Design Nerds Anonymous

In this episode, ThinkLab interviews Colleen Stanley, author and leading sales expert on emotional intelligence, and Meena Krenek, global practice leader of interiors for HKS, about the insights and advantages you can gain from using your EQ and tapping into your clients’ perspective.    Our first guest, Colleen Stanley, author of Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success, discusses why harnessing...

In this episode, ThinkLab interviews two experts on the importance of buyer personas and how these profiles can help guide brands on how they go to market, as well as ease frustration with the specifying process in a phygital world.  Our first guest is Jim Kraus, president of the Buyer Persona Institute, who defines how these personas work by walking through what he calls “the five rings of buyer...

In this episode, ThinkLab interviews three design industry pros: Anya Ostry, head of a multi-market tenant representation team at CBRE; Shannon White, district manager for Mannington Commercial, covering the Colorado territory; and Meena Krenek, a global practice leader of interiors for HKS. These three women participated in one of ThinkLab’s earlier hackathons, and here, they share their current...

What do design clients want most right now? Where should I focus my efforts to amplify my impact? How can I engage the next generation of designers? Join ThinkLab’s Amanda Schneider for a series of impactful conversations with visionary leaders as we answer all of those questions and more to navigate what’s next for today’s ecosystem of B2B interior design clients – welcome to season 4 of the Desi...

We are thrilled to welcome MillerKnoll's podcast, Looking Forward: Conversations about the Future of Work to the SURROUND Podcast Network by SANDOW! Host Ryan Anderson takes time to share some highlights from Season 1 and set the stage for Season 2 by answering the two most frequently asked questions he gets asked once people find out what he does for a living: What is the current state of return-...

In this episode, ThinkLab interviews Byron Morton, vice president of sales and leasing for NeoCon and theMART, and Avinash Rajagopal, editor-in-chief of Metropolis. Morton discusses the changes that are coming to NeoCon 2022 and beyond, as well as sharing details about MART 2.0, a renewal and renovation project of theMART that will expand on its amenities and sense of community. Rajagopal touches...

In this episode, ThinkLab explores disruption in commercial real estate and the sector’s entrée into design services. We focus on JLL’s new solution to simplify the design process and accelerate the time from design to build. First, we speak with Thales Teixeira, former Harvard professor and co-author of Unlocking the Customer Value Chain: How Decoupling Drives Customer Disruption. Drawing on his...

In this episode, ThinkLab explores the changing landscape of events in the design industry, whether they’re digital, physical, or hybrid. Our guests each provide a unique perspective — from how manufacturers, distributors, and event producers should create events to how architects and designers should leverage them.     First, Chuck Saylor, principal at Designvox, speaks about tailoring events to...

Amid so much upheaval in the design industry, product specification is undergoing a sea change. In this episode, ThinkLab examines pain points in the process and dives into how two leading-edge companies are developing phygital solutions to chart a new course (no pun intended.) Our first guest, Amanda Darley, vice president of marketing at Mannington Commercial, discusses how the company has respo...

The pandemic has forced many functions of the design library online. Does this mean that library will pivot to primarily virtual in the future, or will there be a move to return to more physical spaces?   In this episode, ThinkLab explores both sides in a discussion with two expert guests. Erica Buss, research and information services manager at Ankrom Moisan Architects, emphasizes the remaining i...

We’re at a critical point in the evolution of showrooms in the design industry. New digital dimensions are expanding what a showroom can do and how it can engage with architects, designers, and end users in a radically altered experience. In this episode, ThinkLab explores the possibilities of all this upheaval and asks the experts – what steps should we take now?    First, Kelly Bacon, global pra...

The design industry is going hybrid. Our latest research shows that the production selection process is increasingly blending both physical and digital. In this episode, ThinkLab explores this intersection (what we call “phygital”) and the reinvention of the offline/online experience.    First, ThinkLab’s lead researcher, Erica Waayenberg, reveals the five key elements of product selection identif...

Join ThinkLab’s Amanda Schneider for meaningful conversations with industry experts as we explore a new era in the evolution of design.  This season we’re tackling the future of product specification and what it means for several key elements of the design industry: showrooms, resource libraries, events, and more.  If you want inspiration and insights for the intersection of business + design, thi...

As the pace of change accelerates, it becomes increasingly important that the design ecosystem connect the many different dots that enable our clients to make decisions faster. We believe human connections in the physical space matter more than ever as we enter this hybrid world.    Join us in this special bonus episode as we ask the question “how will the commercial design industry leverage physi...

Our final, but most important episode this season, brings you expert advice on to where to start when it comes to making meaningful change in our organizations, our industry and our world.   We’re exploring how small, intentional efforts can have the biggest future impact on topics around Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with Sam Aquillano, founder of Design Museum Everywhere, as well as...

As the consumer experience gets increasingly frictionless, B2B buyers expect the same. Join us as we explore the power of internal alignment, empathy and perspective to elevate the experience your clients have with your brand AND the ecosystem that surrounds design.    In this episode, you’ll learn:  How to reinvent the sales and design process in the Amazon era  The video game industry tactic tha...

How should your team structure hybrid work for maximum benefit? Betsy Bula, remote evangelist for Gitlab, a company leading the charge for remote working, brings us intentional, tangible tips that will inspire your own business transformation AND the spaces we design. In this episode, you’ll learn: 1. The 3 key benefits to remote working 2. The one intentional tactic that has huge implications on...

Design’s role in the built environment is to evoke an emotional response. But what happens when cultural communication norms shaped by decades of human interactions are rocked by a global pandemic? ThinkLab’s Amanda Schneiders talks to Cactus founder Noah Waxman and Kantar futurist Don Abraham about ways to elevate communication – and how to adjust, adapt, and reframe. In this episode, you’ll hear...

As the future of work becomes more and more hybrid, leveraging the virtual world to connect to a physical experience is crucial to create a journey that positively impacts the customer experience. Host Amanda Schneider talks with Mannington Commercial director of marketing Amanda Darley and Keilhauer's Chief Marketing Officer Meghan Sherwin, about why digital doesn’t mean de-personalized, how to a...

The digital world is a flattener – is your brand differentiated enough? Capture opportunities for success and learn how to turn great relationships into business with this expert advice from the design industry and beyond. In this episode, we talk to content marketing strategist Danielle Gray, Hubspot’s Jonathan Greenberg, and our own Bobby Bonett on the evolution of lead generation – and how to t...

Have you struggled to reframe your business and make key connections in this new digital era? In the absence of soccer field chats and in-person happy hours, thought leadership becomes our lead-in. Hear from innovators within the design industry and beyond and discover how they are making the shift from relationships as currency to information as currency. In episode 1, you’ll learn: 1) &nbsp...

Join us this season as we share insights from six months of coveted cross-functional research about driving economic success for the interiors industry in an increasingly digital world. We will dig deep into the intricacies of business development as we tap into experts from both inside the design industry, and out, to uncover how they’ve approached this paradigm shift and their tangible tips for...

You solve problems for your clients but who is problem solving for you? Welcome to season two of Design Nerds Anonymous, the podcast that sparks curiosity at the intersection of business and design. We’re ThinkLab, the research division of SANDOW Design Group, and sister company to media brands you know and love like Interior Design, Metropolis, Luxe and more. Listen in as we share data-driven des...

Hosted by Debbie Millman, The Mic is NYCxDESIGN's podcast that offers an inside look into New York City's most creative minds.  New York City is home to the world’s most diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and when we share stories, we always find means of connection. Each month, The Mic features two inspiring guests to explore the meaning behind their work or study and undercover how their crea...

In this episode, ThinkLab explores one designer’s personal story that covers racial diversity, diversity of experience, and perspective with rising designer Alannah Vann.  Be sure to follow our guest speaker Alannah Vann on LinkedIn. Want to join big thinking happening in the design industry? Become a ThinkLab Insider today by visiting: https://info.thinklab.design/insider-program See Privacy Poli...