Design is Human

Atlanta Design Festival

Podcast from the Atlanta Design Festival that presents the stories behind the humans that design for human kind.

  1. Jason James, VP of Design for Instacart

    09/20/2021

    Jason James, VP of Design for Instacart

    Elayne DeLeo speaks with Jason James, VP of Design for Instacart about his path to a career in design and the reality of "imposter syndrome" when success comes early. He also shares his insights on how businesses need to leverage design to build culture and foster collaboration, what he does to spark creativity in his team and for himself, and the design thinking and principles underlying Instacart’s approach to COVID and how they continue to guide their design into the future. Bio: Jason James (he/him) is VP of Design at Instacart, a grocery delivery and pick-up service. He leads the evolution of products and brand, along with research. Previously, he served as VP of Design at Thumbtack, a marketplace for connecting homeowners and local professionals to get projects done. He developed brand and product design across their marketplace. He also was an early design leader at Earnest, Intercom, Kin, and DoneDone. Jason is currently a mentor at Made in the Future, a program for emerging under-represented designers. There he helps mentees build their careers and get to the next level. He studied Design & Visual Communications at Northern Illinois University and studied Graphic Design abroad at Akademia Sztuk Pięknych in Poland. Jason shares time between Oakland and Chicago with his wife and two cats – Whiskey and Ringo. See his articles on Medium: A Framework for Deciding Your Next Job and 5 Myths About Design Management

    41 min
  2. Andrew Graves, Director of Ortus Economic Research

    03/03/2021

    Andrew Graves, Director of Ortus Economic Research

    Elayne DeLeo has a conversation with Andrew Graves, Director of Ortus Economic Research on what defines a design economy, the data and outcomes of his research for the Design Council UK, how design is key to future economic growth and positive societal change, and why cities should invest in a study of their creative industries to understand the impact of design on business growth, real estate value, new investments, employment, GVA and exports, policy decisions, and the use and under-use of design within the economy. About Andrew Graves Andrew Graves is an economic development strategy and research consultant with 25 years’ experience of evidencing, designing and evaluating public policies, strategies, programmes and projects.  He has worked in consultancy his entire career, working closely with clients from a range of organisations and across many disciplines to improve economic outcomes for places and sectors. Andrew brings a wide range of skills – technical, analytical and process – to assess the economic performance and potential of places, sectors, and markets, and to develop solutions for delivering increased competitiveness, productivity and economic resilience. In 2015, the Design Council UK commissioned Andrew and Ortus to deliver new insight into the skills held by designers across the economy and how these link to productivity, innovation and economic performance for the UK economy. In 2017, MA!, the organizer of Atlanta Design Festival commissioned Ortus to conduct a 1st phase of research on the economic impact of design and creative industries in Atlanta with plans for a full study to be completed by Q1 2022. www.ortuser.co.uk

    26 min

About

Podcast from the Atlanta Design Festival that presents the stories behind the humans that design for human kind.