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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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes265Founded9 years ago
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Artwork for Design Better

Latest Episodes

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

In graduate school, Randy Hunt poured his heart and soul into a poster for Milton Glaser’s class, a picture built entirely from hand lettering that read as an image from across the room and as words up close. Glaser glanced at it, said, “Well, that’s... more

When Aarron was fresh out of grad school, working at an agency outside Philadelphia, he and his coworkers used to crowd around a monitor to study volumeone.com. Most websites back then had a picture, maybe an image map. Matt Owens’s site had 3D, anim... more

Blaine Billingsley is a staff designer at OpenAI, and his path there was anything but a straight line. He studied music composition and comparative religion, played guitar in Texas for a living (he remembers checking his bank account, seeing seven do... more

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

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
Clay Parker Jones
Head of Org Design and Development at Airbnb
Airbnb
Episode: Clay Parker Jones: author of "Hidden Patterns" on why your team isn't really a team
Angel Steger
VP of Design at Wealthfront, former designer at Pinterest/MySpace/23andMe/Dropbox/Meta
Wealthfront
Episode: Angel Steger: Wealthfront's VP of Design on what architecture teaches you about software

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 States3 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
#239
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#15
United Kingdom/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#37
Canada/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#220
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#12
Australia/Arts/Design

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
Matt Owens: Athletics co-founder on keeping your creative fire lit
Q: What was it like navigating the shift away from Flash and keeping Athletics resilient?
Owens discusses the studio's broader, multi-skill approach and how they avoided dependency on a single technology, focusing on process, people, and adaptable workflows rather than any one tool.
Matt Owens: Athletics co-founder on keeping your creative fire lit
Q: How did you build the technical chops to move from Cranbrook to creating volume1.com at a time when few designers had those skills?
He explains the bootstrapped, self-driven learning in the late 90s, working in startups, collaborating with designers and developers, and embracing a culture of experimentation that allowed him to grow his craft alongside a fast-moving industry.
Blaine Billingsley: OpenAI designer on the collaboration problem AI hasn't solved yet
Q: Why does he value simplicity in design principles?
He believes principles should be concrete tools that guide actions rather than vague rules; without specificity, teams cannot align on decisions, making the principles less useful.
Blaine Billingsley: OpenAI designer on the collaboration problem AI hasn't solved yet
Q: What is his advice for working with pushy PMs?
He suggests meeting pushy stakeholders halfway by supporting their vision first, then progressively introducing your own ideas, which often leads to better collaboration and outcomes.

Audience Metrics

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

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

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Which podcasts are similar to Design Better?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Design Better:

1. Creative Confidence Podcast
2. Design Matters with Debbie Millman
3. Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth
4. The Futur with Chris Do
5. Y Combinator Startup Podcast

How many episodes of Design Better are there?

Design Better launched 9 years ago and published 265 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?

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What guests have appeared on Design Better?

Recent guests on Design Better include:

1. Kevin Flores
2. Randy Hunt
3. Matt Owens
4. Blaine Billingsley
5. Mack Paul
6. Federico Casalegno
7. Jonathan Adler
8. Clay Parker Jones

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.

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