This is Design School

On this episode, we talk with Frank Chimero, Creative Director at Fictive Kin, and author of the book The Shape of Design. Frank talks about how he found design by using it as a foothold to have a deeper relationship with the things he really enjoyed, how designers have the opportunity to teach a commitment and expectation of craft and quality to fellow disciplines, about the value in experience outside of efficiency, and how work and experiences are cyclical in nature.

On this episode, we talk with Mitzi Okou, a Senior Interaction Designer at Spotify and Founder of Where are the Black Designers. Mitzi talks about her journey from studying classical music to UX Design, about how transparency begets a more forgiving culture, and her work in pushing the needle for diversity and representation so we truly don’t have to ask, “Where are the Black designers?” anymore.

On this episode, Michael Bierut discusses how he was lucky to have found design as a kid growing up in Ohio, how a successful career requires being really engaged in 'the game,' and how designers of the future need to make more room for curiosity.

On this episode, we talk with Leisha Muraki, a Director of Brand Strategy at RORA, and a Lead in Brand Experience at MDMD. Leisha talks about how graduating in the middle of a financial recession forced her to take risks and work abroad in search of job security; how her experience building a career and practice in Venture Design shifted the judgement of design from aesthetics to strategy; and how the most important currency in the world is not capital but connection, including the connection with one’s self.

On this episode, we talk with Cynthia Lawson Jaramillo, Dean of the School of Design Strategies, Associate Dean at Parsons School of Design, and the Conference Co-Chair of the Digitally Engaged Learning (DEL) Conference. Cynthia talks of being an artist who teaches design, and finding her way to the discipline through a passion of Art, a background in Electrical Engineering, and the worldview of growing up as a third culture kid. Cynthia discusses the practice and considerations of Integrated Design, including politicizing acts of helping, removing assumptions that you have what it takes to make someone else’s life better, and the importance of how we each represent history when walking into any given situation.

On this episode, we talk with Debbie Millman, a designer, author, illustrator, educator, and brand consultant who is currently the Chair and co-founder of the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts, the Editorial & Creative Director of Print Magazine, and the Founder and Host of the award-winning podcast Design Matters. In our conversation, Debbie talks about her initial spark in design, working through and understanding cycles of fear and insecurity that led to life changing decisions in her career, planning for the long tail, and persevering through trauma in hope for a better life.

A tribute reissuing our 2019 interview with August de los Reyes, Chief Design Officer at Varo Money Inc., following his passing on December 21, 2020 from COVID-19 complications. August reflects on his career across three decades — the how, the why, and the legacy — discussing Inclusive Design, the scale and impact of design decisions, and living a life with no regrets.

On this final episode of Year 05, we talk with August de los Reyes, Chief Design Officer at Varo Money Inc., in San Francisco, California. De los Reyes’ career transcends decades of technological shifts and advancements, and includes work with Microsoft, Google, Pinterest, and Philips. In our discussion, August reflects on his career to date, categorizing it into three decades: the how, the why, and the legacy. He speaks about the future and importance of Inclusive Design, the legacy we might leave behind for future generations of designers to build upon, and living a life of no regrets.

On this episode, we talk with Annu Yadav, Head of Design at Aurora Solar in San Francisco, California. Annu is a multidisciplinary practitioner across fine art, design, fashion technology, and business. Yadav discusses how her approach to design brings diverse and unique voices to a team to shape new ideas, how gaining knowledge helps shed fear, and gives us a reminder of how design is inherently an act of service.

On this episode, we talk with Scott Tong, a startup advisor in San Francisco, California. Through his career working at RMB Vivid, IDEO, Pinterest, and co-founding IFTTT, Tong has developed the unique perspective of designer as entrepreneur. In our conversation, Scott talks about how his passion for drawing led him to finding design, how learning design thinking helped prepare him to co-found a company, and the value of living in ambiguity.