Design Matters

Debbie talks to DJ Stout about his long career in design. DJ is a partner at Pentagram and lives in Texas. "My whole philosophy is that nothing has meaning unless it comes from a smaller place. Anything that's known globally, came from somewhere. So I really love being called a regionalist."

Debbie talks to playwright Sarah Jones about her relationship with her characters. "I'm not them. And they are not me. I know I'm tired if a little bit of me leaks into a character."

Debbie talks to poet Elizabeth Alexander about the journey of her extraordinary life and how death makes us think about what we truly value.

On this episode Debbie Millman talks to Jonathan Adler about how his pottery defined his aesthetic. “It’s about craft and luxury mixed with a sense of optimism and cheekyness.”

Debbie talks to Connie Birdsall about designing some of the most successful brands of our time and what to do when a meeting with clients is not going well.

On this podcast Debbie Millman talks to Rochelle Udell about her very creative professional life. "The strength of creative people is to be the outside observer of ordinary things. That's the strength of the creative person, so you've gotta stay outside a little bit."

On this podcast Debbie talks to Mike Rigby about his international career in design and branding and how to stay creatively engaged. “Every event you go to, every person you meet, everything you do is fuel for your next idea.”

Debbie talks to Sam Winston about words as "the shoreline between the conscious and the unconscious," his lifelong fascination with type, and his bibliophilic collaboration with Oliver Jeffers.

Debbie talks to Nicholas Blechman about growing up with a famous illustrator father, the importance of political satire, and his illustrious career as an illustrator, designer, zine publisher, New York Times art director, and New Yorker creative director. “For satire to be effective it has to be dangerous. So the more it appears as a threat from those in power, then it’s doing its job.”

Debbie talks to Seth Godin about how to live in our difficult political moment. “What we have to figure out is how to disconnect ourselves from the circle of fear and from the circle of contempt and even panic and make something that matters instead.”

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 Brian Koppelman about why he became a writer after years as a record promoter and producer. "I realized I would become toxic, and that something would die in me. And that if I allowed that to happen, that toxicity would spread to those that I loved."

Debbie highlights some of her favorite conversations of 2016, including Alison Bechdel, Alain de Botton, Lisa Congdon, Chris Anderson, Krista Tippet, Eileen Myles, and Amanda Palmer.

Debbie talks to Adam J. Kurtz about designing for psychological health. “I’m not going to change your life, I’m just going to share with you the tools that are helping me.”

Debbie talks to New York Times Magazine design director Gail Bichler about magazine design and the role of the magazine cover in the digital age.

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

Debbie talks to writer Tim Ferriss about the strategies he has used to change his life.

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

Debbie talks to Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney about her new book on women entrepreneurs and makers, and about the necessity and difficulty of mid-career change.

Debbie talks to designer Keira Alexandra about what to do when you need extras for a video shoot.

Debbie talks to architect Pierluigi Serraino about some of the things creative people have in common.

Debbie talks to Stack founder Steven Watson about the passion behind the independent magazines that he loves.

Debbie talks to designer Bonnie Siegler about her career and about the conflict between designers and their clients.

Debbie talks to designer, writer, and researcher Lana Z. Porter about branding for millennials + more.

Debbie talks to information designer Giorgia Lupi about data visualization and the data of our personal lives.