Design Matters

Debbie talks to therapist and author Esther Perel about marriage, polyamory, and adultery.

Debbie talks to author and researcher Brene Brown about belonging, courage, and vulnerability.

Debbie talks to Hamilton director Thomas Kail about his career and about the joys of collaboration.

Debbie talks to James Victore about his apprenticeship in Graphic Design, about the role of opinion in his work, and about his suspicions of surface beauty and polish.

Debbie talks to Marian about her daring typography and her highly ornamental design.

Debbie talks to Massimo about his favorite typeface, his fight against vulgarity and meaningless design, and what he means by forceful design.

Debbie talks to Billions show runner Brian Koppelman about why he became a writer after years as a record promoter and producer.

Debbie talks to poet Eileen Myles about poetry, fame, and politics.

Debbie Millman talks to Cindy Gallop about her career in advertising and about the trouble people have communicating about sex.

Debbie Millman talks to Adam J. Kurtz about designing for psychological health.

Debbie Millman talks to Gail Bichler about magazine design and the role of the magazine cover in the digital age.

Debbie talks to Alison Bechdel about how identifying herself as a lesbian when she was young led her into a career as a cartoonist.

Debbie talks with artist and writer Lisa Congdon about how she sometimes felt like an imposter.

Debbie talks to Anil Dash about politics, technology, and culture. "The single industry that is more responsible for creating culture today than any other, even entertainment or media, is tech. And part of it is we're the mediators for the media world."

Debbie talks to lynda.com’s Lynda Weinman about how the internet is challenging the traditional classroom model.

Debbie talks to Joe Hollier about an invention of his that is designed to bring back boredom in the era of the smartphone.

Debbie talks to writer Caroline Paul about her death-defying adventures, and how girls must learn the difference between fear and exhilaration. "When you face a situation you can choose, do you want to listen overwhelmingly to your fear, or do you want to try to access your bravery?"

Debbie Millman talks to Chris Anderson about how the TED conference has helped changed the way we learn. "For the first time we can see examples of the best educators, speakers, idea sharers out there. See what they do, and be inspired by them."

Debbie Millman talks to Alain de Botton about love and sex. "My view of human nature is that all of us are only just holding it together in various ways. And that's ok. We just need to go easy with one another, knowing that we are all these incredibly fragile beings."

Debbie talks to designer Bonnie Siegler about her career and about the conflict between designers and their clients. "The clients aren't the problem, the clients aren't jerks, they're not assholes, it's not that they have bad taste, or anything like that. Sometimes they just have no idea how to interact with professional creative people."

On this podcast Debbie talks to Nico Muhly about his music and about the musicians who interpret it. "I always feel like they appreciate something that's detailed on the page to indicate that I know what I'm talking about, but with room for them to continue the conversation when I'm dead."

On this podcast Debbie talks to Krista about her religious orientation, her struggle with depression, and about why it's so hard to understand our historical moment. "The things we're shining a light on, the things that are getting all the attention, the people that are getting all the attention, are probably not the ones who are changing the world."

On this podcast Debbie talks to Amanda about her wild and wandering path to the rock stage, and about how behind her artistic ambition is the drive to feel real. “What I really wanted was to feel like I was doing something that contributed and mattered and that I was in a true conversation with the world and with other people.”

Debbie talks to Steven Heller about his attitude when he was a young designer. "I was short sighted. I was arrogant. I had a sense of myself that was disproportionate to all reality."

On this podcast Debbie talks to Brian Collins about why designers shouldn’t think of themselves as mere problem solvers.