Inspiring Design Podcasts
“We listen to a ton of podcasts, mostly in search of inspiration relative to design. Here’s our list of our favorites, why we like them, and suggestions on which episodes to start with. ”
We’re also always on the search for new podcasts. We’d love to hear about your favorites; please send them to our editor here.
1 - 50 Things that made the modern economy
BBC Description: Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.
Why it’s in this list: I am in love with this podcast. The episodes are short and full of interesting facts. It’s all about something designed and the impact it has had on our lives.
Try the episode titled: Factory - the factory changed a lot about our society, find out just how much.
50 Things that Made the Modern Economy
2 - How I built this
NPR Description: Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.
Why it’s in this list: In so many ways, I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. This podcast is so inspiring in that way. I almost always have a sense after listening to one of these that I could actually succeed at starting my own company.
Try the episode titled: Dyson: James Dyson - failure, prototyping, innovation, success, it’s all in there.
3 - 99% Invisible
Description from website: 99% Invisible is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.
Why it’s in the List: I really enjoy Roman Mars’s awesome radio voice but I enjoy even more his outside-the-box thinking about design and the behind-the-scenes elements that go unnoticed almost by everybody.
Try the episode: Ten Thousand Years - It’s not easy designing something to last that long.
4 - The Anthropocene Reviewed
Apple Podcast Description: The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. On The Anthropocene Reviewed, #1 New York Times bestselling author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down) reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale.
Why it’s on this list: John Green’s reviews are so thought provoking for me, it constantly makes me think about how the things I design would be rated on a five-star scale.
Try the episode titled: QWERTY Keyboard and the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō - The complex multifaceted story behind QWERTY is really worth listening to.
5 - Design Matters with Debbie Millman
Soundcloud Description: Design Matters with Debbie Millman is one of the world’s very first podcasts. Broadcasting independently for over 14 years, the show is about how incredibly creative people design the arc of their lives.
Why it’s on the list: I love the WIDE range of designers Debbie Millman brings on the show, from Typographers, to industrial designers, to authors, to musicians. Each interview I’ve listed to inspires me in some small way to be more creative, more productive, or more proactive about sharing the message of design.
Try the episode titled: Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Bill Moggridge - How the first laptops were designed, how they chose maximum weight, and more.
Design Matters with Debbie Millman
6 - Freakonomics
Description: Freakonomics Radio tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do) — from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything.
Why it’s in the List: The stories and examples remind me that there is always additional dimensions to think about when designing something. They also remind me that human psychology and economic factors are two elements that are super important but ones with which I have less experience.
Try the episode: Failure Is Your Friend - Failure is a necessary step in the design process and might be more useful than you think.
7 - Design Guy
Description: The show that explores timeless design principles and explains them simply. We discuss graphic design in particular, and design in general, to equip you with lessons in process, inspiration, and practice. Get a new concept under your belt in mere minutes and unleash your creativity.
Why it’s on the list: I came across this podcast a long time ago, and it helped me form some ideas about what design is. It got me thinking about what my own design philosophy is.
Try the episode titled: Design Guy, Episode 4, How Design Begins
Bonus (something just purely fun):
8 - Everything is alive
PRX Description: Everything is Alive is an unscripted interview show in which all the subjects are inanimate objects. In each episode, a different thing tells us its life story--and everything it says is true.
Why it’s on this list: Listen to “Louis, Can of Cola” and you’ll know exactly why its on this list. To me, the whole thing is amazingly well done.
Try the episode titled: Louis, Can of Cola
