Design Matters with Debbie Millman

To celebrate 20 years of Design Matters, Debbie Millman revisits highlights from her conversations with groundbreaking artists Bisa Butler, Deborah Kass, Marilyn Minter, Amy Sherald, and Ai Weiwei. This anniversary collection brings together the voices of five visionaries whose work challenges conventions, sparks dialogue, and redefines the role of art in our culture.

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Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and co-creator of Freakonomics—the cultural phenomenon that, over the past 20 years, has grown into a global franchise, changing how millions think, revealing the hidden side of everything, and challenging us to question what we know.

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Acclaimed singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega reflects on her pioneering career, the artistry behind her storytelling, and the lasting cultural impact of songs like “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner.” She joins to discuss her new album, Flying with Angels, which poignantly captures the struggles and resilience of our time.

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To mark 20 years of Design Matters, Debbie Millman revisits some of her most memorable conversations with acclaimed non-fiction writers Lisa Taddeo, Malcolm Gladwell, Anne Lamott, Maria Konnikova, and Alain de Botton. This anniversary collection captures the insight, candor, and wisdom of five extraordinary thinkers whose work continues to shape how we see ourselves and the world around us.

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In honor of 20 years of Design Matters, Debbie Millman revisits standout moments from her conversations with some of the most celebrated voices in graphic storytelling—Chris Ware, Alison Bechdel, Roz Chast, Seth, and Lynda Barry. This special retrospective highlights the artistry, humor, and humanity of five groundbreaking creators whose work has transformed the world of comics and beyond.

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To celebrate 20 years of Design Matters, Debbie Millman revisits some of her most memorable conversations with design legends Massimo Vignelli, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Chip Kidd, and Louise Fili—icons whose voices and vision have shaped the field.

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Betty Buckley—Tony-winning Broadway legend, Olivier nominee, and beloved “Voice of Broadway”—has spent nearly six decades in theater, film, television, and music. Best known for Cats and Sunset Boulevard, she is an American Theater Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the American Songbook Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She joins to discuss her remarkable career, enduring artistry, and the stories behind her most memorable roles.

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Tim Ferriss is a five-time New York Times bestselling author, a legendary podcaster with over a billion downloads, a prolific angel investor, and a relentless experimenter. During his fourth visit to Design Matters, he shares the story behind Coyote, a new card game he’s quietly been crafting—and the mindset that brought it to life.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston has spent his career exposing corruption in business and government. A relentless muckraker, he’s written The Making of Donald Trump and It’s Even Worse Than You Think, offering a searing look at the Trump administration’s impact on America. This archival episode with David Cay Johnston first aired in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term. The conversation remains just as urgent and relevant today.

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Lulu Miller is a Peabody Award–winning journalist, co-host of Radiolab, founder of the podcast Terrestrials, and author of the acclaimed book Why Fish Don’t Exist. She joins to discuss her career at the intersection of science, philosophy, and storytelling, inviting us to question how we understand the world and our place within it.

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Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and a poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She joins to discuss her career as the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, her best-selling book Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines, and her featured role in the acclaimed Netflix documentary Coded Bias.

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Jennifer Pastiloff is a bestselling author of the memoir On Being Human and travels the world with her workshop, blending writing, yoga, and radical honesty. She joins to discuss turning pain into purpose, the power of vulnerability, and her new book, Proof of Life.

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In celebration of Pride Month, we’re revisiting conversations with accomplished LGBTQ+ guests—Carol Leifer, Paul Tazewell, Sonya Passi, Leisha Hailey, and Kate Moennig—about the journeys that led them to fulfilling professional lives and the influences that shaped who they are today.

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James Dyson is a visionary inventor, designer, educator and founder of Dyson, a global company transforming ordinary household appliances into design and engineering marvels. He joins to discuss his iconic career, the role of failure in the creative process, and how good design can reshape the way we live.

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Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, and Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design, are two of the most influential creative and technological leaders shaping how we experience the digital world. Together, they represent the rare combination of engineering and design at its highest level, shaping how Apple products feel and behave. They join live at the Apple Headquarters to discuss the much anticipated launch of iOS 26.

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Dane Laffrey is a Tony-winning scenic and costume designer known for his bold, emotionally resonant work on productions like Parade, Once On This Island, and Spring Awakening. He joins to discuss his two decade career and recent set design for Maybe Happy Ending, a true tour de force and one of the most extraordinary stages on Broadway.

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Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig—actors known for their iconic roles as Shane and Alice on The L Word, the reboot The L Word: Generation Q and co-hosts of the beloved podcast PANTS—join to discuss queer representation, their creative collaborations, and navigating the business of show business.

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The works of artist Olafur Eliasson explore the relevance of art in the world at large. He joins to discuss his three-decade career creating sculptures, installations, paintings, photographs, and film utilizing natural elements—light, color, water, and movement—to alter viewers’ sensory perceptions.

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Carson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books “Home” and “Du Iz Tak?”. She joins to talk about her life living on a farm in Oregon and her remarkable career illustrating numerous award-winning books for children.

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With his expertise in enigmas and illusions, David Kwong delights and challenges audiences around the world with his intellectual brand of magic. He joins to discuss his one-man show, The Enigmatist, and his career as a magician, crossword puzzle constructor, and writer.

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Anne Morriss and Frances Frei are best-selling authors and among the world’s most influential thinkers, speakers, and advisors. Their clients range from Fortune 10 companies to tech founders to political leaders working to build national competitiveness. They join to talk about their new book, Move Fast and Fix Things, outlining a practical process leaders can implement to drive change.

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Since 1998, David Remnick has been the editor of The New Yorker and has written hundreds of pieces for the magazine, including reporting from Russia, the Middle East, and Europe and Profiles of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Katharine Graham, Mike Tyson, Bruce Springsteen and more. He also hosts the magazine’s national radio program and podcast, “The New Yorker Radio Hour.” He joins live at the On Air Fest to talk about his legendary life and career.

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From acclaimed pop spectacles to Super Bowl halftime shows to the Closing Ceremony for the London Olympics, artist and stage designer Es Devlin has transformed large-scale performative sculptures and environments transporting audiences. She joins to discuss two decades of design spanning opera, theatre, and stadium extravaganzas.

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Renowned writer, cultural critic, and scholar of the demimonde Lucy Sante joins to discuss her career and a new memoir, “I Heard Her Call My Name,” reflecting on her transition and self-actualization in her sixties.

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Writer’s Guild Award winner and Emmy-nominated comedian, writer, and producer for television shows such as Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live, The Oscars, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and more; Carol Leifer joins to talk about her new book, her writing, and her four-decade career in comedy.

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Widely recognized as a musical genius and once-in-a-generation talent, Jon Batiste is one of history’s most brilliant, prolific, and accomplished musicians. The Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar-winning star joins to discuss his legendary career, connecting people through a shared love of music.

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Michael Goldberg is the Founder and CEO of Something Special Studios, a creative agency building brands, campaigns, and experiences designed to shape culture. He joins to discuss his multifaceted career and a recent creative endeavor, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, a spectacular second showing of the world’s first art amusement park.

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Todd Pruzan—a prolific writer, editor, and journalist—recently inherited a collection of several thousand New Yorker covers from his family spanning the past 77 years. He joins to read an essay that explores a number of realizations while reviewing the covers, including his family’s Jewish identity.

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Throughout her prolific writing career, Nell Irvin Painter has published works on such luminaries as Sojourner Truth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Malcolm X. Her unique vantage on American history pushes the boundaries of personal narrative and academic authorship and asks readers to reconsider ideas of race, politics, and identity. She joins to discuss her legendary career as a distinguished historian, award-winning author, and artist.

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Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” Suzan-Lori Parks is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog. She joins to discuss her long and illustrious career as a playwright, musician, and novelist.

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Founder and Creative Director of the design consultancy HunterGatherer, Todd St. John, joins to discuss his career as a multi-disciplinary artist and designer working in illustration, animation, graphic design, photography, furniture, and industrial design.

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For over thirty years, bestselling author, screenwriter, and New Yorker cover artist Adrian Tomine’s work has set the standard for contemporary storytelling. He has published several books of comics and illustrations, including “Killing and Dying,” “Shortcomings,” and his new book “Q & A.”

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Having designed costumes for film, television, Broadway, and regional theaters for more than three decades, Paul Tazewell is one of the industry’s most revered designers. He joins to discuss his career, costuming some of the most memorable characters of our time, and his recent award-winning work on the Oscar nominated film, Wicked.

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New York Times bestselling, award-winning author and educator Emily Nagoski is one of the most exceptional minds at work today on the science of sexual connection, intimacy, and arousal. She joins to discuss her remarkable career and new book, “Come Together.”

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Celebrated musician, comedian, writer, and director Carrie Brownstein joins to talk about her remarkable career as the co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the legendary punk band Sleater-Kinney, her role in the iconic TV series Portlandia, and her new memoir.

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Tiffany Shlain is a multidisciplinary artist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, national bestselling author, and the founder of the Webby Awards. Ken Goldberg is the William S. Floyd Distinguished Chair in Engineering at UC Berkeley and an award-winning roboticist, filmmaker, and artist. They join to discuss the life they share together and their many artistic collaborations.

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Seth Godin—renowned author, entrepreneur, and speaker known for launching one of the most popular blogs in the world and writing 22 best-selling books—joins live at Creative Mornings to talk about his new book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans.

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On this special episode of Design Matters, we look back at the collective brilliance of artists interviewed in 2024. Best of Design Matters 2024 with Es Devlin, Olafur Eliasson, Carson Ellis, and Nell Irvin Painter is live!

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On this special episode of Design Matters, we look back at the collective brilliance of editors interviewed in 2024. Best of Design Matters 2024 with Stella Bugbee, Scott Dadich, Adam Moss, and David Remnick is live!

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Rick Griffith is a British-West-Indian designer, collagist, writer, educator, letterpress printer, and optimist futurist. He joins live from the HOW Design Conference to discuss his career and MATTER—a design consultancy, letterpress/typography workshop, and retail bookstore he runs with his partner, Debra Johnson.

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Since 2003, Radiohead’s bassist, Colin Greenwood, has taken his camera to the studio and on stage to document the rise of one of the world’s most cherished bands. He joins to discuss his legendary musical career and his beautiful new book, How to Disappear, capturing intimate photographs of his bandmates at work.

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Sarah Lewis is a celebrated art and cultural historian and professor at Harvard University, focusing on the intersection of visual representation, racial justice, and democracy in the United States. She has published multiple bestsellers and joins to discuss her new book, The Unseen Truth.

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Sonya Passi is the Founder & CEO of FreeFrom, a national organization transforming our society’s response to gender-based violence. She joins to discuss her new documentary SURVIVOR MADE and her advocacy work, creating a community where survivors of intimate partner violence can heal, thrive, and drive change together.

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From his breakout role in The Goonies to No Country for Old Men to his recent appearances in the Dune films, acclaimed actor Josh Brolin brings unmistakable gravity and grit to all his films. He joins to talk about his life on and offscreen and his new memoir, From Under the Truck.

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Nicolas Heller—Commercial Director, Documentarian, and “Unofficial Talent Scout of New York” known as @newyorknico—joins to talk about his new book, a raw and authentic city guide of Nick’s can’t-miss eateries, shops, bookstores, and so much more. 

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For more than forty years, Ken Burns and his collaborators have created some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. Sarah Burns and David McMahon join him to discuss his legendary career, new film, and the people and events that molded our history.

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The works of artist Olafur Eliasson explore the relevance of art in the world at large. He joins to discuss his three-decade career creating sculptures, installations, paintings, photographs, and film utilizing natural elements—light, color, water, and movement—to alter viewers’ sensory perceptions.

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Building worlds in motion pictures through graphic props and typography—Annie Atkins joins to discuss her career designing set pieces for films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and her new book, “Letters from the North Pole.”

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Carson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books Home and Du Iz Tak?. She joins to talk about her life living on a farm in Oregon and her remarkable career illustrating numerous award-winning books for children.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With his expertise in enigmas and illusions, David Kwong delights and challenges audiences around the world with his intellectual brand of magic. He joins to discuss his one-man show, The Enigmatist, and his career as a magician, crossword puzzle constructor, and writer.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.