Liam Spradlin

Design Notes

About the show

Design Notes is a podcast about creative work and what it teaches us. Hosted by Liam Spradlin, a Senior UX Designer at Google focused on the philosophy of the user interface, the show features conversations with people from unique creative fields, uncovering what inspires and unites us in our practice. Tune in to learn how UX design connects to creative work across disciplines and around the world. Find episodes on your favorite platform at design-notes.show

Newest episodes

Jarrett Fuller, Author, Graphic Designers After Graphic Design

Oct 27, 2026 48 min

📖 Get Jarrett's book, Graphic Designers after Graphic Design: https://jarrettfuller.store/products/graphic-designers-after-graphic-design In this episode of Design Notes, I sit down with Jarrett Fuller—a multidisciplinary designer, educator, writer, and host of the Scratching the Surface podcast. We dug into some of the most fundamental questions surrounding the field today: What is design, how do we do it, and why does it matter? Drawing from his latest book, Graphic Designers After Graphic Design: Designer as Publisher / Researcher / Change Maker / Performer / Artist, Jarrett looks at the evolving journeys of contemporary practitioners who have given the discipline a richer, more expansive horizon. The conversation explores how modern designers are stepping outside traditional commercial silos to operate as cultural producers, authors, and instigators. Jarrett's Website: jarrettfuller.comPodcast: Scratching the Surface (01:06) - Welcome & collaborating across projects (02:20) - Jarrett’s background: From commercial practice to cultural practice (05:21) - Design as a discipline vs. design as a profession (10:55) - The root of design's existential anxiety and invisibility (16:07) - The trap of systematizing design into engineering (18:22) - Where is the critical discourse in design? (23:01) - Why is graphic design always "dying"? (28:04) - Graphic Designers After Graphic Design and pluralistic models of practice (33:29) - Leaning into the blurriness and the true meaning of "graphic" (38:34) - Labor, specialization, and creative solidarity (41:04) - Advice for designers looking to expand their practice (47:00) - Where to find Jarrett online & Outro

There Is No Neutral Design: Megan Kasselberg, Senior UX Writer and Content Designer, Material Design

Jul 15, 2026 37 min

This episode, I talked with my coworker Megan Kasselberg, whose work as a senior UX writer and content designer touches billions of users through the Material Design system. In our conversation, Megan and I dug into the storytelling and strategy that goes into a design system as vast as Material, including the language of guidelines assets, the effect of earnest expression, and how UX writing is changing in an age of AI. Read a full transcript at interfacecafe.com. In the episode, Megan mentions psychologist and behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman, plus a shoutout to our colleagues Rux and Andrew whose work on color has reshaped how software at Google feels. (00:00) - Introduction (01:52) - UX Writing and Behavioral Science (02:57) - Documenting Material Design (06:45) - Internal vs. External System Guidance (09:59) - Tooling and Constraints in Figma (11:15) - Collaborating with Designers (13:00) - Illustrations and Expressive Design (17:18) - The Controversial Baseline Color (22:48) - Voice, Tone, and AI in UX Writing (35:56) - Advice for Designers (36:50) - Outro

Beyond the Text Field: Louise Macfadyen, Author of Designing AI Interfaces

Feb 17, 2026 39 min

This episode, I got to sit down with my friend, podcast cohost on Away from Keyboard, and former coworker Louise Macfadyen as she prepares to launch her new book Designing AI Interfaces with Oreilly this Spring. We had a lot to talk about, from managing the conceptual distance between what AI actually does and what people imagine it can do, to the new skills designers, engineers, and PMs need to work with models, the potential harms of new technology, and some of the patterns designers can use to keep ethics and safety in the loop. Designing AI Interfaces is available from O'Reilly Media April 21st, 2026.

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All episodes

Jarrett Fuller, Author, Graphic Designers After Graphic Design

Oct 27, 2026 48 min

There Is No Neutral Design: Megan Kasselberg, Senior UX Writer and Content Designer, Material Design

Jul 15, 2026 37 min

Beyond the Text Field: Louise Macfadyen, Author of Designing AI Interfaces

Feb 17, 2026 39 min

The Era of the Generalist: Rachel Been, SVP of Design for Expedia Group

Nov 25, 2025 43 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Rachel Been, SVP of Design for Expedia Group, about her journey from photography to design leadership and why she believes this is "the era of the generalist." The conversation unpacks the recent launch of Expedia's new app on ChatGPT and what it means to design for "non-deterministic flows" and "infinite inputs." Rachel explains how AI is breaking old, linear design paradigms and why, in an age of potential "design slop," deep curiosity and human-centered craft are more important than ever. Read a transcript and check out more from me at interfacecafe.com Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:34 The Generalist Designer 11:22 Launching the Expedia App for ChatGPT 16:00 Beyond the Search Bar 25:44 Designing for Infinity 34:03 The Sandwich Theory 39:41 Avoiding Design Slop: Advice on Craft

Other Than Expected: Fabian Bircher on Combining Art, Architecture, and Code

Oct 14, 2025 38 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Zürich-based architect and artist Fabian Bircher, whose work spans buildings, custom lighting, and interactive installations. Fabian discusses his unique creative process, where inspiration flows from both artistic concepts and the discovery of new technological possibilities. The conversation explores the materiality of light through his Buoy lamps and dichroic foil installations, the process of revealing hidden digital systems with his "Reporting Device," and the unexpected role of randomness in creating kinetic art. Find a full transcript and more at interfacecafe.com, and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Episode Chapters: 01:16 Intro and Background 03:52 The Exchange Between Tech and Creativity 06:04 Breaking Into the Unknown 07:52 Buoy Lamps and the Vermicelleria 12:58 The Materiality of Light 16:12 Bringing Light to a Brutalist Schoolhouse 19:15 The Reporting Device 24:02 Revealing the Unseen 25:49 Anthropomorphic Architecture 29:54 The Role of Randomness 31:54 Does it All Make Sense? 34:34 What Should We Be Focused On? 37:40 Outro

Design Can't Rely on Logic: Troy Leinster on Type Design and Human Perception

Sep 9, 2025 45 min

In this episode, I reconnect with my former instructor, type designer and design coach Troy Leinster. Troy shares his journey from graphic design to type design, and explains why learning to make letters makes you a better designer. We also dig into the importance of trusting the human eye over geometry, the productive friction of sketching by hand, and how understanding calligraphy builds a stronger perspective on type design. Troy discusses why, in the age of AI, the most important thing a designer can do is put their personal touch on the work.

The User Brings the Confetti: Rob Giampietro on Scaling a Human-Centered Brand

Aug 5, 2025 43 min

Rob Giampietro, Head of Creative at Notion and former Design Director at MoMA, returns to the show to unpack the story behind Notion Faces, the popular tool that allows users to create their own illustrated avatar. Rob details the project's journey from a beloved internal tradition to a major public launch, including the pivotal decision to scale with human illustrators instead of AI to maintain the brand's unique, handcrafted quality. The conversation explores how the team shifted its focus from "likeness" to "expression," the power of modularity in design systems, and the research process that made the project a success. 📋 Read a transcript 📡 Subscribe

True is Better Than New: David Reinfurt on Evolving Graphic Design Education

Jul 1, 2025 45 min

In this episode, designer, educator, and author David Reinfurt returns to the show to discuss his latest book, A *Co-* Program for Graphic Design. Born from a series of lectures delivered remotely, online, and together with collaborators and cooperators, the new book builds on his earlier "spoken" book, exploring some unexpected and intuitive overlaps between design and the rest of the world around us. In conversation, Liam and David cover the power of hands-on learning, the importance of going against expectations as a designer, and the positionality of design—its closeness to everyday life, how it affects those that encounter it, and how it's taught—and how individual perspective is the real driver of design as a practice. Read a full transcript. Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 08:53 Teaching as Performance 14:34 The Role of Collaboration in Design 18:26 Diverse Perspectives in Design Education 21:55 Exploring Design Space and Topology 26:34 Hands-On Learning in Design Education 30:13 Art and Design 32:34 Creating Space for Reflection in Design 36:34 The Evolution of Design Conventions 39:38 The Bait and Switch 42:04 Individual Perspectives in Design

Material Design Gets Expressive: Inside Google's Emotion-Driven UX Update

Jun 10, 2025 55 min

This special episode digs into the latest evolution of Google's design system: Material 3 Expressive. Liam talks with Material Design's Android Product Manager Aneesha Kommineni, UX Researcher Michael Gilbert, and Creative Director Andy Stewart about the team's latest emotion-driven UX update. They reveal how this system is grounded in user research and how it offers both developers and users more flexibility. The group also chats about making design more than objective, connecting to users' emotional landscapes, and driving business outcomes — all while considering tooling, usability, accessibility, and more. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes featuring guests like O-R-G's David Reinfurt, type designer Troy Leinster, and more! Read a full transcript.

Beauty Across the Board: Rich Fulcher on Making Beauty a UX Priority at Google

Jan 14, 2025 52 min

This season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design closes out with Rich Fulcher, former Google UX director and Material design lead. Fulcher remembers the career-defining journey of creating Material, what it was like to make beauty a UX priority, how to pressure test a system, and what he's learned about world-building across disciplines. Today, he's creating board games, continuing to apply the design-thinking and problem-solving skills developed during his time at Google. Leave us a rating, and subscribe so you don't miss new episodes with creative practitioners across disciplines. 📻 (00:45) - Intro (07:02) - What's a Designer? (09:37) - Design as a Mindset (10:17) - Google Before Material (15:21) - Beauty as a Priority (17:24) - Mission Statement as a Design Challenge (18:29) - What is Beauty? (22:47) - Design System Worldbuilding (25:19) - Pressure Testing (40:04) - "Yeah, Get a Design System" (41:19) - The Stakeholder Onion (46:58) - The Influence of Game Design (50:51) - Outro

Breaking Silos (and Metaphors): A 'Roving Engineer' on Design & Engineering Collaboration

Dec 9, 2024 53 min

This season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design continues with Adrian Secord, who describes himself as a "roving engineer." Adrian has over a decade of experience building systems and tools that transform design into robust product engineering at scale. Plus, a PhD in Computer Graphics. Here, he reflects on the evolution of Material Design and the (potentially) exciting possibilities for AI-driven UI. He shares insights on the complexities of large-scale design systems and highlights the need for designers and engineers to find common ground.

Code, Creativity, Performance: Will Larche on Engineering as 'Creativity with Constraints'

Oct 21, 2024 43 min

This season's special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design continues with Software Engineering Manager and Musical Theater Writer Will Larche, who talks about his path to become an engineering manager at Google. Larche, a self-proclaimed "design fan," describes engineering as "creativity with constraints." Here, he explains how the development of Material over the years has led to closer collaboration between design and engineering, and imagines how new AI experiments might open up a new era of "Star Trek design."

Fab Components: Bethany Fong on Designing Material's Signature Floating Action Button

Sep 9, 2024 45 min

This episode is part of a special series celebrating ten years of Material Design. In the episode, Liam speaks with Bethany Fong, a Design Director at Meta who was a pivotal figure in the creation of Material Design. During her time at Google, Fong was responsible for designing the first set of Material components (including Material's signature Floating Action Button), and went on to become a design Lead on the team. In their conversation, Liam and Bethany talk about the tactile nature of design, the importance of keeping a notebook, and how the heady early days of Material unfolded. 👉 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes

Facing Our Interfaces: Matías Duarte on the Future of Individualized Design

May 15, 2024 44 min

This season begins with a special series celebrating ten years since the launch of Material Design, which will explore the inception, evolution, and future of Google's design approach. The first episode features the founder of Material Design and Design VP Matías Duarte, whose work on the system has pushed design forward at Google and across devices everywhere. In their conversation, Liam and Matías unpack how interfaces are made, used, and understood—and identify opportunities to move them further into the future via a highly crafted, individualized design approach. 👉 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes

Designing Better Code: How Google Engineers Make Coding a Creative Practice

Mar 14, 2023 42 min

Liam speaks with Googlers Connie Shi, a software engineer on Material Design, and Matvei Malkov, a software engineer on Jetpack Compose, and the trio unpack what makes coding a creative practice, and which creative choices are required when you build a design system for other developers around the world. The wide-ranging conversation turns from complex problem solving and technical logic to the concept of creativity as the question-provoking quality of a thought. 📝 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes

How Fonts Change the World: Dave Crossland on Digital Type and Emotional Expression

Jan 31, 2023 36 min

Liam and Google Fonts Specialist Dave Crossland explore what digital type can teach us about digital production, emotional expression, and where we fit in the world as designers; and how – with a little imagination – we might unlock new possibilities. 📑 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes

Coding (and Decoding) Social Spaces: Judith Donath on the Future of Life Online

Dec 20, 2022 36 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Judith Donath, the founder of MIT's Sociable Media Lab, inventor of e-cards, and author of The Social Machine: Designs for Living Online. Donath's work offers crucial insights into the sociality of digital products and platforms, and the opportunities we have as digital producers to make things that truly meet sociable ends. In the episode, Donath unpacks some of this work, exploring potential futures for life online and the joy of learning (and sharing) something new. 📑 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes

Fearless Design: Aline Borges on Composition and Creative Career Changes

Nov 22, 2022 28 min

Liam speaks with Aline Borges, a Zürich-based floral designer who's made the leap from fashion coordination for magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar to independent floral design and installations. The conversation covers what it's like to move between different creative fields (and countries), how to think about composition to tackle almost any creative challenge, and the courage and community it takes to start on a new venture. 📑 Read a full transcript 📻 Subscribe to Design Notes

⏮️ How Machines Help Us See Ourselves: Harvey Moon on Art Made Through Machine Collaboration

Oct 25, 2022 30 min

In this episode, we revisit a conversation from Season 1 with new media artist Harvey Moon, recorded in his San Francisco studio. Liam and Harvey discuss how Moon's work reveals unseen properties of the world around us, the process of creating one's own creative tools, and the kind of art that's only made possible through collaboration with machines. The conversation expands on ideas about the way the world around us is designed and redesigned, and where that places us as designers. Read the full transcript: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/harvey-moon-new-media-artist Subscribe to Design Notes: 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

The Impact of Shared Space: Ignacio Ciocchini on Designing NYC's Public Furniture

Oct 11, 2022 44 min

Liam speaks with streetscape and public space designer Ignacio Ciocchini, who's created much of the public furniture that New Yorkers encounter every single day – from benches that provide personal space, to entire built landscapes for Bryant Park, to chargers for electric vehicles and more. The conversation ranges from the materiality of the built environment, to the ways in which it expands, constrains, and informs our experiences of life and socialization in a city, with a look toward the more human-focused future that Ciocchini envisions. Read the full transcript: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/ignacio-ciocchini-nyc-public-furniture Subscribe to Design Notes: 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

⏮️ Learning From Your Virtual Twin: Kerry Murphy on Digital Fashion and Virtual Embodiment

Sep 27, 2022 23 min

In this episode, we revisit a conversation from Season 1 with Kerry Murphy, co-founder of digital fashion house The Fabricant. We uncover how data are spun into virtual threads, and how virtual embodiment can foster self-actualization. In designing couture that doesn't—or can't—exist in physical space, The Fabricant also explores ideas of embodiment and self-actualization. Murphy pushes these concepts even further, by interacting with his own "virtual twin," composed from 3D-scans of his body. Read the full transcript: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/kerry-murphy-founder-the-fabricant Subscribe to Design Notes: 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Digital Anthropology: Tom Boellstorff on How Virtual Worlds Shape Our Actual Lives

Sep 13, 2022 33 min

Liam speaks to Tom Boellstorff, Anthropologist and UCI Professor, whose ethnographic work in Second Life (documented in his book, Coming of Age in Second Life) provides important insights into how virtual space – and our interface with it – informs and interacts with our lives in actual space. In virtual worlds like Second Life, inhabitants exist only through their own acts of creation, which also serve as a primary mode of experiencing life in virtual space. Full transcript + images: https://www.iamli.am/design-notes-podcast/tom-boellstorff-virtual-anthropology Subscribe to Design Notes: 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Welcome Back to Design Notes: Season 2 Trailer

Aug 30, 2022 1 min

It's been a while, but Design Notes is coming back for Season 2 uncovering even more of what inspires and unites us in our work. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss new interviews with practitioners working on public furniture, the culture of virtual space, and more. Follow @DesignNotespod on Twitter for updates! Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

[SF Design Week] Julian Zigerli on Expressive, Un-Gendered Fashion Design

Jun 8, 2021 33 min

In this episode, part of San Francisco Design Week's Digital Edition, Liam speaks with Julian Zigerli, a designer in Zürich, Switzerland creating clothing that allows everyone to decide how what they wear expresses who they are. In the interview, Zigerli describes how the rich culture of Switzerland impacts his work, what it means when someone asks for "straight" clothes, and how his creative practice adapted in a time of pandemic. Content warning: In this episode, the word "queer" is used in a reclaimed manner. Find out more about SF Design Week at sfdesignweek.com Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Theming with Moooi: Creating an Immersive Digital Flagship (2020 Material Design Awards)

Apr 20, 2021 21 min

This episode is part of a special series of three interviews, recorded remotely with the winners of the 2020 Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Moooi, winning the award for Material Theming, focuses on aesthetic fundamentals like type, color, and imagery to create an immersive and expressive experience for their digital flagship. In the interview, Liam is joined by Margot Gabel and Rémy Barthez taking an in-depth look at how Moooi implemented an award-winning themed experience. 👉 PDF Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Dark Theme with KAYAK: How Dark Mode Revolutionized a Brand's Approach to Color (2020 Material Design Awards)

Apr 20, 2021 21 min

This episode is part of a special series of three interviews, recorded remotely with the winners of the 2020 Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. KAYAK has taken their comprehensive price comparison and travel booking experience to the next level by translating their brand into a dark theme. In the interview, Liam learns from Aleksandra Safarova and Mike Scopino how building a dark theme revolutionized KAYAK's entire approach to color. 👉 PDF Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Motion Design with Epsy: Using Meaningful Motion for Better Health Outcomes (2020 Material Design Awards)

Apr 20, 2021 20 min

This episode is part of a special series of three interviews, recorded remotely with the winners of the 2020 Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Epsy uses motion meaningfully, guiding users living with Epilepsy through critical tasks to better their quality of life. In the interview, Liam is joined by Jennifer Stott and Marco Peluso to break down Epsy's approach to designing - and prioritizing - motion. 👉 PDF Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

The Surprising Poetry of AI: BJ Best on Teaching Computers to Create Art

Apr 21, 2020 32 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with BJ Best, a poet who teaches computers to do what humans can't in the name of art. His network of ArtyBots is part of a vibrant scene of robots creating, sharing, and collaborating with one another on virtual art. In the interview, Best describes the reflective opportunities and editorial impact created by a bot-created body of work numbering in the tens of thousands. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

The Magic Question for Creativity: Laurie Rosenwald on Making Mistakes on Purpose

Mar 17, 2020 30 min

Design Notes is a show about creative work and what it teaches us. In this episode, Liam speaks with illustrator, editorial designer, and author Laurie Rosenwald about how she's managed to cultivate an aesthetic—and a career—around "making mistakes on purpose." Learn how chaos and collage can come together to reveal unexpected creative potential, and let Rosenwald help make sure you're never alone with a blank page. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Learning From Your Virtual Twin: Kerry Murphy on Digital Fashion and Self-Actualization

Feb 18, 2020 22 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Kerry Murphy, co-founder of digital fashion house The Fabricant, to learn how ones and zeros are spun, woven, and stitched into virtual couture. In designing couture that doesn't—or can't—exist in physical space, The Fabricant also explores ideas of embodiment and self-actualization. Murphy pushes these concepts even further, by interacting with his own "virtual twin," composed from 3D-scans of his body. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

A Prompt for Creative Renewal: David Reinfurt on A New Program for Graphic Design

Jan 21, 2020 35 min

Design Notes is a show about creative work and what it teaches us. For the first episode of 2020, Liam speaks with David Reinfurt, founder of O-R-G, half of Dexter Sinister, and author of A *New* Program for Graphic Design. Together they explore the fluid notions of personal, corporate, and graphic identity throughout Reinfurt's career, the importance of learning through practice, and the relationship between design and art. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Reflectly: Pushing the Boundaries of Material Motion (2019 Material Design Awards)

Nov 26, 2019 13 min

This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year's Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Reflectly, a unique journaling app, won this year's award for innovation by pushing the boundaries of Material Design and bringing it to life with fluid animations, a novel elevation model, and custom componentry. In the interview, cofounder Jacob Kristensen digs into the foundations of Reflectly and how its experience—from philosophy to specific interactions—came to life. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Ruff: Building an Expressive Brand Identity with Material Theming (2019 Material Design Awards)

Nov 26, 2019 15 min

This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year's Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Ruff is a focused note-taking app that won this year's award for theming, building an expressive identity through the consistent application of color, typography, and shape. In the interview, Liam and developer/designer Bardi Golriz talk about what it's like to add new features without losing focus, and how Material Theming impacts the process of developing an app. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Trip.com: Designing a Universal Travel App for Global Users (2019 Material Design Awards)

Nov 26, 2019 9 min

This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year's Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Trip.com is a travel app that won this year's award for universality by accounting for users around the world with over a dozen supported languages and custom imagery. The interview unpacks what it's like to build an app for the entire world, and what makes Trip.com a unique experience. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Scripts: Using Creative Interactions to Make Learning Feel Accomplished (2019 Material Design Awards)

Nov 26, 2019 11 min

This episode is part of a special series of four interviews with the winners of this year's Material Design Awards, exploring what goes into creating an award-winning app. Scripts won this year's award for Experience, with creative interactions, navigation, and content presentation. In the interview, I spoke with the Scripts team about using a color system to create a unique experience while expressing identity, and building interactions that make users feel accomplished right away. Listen and subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

The Psychedelic Spark: GMUNK on His Aesthetic and the Importance of Creative Discomfort

Oct 30, 2019 30 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Bradley Munkowitz, also known as designer/director GMUNK, unpacking Munkowitz's scintillating psychedelic aesthetic — inspired by actual psychedelic experiences — and why it's important as a designer to continually challenge and be challenged, maintaining a healthy discomfort with one's own work. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Vulnerability, Technology, and Art: Qianqian Ye on Creative Coding and Shared Futures

Oct 1, 2019 26 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with interdisciplinary artist and creative coder Qianqian Ye in her San Francisco studio. The duo traces her journey from wielding calligraphy brushes to building a hand-holding glove, unpacking the vulnerabilities we all share as humans, how creative intent is communicated, and the importance of imagining other futures. Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

How Machines Help Us See Ourselves: Harvey Moon on Collaborating with Technology for Art

Sep 3, 2019 30 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with new media artist Harvey Moon in his San Francisco studio. The duo discuss how Moon's work reveals unseen properties of the world around us, the process of creating one's own creative tools, and the kind of art that's only made possible through collaboration with machines.Read a full transcript 👉Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Art as Survival: Conor Grebel on Using Creative Work to Heal

Aug 6, 2019 31 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Conor Grebel about how lived experiences inform and are conveyed through creative work.Our conversation traces Conor's journey toward creative work and the "ingredients" that help him craft soothing art for himself and others.Note: The first half of this episode deals with topics of panic attack disorder, anxiety, and psychological abuse. Read a full transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

I Hate Music Videos: Bayonet Records on Sonic Design and Releasing Music on Your Own Terms

Jul 9, 2019 31 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Katie Garcia and Dustin Payseur, who together run independent music label Bayonet Records.Garcia and Payseur (who also leads the band Beach Fossils) break down the complex relationship between a record label and the creative work it supports, the qualities of sonic design, and the magic of releasing an album on your own terms. Read a full transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

What We Can Learn From Our Work: Host Liam Spradlin on the Themes of Design Notes

Jun 11, 2019 32 min

In this episode, guest host Barbara Eldredge turns the tables, interviewing regular host Liam Spradlin about his own creative journey and reflecting on the themes that unite the first 25 episodes of Design Notes. Read a full transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

The Most Transformative Job in the World: MoMA's Rob Giampietro on Design's Unseen Impact

May 14, 2019 25 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Rob Giampietro, Design Director at the Museum of Modern Art. Giampietro shares his journey from studio designer to design manager, explores the unseen details of a museum experience, and describes the responsibility designers have to create impact. Download a PDF transcript 👉Download Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

"What Do You See; How Do You Feel?"—Vanity Fair's Clinton Cargill on Visual Storytelling

Apr 16, 2019 27 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Clinton Cargill, the current visual director at Vanity Fair and former photo director at Bloomberg Businessweek. Cargill describes how he mastered the art of critically looking at pictures, what it takes to craft a compelling story with the expressive capabilities of photography, and why intent is central to creative work. Download a PDF transcript 👉Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Owning Your Values: Ksenya Samarskaya on How Typography Encodes and Decodes Identity

Mar 19, 2019 26 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with New York-based type designer Ksenya Samarskaya, exploring how type absorbs influence from its place in time, space, and culture. Samarskaya unpacks how typography represents the histories and complexities of the world around us, while revealing our own identities in the process.Download a PDF transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

You Cannot Be What You Cannot See: Panimation on Building Community in Motion Design

Feb 19, 2019 32 min

In this episode, Liam speaks with Bee Grandinetti and Hedvig Ahlberg—two thirds of the trio that founded Punanimation, a community and platform for women, trans, and non-binary folks working with animation and motion design.Bee and Hedvig unpack the ways in which motion design is influenced by the music and movement of the world around us, and how they're answering the question, "where are the women in motion design?" Download a PDF transcript 👉 Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

Material Design Awards 2018: Winners from Lyft, Anchor & More on Building Expressive Products

Jan 15, 2019 46 min

In this episode, Liam sits down with the winners of the 2018 Material Design Awards—Anchor, KptnCook, Lyft, and SimpleHabit—to discuss how they each adopted and extended Material to build expressive, inspirational experiences. Download a PDF transcript 👉Transcript Subscribe to Design Notes 👉Google Podcasts 👉iTunes 👉Spotify 👉Pocket Casts 👉RSS

"We Should Do Something Together"—Ateljé Sotamaa on the Importance of Friction in Design

Dec 13, 2018 24 min

Tuuli and Kivi Sotamaa are the brother and sister team behind Ateljé Sotamaa, a studio creating emotionally-appealing objects and holistic architectural environments. In the episode: Tuuli and Kivi Sotamaa recount their very first collaboration (back in 1999!) and discuss a shared interest in experiences that aren't stripped of their friction. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast

The Music of Design: Marko Ahtisaari on How Finnish Social Values Shaped Nokia

Dec 13, 2018 26 min

Marko Ahtisaari is the artistic director of the Helsinki Festival, a former product design lead at Nokia, and co-founder of Dopplr and Sync Project. In the episode: Marko Ahtisaari expands on his journey as a designer and entrepreneur, explaining powerful lessons learned across three continents. By taking a holistic perspective on the Finnish design tradition, Ahtisaari unpacks how the country's societal values shaped its technologies. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast

[LIVE] AI, Identity, and Storytelling: Stephanie Dinkins on Befriending a Robot

Dec 13, 2018 19 min

A transdisciplinary artist, Stephanie Dinkins focuses on AI's intersection with race, gender, and social equity. In the episode, recorded live onstage at SPAN: Stephanie Dinkins unpacks how and why we should actively engage with artificial intelligence. Dinkins also discusses her experience befriending the AI robot Bina48. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast

What It's Like to Really Know: James Bridle on Agency in an Age of Complex Technology

Dec 13, 2018 24 min

James Bridle is an artist and author working across technologies and disciplines. His artworks have been commissioned by galleries and institutions, and exhibited worldwide. In the episode: James Bridle explores the importance of having agency in—and working knowledge of—the complex systems in which we live. Learn more 👉 design.google/podcast

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Podcast details

Created by: Liam Spradlin
Status: Active
Latest episode: Oct 27, 2026
Episodes: 67
Release period: Occasionally
Avg. episode length: 30 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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Official website ↗ Apple Podcasts ↗ RSS feed ↗

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