Episodios

  • The Brief: Stop specializing—live a multidisciplinary creative life

    The Brief: Stop specializing—live a multidisciplinary creative life
    Jun 11 2025
    by Eli Woolery If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the multitude of people we’ve interviewed for Design Better, it’s that the most innovative creators of our time share an unlikely trait: they refuse to stay in their lane. While conventional wisdom pushes specialization, these polymaths build careers by following curiosity across fields—from nuclear engineering to footwear design, from video games to graphic novels. In my own career, it took me many years to realize this, and in some ways my journey began the day after my son was born. I remember that day as unseasonably hot. September 2015 on the Monterey Peninsula—the kind of clear, warm day that follows long stretches of coastal fog. After leaving the hospital where my wife Courtney was recovering with our newborn, I grabbed a quick (wife-sanctioned) surf. The clear horizon promised a month of record warmth ahead. At home, I checked email before setting up my auto-responder for two weeks of paternity leave. Near the top of my inbox: a message from our startup's CEO. Not what I expected. The gist: "We're sorry, but our co-founders had a fight, the company is splitting up, and we have to lay you off." Panic. Losing my job right after our second child wasn't the plan, especially since we'd just moved to the Monterey Peninsula in an era before remote work was widespread. I delivered the news to Courtney at the hospital along with her Starbucks coffee, and couldn’t find anything comforting to say. She ended up reassuring me—we were going to be OK. And we were. It became a rare chance for me to spend real time with our newborn son, young daughter, and Courtney. Time to reflect on what came next. And I had a secret weapon—something I hadn't always considered a strength. Continue reading this issue of The Brief on Substack at DesignBetter.com
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    14 m
  • Christopher Lyons: From producing music to venture capital, and why EQ beats IQ in building the future

    Christopher Lyons: From producing music to venture capital, and why EQ beats IQ in building the future
    Jun 10 2025
    This is a preview of a premium episode. To get access to the full episode, head to our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/christopher-lyons Some careers have clear through lines: pick a college major, get a job in that industry. Others take serendipitous turns. Christopher Lyons is the latter, but with some surprising twists. Chris started his career as a music producer with Jermaine Dupri, founder of So So Def records in Atlanta, a role that honed his eye for recognizing talent and helping them reach their potential. Then, he joined renowned venture capital team Andresen Horowitz where he helped connect talent to business opportunities by creating the Cultural Leadership Fund. Eventually, he became a general partner at the firm. We talk to Chris about why he thinks EQ is far more important than IQ in a successful career, how he connects creative thinkers to business opportunities, and the common threads he sees across all creative disciplines. Bio Christopher Lyons is a visionary leader and President of Web3 Media at a16z crypto. Since joining a16z in 2013 as chief of staff to Ben Horowitz, he has helped shape the firm’s strategic direction—most notably by launching the Cultural Leadership Fund (CLF) in 2018 and co-founding a16z’s $400M Seed Fund in 2021. The CLF broke ground as Silicon Valley’s first venture fund with an all-Black LP base, bridging cultural leaders from sports, music, and entertainment with the tech world while advancing opportunities for Black builders and creators. Lyons began his career as a sound engineer, working with Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri before founding PictureMenu, a mobile menu platform. He now serves on the boards of Yuga Labs, the James Beard Foundation, the Black Economic Alliance, and New Story Charity. A Kauffman Fellow and founder of Lyons Wine, he brings a spirit of craftsmanship and mentorship to everything he does, including his continued involvement with Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. *** Premium Episodes on Design Better This is a premium episode on Design Better. We release two premium episodes per month, along with two free episodes for everyone. Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books. You’ll also get access to our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid ***
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    18 m
  • Bonus Episode: Champ Bennett, co-founder of Capsule, on making motion design easy and scalable

    Bonus Episode: Champ Bennett, co-founder of Capsule, on making motion design easy and scalable
    Jun 4 2025
    We are living through a Cambrian explosion of new tools, powered by generative AI. It can be tough to wade through the sea of options in front of us, and find platforms that actually help us in our workflow instead of being a distraction. That’s why it was so refreshing to discover the tool Capsule a little over a year ago. We use it to create motion graphics and short videos for Design Better, and the experience is a thousand times easier and more rewarding that using arcane tools like After Effects. Today we’re chatting with Champ Bennett, CEO and co-founder of Capsule. We talk with him about his entrepreneurial journey, what motion design systems are and how they fit into more general design systems, and how motion design fits into branding. This is a sponsored bonus episode that we’re excited to share, as Capsule is a tool that we love. They believe that video storytelling should be easy and scalable, and if your team is hoping to create more video their platform is the place to go. If you’re interested in open design roles or in building a motion design system for your enterprise team, you can learn more at capsule.video Bio Champ Bennett is the co-founder and CEO of Capsule—an AI-powered video editing tool that helps enterprise content and marketing teams create more videos while staying on brand. His background is as a software engineer, designer and musician. After running a product agency for 4 years, Champ pursued a decade-long journey as a 3x startup founder focused on creative technology. Fascinated by creative tools since he was a child, Champ believes there’s never been a better time to be building creative tools than now. Through Capsule, he is showing the world how AI can be practically applied to augment human ability rather than replace it — solving real world challenges in creative workflows. Capsule raised $7.75M after a product demo went viral on Twitter, recently raised a $12M Series A round, and is working with some of the world’s leading B2B brands to help democratize video creation in their organizations.
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    50 m
  • Cassie McDaniel: How Medium eliminated its PM function and started moving faster

    Cassie McDaniel: How Medium eliminated its PM function and started moving faster
    May 30 2025
    This is a preview of a premium episode. Visit our Substack to get access to the full episode: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/cassie-mcdaniel Cassie McDaniel, Medium’s head of design, is someone with a clear vision for how a design team should work. She believes team members should have a breadth of skills, craft should be the foundation of product design, and experimentation is important in both work and workflow. To that end, Cassie and the leadership team at Medium recently made what some might see as a controversial decision: They eliminated product management. The result? They are moving faster than ever. We chat with Cassie about what led to this decision—and why it might not work for all teams, how she thinks about balancing Medium’s legacy of thoughtful design while moving the product forward, and how writing can help you advance your design career. Bio Cassie McDaniel brings nearly 20 years of design leadership across agencies, her own studio, nonprofits, and high-growth startups. Currently the Head of Design at Medium, in her previous role as Product Design Director at Lattice, she led Insights & Analytics and Engagement, partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver humane, impactful digital experiences that drive business results. Cassie excels at building and mentoring teams, championing customer-centric culture, and solving complex problems at scale. She combines curiosity, empathy, and kindness with a relentless focus on execution—especially on mission-driven initiatives in creativity, environmental advocacy, and ethical product design. *** This is a premium episode on Design Better. We release two premium episodes per month, along with two free episodes for everyone. Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid *** Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show: Masterclass: MasterClass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200+ of the world's best. People like Steph Curry, Paul Krugman, Malcolm Gladwell, Dianne Von Furstenberg, Margaret Atwood, Lavar Burton and so many more inspiring thinkers share their wisdom in a format that is easy to follow and can be streamed anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart TV, or even in audio mode. MasterClass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to http://masterclass.com/designbetter for the current offer. Aquatru: We’d like to think our tap water is clean and healthy, but for so many there are impurities and chemicals that can be detrimental to our health. We’re big fans of AquaTru, makers of reverse osmosis filtration systems for your countertop or under sink. Get 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier at AquaTru.com with discount code DESIGNBETTER. If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: sponsors@thecuriositydepartment.com If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: contact@thecuriositydepartment.com BioPremium Episodes on Design Better
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    28 m
  • The Roundup: AI creative workflow, vibe coding, ethics, agents, and more

    The Roundup: AI creative workflow, vibe coding, ethics, agents, and more
    May 21 2025
    Find bonus content and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/the-roundup-ai-creative-workflow Rarely do we get the chance to pause and reflect on the conversations we’ve been having—and to spot the red threads that run through them. But that’s exactly what we’re doing today. We’re trying out a new format—we’re calling it The Roundup. Think of it as a prototype. We’d love your feedback. In this episode, we’re revisiting past conversations through the lens of AI. It’s a fun new way to explore themes that have come up across episodes, highlight insights from our guests, and help you synthesize ideas you can apply in your own work. *** This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you’d like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you’ll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid *** What you'll learn in this episode: Changing Roles & Workflows Scott Belsky (Adobe’ Chief Strategy Officer) discusses "boundaryless workflows" where AI collapses the steps between ideation and execution The concept of "collapsed talent stacks" where individuals can now perform multiple functions that previously required separate specialists Evolution of Design Jobs Jenny Blackburn (design team lead for Google Gemini) shares how her team is "inventing the next version of UX jobs" as boundaries blur between roles New UX jobs are emerging around defining great AI responses from a user perspective AI as Creative Partner Marcus Bell (music producer for artists like Snoop Dogg) explains how AI has transformed music production, enabling him to do what once required five people Bell predicts AI will enable "hyper-personalization" of music based on individual needs and preferences ...and more!
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    49 m
  • Bonus Episode: Amy Lokey, Chief Experience Officer at ServiceNow, live in SF for UserTesting's THiS Connect Tour

    Bonus Episode: Amy Lokey, Chief Experience Officer at ServiceNow, live in SF for UserTesting's THiS Connect Tour
    May 13 2025
    This interview was recorded live on May 1st for UserTesting’s ThiS Connect City Tour. Interested in joining us for our next live show? We’re joining an incredible lineup at #THiSConnect in NYC (including former Design Better guest Seth Godin), where we’ll talk about customer experience, innovation, and the real impact of AI. 📍 Catch us in New York on May 29th. Let’s connect, share ideas, and shape what’s next! *** Amy Lokey has led design and product teams at LinkedIn, Google, and ServiceNow, where she is currently the Chief Experience Officer. At ServiceNow, Amy’s team is helping shape how AI transforms our work—creating smart systems that can predict what we need, adapt on the fly, and make it easier to work with complex systems and connect with colleagues. We’re excited to talk with her about how her team approaches designing for enterprise-level AI applications, including specific applications for agents—and how they can help you in your day-to-day work. Amy joins us today for a special live episode recorded on stage in San Francisco, California, at the UserTesting THiS Connect City Tour. Learn more about UserTesting Bio Amy Lokey leads Product and Customer Experience at ServiceNow, overseeing design, research, content, and more across the platform and products, with a mission to create experiences people love. She’s focused on shaping intelligent, AI-driven interfaces that adapt to how people want to work. Previously, she led UX for G Suite at Google and for LinkedIn’s consumer and enterprise products. With a background in large-scale digital design, her strengths lie in user-centered strategy and organizational leadership.
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    32 m
  • Video Rewind: John Cleese: A cheerful guide to creativity

    Video Rewind: John Cleese: A cheerful guide to creativity
    May 7 2025
    Hi everyone! We recently surveyed our audience and learned that many of you would like to see more video. So, we’re kicking off a new run of video episodes, beginning with our interview featuring John Cleese—actor, writer, comedian, and author of Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide. You can watch the interview on our Substack, or on Youtube. Enjoy! Original intro The Ministry of Silly Walks. The Cheese Shop. French Taunting. If you haven’t seen any of these Monty Python sketches before, do us a favor and go watch one or two of them. You’ll discover—or re-discover—why our guest for this episode is a creative comic legend. John Cleese starred in and co-wrote the award-winning series Fawlty Towers, was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of A Fish Called Wanda, and even has a species of lemur named after him (Cleese’s wooly lemur, Avahi cleesei). He’s also an expert on the creative process, and so if you’re looking for a new framework to level-up your own workflow, his book Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide is a great resource. We talk with John about his new book, and also about creative collaboration in the midst of friction, how to be comfortable with ambiguity, and creating boundaries of space and time to get in a creative mode. We also get to ask him a question that’s been bugging us ever since we first watched Monty Python and The Holy Grail. These days, we can all use a little more laughter in our lives. We hope our interview with John sparks some joy, and leaves you with some new creative tools. Thanks for listening. Bio John Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report. In the late 1960s, he co-founded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus and the four Monty Python films, And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life. In the mid-1970s, Cleese and his first wife, Connie Booth, co-wrote and starred in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers. Later, he co-starred with Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, and former Python colleague Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures. He also starred in Clockwise, and has appeared in many other films, including two James Bond films, two Harry Potter films, and the last three Shrek films. He is also the author of Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide. *** This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you’d like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you’ll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show. Upgrade to paid
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    37 m
  • Marco Suarez: From designer to coffee entrepreneur ☕

    Marco Suarez: From designer to coffee entrepreneur ☕
    Apr 29 2025
    A special sponsored episode of the Design Better Podcast It’s a tough job market out there right now for designers and other creative technologists. Many of us are wondering if there are other ways we might be able to use our skills, and some of us are considering an entrepreneurial path. Our guest today has done just that. Marco Suarez has had an impressive career in design, but took an interesting turn into entrepreneurship. Marco started his career as a graphic designer, became an art director at Mailchimp (where I had the pleasure of working with him), was product designer at Etsy, and the design systems lead at InVision, where we both worked with him. But in addition to design, Marco had another passion: coffee. In 2015 he started Methodical Coffee, in Greenville South Carolina. In 2019 Marco left his full time role in tech to focus on the business, and now Methodical has 3 cafes in Greenville, and ships coffee across the United States. We also partner with Methodical on our own Design Better Coffee (and as you’ll learn in this episode, we have a brand-new Design Better Tea). We speak with Marco about the story of his transition from design to coffee entrepreneurship, how it felt to leave the world of tech, and how he applied his design skills to starting a business. Marco Suarez is the co-founder and CEO of Methodical Coffee, a specialty coffee company based in Greenville, South Carolina. With a background in digital product design, Marco transitioned from a successful career in tech to building something tangible—spaces where people could gather and connect over great coffee. What began as a shared vision among friends evolved into a thriving business, with three cafes, a roasting operation, and a new headquarters dedicated to innovation and community. Over the past decade, Marco has navigated the complex challenges of scaling a capital- and labor-intensive business, from hiring and HR hurdles to financial strategy. Drawing from 20 years of experience as a designer, he brings a rare blend of creative vision and business acumen to the role of founder. Passionate about creating exceptional customer experiences and sustainable business models, Marco continues to advocate for the powerful intersection of design and entrepreneurship. Learn more about Methodical Coffee
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    50 m
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