Learn From Our Work: Host Liam Spradlin on the Themes of Design NotesIn this episode, guest host Barbara Eldredge turns the tables, interviewing regular host Liam Spradlin about his own creative journey and reflecting on the themes that unite the first 25 episodes of Design Notes. Read a full transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-06-1132 min
Design NotesThe Most Transformative Job in the World: MoMA's Rob Giampietro on Design's Unseen ImpactIn this episode, Liam speaks with Rob Giampietro, Design Director at the Museum of Modern Art. Giampietro shares his journey from studio designer to design manager, explores the unseen details of a museum experience, and describes the responsibility designers have to create impact. Download a PDF transcript 👉Download Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-05-1425 min
Design Notes“What Do You See; How Do You Feel?”—Vanity Fair's Clinton Cargill on Visual StorytellingIn this episode, Liam speaks with Clinton Cargill, the current visual director at Vanity Fair and former photo director at Bloomberg Businessweek. Cargill describes how he mastered the art of critically looking at pictures, what it takes to craft a compelling story with the expressive capabilities of photography, and why intent is central to creative work. Download a PDF transcript 👉Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-04-1627 min
Design NotesOwning Your Values: Ksenya Samarskaya on How Typography Encodes and Decodes IdentityIn this episode, Liam speaks with New York-based type designer Ksenya Samarskaya, exploring how type absorbs influence from its place in time, space, and culture. Samarskaya unpacks how typography represents the histories and complexities of the world around us, while revealing our own identities in the process.Download a PDF transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-03-1926 min
Design NotesYou Cannot Be What You Cannot See: Panimation on Building Community in Motion DesignIn this episode, Liam speaks with Bee Grandinetti and Hedvig Ahlberg—two thirds of the trio that founded Punanimation, a community and platform for women, trans, and non-binary folks working with animation and motion design.Bee and Hedvig unpack the ways in which motion design is influenced by the music and movement of the world around us, and how they’re answering the question, “where are the women in motion design?” Download a PDF transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocke2019-02-1932 min
Design NotesMaterial Design Awards 2018: Winners from Lyft, Anchor & More on Building Expressive ProductsIn this episode, Liam sits down with the winners of the 2018 Material Design Awards—Anchor, KptnCook, Lyft, and SimpleHabit—to discuss how they each adopted and extended Material to build expressive, inspirational experiences. Download a PDF transcript 👉Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS2019-01-1546 min
Design Notes“We Should Do Something Together”—Ateljé Sotamaa on the Importance of Friction in DesignTuuli 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 Sotamaa recount their very first collaboration (back in 1999!) and discuss a shared interest in experiences that aren’t stripped of their friction. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast2018-12-1324 min
Design NotesThe Music of Design: Marko Ahtisaari on How Finnish Social Values Shaped NokiaMarko 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 journey as a designer and entrepreneur, explaining powerful lessons learned across three continents. By taking a holistic perspective on the Finnish design tradition, Ahtisaari unpacks how the country’s societal values shaped its technologies. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast 2018-12-1326 min
Design Notes[LIVE] AI, Identity, and Storytelling: Stephanie Dinkins on Befriending a RobotA 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 we should actively engage with artificial intelligence. Dinkins also discusses her experience befriending the AI robot Bina48. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast2018-12-1319 min
Design NotesWhat It's Like to Really Know: James Bridle on Agency in an Age of Complex TechnologyJames 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 Bridle explores the importance of having agency in—and working knowledge of—the complex systems in which we live. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast2018-12-1324 min
Design NotesAsking, “How Does It Make You Feel?”— Isabelle Olsson on Designing Google HardwareA 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 discovered the discipline of industrial design and explores the approach that lead to the unique aesthetic of Google hardware. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast2018-12-1324 min
Design NotesEverything Is a Lesson: Jesse Reed on Preserving Historic Brand StandardsIn 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 assemblages of designed artifacts. In the interview, Reed explores his experiences working at Pentagram, and how identity design is related to time, truth, and the organizations it ultimately serves. Learn more 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-11-2732 min
Design NotesThe Aesthetics of Overload: Ryan Snelson on Redesigning MySpace and Experimental UIIn 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 and design. Learn more 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-10-3029 min
Design NotesHidden Design: Sang Mun on Creating the ZXX Typeface to Explore Digital PrivacyIn 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 Sang’s experience in special intelligence, tells a story that helps us consider our privacy and the nature of the information that shapes our lives, how accessible tools can empower users, and how to think about the practical constraints we all face as designers. Learn more 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-09-0420 min
Design NotesDesign, Humor, and Social Change: Libby VanderPloeg on Illustration and Going ViralIn 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 takes on a life of its own. Learn more 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-08-1425 min
Design NotesCan Robots Be Curious?: Madeline Gannon on Taming and Reframing Industrial RobotsIn 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 their personalities to work alongside humans as “machinic creatures,” and how she created Mimus, an industrial robot outfitted with sensors that bring out its curious personality. Learn more 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-07-1020 min
Design NotesCardboard Carpentry: Alexandra Lange on How Toys and Playgrounds Shape Independent KidsGuest 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 examine how design changes childhood—discussing everything from street design and playgrounds, to what makes building blocks a “good” toy, and why cardboard is an inviting canvas for creative exploration. Show notes 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-06-1128 min
Design NotesDesign More Tools: Cameron Koczon on Product Design and Owning Your ContentCameron 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 with a polished core experience. In this episode of Design Notes, Koczon and host Liam Spradlin explore what it means to own content online, the difficulties of learning product design, and how designers can create meaningful change by focusing on the impact of their work. Show notes 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-05-0226 min
Design NotesFailure as an Art Form: Nathan Martin of Deeplocal on Innovation and Punk Rock DesignIn 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 how communication and collaboration help the studio avoid failure. Show notes 👉 design.google/podcast2018-04-1022 min
Design NotesThrow Away the Settings Menu: Bennett Foddy on Frustration as a Game Design PatternIn 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 who he had in mind when creating Getting Over It. Show notes 👉 https://design.google/podcasts2018-03-1329 min
Design NotesWhen Buildings Get Bored: Molly Wright Steenson on the Parallels Between Architecture and AIIn 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 publication of her new book Architectural Intelligence. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcasts2018-02-1222 min
Design NotesDesign Like a Jazz Musician: Mitch Paone on Intuitive vs. Analytical CreativityIn 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 possibilities in design, and the difference between intuitive and analytical creativity. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcasts2018-01-1625 min
Design NotesHow Games Taught Us to Teach: Luis von Ahn, Founder of Duolingo and CAPTCHAThe 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 Ahn chooses projects that can make an immediate impact and how language skills picked up from DuoLingo can increase earning potential in the developing world. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcasts2017-12-1926 min
Design NotesWearable Art: Lizzy & Darlene Okpo on Persona, Identity, and Expressive Fashion DesignIn 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 collection, and the intersection of expression and utility in fashion design. Learn more 👉 https://goo.gl/XfHjWF2017-11-2225 min
Design NotesMaterial Design Awards 2017: Winners from NPR One, Eventbrite & More on Brand ExpressionThe 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 NPR One, Eventbrite, Momondo, and Blinkist detail how they each built experiences with distinct personality, and discuss elevating content, the emotive qualities of white space, and using the Material Design system as a springboard for unique expression. Learn more at design.google/podcast2017-10-2631 min
Method Podcast from Google DesignRoman Nurik from FirebaseIn this episode, Design Advocate and host of the new Design Notes podcast Liam Spradlin speaks with Senior Interaction Designer Roman Nurik about Google’s Firebase mobile development platform, the unique challenges of designing for developers, and his approach to building design tools. Subscribe to the Method podcast on Google Play, iTunes, or RSS. A few highlights: On designing UX for developers, 18:00 “We really want to make sure that if you come into Firebase not having ever built a database, or not ever having done any sort of analytics, that you have a good...2017-10-1100 min
Design NotesFrom War Room to Playroom: Talbot & Yoon on Making Play a Central Design TenetIn 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 a central tenet of their practice, how objects evolve, recontextualizing architecture to make it more accessible, and what happens when you put a seashell in a jewelry box. Get a full transcript2017-09-2723 min
Design NotesWelcome to Design NotesDesign Notes is a show about creative work and what it teaches us. Each episode, host Liam Spradlin talks with people from unique creative fields to discover what inspires and unites us in our practice.2017-09-2602 min