Q4D - Questions for Designers | Conversations on Design, Leadership, and Creative Practice

Max Beach
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Q4D: Questions for Designers is a short-form podcast exploring how designers think, work, and make decisions across disciplines and career stages. Each episode uses a shared set of core questions to create a common framework, then expands into personal spotlight conversations shaped by each guest’s experience. Rather than portfolio talk, Q4D focuses on values, process, leadership, growth, and the realities of design practice. For students, professionals, and anyone curious about how design really works. Join the conversation, and keep asking questions.

Episodes

  1. Ep 5: Jon Lee on Mindful Design Leadership, Mentorship, and Building Thoughtful Design Teams

    2D AGO

    Ep 5: Jon Lee on Mindful Design Leadership, Mentorship, and Building Thoughtful Design Teams

    In this episode of Questions for Designers, host Max Beach sits down with Jon Lee, Principal Product Designer at Microsoft, to talk about designing at scale, decision-making inside large organizations, and the responsibility that comes with shaping products used by millions. Jon reflects on his path into design, how his thinking has evolved over time, and what it means to balance craft, systems, and collaboration in complex environments. The conversation explores leadership without hierarchy, learning through iteration, and how designers can stay grounded in curiosity and intent. This episode is a thoughtful look at design as both a personal practice and a collective effort, offering insight for designers navigating growth, influence, and long-term impact.

    31 min
  2. Ep4: Eric MacDonald on Industrial Design Practice, Creative Problem Solving, and Career Growth

    FEB 24

    Ep4: Eric MacDonald on Industrial Design Practice, Creative Problem Solving, and Career Growth

    In this episode of Questions for Designers (Q4D), host Max Beach talks with chair designer Eric MacDonald about craft, precision, and designing objects meant to be lived with every day. They explore his path into furniture design, what experience has taught him about problem-solving, and how thoughtful restraint, materials, and human use shape meaningful products.

    40 min
  3. Bonus Ep: Design Principles for Complex Systems (Not Just UI Kits)

    FEB 17 · BONUS

    Bonus Ep: Design Principles for Complex Systems (Not Just UI Kits)

    This bonus mini episode responds to a subscriber question from an engineering organization wrestling with a familiar challenge: how to bring real design principles into complex systems work without reducing design to a collection of Material3 widgets. What does it actually mean for an engineering-led organization to adopt design? In this short Q4D episode, we revisit insights from former guest Michelle Berryman, Executive Director of Digital Customer Experience at LabCorp and former IDSA President, and share perspective from upcoming guest Eric MacDonald, Senior Product Design and Development Manager at OM Seating. If your organization thinks adopting design means implementing a design system, this episode challenges that assumption. Designing complex systems is not about better widgets. It is about better thinking.

    5 min
  4. Ep3: Michelle Berryman on Design Leadership, Mentorship, and the Changing Roles of Industrial Designerss

    FEB 10

    Ep3: Michelle Berryman on Design Leadership, Mentorship, and the Changing Roles of Industrial Designerss

    In this episode of Questions for Designers (Q4D), host Max Beach reconnects with longtime colleague Michelle Berryman, FIDSA—Executive Director of Digital Customer Experience at Labcorp, former IDSA President, and one of the most influential designers of her generation. They discuss leadership, lived experience, creativity beyond the screen, and why human-centered thinking matters more than ever in an AI-driven future.

    23 min
  5. Ep2: Jesus Galaz on Early Career Industrial Design and Finding Your Voice as a Designer

    JAN 27

    Ep2: Jesus Galaz on Early Career Industrial Design and Finding Your Voice as a Designer

    In this episode of Questions for Designers, host Max Beach talks with industrial designer and educator Jesus Galaz. They explore his path through product design, the role of discipline in creative work, what teaching has taught him, and how new tools and technologies are shaping the future of the field. A concise and thoughtful look at a designer who balances craft, curiosity, and purpose.

    20 min
  6. Ep1: Fernando on Design Leadership, Creative Influence, and Building a Design Career

    JAN 27

    Ep1: Fernando on Design Leadership, Creative Influence, and Building a Design Career

    In this pilot episode of Questions for Designers (Q4D), host Max Beach sits down with longtime friend and fellow CCS alum Fernando Del Rosario, a seasoned creative, artist, and educator whose career bridges advertising, design, and fine art.Through his agency ConceptZombie LLC and his teaching, Fernando champions the development of six key emotional skill sets: kind optimism, curious intelligence, work ethic, empathy, self-awareness, and integrity. His diverse client list including Hyundai, Hot Wheels, Taco Bell, Oakley, and Pacifico Beer, reflects his boundless creative energy and “yes, I can do that” spirit.Together, they explore his path to design, pivotal experiences, lessons learned, and design’s evolving role in a world shaped by AI and “the multiverse.”Subscribe for more creative conversations.

    36 min

  7. SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 TRAILER

    Introducing Q4D: Questions for Designers

    This short intro episode introduces Q4D: Questions for Designers, a podcast exploring how designers think, work, and make decisions beyond the portfolio. Host Max Beach shares the intent behind the series, the core question framework that connects every episode, and what listeners can expect from future conversations. Q4D focuses on values, process, leadership, growth, and the realities of design practice across disciplines and career stages. New episodes coming soon on Spotify.

    1 min

Trailer

About

Q4D: Questions for Designers is a short-form podcast exploring how designers think, work, and make decisions across disciplines and career stages. Each episode uses a shared set of core questions to create a common framework, then expands into personal spotlight conversations shaped by each guest’s experience. Rather than portfolio talk, Q4D focuses on values, process, leadership, growth, and the realities of design practice. For students, professionals, and anyone curious about how design really works. Join the conversation, and keep asking questions.

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