26 episodes

Design Tomorrow is a podcast about design, technology, and being human with a special emphasis on growing our awareness that what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Design Tomorrow Christopher Butler

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 35 Ratings

Design Tomorrow is a podcast about design, technology, and being human with a special emphasis on growing our awareness that what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Phones Never Die. They're Eaten By Birds

    Phones Never Die. They're Eaten By Birds

    Can we really call it progress when it creates so much waste? What if your phone — the one you’re using right now — was your last phone? Take a good look at it and imagine using it for the rest of your life. Could it even last that long? Could you? Probably not. Today I want to think about what that means. What happens to a planet and its people when technological progress is measured in product cycles. And what happens when there's no balance sheet to account for the other side of that — when every new product leaves billions of products and accessories and packaging behind…
    Show Notes
    My first cellphoneMy second cellphoneThis clip ended up on the cutting room floor, but here's Derek Zoolander's tiny phoneYou can learn more about the Agbogbloshie landfill by reading its Wikipedia page, looking at these photographs, or watching this documentary. Please watch it!You can learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch here."The Victims of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch," a clip from 60 MinutesProject Ara Demo at Google IO 2015Google Cancels Project AraThe FairphoneDanny Boyle interviewed by Marc MaronMusic
    All music used in this episode was independently produced by r beny and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.
    FeltFall Creek UnitFormation ProcessNovation PeakMariposaAlluvialNatomaSpindleIllumination CeremonyCredits
    Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.
    You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.
    Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 33 min
    You Don't Have to Be an Entrepreneur, Part 2

    You Don't Have to Be an Entrepreneur, Part 2

    Every discussion of entrepreneurship is really a discussion about values. Today, we'll follow up on last week's episode, where we began a discussion of entrepreneurship by resetting that idea — by challenging the story of entrepreneurship. We contrasted the protagonist — the hero CEO — with the reality of who we are. And we contrasted the plot — the capitalistic, meritocratic variant of the hero's journey — with the meandering serendipity of our lives' paths. But dismantling one story doesn't write ours for us. And so that's where we'll pick up today — with how we begin — by identifying, examining, and ordering our values so that they may serve as a foundation for the creative and productive lives we build upon them…
    Music
    All music used in this episode is independently produced and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.
    Di Breun, by Blue Dot SessionsDrip Hop Modular Beats, by r benyOriel, by Blue Dot SessionsThe Snowgard, by Blue Dot SessionsCrosswire, by Blue Dot SessionsLi Fonte, by Blue Dot SessionsE2 Ambient X, by r benyCredits
    Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.
    You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.
    Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 23 min
    You Don't Have to Be an Entrepreneur

    You Don't Have to Be an Entrepreneur

    Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to mean what you think it means.
    Over the course of the next two episodes, I'd like to share with you how my own perspective on “entrepreneurship” has evolved, and offer a critique of the sameness of the popular model of the entrepreneur. I'll also give you eight little nuggets of wisdom that have been helpful to me on my journey so far, and only grow in their value to me as it continues…
    Show Notes
    Newfangled, where I work.
    Music
    All music used in this episode is independently produced and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.
    Kirkus, by Blue Dot SessionsTransit Center, by Podington BearOrder of Entrance, by Blue Dot SessionsLunette, by Blue Dot SessionsTralaga, by Blue Dot SessionsTolls Folly, by Blue Dot SessionsExceter Lask, by Blue Dot Sessions
    Credits
    Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.
    You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.
    Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 24 min
    The Future vs. The Future

    The Future vs. The Future

    Every vision of the future is a better index of the present from which it came than whatever time it imagines. So today, let's look back at some of the things we believed would serve as landmarks of the future. Not to point out how quaint they are or to dunk on the blind spots of the past. But so that we can better understand why — no matter what shiny new objects we make and use — we never quite feel like we've gotten to the future. Why it's so difficult to recognize how far we've come…
    Show Notes
    The Dymaxion HouseLe CorbusierLewis MumfordLewis Mumford on The CityRobert Heinlein did get a futurist house eventually. He just had to design it himself.The Entire History of YouMusic
    All music used in this episode is independently produced and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.
    Spirals, by r beny Fall Creek Unit, by r beny Live 182801, by r beny Pines, by r beny Crystals & Graves, by r beny Volca Keys Arp Jam, by r beny Credits
    Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.
    You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.
    Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 32 min
    Words Matter

    Words Matter

    Too often we think of the word "design" as a shorthand for an ecosystem of mostly visual phenomena. But words play an enormous, though often unseen, role in the creation of everything. Today, I want to tell you a story about how my life was changed by a few words said quickly, but words which I will never forget...
    Music
    All music used in this episode is independently produced and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.
    Envira, by Blue Dot SessionsOur Digital Compass, by Blue Dot SessionsSvela Tal, by Blue Dot SessionsTolls Folly, by Blue Dot Sessions
    Credits
    Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.
    You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.
    Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 17 min
    A.I. Ain't that I.

    A.I. Ain't that I.

    The majority of our clicking and tapping is a repetitive act of information management. Isn't A.I. supposed to help us with this? Don't hold your breath... Today, on Design Tomorrow, in the tradition of the rantiest of rants, I'd like to, well, rant about a few things. About AI and us, about wasted time and wasting of the land, and about the lowing and highing of design...
    Links
    The Sword in the Stone, Wart eats a bug“It is important to use your hands. This is what distinguishes you from a cow or a computer operator.” - Paul Rand
    Music
    All music used in this episode is independently produced and licensed by Design Tomorrow for non-commercial use.
    Respiration, by Podington Bear Transit Center, by Podington Bear Twine, by Podington Bear The Dirty, by Podington Bear Free Radicals, by Podington Bear Lleb, by Podington Bear Data, by Podington Bear Dark Matter, by Podington Bear Rythn, by Podington Bear
    Credits
    Design Tomorrow is produced by Chris Butler at the Tomorrow office in Durham, NC.
    You can follow the show on Twitter @dsgntmrrw. You can visit the show's website at designtomorrow.co, and you can email me at chris @ designtomorrow.co.
    Thanks for listening, and remember, what we do and think today can create a better tomorrow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 19 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
35 Ratings

35 Ratings

JMY1138 ,

Thought-provoking

One of my favorite design-related podcasts out there. Thought-provoking and very well-crafted. I listened to each episode and now I’m listening again, hearing new things.

Smi45 ,

Best design podcast out there

This is one of the best design podcasts in the arena. It's not spouting the same success stories, interviews, or even practical guides to "wing that UX interview." It's a thought provoking conversation about where we're headed in all this noise, hype, and confusion. Where are our values, what are we losing sight of, and if anything, a calm and almost meditative listen. Thank you Chris for putting so much relfection into each episode. You're a breath of fresh air.

Natcoukoulis ,

Most underrated design podcast

Concise, thoughtful, and to the point. I love how Chris combines current ideas, people, etc. to design. Every episode is valuable, and, other than TED, it’s one of the only design podcasts I can listen to where I end up learning something new, or gaining a new perspective on a topic. I look forward to every episode.

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