Design Better
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 Better, “sharp, to the point, and full of incredibly valuable information for anyone looking to better understand how to build a more innovative world.”
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George Newman: Cognitive scientist on why creativity is more like archaeology than magic
<p>We’ve all heard the mythology around great ideas: the lone genius struck by inspiration, the eureka moment in the bath or shower. But George Newman believes we’ve been thinking about creativity in the wrong way.</p> <p>This is a preview of a premium episode. To hear the whole thing, head over to our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/george-newman</p> <p>George is a cognitive scientist who’s spent years studying where great ideas actually come from, and his research reveals something surprising: creativity might be less like magic and more like archaeology. In his book How Gr...
Nate Koechly and Matthew Darby: YouTube's UX Director and Director of PM on redesigning one of the world's most-used apps
<p>Redesigning one of the world’s most-used apps is no small feat, especially when that app is also the second largest search engine in the world: YouTube. Over the last four years, Nate Koechly, UX Director at YouTube, and Matthew Darby, Director of Product Management, have been leading an ambitious effort to balance Google’s metrics-driven culture with the subjective challenge of making an app feel “modern.”</p> <p>Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/nate-koechly-and-matthew-darby</p> <p>In our conversation, Nate and Matt share how they developed predictive measurement tools to gauge user per...
Bill Burnett: How to Live a Meaningful Life
<p>When we last spoke with Bill Burnett, it was in 2020 and he’d just published his book Designing Your Work Life, co-authored by Dave Evans. The world was in the midst of a pandemic, and work and careers seemed very uncertain. Along with their other bestselling book, Designing Your Life, millions of people found guidance and a process for re-framing how to approach their career and life plans in general, inspired by a methodology that Bill taught during his many years in the Stanford design program.</p> <p>This is a preview of a premium episode. To listen to th...
Austin Kleon: Author of "Steal Like an Artist" on building a sustainable creative practice
<p>To make good creative work, you’ll inevitably do a lot of bad work along the way. So building a thriving creative practice relies on showing up and doing the work consistently, whether you feel inspired or not. And we can get trapped into thinking that if only we had the perfect space, or the best pen, or right notebook, it would all be easier.</p> <p>This is a preview of a premium episode. To listen to the full interview, visit: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/austin-kleon</p> <p>But our guest today, Austin Kleon, has built a remarkable cr...
Raffaela Panie: Designing the brand and visual identity for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games
<p>Every four years, the Olympic Games capture the world’s attention—not just through athletic achievement, but through a complete visual identity that must resonate across cultures, languages, and generations. It’s one of the most demanding design challenges in the world: creating a brand that honors Olympic heritage while reflecting the unique spirit of a host city and region.</p> <p>This is a preview of a premium episode on Design Better. To hear the whole thing, subscribe via our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/raffaella-panie</p> <p>Raffaela Panie is the Brand, Identity and Look Director for the Mi...
Design Better Experts in Residence: Roundtable at Sequoia Capital
<p>We recorded this special live episode of Design Better at Sequoia Capital in Silicon Valley, with our Experts in Residence: Irene Au, Kevin Bethune, and James Buckhouse.</p> <p>Longtime listeners will recognize these names—Irene appeared on Episode 1 of Design Better, we explored Kevin’s remarkable journey from nuclear engineer to Air Jordan designer in episode 72, and we visited James at Sequoia Capital for a live AMA last year. Together, they’ve shaped how businesses build, how design operates at scale, and how creativity thrives inside technology and venture capital.</p> <p>Irene Au led the design practices at Yah...
Mikon van Gastel: Co-Founder of Sibling Rivalry on why presentation skills matter more than design skills
<p>There was a time when a movie title sequence was just the moment you grabbed your popcorn and waited for the real show to start. But in the mid-90s and early 2000’s, that changed forever with films like Seven and shows like Mad Men and Stranger Things. The title sequence became a prologue—a metaphor for the film itself.</p> <p>This is a preview of a premium episode. To listen to the full interview, head over to our Substack:https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/mikon-van-gastel</p> <p>Our guest today, Mikon van Gastel, was right there in the tren...
Mark Wilson: Fast Company's Global Design Editor on design's defining moments in 2025
<p>As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to pause and take stock of what’s been a transformational year in design. From Figma’s landmark IPO to the rise of AI across every category of product, to major brand evolutions at Nike, Netflix, and The New York Times—this year has been defined by what our guest today calls “mass acceleration.”</p> <p>Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/mark-wilson</p> <p>Mark Wilson is the Global Design Editor at Fast Company, where he’s been tracking these seismic shifts, reporting on everything fro...
Video Rewind: Cassie McDaniel: How Medium eliminated its PM function and started moving faster
<p>We’re taking a holiday break, so we’re rewinding to one of our favorite episodes this year with Cassie McDaniel, Medium’s head of design. We’re also including video from the episode, which you can watch here or on our YouTube channel at dbtr.co/youtube. We hope you have a lovely holiday season with your family, friends, and loved ones.</p> <p>—Eli & Aarron</p> <p>***</p> <p>Cassie McDaniel, Medium’s head of design, is someone with a clear vision for how a design team should work. She believes team members should have a breadth of skills, cra...
Aaron Draplin opens up about the work ethic he learned from his parents, and why being prolific isn’t about perfection—it’s about experimentation, and loving your work enough to show up every single day.
<p>A larger than life figure in the creative world, Aaron Draplin has been designing everything from logos to posters since 1995. Few designers are as prolific as Aaron. He’s the founder of Draplin Design Co. (DDC). Priding himself on craftsmanship and quality, the DDC has made stuff for Field Notes, Esquire, Nike, Red Wing, Burton Snowboards, Ford, and he’s even designed a US stamp.</p> <p>Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/aaron-draplin</p> <p><br></p> <p>We caught up with Aaron in person at The James Brand studio in Portland, Oreg...
