Design Tangents

COOL HUNTING and SURROUND
  • 4.9 (30)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Hosted by COOL HUNTING founders Evan Orensten and Josh Rubin, Design Tangents takes listeners on a journey into the minds of artists, designers, musicians, tech pioneers and visionaries. The podcast explores the creative processes and inspirations that drive these changemakers and offers behind-the-scenes insights into their careers, challenges and philosophies.

  1. Hiroki Asai: Designing the Journey

    12/03/2025 · BONUS

    Hiroki Asai: Designing the Journey

    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 cuisine and travel adventures. They got a special look at how important and impactful end-to-end design is at Airbnb. This episode is available in video at coolhunting.com/design-tangents This Old Ledge: Skate History and Architecture in SF https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/5915329 Hyperlocal, foraged fare by Clair https://www.airbnb.com/services/6068057 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    43 min
  2. Nobu Matsuhisa: Chef and entrepreneur

    06/24/2025 · BONUS

    Nobu Matsuhisa: Chef and entrepreneur

    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 Chef Nobu recently in Maui during the opening weekend of Nobu Maui at the Grand Wailea Hotel. Together they talked about his travel routines, grounding philosophies, respect for place and generosity of heart. Nobu Restaurants Nobu Hotels Nobu: A Memoir See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    37 min
  3. Wyna Liu: Puzzle Author and Jewelry Maker

    03/19/2025 · BONUS

    Wyna Liu: Puzzle Author and Jewelry Maker

    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 recently and learned about her love of puzzles and explore how they play into the wearable jewelry and sculptures she creates. https://www.wynaliu.com https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections https://itp.nyu.edu/itp/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    43 min
  4. Teo Yang: Interior designer, aesthete, collector and entrepreneur

    12/17/2024 · BONUS

    Teo Yang: Interior designer, aesthete, collector and entrepreneur

    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. Evan and Josh spent time with Teo in Seoul and more recently caught up with him while he was passing through NYC on his first visit in many years. They spoke with the gifted entrepreneur about how he weaves his vision across multiple businesses, including skin care, fragrances and science fiction. TeoYangStudio.com en.Eastern-Edition.com Instagram.com/TeoYang CoolHunting.com/TeoYang en.EathLibrary.com Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode was produced by Rob Schulte and Rachel Senatore. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    54 min
  5. Nerdy Details: The Apple iPhone 16’s Camera Control Button

    09/20/2024 · BONUS

    Nerdy Details: The Apple iPhone 16’s Camera Control Button

    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 how it works—all to help you more easily capture the moments you often miss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    27 min
  6. Paola Antonelli: Design curator, educator and evangelist [Encore]

    07/16/2024 · BONUS

    Paola Antonelli: Design curator, educator and evangelist [Encore]

    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 about her perspective on design, what’s exciting her now, current and future MoMA exhibitions, her Design Emergency podcast and her work running the Research and Development department focusing on discourse around life’s moments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paola_Antonelli https://www.moma.org/about/senior-staff/paola-antonelli http://momarnd.moma.org/salons/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/design-emergency/id1655108265 Photo by Marton Perkaki Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode was produced by Rob Schulte. Design Tangents is presented by Genesis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    43 min
  7. Jonathan Adler: Potter, designer and philologist [Encore]

    06/18/2024 · BONUS

    Jonathan Adler: Potter, designer and philologist [Encore]

    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 celebrates his unique point of view on living with glamour and style. In this episode Josh and Evan talk to Jonathan about building his eponymous lifestyle brand, the power of yes, flexing vocabulary and keeping it carny. jonathanadler.com Instagram.com/JonathanAdler Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode was produced by Rob Schulte. Design Tangents is presented by Genesis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    44 min
  8. Katie Longmyer: Wrangler of Misfits

    04/16/2024

    Katie Longmyer: Wrangler of Misfits

    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 the CEO of Proto, community building, Shibari, the future of social media and more.  katielongmyer.com  instagram.com/goodpeoples  Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com. This episode was produced by Rob Schulte with editing assistance from Hannah Viti. Design Tangents is presented by Genesis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    51 min
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4.9
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Hosted by COOL HUNTING founders Evan Orensten and Josh Rubin, Design Tangents takes listeners on a journey into the minds of artists, designers, musicians, tech pioneers and visionaries. The podcast explores the creative processes and inspirations that drive these changemakers and offers behind-the-scenes insights into their careers, challenges and philosophies.

Information

  • Creator
    COOL HUNTING and SURROUND
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    29
  • Show Website
    Design Tangents