Fancy Port

Marc sits down with Jasmine Bina, cultural futurist and founder of Concept Bureau, to dig into why rooms full of people who believe in climate action still fail to act on it. They talk about why real change has to start at the top, why most climate stories cast people as the villain, and why that framing might be the actual problem. It comes down to the fact that nobody wants to be seen as vulnerable.Jasmine and Marc get into belonging as the thing underneath most of our social problems, the case for small, low-risk bets over big swings, and why fixing a client relationship might shift a studio's culture faster than any internal initiative ever could.This is a winding conversation touching on a lot of different topics over the course of an hour. Enjoy!

We sit down with our friends John Bielenberg and Brandt Williams, creators of Thinknado, to explore how creativity, AI, and a willingness to “think wrong” can unlock more innovative solutions in taking climate action. Together, they discuss why AI shouldn’t replace human creativity, but instead challenge our default thinking, generate unexpected ideas, and spark entirely new possibilities.John and Brant discuss the power of small bets, or low-risk experiments that build momentum for bigger change. They share practical strategies for helping designers navigate organizational roadblocks, gain buy-in, and make climate-forward decisions the norm instead of the exception.If you’ve ever felt like your best ideas get shut down before they have a chance, this conversation is for you. Solving the climate crisis won’t come from doing what we’ve always done. We must question assumptions, embrace curiosity, and have the courage to think differently. The best way forward is to think wrong.

In episode two, we talk to Drew Wilkinson, former Microsoft employee who turned a two-person sustainability group into a ten-thousand-person climate movement inside the company. We get into why sustainability dies the second it becomes a checkbox at the end of a project and where the real creative decisions happen.Drew breaks down his “buffet” approach to getting a whole company on board, not just the one person who cares. Why that person (the designer who feels like the only one) is really never alone. And why courage might be the best trait we need in changing the culture within our work places.

In season two of Doom & Bloom we’re focusing on how designers can shift the culture within the design industry to prioritize climate-forward design decisions.We kicked off the new season during San Francisco Climate Week, interviewing Dr. Renee Lertzman, climate psychologist and strategist.Listen to Renee and Marc discuss the gap between how much designers care about climate and how little they're actually able to integrate it into their work and why the usual moves (educating, persuading, making the case harder) don’t work. They also explored how shifting from “yell, tell, sell” to attunement and guiding can help designers actually move culture inside their organizations.

We are back with a new season of Doom & Bloom!This time, we're unpacking how designers can shift the culture within the design industry. We all know designers want to make their work more climate positive, but too often this desire is met with resistance or roadblocks. Transforming the entire design industry starts with changing the culture where designers work.This season, we'll tap back into the Thinknado process to brainstorm ways to make climate action the default at any studio or company. We're inviting professionals in and outside of the design industry to help us crack the code on changing design culture from the inside out.

Join the Doom & Bloom team for the final episode of Season 1 as they look back on everything, from Jolly Sand to Unlikely Peaches to Gorilla Hard and beyond. The crew digs into key ideas, challenges, and takeaways, pushing some frameworks even further with their own raw interpretations. Then, in true Doom & Bloom style, they turn the mic on themselves for a full-on Thinknado process, brainstorming what Season 2 could become. It’s unfiltered, reflective, and full of possibility.

What if sustainability isn’t the selling point? In this episode, we sit down with Carly Schonberg, NYC Chapter Leader and product designer leading a renewable energy company, to dig into the uncomfortable truth: climate isn’t always the top motivator for business. Her work shows that when renewable energy is framed as solving real problems (financial, operational, human) it becomes impossible to ignore.Marc and Carly get into why design isn’t just pixels on a screen, but the bridge between problems and solutions. Designers decide how people interact with a product, how it functions, and most importantly, why people care. Carly challenges the status quo: Why is design treated as an afterthought in climate companies? Why aren’t we rethinking “best practices” when the stakes are this high?From behavioral science to primitive needs, the two unpack how design can shake things up, help us communicate better, and move people toward change without ever once mentioning “sustainability.” The takeaway? If you want people to act, meet them at their pain points, not your ideals.Homework for listeners: try to sell a sustainable product without using the word “sustainable.”

We sit down with design educator Stevie Bales to tackle a big question: How can designers nudge decision makers toward climate action? We unpack why decision makers should be seen as people, just like us, who need to understand climate issues, why values shouldn’t be separated from everyday choices, and why companies get away with “values” that sound good but rarely guide their actions.Stevie shares fresh ideas for how designers can live their values—through visible iconography, intentional design choices, and bold public statements. We imagine a system where designers define who they are, create work that reflects those values, and spark change in their communities. This conversation is about making climate values not just a statement, but a standard… one design, one action, and one conversation at a time.

In this episode of Doom and Bloom, Eric Benson and Marc O’Brien join us to ask some big questions: Why is climate being erased from federal budgets? Why is climate literacy still an elective in design schools and not a required course? And why are we preparing students for AI but not for the climate crisis?We explore the uncertainty of our current political moment and the urgent need to embed climate education into the foundation of every design program. Eric and Marc also explore a bold vision for the future—transforming unused office buildings or local restaurants into pop-up co-learning hubs where designers, students, and communities come together to collaborate, learn, and act.From rethinking how we teach design to reimagining where learning happens, this conversation is a call for creativity, community, and radical inclusion in the face of climate change.

In this special episode recorded live during San Francisco Climate Week, Marc O’Brien and Katie Patrick dig into why we’re stuck in a doom-heavy narrative—and what it’ll take to design for the future we actually want. From breaking down the “value-action gap” to calling out the overreliance on financial incentives and education as motivators, Katie challenges us to rewire how we think about change. This is a conversation about systems, behavior, and possibility. About moving beyond facts and fear. About shifting from problem-obsession to solution momentum. Maybe it’s time to rethink everything.Together, they explore a playful prompt that sparks fresh ideas about reconnecting with nature, community, and each other. From imagining a “Pug Cafe” to considering the role animals could play in urban sustainability and healing social divides, they reveal how warmth, creativity, and unexpected connections might be the keys to building climate resiliency and bridging polarized communities.This episode blends thoughtful critique with hopeful dreaming, inviting listeners to reimagine what’s possible when design, empathy, and a touch of whimsy come together.