Design Brief: Defining the Brief

As we kick off the holiday season, brands are rolling out campaigns designed to build excitement and tempt our wallets. In this week’s Design Brief, we explore a major trend running through them: handmade animation and craftsmanship-led storytelling. But, spoiler alert! There’s been some drama, and yes, it involves AI. Was AI used in Dior’s now-viral holiday ad? How does it compare to campaigns from competitors like Loewe and Prada? And does AI have a place in design when handmade craft is at the heart of the campaign? Listen to find out.Things We ReferencedEye mask gateDior 2026 Holiday AdPrada 2026 Holiday AdLoewe 2026 Holiday Add Prada behind the scenes videoDior behind the scenes video History of the Junon DressAbout Your HostsAllie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers. 

Every Halloween, one candy enters the villa already a villain. We love her. We hate her. She is candy corn. But how did this audacious and polarizing candy come to be? What started as a simple penny candy morphed into a seasonal staple – with the help of our good friend marketing and some rigorous patent law. In this episode we trace candy corn’s history, our theories on why the flavor have changed, and what form it could take in its next incarnation. She’s an icon, she’s a legend. She is the moment. Things We ReferencedHistory of Candy CornCandy Corn Patent Halloween Patents: How IP Law Governs the Spookiest Holiday of the YearThings That Go “Trademark” in the Night: The Fascinating World of Halloween IPOuija Board Patents About Your HostsAllie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers. 

Ok you ghouls in goblins, on this week of Halloween we are casting a spell in honor of the season’s silliest and perhaps most viral decoration. That’s right. It’s the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton also known as Skelly. In this episode, we explore our deeply human fascination with death, the macabre, and how we see motifs of mortality make their way into our modern design lexicon. So, tear open some candy and sit back for this wicked treat. Things We ReferencedHome Depot 12’ Skelly Skeleton Memento Mori MotifVanitas Paintings Dance of Death, leaf from "The Nuremberg Chronicle"An Oral History of Home Depot’s 12-Foot SkeletonAbout Your HostsAllie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers.  

After a short fall break, we’re back with a surprise: Design Brief, our new segment of bite-sized design insights to tide you over between our longer episodes. In our inaugural episode, we break down the design brief, the foundational document of every design project. Yes, the pun is intended. You get it. We cover the anatomy of a great design brief and look at famous examples across consumer goods, global development, and urban infrastructure. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or design-curious, this one’s for you. What’s your favorite design brief? Share it in the comments!Links Swiffer Case StudySydney Opera House Brown Book and Design BriefUN Sustainable Development GoalsCoke-a-Cola design Brief Ikea Universal Design Brief PrinciplesLondon Road Safety SignsImpact of Dove Real Beauty Campaign  Allie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers.  

We've always wanted to peek into other people's homes. In this episode, we trace how mass media turned having the trending paint color or most in-demand decor from something relegated to the elite to an attainable reality of the people. This delirious journey starts with how the Gutenberg press and renaissance pattern books allowed for trends to proliferate. We then journey through the 19th and early 20th century as World’s Fairs, parlor oddities and early magazines became centers of culture (hello Cold War "kitchen diplomacy"). We then enter the TV era of interior design from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous to the chaos of Trading Spaces to today’s DIY revolt against “sad beige” interiors.Stuff we Referenced: Lifestyles of the Rich and famousI Quattro Libri del L'Architettura18th Century Pattern Books Paris Worlds FairsFlorence Knoll Whirlpool kitchen of the future Decorating CentsTrading Spaces Kim Kardashian 2020 AD Home Tour Wood Brags Keywords: Interior Design, Lifestyles of the rich and famous, gutenberg press, World’s Fairs, Florence Knoll, Kitchen Diplomacy, Designing Women, HGTV, Martha Stewart, MTV Cribs, Decorating Cents, Flip of Flop, Architectural Digest, Life MagazineAllie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers.  

From the iconic red square of Coca-Cola to the curvilinear geometry of midcentury furniture, codes define the objects, environments and systems around us. Design codes are what make us instantly recognize a blue box as Tiffany's, or associate a gargantuan menu and a cacophony of interior design choices with The Cheesecake Factory. In this episode, we dive deep to define exactly what a "code" is. How does it differ from a brand? An aesthetic? A vibe? Does design literacy help us apply design codes to our own work with greater nuance (I'm looking at you, Tomato Girl Summer!)? We end with some introspection, discussing how design codes make up our personal visual languages.Things We Referenced: Semantics and SemioticsInside Chanel Series Hermes Orange OriginsLV OriginsEileen GrayDeluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, Dana ThomasCheesecake factory design review threadCoke RebrandKey words: brand codes, design literacy, fashion history, semiotics, luxury branding, visual signals, identity,  aesthetic, belonging, Chanel, Hermès, Coca-Cola, mid-century modernAllie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers. 

This week we’re getting stitched into the world of theatre with CS Fergusson-Vaux, a theatre and installation artist whose work moves fluidly between costume, set, and performance art. We start with Shakespeare and trace the histories hiding in every hemline and well-placed pearl. Fergie talks to us about world building and character creation, down to the details that make stories feel real. Can a costume really set the stage (pun intended) to impose tension, restriction, and atmosphere before an actor says a word? Objects, intention, makeup, and codes: we get into all of it. Grab your historically accurate finery and settle in. Maybe you’ll even reconsider how you costume for the theater of everyday life. Stuff We Referenced: https://csfergusson.wixsite.com/websiteReconciliation EducationCanada Council Malvolio in Twelfth Night Act 3, Scene 4 Bugsby BerkleyZiegfeld Girl (1941)Ghost Light Ron MueckJim Henson's The StorytellerKeywords:theatrical design, costume design, research, Shakespeare, ethical practice, stage production, historical accuracy, world building, creative process costume design, authenticity, visual storytelling, theater, film, internet literacy, fashion, culture, costume construction, audience perceptionAbout Your Hosts:Allie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers.  

This summer has been scorching, and the design discourse has been no cooler. In this episode, we're serving up a menu of design tapas: an artistic amuse-bouche, a cinematic charcuterie board, and a little bit of everything in between as we catch up on the biggest design stories of the past few months. This episode has it all — from the runways of Paris Haute Couture Week, to the mysterious islands of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, to the campus of the Obama Presidential Center, and — yes — even the world's sudden, unshakeable love affair with Hidden Valley Ranch and Haaland's Hair. Bon appétit.Stories Referenced: The Odyssey Filming Scapirelli CoutureHermes Hand Drawn SiteRobert Wun Couture Milan Design WeekIkea PS 2026 CollectionObama Presidential Center Roosevelt Presidential Library Mamdani’s Campaign TypeHerlings Hair Ties Allie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in their personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of their employers. 

The postwar ‘50s saw TVs proliferate into every American home—and the ad dollars followed. As media flooded American living rooms, ad dollars poured right in after them — advertising spend nearly quintupled from the 1950s into the ’60s.Branded summers and ideal living were packaged and purchased writ large. These pop-color-soaked styles have stayed with us as the quintessential American summer. Throw in America’s birthday party and you’ve got a recipe for sweet celebration. Join us as we take a road trip across the decades and explore some of the iconic summer themes and designs that are endlessly reinvented for the modern world. Hot girl summer, feral girl summer, or Neil the Seal summer—whatever your vibe, get inside and let’s ride!About Your Hosts: Allie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.Disclaimer: This podcast was prepared in our personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are our own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, opinion, or position of our employers.

In this episode, we trace the disco ball from 1920s jazz clubs where it scattered light equally across every dancing body, through fifty years of obscurity, to its resurrection in the 1970s alongside a revolution in music technology—the synthesizer, the drum machine, the extended 12-inch remix—tools that were never designed for disco but got seized and celebrated by producers and DJs who understood something crucial: dance could be a powerful form of community and purpose.Disco didn’t die in 1979. It was murdered. And we’re here to tell you exactly how a singular cultural object was at the center of major movements and social change. The light didn’t totally die out on disco… it just shifted across time and space, always spinning same the narrative of joy and resilience. I Will Survive was more than an anthem, it was a timeless mantra beating at the heart of all great designs.About Your Hosts: Allie Miller is a designer, researcher, and strategist who believes in the power of design to foster understanding and facilitate meaningful change. She holds a Master’s of Industrial Design from Georgia Tech, bringing human-centered thinking and a system lens to every conversation—and your podcast feed.Robyn Richardson is an experience design strategist, tech consultant, TEDx speaker, and Graduate Professor at Georgetown University. She holds an MFA in Design Management from SCAD and has spent her career making design thinking accessible, opinionated, and a little bit fun.