Design Tangents

Working at the intersection of user experience, visual communication, creative leadership and systems thinking, Hiroki Asai blends his design talent and love for travel as Airbnb’s Chief Experience Officer. Evan and Josh recently visited San Francisco and participated in the full ecosystem of what the company is offering before sitting down with Asai to talk about skateboarding, modernism, local c...

As a young chef Nobu began working in Peru and quickly embraced a lack of traditional Japanese ingredients as an opportunity to innovate using local flavors. This fusion of cuisine and culture birthed what later became known as “Nobu style.” Today there are more than 80 Nobu restaurants and hotels around the world. Some might call this an empire—to Nobu, it’s a family. Josh and Evan caught up with...

Wyna Liu is a puzzle editor who is responsible for creating the New York Times games’ “Connections” and also creates crossword puzzles there, for The New Yorker, and AV Club. When she’s not making her challenging, sharable and meme-worthy games she creates jewelry inspired by crystalline structures, often incorporating magnets pushed to the edge of their tension. Evan and Josh sat down with Wyna r...

Some are born with good taste, and Teo Yang is one of them. Among South Korea’s most interesting designers and collectors, he consistently studies the country’s past to find inspiration and connection to its present and future. His interior design practice creates private, public and corporate spaces, often filled with an eclectic mix that includes furniture and furnishings that he’s designed. Eva...

Apple’s Johnny Manzari and Rich Dinh share insights on the new button and how it helps people capture more photo / video opportunities Following the release of Apple’s new iPhone 16 we sat down with Johnny Manzari, Designer from the Human Interface Team, and Rich Dinh, Senior Director, Product Design, at Apple HQ to dig in deep to the Camera Control button—how it was developed, what it can do, and...

Growing up in Milan, Paola Antonelli was surrounded by design and became aware of its importance when she noticed things that  weren’t  well designed. For nearly 30 years Antonelli—an architect, author, editor and podcaster—has been the Design Curator at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. A long-time inspiration for us at COOL HUNTING, we were excited to sit down with her to talk abou...

Jonathan dreamed about being a potter but was thwarted by the advice of others, so after university he started working at a talent agency in NYC, and threw pottery on the side. It didn’t take long for him to listen to his heart and pursue his true calling. Thirty one years later he’s achieved superstar status as a multi-faceted creator and designer with a retail empire and a creative studio that c...

A pioneering creative and life-long culture maker, Katie Longmyer is also a talented operator. Known by many as “Good Peoples,” a label given to her during her early club-kid days, that’s exactly the type of person she attracts and it eventually became the name of her events and experiences agency. In this episode Evan and Josh talk to Longmyer about the arc of her career, Co-founding and being th...

During her 22 years at Apple meriko borogove worked on some of the most interesting and transformative products the company has made. If you’ve ever used a camera on an Apple device, then you’re already familiar with some of her work, as she led the camera team for years. A designer, engineer, director and photographer who one colleague labeled a “unicorn” given her epic levels of intelligence, cr...

Operating behind the scenes and under the radar Willie Williams has been creating some of the most memorable and talked about experiences and live performances for decades. Josh + Evan caught up with the co-founder of London's Treatment Studio in Las Vegas, where the firm designed both U2’s epic residency at The Sphere and Weekends With Adele at Caesars Palace. In this episode we hear about Willia...

Jonathan dreamed about being a potter but was thwarted by the advice of others, so after university he started working at a talent agency in NYC, and threw pottery on the side. It didn’t take long for him to listen to his heart and pursue his true calling. Thirty one years later he’s achieved superstar status as a multi-faceted creator and designer with a retail empire and a creative studio that c...

Growing up in Milan, Paola Antonelli was surrounded by design and became aware of its importance when she noticed things that  weren’t  well designed. For nearly 30 years Antonelli—an architect, author, editor and podcaster—has been the Design Curator at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. A long-time inspiration for us at COOL HUNTING, we were excited to sit down with her to talk abou...

Maximilian is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends), the most radical watch maker in a very traditional industry. Following his successful career at established brands including Jaeger-LeCoultre and Harry Winston during difficult years in the Swiss watchmaking industry, he set out to create his eponymous timepieces showcasing unabashed innovation, whimsy, cra...

Suchi is the founder of her eponymous firm, Reddymade . From her large interactive public art works at The Smithsonian, in Times Square and Prospect Park to her range of architectural projects including Google’s first retail store, Suchi has been a passionate thought leader in creating spaces that make us feel. A longtime friend of COOL HUNTING, Evan and Josh are excited to share her point of view...

A master interviewer, Zane Lowe was once called “Pop’s Unofficial Therapist” by the NY Times. He’s Apple Music’s head of artist relations and the lead anchor for Apple Music 1 Radio. Flipping the script and interviewing the interviewer, Josh and Evan chat with Zane about the importance of curiosity, holding space for conversation and finding the balance between diligence and instinct when it comes...

Around the world photography is a male-dominated industry and in Kenya that’s an understatement. Thandiwe Muriu is the country’s first woman commercial photographer and in recent years the first to find her voice as a photographic artist. In this episode Evan and Josh sit with the Nairobi-based creative to hear how she learned the craft, found her artistic self and is unfolding and reinterpreting...

Is it a vibe or is it a discipline? Designing streetwear requires understanding a far-reaching and often unexpected mix of cultural queues. For Jeff Staple, a pioneer in the space, synthesizing these observations is second nature. In this episode Josh and Evan talk to Jeff about his journey of discovering design, disappointing (and then impressing) his parents, mastering product collaborations and...

Josh and Evan reflect on Season 1 by asking ChatGPT to review every episode and extract the common themes that emerged in their interviews with creatives across a range of fields. Tune in to hear them respond to the results.  Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode of Design Tangents was produced and edited by SANDOW DESIGN GROUP. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

COOL HUNTING’S JOSH RUBIN AND EVAN ORENSTEN ON EXPLORING UNCHARTED TERRITORY Josh Rubin and Evan Orensten fell in love at first sight when they met in the office of Razorfish in the 90’s. But before then, Josh grew up straddling Miami and Vermont, where he gained experience navigating different worlds and perspectives. While Evan, growing up in Minneapolis, was bursting with curiosity, learning la...

When Josh Rubin and Evan Orensten met twenty-five years ago, did they ever imagine their partnership would result in the inception of the iconic media brand COOL HUNTING? This episode offers a glimpse into their journey of evolution at the intersection of the internet, content, and design—not to mention the twenty-year partnership of the men behind the helm. Explore the captivating world of digita...

At Unnecessary Inventions Matty designs, builds, documents and shares a new product with his millions of followers each week. Pulled from an endless list of ideas he has for gadgets we don’t need but still might be entertained to have, his fans, talk shows and brand partners can’t get enough of his wit. Josh and Evan visited Matty in his new studio in Burlington, VT to see this self-described “evi...

Around the world photography is a male-dominated industry and in Kenya that’s an understatement. Thandiwe Muriu is the country’s first woman commercial photographer and in recent years the first to find her voice as a photographic artist. In this episode Evan and Josh sit with the Nairobi-based creative to hear how she learned the craft, found her artistic self and is unfolding and reinterpreting...

It typically takes five years from imagining a new car to bringing it to market. In about that same amount of time, Genesis has created their brand and introduced all new models. The cars and the design leadership have gotten the attention of just about every automotive award around the world, and the brand has fought hard to create its mark in a challenging and increasingly fast-paced market. Thi...

A multi-hyphenate creative, Matthew Dear is a tech-forward composer and performer, a DJ, digital artist and web3 enthusiast. COOL HUNTING first wrote about him in 2007, and he appeared in our video podcast then, early in his musical career. Over the years Josh and Evan followed his work and developed a friendship. Thinking about creating theme music for Design Tangents Matthew was the first and on...

Whenever Josh, Evan and Jihan Zencirli get together the energy is high and the tangents are profound. Jihan is an installation artist, big thinker and positive pop culture force. In this episode they cover her early days making balloon sculptures, the pageantry of religion, art cults, Donatella Versace and learnings from her time in web3 working with the Doodles. Links: coolhunting.com/tag/geronim...