The Design Of Business | The Business of Design

S12E10: The Past, Present and Future of Design with Lee Moreau

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lee Moreau is the host of the Design Observer podcasts Design As and The Futures Archive. He is also a Professor of the Practice of Design at Northeas...

On Location at the Aspen Institute Part 2: Redesigning Leadership

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re back with part 2 of our peek behind the curtain of the 2025 Aspen Business & Society Summit. And this time we are asking the big question....

On Location at the Aspen Institute Part 1: Diving Into Disruption

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every summer, the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program’s annual summit gathers 200+ leaders from the worlds of business, science, govern...

Special Episode: Ellen McGirt Opens the Curiosity Playbook on Say More with Tulaine Montgomery

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Instead of our usual episode, we're excited to share a podcast we think you'll love: Say More with Tulaine Montgomery. In her podcast, Tulai...

S12E9: The Risks of Retreating from DEI with Catalyst’s Alix Pollack & Redesigning Design Thinking with Doug Powell

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a time where it's hard to feel hopeful, a new study has left leaders who value DEI aflutter with tentative optimism. It’s called The Risk of...

S12E8: Candace Parker & Michael C. Bush on Purpose, Leadership and Meeting the Moment

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of DB|BD, you’re in for a two for one– or in this case, a double double.First up, host Ellen McGirt sits down with Michael C. Bush...

S12E7: Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ethan Marcotte is a web designer who may be best known for coining the term “responsive design” in 2010 – which turned out to be a prescient man...

S12E6: Love Letter to a Garden and 20 years of Design Matters with Debbie Millman

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Debbie Millman is a shapeshifting creative who does a little bit of just about everything. She is a writer, designer, educator, artist, brand consulta...

S12E5: Redesigning the Spice Trade: Talking Turmeric and Tariffs with Diaspora Co.’s Sana Javeri Kadri

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sana Javeri Kadri is the founder of Diaspora Co., a single origin spice company that is revolutionizing the 500 year old $5 billion spice industry. Th...

S12E4: Making Space with Jon M. Chu

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jon M. Chu is a director, producer and screenwriter. Along with both parts of the Wicked movie adaptation, he directed Crazy Rich Asians, Step Up 2 an...

S12E3: The New Era of Design Leadership with Tony Bynum

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Bynum is bilingual. He can speak the language of both business and design, a skill that makes him a unique leader in our industry. Tony is the d...

S12E2: How a "Mastercard for Pigs" is Transforming Global Farming with Tara Nathan

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tara Nathan is the EVP of Digital Solutions for Development at Mastercard and the founder of Mastercard’s Community Pass- a digital infrastructure t...

S12E1: The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the 12th season of DB|BD. This season we are Designing for the Unknown. Michael Eliason of Larch Lab is an architect, researcher, writer a...

S11E10: Activism in AI with Google’s Ovetta Sampson

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ovetta Sampson is the Director of User Experience Machine Learning at Google. In December 2023, Business Insider named Ovetta to their AI 100, a list ...

S11E9: What’s Love Got to Do With Business with Jorge Fontanez

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jorge Fontanez is the CEO of B Lab, a non-profit network that believes business can be a force for good. B Lab is best known for certifying B Corps, c...

S11E8: Poetry is Anti Capitalist with Tracy K. Smith

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer prize winning poet, professor and librettist who served as the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017-2019. She’s published five ...

S11E7: Using Design to Show the World Your Truth with Dionna Dorsey and Production Designer Olivia Peebles

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of DB|BD Ellen McGirt and Jessica Helfand talk with two extraordinary women from two seemingly different corners of the design world: ...

S11E6: Why an Inclusive Global Economy is a Redesign Project with Mastercard’s Shamina Singh

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty years ago, Shamina Singh took what might seem like an unlikely leap from a decade-long career as a labor and political organizer into an execut...

S11E5: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on Talent, Activism, and the Business of Basketball

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The WNBA is both the moment and a movement.  Approximately 400,000 fans attended WNBA games during the first month of the 2024 season, the highest fi...

S11E4: Richard Buery and Robin Hood Are Building a Coalition to Tackle Poverty in NYC

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Buery is the CEO of Robin Hood, New York City’s largest poverty fighting organization. It supports high-impact community organizations and p...

S11E3: The Healthy Materials Lab is Making Housing Healthier for Everyone

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

 In 2015, interior designer Jonsara Ruth and architect Alison Mears received a grant to study the use of building materials in affordable housing. Th...

S11E2: How Franklin Leonard is using The Black List to Redesign Hollywood

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Franklin Leonard is the founder and CEO of The Black List, a platform that nurtures emerging screenwriters and gives screenplays that aren’t attache...

S11E1: How to Throw a Party to Change the World with Carrie Mae Weems

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Carrie Mae Weems is a multidisciplinary artist. Her body of work stretches over four decades and across many mediums, but with a singular focus—  d...

Feed Drop: Design Observer x Mastercard

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While The Design of Business | The Business of Design is between seasons, we wanted to share with you a recent conversation we think you will find val...

S10E12: Decolonizing Design

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook is a guidebook to the institutional transformation of design theory and practice by restoring the lo...

S10E11.5: Minisode

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kaleena Sales and Omari Souza discuss past episodes featuring Kunal Kapoor and Dori Tunstall.To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Busines...

S10E11: Dr. Dori Tunstall

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Elizabeth “Dori” Tunstall is the Dean of the Faculty of Design at Ontario College of Art and Design.To hear more from our archive, find The De...

S10E10: Kunal Kapoor

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kunal Kapoor is chief executive officer of Morningstar.To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Business | The Business of Design on Apple po...

S10E9.5: Minisode

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kaleena Sales and Omari Souza discuss past episodes featuring Norman Teague and Kim Erwin. To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Business ...

S10E9: Kim Erwin

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Erwin is the Director of the Equitable Healthcare Lab and Associate Professor of Practice at IIT Institute of Design.To hear more from our archive...

S10E8: Norman Teague

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Norman Teague is a designer and community builder who specializes in custom furniture design.To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Busines...

S10E7.5: Minisode

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this month’s minisode Kaleena and Omari take a listen to past episodes featuring Richard Ting and Marcia Lausen. To hear more from our archive, f...

S10E7: Marcia Lausen

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Marcia Lausen is Director of the UIC School of Design and founder of the Chicago office of Studio/lab.To hear more from our archive, find The Design o...

S10E6: Richard Ting

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Ting is the Vice President of Design for Revenue at Twitter.To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Business | The Business of Desig...

S10E5.5: Minisode

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kaleena Sales and Omari Souza discuss past episodes featuring Perrin Drumm, and Annie Atkins. To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Busine...

S10E5: Annie Atkins

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Annie Atkins is a graphic props designer for film and television.To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Business | The Business of Design o...

S10E4: Perrin Drumm

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Perrin Drumm is a writer, editor, and head of publishing at A24.To hear more from our archive, find The Design of Business | The Business of Design on...

FEED DROP: The Futures Archive

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Design of Business | The Business of Design is taking a mid season hiatus, but new episodes will be dropping in September. In the meantime, we wan...

S10E3.5: Minisode

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s minisode, Kaleena and Omari unpack the idea of branding, being branded, and choosing your own brand.To hear more from our archive, fi...

S10E3: Vernon Lockhart

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vernon Lockhart is the Executive Director of Project Osmosis, a Chicago based design education and mentoring initiative.To hear more from our archive,...

S10E2.5: Minisode

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s minisode, Kaleena and Omari discuss design emancipation, risk and reward, and a flightless parrot.To hear more from our archive, find...

S10E2: Jane Saks

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Saks is the President and Artisitic Director of Project&, and the co-Founder and co-Artisitic Director of M2M: Monuments to Movements.To hear...

S10E1.5: Minisode

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s minisode, Kaleena and Omari discuss the value of bridging a diversity of broad experience to a design team.To hear more from our arch...

S10E1: Ernesto Quinteros

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Redefining the boundaries between people, products, and patients: Ernesto Quinteros, the Chief Design Officer at Johnson & Johnson. To hear more f...

S10E0: Introducing Our New Minisodes Co-Hosts

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing The Design of Business | The Business of Design minisode co hosts, Kaleena Sales and Omari Souza. To hear more from our archive, find The ...

S10E0: Introducing Our New Co-Hosts

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Season ten of the The Design of Business | The Business of Design returns with new hosts Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune! To hear more from our archive,...

The Futures Archive: The Disco Ball

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While we are busy making season ten of The Design of Business | The Business of Design, here's the first episode from the new season of The Futur...

Introducing The Futures Archive

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Check out the first episode of Connect 4: Design Bridges, a new show about mentorship from Design Observer and Connect 4: Networking for Equality in D...

S9E12: Jessica Helfand + Ellen McGirt

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica and Ellen listen back to highlights from Season 9, and hand off hosting duties to Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune, who will be taking over in Se...

S9E11: Avery Willis Hoffman

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Avery Willis Hoffman is a writer, director, producer and curator. Hoffman recently joined Brown University as the inaugural artistic director of the B...

S9E10: Quemuel Arroyo

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Quemuel Arroyo is the first ever chief accessibility officer at the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority.

S9E9: Deborah Willis

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Willis is an artist, curator, and a professor at New York University. Her most recent book is The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of...

S9E8: Jan Diehm

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jan Diehm is a journalist at Polygraph and The Pudding.

S9E7: Lotenna Enwonwu

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lotenna Enwonwu is the global executive creative director at Coursera.

Connect 4: Design Bridges

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Check out the first episode of Connect 4: Design Bridges, a new show about mentorship from Design Observer and Connect 4: Networking for Equality in D...

S9E6: Elizabeth Hargrave

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Hargrave is an American game designer whose games include Wingspan, Mariposas, and Tussie Mussie.

S9E5: Lucia Lucas

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lucia Lucas is a baritone who made her U.S. debut in 2019 at Tulsa Opera as Don Giovanni.

S9E4: Na Kim

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Na Kim is an associate creative director at the book publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

S9E3: Astra Taylor

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Astra Taylor is an artist, activist, and founder of the Rolling Jubilee and the Debt Collective. Her latest book is Remake the World: Essays, Reflecti...

S9E2: Melanie Keen

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Melanie Keen is the director of Wellcome Collection.

S9E01: Ellen Mirojnick

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Emmy-award winner Ellen Mirojnick has designed film costumes since the 1980s and most recently is the lead costume designer for the Netflix series Bri...

S8E12: Nikil Saval

29 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nikil Saval is a Pennsylvania state senator and the author of Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace.

S8E11: Allissa Richardson

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Allissa V. Richardson is a journalist and an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Southern California.

S8E10: Rosanne Somerson

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rosanne Somerson is president of the Rhode Island School of Design.

S8E9: Kat Vellos

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kat Vellos is a UX designer, facilitator, and connection coach.

S8E8: Nina Cooke John

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nina Cooke John is founder and principal of Studio Cooke John, and also teaches at Parsons School of Design.

S8E7: Maurice Woods

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Maurice Woods is a principal designer at Microsoft and the founder and executive director of Inneract Project.

S8E6: Lisa Nakamura

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Nakamura is the founding director of the Digital Studies Institute at the University of Michigan.

S8E5: Kelly Walters

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly Walters is the founder of the multidisciplinary studio Bright Polka Dot and an assistant professor of communications design at Parsons School of...

S8E4: Ari Melenciano

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ari Melenciano is an artist, creative technologist, educator, and the founder of Afrotectopia, a social institution fostering interdisciplinary innova...

S8E3: Maxwell Anderson

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Maxwell Anderson is the president of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Community Partnership.

S8E2: Deanna Van Buren

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Deanna Van Buren is the co-founder of Designing Justice Designing Spaces, a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration by building an alternative inf...

S8E1: Maurice Cherry

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Maurice Cherry is the host of Revision Path and the principal and creative director at Lunch.

S7E12: Janelle Monáe

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Janelle Monáe is a singer, songwriter, actor, and producer.

S7E11: Paola Antonelli

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Paola Antonelli is senior curator of the department of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art.

S7E10: Elizabeth Alexander

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Alexander is president of the Mellon Foundation.

S7E09: Mark Bloomfield + Shaun Borstrock

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Bloomfield is a jewelry designer and the founder of Electrobloom. Shaun Borstrock is associate dean for business and innovation at the University...

S7E8: James Rhee

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

James Rhee is executive chair and CEO of the fashion brand Ashley Stewart as well as the founder and president of the investment firm FirePine Group.

S7E7: Daniella Zalcman

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Daniella Zalcman is a documentary photographer and the founder of Women Photograph.

S7E6: Courtney Cogburn

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Courtney Cogburn is a professor at the Columbia School of Social Work and the co-creator of 1000 Cut Journey.

S7E5: George Gendron + Patrick Mitchell

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

George Gendron is writer in residence at MIT’s integrated design and management program. Patrick Mitchell runs Modus Operandi Design.

S7E4: Vivianne Castillo

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Vivianne Castillo is senior design researcher at Salesforce.

S7E3: Sara Hendren

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Hendren is an artist, design researcher, and professor at the Olin College of Engineering.

S7E2: Gene Lee

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Gene Lee is senior vice president of customer experience and design at Mailchimp.

S7E1: Caroline Wanga

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Caroline Wanga is chief culture, diversity, and inclusion officer and vice president of human resources at Target.

S6E12: Todd Bracher

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Todd Bracher is founder and creative director of Todd Bracher Studio.

S6E11: Valerie Casey

07 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Valerie Casey is head of design at Walmart.

S6E10: Bon Ku

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Bon Ku is assistant dean for health and design at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

S6E9: Isolde Brielmaier

23 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Isolde Brielmaier is the executive director of arts culture and community at Westfield World Trade Center.

S6E8: Mauro Porcini

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mauro Porcini is chief design officer at PepsiCo

S6E7: Valla Vakili

09 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Valla Vakili is head of Citi Ventures Studio, an incubator for financial services.

S6E6: Archie Lee Coates IV

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Archie Lee Coates IV is a founder of multidisciplinary creative studio Playlab, Inc., and executive director of Friends of +POOL.

S6E5: Kerby Jean-Raymond

26 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kerby Jean Raymond is the founder and CEO of the fashion label Pyer Moss.

S6E4: Reneé Seward & Chester Jenkins

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Reneé Seward teaches communication design at the University of Cincinnati and is the founder of See Word Reading. Chester Jenkins is a partner in Con...

S6E3: Cindy Chastain

12 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cindy Chastain is senior vice president of customer experience and design at Mastercard.

S6E2: Billie Tsien

05 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Billie Tsien is the co-founder of Tod Williams Billie Tsien architects, which works on buildings for museums, universities, and the Obama Presidential...

S6E1: Errol Morris

26 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Errol Morris is a filmmaker whose documentaries include Gates of Heaven, The Thin Blue Line, and American Dharma.

S5E12: Dmitri Siegel

18 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dmitri Siegel is vice president of global brand at Sonos.

S5E11: Renata Souza

11 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Renata Souza Luque is the creator of Thomy, an insulin kit for children with Type 1 diabetes.

S5E10: Eddie Opara

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Eddie Opara is a multidisciplinary designer and a partner at the design firm Pentagram.