A76 | a design pod

In the final episode of A76 Season 4, The Human Spark, friend and mentor Frank Grubich flips the script and interviews me using the same questions I’ve been asking guests all season with a few surprises along the way. We talk about my origin story as a designer, where ideas come from, why I design, and what I’d tell my 20-something self. Thanks FEEG, it was a lot of fun. ~ Noel A76 and its episode...

We’re in the back arc of A76’s season exploring The Human Spark and I was fortunate to sit down with Gavin Lew , Managing Partner at Bold Insight , to discuss how deep behavioral observation helps move ideas forward. Throughout the season I’ve challenged my guests to reflect on how they know when an idea is truly worth pursuing, and Gavin offers a thoughtful perspective on that question. We explor...

Friend of the pod Casey Hudetz , Senior Manager of Product Design at DocuSign and co-host of A76’s season one comes back on the pod to talk with me about the moment an idea grabs you and won’t let go. He shares a powerful example from his grandparents that compelled a creative project, including a talk and film . And our conversation explores how ideas often emerge through convergence and the subc...

In the latest episode of A76 The Human Spark, I chat with Dustin Coleman —Writer, Senior Content Strategist and Co-founder of 12 Acres Creative —about the importance of storytelling as a human craft in an increasingly automated world. With a lifelong love of narrative, Dustin shares how curiosity, observation, and conversation fuel his ideas and why real stories matter more than ever. We explore h...

This is a Patreon preview In the current season of A76, The Human Spark, I’m stepping away from tools and trends to focus on the people behind the ideas. The conversations have been really refreshing and focused on where ideas come from, what everyone does to get unstuck, and how they decide which ideas are worth pursuing. So far, I’ve spoken with researchers, designers, creatives, journalists, ar...

Frank EE Grubich co-founder and brand director of CX&V is back on the pod to talk Fun, Foam and other F-word frivolity. Among many topics, we chat about what it really takes to generate great ideas while battling time, constraints and real-world complexity. Frank shares how he starts by defining the box before thinking outside of it, why emotion matters as much as intellect and the three filte...

In my latest episode of A76, I talk with veteran journalist, author, musician, politics editor for MassLive & friend—John L. Micek. John reflects on three decades of reporting, storytelling, and understanding what makes communities tick and traces his winding path into journalism. He also shares how ideas spark from everyday observations, train rides, and simple curiosity. And the conversation...

I reconnect with Andreas Refsgaard , an artist and creative coder based in Copenhagen whose art blends algorithms, interaction, and playful experimentation. Andreas shares what he’s been up to since his first appearance on A76 —teaching workshops, building museum installations, and expanding his “weird AI art” practice (his words)—all the while reflecting on why surprise and interaction remain cen...

I chat with Chicago-based videographer and creative Cal Engel to trace one of the more unconventional career journeys—from the early days crafting internal videos, the sudden leap to touring the world with the Jonas Brothers, and eventually starting his own production company, AV Collective. Along the way, he breaks down how constant visual consumption informs his ideas, and why unplugging often s...

In the latest episode of A76, The Human Spark, I talk with Kevin McElroy , Executive Creative Director at Razorfish in Chicago, about designing with empathy and leading teams in a constantly shifting landscape. Kevin shares his amazing path from dreaming of Disney, to Detroit automotive to working with Benetton in Venice, culminating in global digital experiences today. He breaks down his human-ce...

In this latest epsiode, I chat with Chris Ward a Seattle-based VP of Account Management at Digitas about how his broad curiosity for design, calm approach, and love of the outdoors fuel his work. Chris shares his origin story, why account managers should aim to be second-best at every job, and how he uses design thinking to solve real user problems. We also explore his personal projects, where he...

In this episode of A76, The Human Spark, I sit down again with friend of the pod Mick Champayne , a staff designer on Google’s Delight Team—the group behind those joyful little surprises on Google Search. Mick shares how she channels curiosity, humor, and serendipity into her work, from designing easter eggs for billions of users to keeping her personal illustration practice fresh. We discuss idea...

In this episode I catch up with Adam Weil , Senior Director of Research at Shapiro + Raj to talk about where good ideas come from and what separates the great ones from the noise. Adam’s career has spanned television networks to innovation agencies but what stands out most is his obsession with insightful storytelling. We talk about how he teaches younger researchers to transform data into stories...

Welcome back  to A76. This season, we’re stepping away from algorithms and turning back towards the people behind the ideas. And because we find ourselves in a world where generative AI can spin out thousand of versions of anything—I keep wondering where do the truly original ideas come from? So in Season 4, we’re exploring what I’m calling ~ The Human Spark. I’ll be talking with designers, creato...

Welcome to this Patreon exclusive preview. If you’re new to A76’s Patreon or you’re listening to a preview for the first time, these exclusive episodes are where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here—things I’m kicking around—and I share additional content from those interviews. I used to call these Ic...

In this deeply personal and expansive conversation, I sit down with Olivia Moore T., a talented designer whose roots in Detroit, radio and tech have fueled a career in experience design. We explore her origin story, the tension between creativity and capitalism, how nostalgia is reshaping Gen Z’s approach and the increasingly blurry line between tools and culture. Our conversation veers from thoug...

Who really benefits from our current AI assistants? In this final episode of the NoelAI mini-series on A76, I go on a deeply personal and sharply critical journey of the current state of AI assistants. And ask why—after years of hype—we still don’t have an assistant that truly serves us . Blending design thinking, cultural critique, and speculative hardware, I posit a radically user-centric vision...

Welcome back from our mid-season break! In today’s pod, I chat with Jennifer Andrews , who leads the Experience Design team in Digitas’ New York office. We chat about web1, her personal origin story, Japanese culture, her work in the Accessibility Center of Excellence and AI's impact on design. And afterwards I highlight recent episodes and share how you can support A76. Recent free episodes:...

My goal is to make A76 sustainable in as many facets as I can. And for my 30th episode, I'm sharing my introductory conversation with Matt Saip , Head of Technology at Digitas Chicago, where we discuss the tech side of achieving this goal. We have an open discussion about calculating the exact carbon footprint of my production, the potential for green web hosting and sustainable tech.  Sheddi...

Welcome to a new episode of A76. Today, we're taking a detour from our usual in-depth interviews with designers and makers to explore something a little different—micro-interactions and moments of personalization that could be vastly improved. If you're curious about what's happening over on our Patreon or if you simply want to support the A76 Design Pod, head over to patreon.com/A7...

This is an A76 Patreon preview Icebreak episode coming off my interview with Tracy Kramer , President of BuzzCo . If you haven't listened to that interview you can find it here . If you're new to A76's Patreon, Icebreak episodes are exclusive for members, where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new...

In today’s episode I chat with Tracy Kramer . Tracy is the president of Buzz Company , a talent and recruitment agency based out of Chicago. I originally met Tracy while at design school, and she’s lead BuzzCo from a place of empathy and empowerment for decades. With roots in design, she just gets designers. And she loves not only helping designers find jobs but taking care of her people. We touch...

Welcome to a new Icebreak episode coming off my conversation with friend of the pod Mick Champayne about design and play. If you haven't listened to that interview, hit pause on this one, and go check it out here first . It was a lot of fun. If you're new to A76's Patreon or are listening to a preview for the first time, Icebreaks are where I talk about my production of the podcast,...

I’ve often found, that the best designers have a lightness about how they go about their craft. They regularly joke, don’t take themselves too seriously, and connect with others through humor. One minute they’re clowning, dropping memes and the next delivering a mind-blowing design perspective —and that’s definitely true of Mick. She’s a talented designer at Google working in the Doodles & Del...

This is an A76 Patreon preview of an Icebreak episode coming off my interview with Matt Saip; he's the SVP Tech Lead in the Digitas Chicago office. If you haven't listened to that interview you should listen to it first here . If you're new to A76's Patreon, Icebreak episodes are exclusive for members, where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the disc...