Thinking Through Design

Adam Fromme

5.0 (8)
Education
Updated Monthly

Design is all around us, but how designers think through their work is often a mystery. Understanding that process can fuel our own curiosity and creativity. Adam Fromme hosts Thinking through Design as a series of long-format discussions to reveal the designer's mindset and realize its value.

6d ago

A Student Spotlight on Design Research and Development (MFA) with Kahmin Ong (#33)

Kahmin Ong sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “You never know what you are truly interested in if you don’t try it out, then it’s easy to sift out what you don’t like doing.” Kahmin Ong In this Student Spotlight episode, Kahmin Ong reflects on a journey from studying industrial design at National University of Singapore to pursuing an MFA in Design Research and Development at Ohio State. Inspired by mentors including Brian Stone and Liz Sanders, Kahmin discusses how an early interest in design research and assistive technology evolved into her thesis, Co-Designing Across the Gaps: Visualizing System Complexities and Stakeholder Perspectives in U.S. Wheelchair Service Delivery. Our conversation explores the value of reaching beyond disciplinary boundaries, building relationships across the university and learning directly from clinicians, wheelchair users, caregivers and adaptive athletes. Through participatory design and systems visualization, Kahmin’s research reveals hidden challenges within healthcare processes while imagining more accessible futures. Along the way, she shares lessons about curiosity, mentorship and the importance of saying yes to unexpected opportunities. The episode offers listeners an insightful look at how design research can illuminate complexity, amplify lived experiences, and create meaningful connections across disciplines. This episode is part of the Student Spotlight mini-series. During the summer, we sit down with students at Ohio State DESIGN, giving them a chance to share their experiences and talk about the ideas that inspire them. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view episode transcript.

1 hr
Jun 9

A Student Spotlight on Industrial Design with Aliina Lange (#32)

Aliina Lange sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “You really need to advocate for yourself and your ideas, because the only way new ideas get through is if you can advocate why they matter.” Aliina Lange In this Student Spotlight episode, fourth-year industrial design student Aliina Lange reflects on her journey through the design program while sharing the story behind her capstone (one of four student projects) developed in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Inspired by firsthand observations at Alum Creek State Park, Aliina identified discarded fishing line as a significant environmental challenge and designed both a practical waste-management tool and a conservation mascot campaign aimed at encouraging responsible behavior among anglers. Beyond the project itself, Aliina discusses discovering industrial design almost by chance, learning to embrace uncertainty in Design Foundations, developing a research-driven design process rooted in empathy and observation, and the role that faculty mentors and a close-knit cohort played in her growth as a designer. Our conversation explores the value of collaboration, the importance of advocating for ideas, and why Aliina believes design’s greatest responsibility is helping people through thoughtful interventions that create meaningful change. This episode is part of the Student Spotlight mini-series. During the summer, we sit down with students at Ohio State DESIGN, giving them a chance to share their experiences and talk about the ideas that inspire them. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. Click here to view episode transcript.

33 min
Jun 3

A Student Spotlight on Interior Design with Aya Rikabi (#31)

Aya Rikabi sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “Humans are social, so we need these intentional places of gathering to allow people to really talk to each other. There are people that you pass by every day, but you don’t really ever say “hi” though. So, how does design flip the script?” Aya Rikabi In this Student Spotlight episode, fourth-year interior design student Aya Rikabi reflects on her experience in Ohio State’s design program and the ideas that shaped her capstone project, Our Village. Designed for a former fire station in Franklinton, Ohio, the project proposes a community and resource center for single parents that brings together local organizations, support services, and gathering spaces under one roof. Aya discusses how interviews, surveys, and co-design methods helped inform the project, and how feedback from community members influenced decisions about programming, spatial organization, and atmosphere. The conversation also explores her path into design, the role of mentorship and collaboration throughout her education, and the realities of studio culture, from late nights in the studio to the excitement of critiques. Throughout the episode, Aya shares the importance of community, both as a theme in her work and as a source of support during her time as a student. Looking ahead, she shares that one of design’s most important responsibilities is creating opportunities for people to connect, build empathy, and engage more meaningfully with one another. This episode is part of the Student Spotlight mini-series. During the summer, we sit down with students at Ohio State DESIGN, giving them a chance to share their experiences and talk about the ideas that inspire them. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.View episode transcript.

43 min
May 28

The Tension between Attention and Manipulation with Jeff Haase (#30)

Jeff Haase returns to the studio to join host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “We’ve stopped learning how to be engaged emotionally…other than our own emotions” Jeff Haase This episode is an expansive conversation on persuasion, process, and the evolving role of design in an AI-driven world. Returning as one of the podcast’s earliest guests, Jeff Haase reflects on a recent experimental collaborative studio that challenged students to explore propaganda, conspiracy theory, social media algorithms and generative AI as frameworks for understanding how influence is constructed and distributed. Rather than treating design as neutral problem solving, the discussion positions designers as active participants in shaping attention, narrative and belief. Their conversation examines the ethical tension embedded in persuasive communication, asking where the line exists between advocacy, manipulation and storytelling. Jeff shares how students used AI tools, fictitious social media identities and rapid content generation to explore environmental activism, educational equity and financial inequality, resulting in a broader reflection on how contemporary platforms reward both alliance-building and agitation. Beneath the provocative experiments is a deeper meditation on the nature of creativity itself. Throughout the episode, the conversation connects these digital explorations back to broader questions of craft, curiosity and design process. Adam and Jeff discuss the importance of reflection in an increasingly accelerated culture, the value of discomfort within creative practice, and why meaningful design requires designers to move beyond disciplinary boundaries. The episode also marks Jeff’s retirement and closes with his call for designers to remain deeply curious, ethically aware and open to the unexpected connections that fuel innovation. Jeff Haase is a retiring Associate Professor in the Department of Design at The Ohio State University, where he has taught full-time since 1999. He is known for his innovative restaurant designs, notably shaping several influential Columbus venues. His multifaceted career spans award-winning work across healthcare, hospitality, and corporate sectors, while his academic focus has centered on redefining spatial representation and the evolving relationship between design, technology, and creative process. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

1h 24m
Apr 10

A walk through 40 years of Exhibit Design with Tom Yurkin (#29)

Tom Yurkin sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “It’s okay to ignore gravity and budgets…for a little while.” Tom Yurkin In this episode, Adam explores Tom’s career shaped by curiosity, experience and time in the live events industry. Tom recounts his path from rural Ohio to discovering industrial design at the Ohio State University Department of Design, and how a formative study abroad experience in Paris expanded his understanding of culture, history and observation. Influenced by mentors like Paul Rand, Peter Megert and Oscar Fernéndez, he formed an approach that continues to guide his work at Freeman. The conversation continues by tracing his 40-year career in exhibit design, following the shift from traditional displays to immersive, experience-driven environments where storytelling, sensory egagement and data all play a role. Tom reflects on navigating large-scale projects, adpating to tools like AI and designing with the full attendee journey in mind. He closes with advice for students: stay curious, do your homework, collaborate and be confident without arrogance. Special note: This episode coincides with Tom receiving the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Design, presented during the 2026 Spring Exhibition Reception. Tom Yurkin is an award-winning Senior Creative Director at Freeman, where he has spent more than 40 years working on trade show exhibits, mobile and permanent installations and large-scale live events. He received his undergraduate degree in industrial design from Ohio State University in 1985. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

56 min
Mar 30

In class with AI with Gaëtan Robillard (#28)

Gaëtan Robillard sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “I cannot predict very far from now what’s going to happen, but clearly education is at stake.” Gaëtan Robillard As universities rush to make students ‘AI fluent,’ Gaëtan argues the real challenge isn’t adopting the technology but understanding how it reshapes creativity, authorship and learning itself. In this episode, he warns that AI’s speed and ease risk eroding the critical ‘friction’ where real thinking happens, especially in art and design education, where creativity is a process not a prompt. Rather than focusing on outputs, Gaëtan advocates for teaching methods built on iteration, comparison and reflection. As AI-generated content floods the internet and even writing assignments lose reliability as measures of understanding, our conversation suggests education must pivot toward process-based learning, in-person dialogue and new evaluation frameworks. So if AI is becoming free and ubiquitous, what is college for? Education must reinvent itself, and designers, in particular, must step up not just as creators, but as critical voices shaping how AI integrates into society. Special note: This episode coincides with an upcoming symposium: Teaching AI: Art and Design Education Under Automation. The event is online April 15 and 16th and is free to attend. Gaëtan Robillard is an artist, designer, and researcher working at the intersection of AI, generative media, and contemporary art. He is an Assistant Professor for Computational Visual Design at The Ohio State University. His internationally exhibited work explores themes like cognition, climate, and misinformation through immersive, computational environments. A former postdoctoral researcher with Arcanes in Montréal and a Ph.D. graduate of Université Paris 8, he has received major honors including awards from SIGGRAPH, the Lumen Prize, and the European STARTS Prize. He has taught for over a decade in France, focusing on AI in art and design, creative coding, and media theory. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

1h 11m
Feb 13

Craft, Curiosity and Consequences with Kevin Ward (#27)

Kevin Ward sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “You don’t pursue design without a passion for design.” Kevin Ward This episode looks at how a return to craft can become a powerful differentiator for design students. Our conversation reflects on the struggle between the apathy and energy students bring to idea generation and how they explore new digital tools. In response to this conflict, we discuss how to invite students to expand their skills and discover new creative strengths. Kevin explains how working with physical materials builds confidence, enriches decision-making, and ultimately enhances digital design. This discussion frames craft not as a lost practice but as an exciting opportunity for students to amplify their voice, develop unique perspectives, and shape more intentional, expressive design work, particularly in a design landscape increasingly shaped by convenience, speed, and artificial intelligence. Kevin Ward is a designer, artist, and educator serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at The Ohio State University. He earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Florida and an MFA in Graphic & Experience Design from North Carolina State University. His design work spans branding, advertising, exhibition design, user experience, and applications of artificial intelligence. Ward’s research focuses on how design can make complex information more accessible and meaningful — especially around topics like climate change, AI, and information literacy. In his role at Ohio State, he teaches and mentors students in areas such as UX and visual communication design and contributes to department activities and research initiatives. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

58 min
12/22/2025

An Invitation to Food Design with Marije Vogelzang (#26)

Marije Vogelzang sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “When you’re designing with food you don’t just design the object, but you design an experience that causes a lot of emotions, memories, associations to happen inside people’s brains.” Marjie Vogelzang This episode dives into the world of food design with guest Marije Vogelzang, an international designer reshaping how we understand and experience food. Rather than focusing on taste or culinary trends, Vogel explores food as a powerful emotional and psychological connector. Food is something capable of triggering memory, shaping identity and fostering shared experiences. Through examples ranging from Alzheimer’s projects to the Hunger Winter of WWII, she shows how storytelling, narrative and the sensory qualities of food can unlock deeply personal histories and create meaningful human connection. The discussion stretches beyond cuisine and into the blurred lines between art, design, culture and psychology, inviting listeners to reconsider the ordinary act of eating as a rich, imaginative and transformative design experience. Marije Vogelzang is a pioneering Dutch food designer whose career has reshaped how the world understands the relationship between food, memory, culture and human experience. Trained in product design at the Design Academy Eindhoven, Vogelzang quickly moved beyond traditional culinary boundaries, founding experimental food projects and later establishing the Dutch Institute of Food & Design. Her practice centers on food as a storytelling medium—an intimate material capable of unlocking emotion, triggering memory and fostering social connection. For more than two decades, she has created immersive dining events, therapeutic memory projects and public installations that challenge assumptions about taste, culture and identity. Vogelzang lectures and exhibits internationally, and her influence has helped establish food design as a distinct discipline within contemporary design practice. Marjie recorded this episode during his week on campus as part of the annual Ohio State DESIGN Butter Goeller Design Affair. You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

48 min

5

out of 5

8 Ratings

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04/10/2024

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Design is all around us, but how designers think through their work is often a mystery. Understanding that process can fuel our own curiosity and creativity. Adam Fromme hosts Thinking through Design as a series of long-format discussions to reveal the designer's mindset and realize its value.

Creator

Adam Fromme
Years Active

2023 - 2026
Episodes

33
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2024
Show Website

Thinking Through Design