Rephonic
Artwork for Design Better
Creativity
Design
User Experience
Generative AI
Collaboration
Product Design
Artificial Intelligence
Design Thinking
Technology
Mental Health
Creative Process
Design Systems
Well-Being
ADHD
Adobe
Design Better
Art
User Research
Typography
Entrepreneurship

Design Better co-hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter explore the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process through conversations with guests across many creative fields, helping you hone your craft, unlock your creativity, and learn the art of collaboration. Whether you’re design curious or a design pro, Design Better is guaranteed to inspire and inform. Vanity Fair calls Design... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes268Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DesignArtsTechnology

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Design Better

Latest Episodes

This episode kicks off a special series recorded live at our Creative Leadership Retreat in Sonoma, which we co-hosted with our friends at September Works in late September. We gathered 40 leaders from design, business, the arts, and politics for two... more

For eleven years, Maurice Cherry made a weekly podcast called Revision Path showcasing Black designers from around the world. He recorded more than 500 episodes with designers on six continents and built a community around the show.

Find bonus conte... more

Tom Foley didn’t set out to design typefaces. As a postgraduate student at Central Saint Martins in London, he was researching why Ireland, unlike Switzerland, the Netherlands, or Germany, never seemed to have a confident typographic voice of its own... more

Kevin Flores has been part of the Design Better community for years — we first met him in 2017, while he was leading design at 23andMe, back when we were researching how design teams are structured for the Design Genome Project. So it’s a real pleasu... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Maurice Cherry
Designer, podcast producer, commercial voice actor, and founder of Revision Path
Lunch
Episode: Maurice Cherry: Revision Path creator on why attention isn’t impact
Tom Foley
Creative Type Director at Studio DRAMA and former Executive Creative Director at Monotype
Studio DRAMA
Episode: Tom Foley: How to pair typefaces and why the best brand fonts go unnoticed
Kevin Flores
Designer and author of Find Your Inner Rebel
Design Better / 23andMe (former)
Episode: Kevin Flores: Find Your Inner Rebel
Randy Hunt
Design leader with experience at Etsy, Grab, and Notion
Notion (Design leader), Etsy, Grab
Episode: Randy Hunt: Notion and Etsy design leader on why the best design teams stay small
Matt Owens
Co-founder of Athletics, designer and founder with a punk/DIY background
Athletics NYC
Episode: Matt Owens: Athletics co-founder on keeping your creative fire lit
Blaine Billingsley
Staff designer at OpenAI
OpenAI
Episode: Blaine Billingsley: OpenAI designer on the collaboration problem AI hasn't solved yet
Mack Paul
Co-author of Miracle Road, historian of RTP
Miracle Road / RTP
Episode: Mack Paul: Co-author of Miracle Road on designing places where innovation happens
Federico Casalegno
Head of Samsung's Global Design Studios, MIT Design Lab co-founder
Samsung; MIT Design Lab
Episode: Federico Casalegno: Samsung EVP and MIT Design Lab founder on what 20,000 years of human creativity means for design today
Jonathan Adler
Potter, designer of furnishings and interiors; collaboration with Michaels
Jonathan Adler Studio/Michaels partnership
Episode: Jonathan Adler returns: The minimalist inside the maximalist

Hosts

Eli Woolery
Host of Design Better with a focus on design culture, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary work.
Aarron Walter
Co-host of Design Better, guiding conversations on design leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the craft of building design systems.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 1.1k ratings
  • Insightful every time

    Each episode brings real world perspective useful to your design practice.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    D'urville
    United States4 months ago
  • Ads

    Great podcast but waaaaaayyy too many adds that are way too long. Stop selling out and focus on content.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    NVSF95
    United States2 years ago
  • More industrial design

    A real design podcast like we all need. Only wish there was more episodes on product / industrial design! SCAD episode was amazing

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kev_paris_88
    United States2 years ago
  • Great interview

    Inspiring and full of energy, culture, curiosity and very easy to follow up.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Agheor
    Italy2 years ago
  • Not anymore

    Used to be a great show. Now hidden behind a 7$/month paywall. The “free” shows are now 20 minutes long, including 8 minutes of ads and announcements to cconvert listeners into subscribers. Not worth it anymore.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    highway84revisited
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Design Better is a beacon of inspiration for anyone passionate about the intersection of design, technology, and creativity!
A well-curated lineup of guests and thoughtful questions that spark new ideas.
Listeners appreciate the depth and accessibility, and the long-form conversations that go beyond surface-level insights.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#12
United States/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#15
Canada/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#18
United Kingdom/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#20
Australia/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#23
France/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#26
Germany/Arts/Design

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Maurice Cherry: Revision Path creator on why attention isn’t impact
Q: You say that one thing you've learned through your years at Revision Path is that you learn not to confuse attention with impact. Tell us a little bit more about that.
Cherry says Revision Path received significant recognition, sponsorships, and an archive collection at the Smithsonian, but those achievements did not translate into lasting professional security or impact for him. He was demoted after the Smithsonian recognition, later struggled to find work, and saw attention fade after the podcast ended.
Maurice Cherry: Revision Path creator on why attention isn’t impact
Q: You went to Morehouse and you studied, not design, but math. How did you get into math and then how did you go from math to design?
Cherry initially wanted to study English, but a scholarship required a STEM major. He began in computer science, then changed to math after realizing he wanted to make web pages and discovering that he could graduate early with that degree. He later taught himself design skills and moved into web design.
Tom Foley: How to pair typefaces and why the best brand fonts go unnoticed
Q: What are some principles that designers should use when they think about pairing typefaces?
Start with the typefaces' calligraphic roots and structural compatibility, then compare proportions such as x-height, ascenders, and cap heights, followed by stem weight, weight range, color, and texture.
Tom Foley: How to pair typefaces and why the best brand fonts go unnoticed
Q: How do you balance historical or cultural inspirations with creating a typeface that feels contemporary and fresh?
Foley absorbs the brand's strategy, positioning, identity, and design parameters, lets that information settle, then sketches by hand and develops the forms that feel right.
Matt Owens: Athletics co-founder on keeping your creative fire lit
Q: What role does AI play in your current practice and how do you ensure it augments rather than replaces human craft?
He describes AI as an additive ingredient, emphasizing deliberate use with clear outcomes, integrating AI to distill, summarize, and accelerate parts of the workflow while preserving the need for human artistry and high fidelity output.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Design Better

What is Design Better about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Design Better features in-depth conversations with leaders at the intersection of design, technology, and creativity. Episodes frequently center on design culture, practical design leadership, and how design collaborates with engineering, product, and business strategy. Notable angles include design ethics, long-term thinking, and the evolving role of AI in design and product work. A recurring strength is bringing high-profile designers and thinkers (authors, professors, founders) into long-form, thoughtful discussions that balance theory with actionable insights. The show often reveals pragmatic approaches to collaboration, team dynamics, and building sustainable design practice across industries. A standout aspect is its ability to connec... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Design Better?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Design Better. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Design Better and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Design Better get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Design Better, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Design Better?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Design Better, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Design Better have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Design Better has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Design Better?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Design Better:

1. Design Matters with Debbie Millman
2. Creative Confidence Podcast
3. Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth
4. Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
5. Monocle on Design

How many episodes of Design Better are there?

Design Better launched 9 years ago and published 268 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Design Better?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Design Better?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Design Better from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Design Better?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Design Better. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Design Better?

Recent guests on Design Better include:

1. Maurice Cherry
2. Tom Foley
3. Kevin Flores
4. Randy Hunt
5. Matt Owens
6. Blaine Billingsley
7. Mack Paul
8. Federico Casalegno

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days