Design Better The Curiosity Department, LLC

Find show notes, transcripts, and more at https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/paola-antonelli
The Museum of Modern Art brings to mind images of Van Gough’s Starry Night, Salvador Dali’s Persistence of Memory, and Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans. But thanks to Paola Antonelli, senior curator in the Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA exhibitions also encompass the role design has played in shaping culture and the human experience. 
We talk with Paola about how we can look at digital design through a historic lens, some of the most important design movements in the past 100 years, and how the creative process has evolved through these different movements.
We also talk about the history of the @ symbol, why craftsmanship is necessary to experimentation, and some of the current challenges in design education.
We hope you enjoy this episode which is a part of our series on design history, with upcoming episodes on typography with Jonathan Hoefler, and the history and philosophy of design with Professor Barry Katz.
Bio
Paola Antonelli joined The Museum of Modern Art in 1994 and is the Museum’s Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design, as well as MoMA’s founding Director of Research and Development. Her work investigates design in all its forms, from architecture to video games, often expanding its reach to include overlooked objects and practices.
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Early bird subscribers get 50% off for the first three months. Visit designbetter.plus to learn more and subscribe.
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Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
American Giant: Makers of the best hoodie on the planet, their clothing is American-made, ethically produced, and built to last. What more could you ask for? Save 20% off your first order with American Giant using our promo code DESIGNBETTER at checkout. dbtr.co/americangiant
Uplift Desks: For people like us who spend countless hours at our desk, ergonomics are an essential consideration. A standing desk from Uplift Desk can help you avoid the negative effects of sitting all day by improving circulation and reducing strain. Design Better can get a special deal by visiting UPLIFTDesk.com. Use the code DESIGNBETTER at checkout for 5% off your order. Free shipping, free returns, and an industry-leading 15-year warranty. They’re a great company.
Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Delivery Service, can help you fuel up fast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with chef-prepared, dietitian-approved ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. You’ll save time, eat well, and stay on track with your healthy lifestyle while tackling all your holiday to-dos. https://factormeals.com/designbetter50 (use code "designbetter50" for 50% off ).
Heath Ceramics: We love Heath Ceramics. They're the types of objects you pass on from generation to generation, the kind of gift you bring to a wedding, or the dishes that you'd want to put on a beautiful Thanksgiving table: dbtr.co/heathceramics get 15% off between now and December 31st with code DBholiday23
Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓 : https://methodicalcoffee.com (use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order).
Brain.fm: Music scientifically proven to increase focus. We use it to focus on important work, tap into our creativity, and wind down at night when we need to rest. As a Design Better subscriber, you can take 30% off of your subscription: https://www.brain.fm/designbetter

As designers, we can’t help but be particular about the gifts we give and receive. We’ve put together a list of beautiful and useful gifts at varying price ranges to help you satisfy everyone on your holiday shopping list this year, including yourself.
Wishing you and yours a happy, safe holiday season filled with love, gratitude, and connection.
Your pals,
Aarron and Eli
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For the full gift guide, visit our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/design-better-holiday-gift-guide#details
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Gift ideas that support our sponsors and the show
Eli: I'm kind of a coffee heathen, and tend to like really dark roast coffees, old school…and so I was a little skeptical because a lot of Methodical’s coffees tend to be a little lighter or medium roast. But this one that Aarron picked out is just great and I drink it all the time. 
Design Better coffee, $22
Eli: You've probably heard us talk about American Giant. They're a clothing company based here in the US. They're all manufactured here in the States. We actually had their CEO Bayard Winthrop on an episode that got a really good reception from folks.
Aarron: It was one of our more popular episodes this year. Bayard's an amazing person. And the company is just so cool.
Eli: And their mission is great about revitalizing manufacturing here in the U. S., and they make great clothing.
American Giant hoodie (m) (w), $138 but get 20% off with code DESIGNBETTER
Eli: Heath Ceramics is another brand that we're really close to. A few years back we had on Robin Petravic who's the current co-owner of Heath ceramics. Their brand is rooted in the Bay Area, another local manufacturer, and they just make these beautiful, very handmade feeling dinnerware, tableware, vases...they're beautiful.
Heath Ceramics: Small Modern Cup $24 dbtr.co/heathceramics get 15% off between now and December 31st with code DBholiday23
Aarron: We’ve been talking with our friends over at Vestaboard, and in this list of awesome gifts, this is like right there at the top. If you're familiar with a split flap display: when you go to an airport, a train station, and you see those [mechanical] displays that show what time your departures and arrivals are, that’s a split flap display.
This is a great office thing as well, and could be a holiday gift to the office. So what's cool about VestaBoard is there's a mobile app that's associated with it. You can connect it to different data sources, like amazing quotes, latest scores in a game that you're watching.
It's wonderful for families to be able to communicate with each other. If you're not at home and you've got a kid that's just gotten home, you can send them a quick message on this. There's so many different creative and cool things you can do.
Vestaboard $3,295
Eli: Some people can't listen to any kind of music while they're writing or focusing on a task but, brain.fm has actually done the scientific work to create soundtracks for your creative or focus work, and it's really great. I've been using it all the time, especially if I'm having to have deep focus and write something.
Brain.fm: $34.99/year
Aarron: DB+, if you haven't heard about it already, it's our subscription service. We've got a really good discount going on it right now through the holidays. You can get ad free versions of the show. You can get episodes of the show early and get invited to our exclusive AMAs with some big names in design and technology. We have one coming up with Meredith Black, who's probably the foremost authority on design and ops.
What we want to create with DB Plus is just a way for the community to get more, to learn more, and we're adding more to that subscription service as well.
DB+ subscription, $3.75 (ad-free episodes 1 week early) or $8.75 (monthly AMAs with design luminaries).
Charities

Girls Who Code

Nuçi’s space

World Central Kitchen

Find the episode transcript and show notes on designbetterpodcast.com
Our show starts with a little sample of the music that fuels our creative work. Eli’s been listening to Tycho, aka Scott Hansen, since 2006. It just happened to coincide with the first time he took the leap into being a creative entrepreneur, starting his own small design consultancy as well as co-founding a magazine about underwater photography. Tycho’s music was a constant, motivating soundtrack to his work, and it has been for the past 17 years.
In our conversation with Scott, we talked about his childhood influences, his enduring nostalgia for the 80s, how graphic design led him to music, and the importance of cultivating attention and observation as a foundation of his creative process.
At the end of the episode, we’ll share a post show discussion with takeaways from the conversation and you’ll get to hear Tycho’s new single, Small Sanctuary. You can find all his music at tychomusic.com.
Bio
Scott Hansen, known professionally as Tycho, is an American musician, record producer, composer, and songwriter based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also known as ISO50 for his photographic and design work.
***
DB+ is our new premium service that gives you access to ad-free versions of the show released a week early. Subscribers will be invited to AMA (Ask Me Anything) conversations with big names in design and tech from companies like Nike, Netflix, and The New York Times who will field your questions about compelling topics. 
Early bird subscribers get 50% off for the first three months of DB+. Visit designbetter.plus to learn more and subscribe.
***
Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
American Giant: Makers of the best hoodie on the planet, their clothing is American-made, ethically produced, and built to last. What more could you ask for? Save 20% off your first order with American Giant using our promo code DESIGNBETTER at checkout. dbtr.co/americangiant
Factor, America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Delivery Service, can help you fuel up fast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with chef-prepared, dietitian-approved ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door. You’ll save time, eat well, and stay on track with your healthy lifestyle while tackling all your holiday to-dos. https://factormeals.com/designbetter50 (use code "designbetter50" for 50% off ).
Heath Ceramics: We love Heath Ceramics. They're the types of objects you pass on from generation to generation, the kind of gift you bring to a wedding, or the dishes that you'd want to put on a beautiful Thanksgiving table: dbtr.co/heathceramics
Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓 : https://methodicalcoffee.com (use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order).
Brain.fm: Music scientifically proven to increase focus. We use it to focus on important work, tap into our creativity, and wind down at night when we need to rest. As a Design Better subscriber, you can take 30% off of your subscription: https://www.brain.fm/designbetter
Freehand by InVision: The intelligent whiteboard that's half the price of Miro and Mural: https://freehandapp.com
Help us make the show even better by taking a short survey: www.dbtr.co/survey
If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: sponsors@thecuriositydepartment.com
If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: contact@thecuriositydepartment.com

Find the transcript and episode notes here: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/gil-gershoni#details
October is dyslexia awareness month, and we were recently introduced to Gil Gershoni, who is on a mission to help us all recognize dyslexia as a creative superpower.
Gershoni runs an influential agency that’s been reshaping brands with the power of dyslexic design thinking for decades.
One in five people have dyslexia, and there are many other kinds of neurodivergent thinkers out there.
We hope this bonus episode opens your eyes to other modes of creative thinking. Thanks for listening.
Books & Links

The Dyslexic Advantage

The Bigger Picture Book of Dyslexics and the Things They Do

Dyslexic Design Thinking Podcast

Bio
Gil Gershoni is the founder and creative director of Gershoni Creative in San Francisco and Dallas.
For more than 25 years, Gil has worked with clients like Google, Apple, Spotify, Deloitte, Patrón, San Francisco Art Institute, BBC and Nike, and he has presented at the Whitney Biennial, Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest, Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, Contemporary Jewish Museum and San Francisco Design Week.
Gil is an advocate for the reframing of dyslexia as a hyper-ability and regularly speaks on neurodiversity’s influence on design thinking.
***
Last week we launched DB+, our new premium service that gives you access to ad-free versions of the show released a week early. Subscribers will be invited to AMA (Ask Me Anything) conversations with big names in design and tech from companies like Nike, Netflix, and The New York Times who will field your questions about compelling topics. 
Early bird subscribers get 50% off for the first three months. Visit designbetter.plus to learn more and subscribe.
***
isiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
American Giant: Makers of the best hoodie on the planet, their clothing is American-made, ethically produced, and built to last. What more could you ask for? Save 20% off your first order with American Giant using our promo code DESIGNBETTER at checkout. dbtr.co/americangiant
Heath Ceramics: We love Heath Ceramics. They're the types of objects you pass on from generation to generation, the kind of gift you bring to a wedding, or the dishes that you'd want to put on a beautiful Thanksgiving table: dbtr.co/heathceramics
Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓 : https://methodicalcoffee.com
(use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order).
Brain.fm: Music scientifically proven to increase focus. We use it to focus on important work, tap into our creativity, and wind down at night when we need to rest. As a Design Better subscriber, you can take 30% off of your subscription: https://www.brain.fm/designbetter
***
Help us make the show even better by taking a short survey: www.dbtr.co/survey
If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: sponsors@thecuriositydepartment.com
If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: contact@thecuriositydepartment.com

Show notes and transcript: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/ok-go
Not many bands hire Russian pilots to film a Zero-G video on their cosmonaut training plane, known as the “vomit comet”. But those are the kinds of extremes that OK Go will go to in the pursuit of creativity.
Tim Nordwind and Damien Kulash, the band’s founders, met at camp as pre-teens in search of a fellow creative nerd, and founded the band in 1998. Over the past 25 years, they’ve created 3 Grammy-nominated music videos, and won Best Music Video for Here It Goes Again.
From the perfectly timed explosions filmed in slow-motion for their song The One Moment, to the immensely elaborate Rube Goldberg contraption they created for This Too Shall Pass, OK Go is almost like a performance-art troupe that just happens to be a fantastic rock band.
In this episode on the creative process, we talk to Tim and Damian about how they come up with ideas, the macro and micro elements of their creativity, and achieving the impossible.
One more thing…last week we launched DB+, our new premium service that gives you access to ad-free versions of the show released a week early. Subscribers will be invited to AMA (Ask Me Anything) conversations with big names in design and tech from companies like Nike, Netflix, and The New York Times who will field your questions about compelling topics. 
Early bird subscribers get 50% off for the first three months. Visit designbetter.plus to learn more and subscribe.
***
Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
American Giant: Makers of the best hoodie on the planet, their clothing is American-made, ethically produced, and built to last. What more could you ask for? Save 20% off your first order with American Giant using our promo code DESIGNBETTER at checkout. dbtr.co/americangiant
Heath Ceramics: We love Heath Ceramics. They're the types of objects you pass on from generation to generation, the kind of gift you bring to a wedding, or the dishes that you'd want to put on a beautiful Thanksgiving table: dbtr.co/heathceramics
Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓 : https://methodicalcoffee.com
(use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order).
Brain.fm: Music scientifically proven to increase focus. We use it to focus on important work, tap into our creativity, and wind down at night when we need to rest. As a Design Better subscriber, you can take 30% off of your subscription: https://www.brain.fm/designbetter

Over the seven years doing the show, we noticed a pattern in those who achieve their career goals fastest—they consciously invest in themselves by building skills and knowledge. And one of the best ways to learn is to have direct access to people who inform and inspire.
Today, we’re launching a premium service called DB+ designed to help you learn faster and grow your career. Subscribers to the Power Listener plan get access to episodes ad-free and a week before everyone else for the price of your daily coffee.
For folks who want direct access to some of the guests we’ve had on the show and industry experts, we have another tier for Accelerated Learners. Each month, we’ll invite you to AMA (Ask Me Anything) conversations with big names in design and tech from companies like Nike, Netflix, and The New York Times. 
We’ll dive into topics most relevant to your work to help you learn from those with deep experience. You’ll have a chance to ask questions about UX research, UI design, the creative process, getting ahead in your career, and more.
Here are some of our upcoming AMAs:

Meredith Black, DesignOps superstar at the New York Times
Greg Hoffman, former Chief Marketing Officer at Nike
Brad Frost, author of Atomic Design
Felix Lee, founder of ADPList

If you’re unable to attend, no sweat. You’ll get a private feed of every AMA so you never miss an opportunity to learn. And it’s also affordable. For less than what you’d pay for a sandwich at your local deli, you can become a DB+ Accelerated Learner.
Also, entire teams can get access to DB+ too. To learn more, get in touch with us at contact@thecuriositydepartment.com.
We love this show, and we’re excited to continue to expand Design Better to feed your passion for design. We want to help you learn more and stay inspired. Subscribing to DB+ is one of the best ways to do that.
Early bird subscribers get 50% off for the first three months (until November 17th when the sale ends). Visit designbetter.plus to learn more and subscribe. You’ll also get early access to our interview with one of the most creative bands in the world, OK Go.
Thank you so much for your support, and for being a fan of the show.
-Eli & Aarron