13 episodes

A design podcast for everyone. Join Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown as they explore the stories of how design impacts our everyday lives.

Forming Function Forming Function

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 11 Ratings

A design podcast for everyone. Join Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown as they explore the stories of how design impacts our everyday lives.

    Bonus BS: Design Fail!

    Bonus BS: Design Fail!

    Our theme song creator, Paul Corsi, joins us on the show to talk about the art of creating music and a countdown of design fails. From architectural solar death rays, to useless social media devices, we discuss a number of projects where the designs didn’t fully work out.

    Produced and Hosted by Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown.

    Story Editing by Jeffery Brown, Audio engineering and Mixing by Julia Sikora. 

    Guest starring Paul Corsi. 

    Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @FormingFunctionPodcast and send us an email to suggest a topic at formingfunctionpodcast@gmail.com.

    Forming Function Season 1 is supported in part by grant funding from Michigan Architectural Foundation.

    • 40 min
    10. Form Follows Fun

    10. Form Follows Fun

    Turtles, porpoises, and horses! Our season one finale is a profile of two artists and the inspirations for their work. The first is Jim Miller Melberg, whose concrete animal playground structures ushered modern designs into the lives of children around the globe. And then to end the season we have a discussion with Craig Friend, a Michigan illustrator who created a work of art that our listeners should already be familiar with…

     

    Produced and Hosted by Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown.

    Audio Mixing and Editing by Jeffery Brown.

    Special Guests Dave Bogart and Craig Friend.



    Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @FormingFunctionPodcast and visit our website to suggest a topic at FormingFunctionPodcast.com.



    Forming Function Season 1 is supported in part by grant funding from Michigan Architectural Foundation.

    • 55 min
    09. Green Means Go

    09. Green Means Go

    Why DOES green mean go? Go behind the blinking lights to discover the history of traffic lights - including some design innovations that didn’t stand the test of time. Then a look behind the wheel to chase the scent of an iconic car accessory - Little Tree air fresheners.



    Produced and Hosted by Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown.

    Audio Mixing and Editing by Jeffery Brown.

    Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @FormingFunctionPodcast and visit our website to suggest a topic at FormingFunctionPodcast.com.

    Forming Function Season 1 is supported in part by grant funding from Michigan Architectural Foundation.

    • 1 hr 1 min
    08. Brick By Brick

    08. Brick By Brick

    A little plastic toy brick built a worldwide brand... but how did the simple concept of LEGO become so iconic? Sam breaks down how the empire was built and why it continues to thrive. Meanwhile, Brian maps out the brand's homestead heritage and how Bjarke Ingles Group brought the ideas to real life.



    Produced and Hosted by Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown.

    Audio Mixing and Editing by Jeffery Brown.

    Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @FormingFunctionPodcast and visit our website to suggest a topic at FormingFunctionPodcast.com.

    Forming Function Season 1 is supported in part by grant funding from Michigan Architectural Foundation.

    • 53 min
    07. Lap of Luxury

    07. Lap of Luxury

    Did you know the French aristocracy influenced most of the furniture we sit on today? Our first guest, Korey Morris, joins us in the studio for a listener-submitted question to ask about contemporary couches that springboards into a journey to the very beginnings of comfort in design, the chaise longue, and the elaborate history of the Rococo movement. 



    Produced and Hosted by Brian Moore and Sam Malott Brown.

    Audio Mixing and Editing by Jeffery Brown.

    Guest starring Korey Morris. 



    Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @FormingFunctionPodcast and visit our website to suggest a topic at FormingFunctionPodcast.com.



    Forming Function Season 1 is supported in part by grant funding from Michigan Architectural Foundation.

    • 51 min
    06. Rebel Threads

    06. Rebel Threads

    What makes blue jeans a timeless staple of comfort? How did paisley became an iconic pattern, weaving (pun intended) its way across the world? How did the textile industry lead to modern computing? All this and more in our fashion forward episode!

    • 59 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
11 Ratings

11 Ratings

enron 4 ,

Fun and informative

The podcast is informative and fun for anyone who has even a passing interest in design.

brownjeffhoward ,

Irreverant and Informative

Such a fun idea for a podcast. The hosts are great and the topics are interesting. I can’t wait for more!

<3a7x<3 ,

10/10

Sam is such a lovely human to listen to. Love learning about art and architecture history from them

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