Thinking Through Design

Adam Fromme

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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.

-6 дн.

A Student Spotlight on Design Research and Development with Borami Kang (#35)

Borami Kang sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “It’s all about people and all about understanding people…what they do, what they need, and what they experience through the things we make. And that means to be a good designer you have to be a good person.” Borami Kang In this Student Spotlight episode, MFA candidate Borami Kang shares her journey from more than a decade in professional design leadership to studying Design Research and Development at Ohio State. After years working in branding, startups, and client-facing design roles, Borami discusses how returning to school shifted her focus from solving other people’s problems to asking her own research questions. Her thesis explores how generative AI is changing design education, examining how students, educators, researchers, and practicing designers perceive and use AI in creative work. Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for designers, she argues that design education should help students critically evaluate AI as one tool within a broader research and design process. Borami shares how reflection, evidence gathering, and intentional experimentation have shaped both her teaching and research. She also offers practical advice for graduate students about embracing failure, protecting time for deep thinking, and treating everyday observations as opportunities for research. We also discuss how design education can prepare students to navigate emerging technologies while remaining grounded in human understanding, thoughtful decision making, and meaningful communication. 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 the episode transcript.

49 мин.
23 июн.

A Student Spotlight on Digital Animation and Interactive Media with Jorge Alberto Vega Rivera (#34)

Jorge Alberto Vega Rivera sits down with host Adam Fromme in this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast. “Design has a commitment to humanity. Even while design works with engineering…science…media…in the end it is about being human.” Jorge Alberto Vega Rivera In this Student Spotlight episode, MFA student Jorge Alberto Vega Rivera reflects on his journey from the University of Cauca in Colombia to Ohio State as a Fulbright scholar. We explore how his background as a design professor and animation practitioner shaped his research in Digital Animation and Interactive Media. Alberto discusses creating an immersive VR thesis project that transforms family memories and oral histories into interactive digital environments, blending ethnographic research, storytelling, motion capture and virtual reality design. We trace how he collected and compared family recollections, translated them across multiple media formats, and ultimately developed a framework for designing what he calls “immersive mementos.” During our conversation, he shares insights about returning to the classroom as a student after more than a decade of teaching, collaborating with younger classmates, and balancing technical experimentation with deeply personal storytelling. And we conclude with a thoughtful reflection on design’s broader responsibility to not simply to create new technologies, but to help people remain connected to what makes them human. 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 the episode transcript.

50 мин.
16 июн.

A Student Spotlight on Design Research and Development 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 ч.
9 июн.

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 мин.
3 июн.

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 мин.
28 мая

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.

1 ч. 24 мин.
10 апр.

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 мин.
30 мар.

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.

1 ч. 11 мин.

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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.

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Adam Fromme
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2023 - 2026
Выпуски

35
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© 2024
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Thinking Through Design