After last episode's grim premise, Joe & Brian pull back from the edge and take a look at the other side of the current design industry: what is there that we can feel optimistic about in the current moment? Lots, it turns out.

Brian & Joe discuss the grim state of the UX industry right now. How did we get here? Where do we go from here? Grab a drink before you listen, let's chew on this together. 🍺

Joe and Brian discuss Temple Grandin's new book, 'Visual Thinkers'. Who are these strange creatures that walk among us, seeing things visually? Are you one of them? How do you see the world differently?

Brian & Joe discuss the recent tech layoffs, and what that means for the design world. Once again, designers are put back on their heels. Is this an opportunity for growth? Can we maybe reset expectations? Or will we once again have to dance the dance asked of us?

Ugh... 2022 is finally over. It's been a wild year in and out of the design world. Joe and Brian close out the old double deuce wondering is there still space for the weird, crazy, sometimes visionary designers?

Brian and Joe talk to Gina Trapani, CEO of the digital product shop Postlight. Postlight has been unlocking solutions for clients for the past 10 years, and we ask Gina to let us in on the insights of a running a successful design and engineering business. We talk about moving from a Doer to a Leader, the importance of Discovery, and why it’s important to do the work special to you on the weekend.

Joe and Brian discuss the dispiriting trend of the current tech stack driving how products are built. What does it mean when a product is designed not for the user, customer, or output, but for ease of technical deployment? What will the future hold if that trend continues? Should try and stop it?

We are back with a new season! We are kicking things off with some quick hits – designery things that happened while we were away crushing pixels and having babies.

Brian and Joe deep dive on the pernicious yet hidden effects that information architecture has on our daily lives, both in the digital space and outside of it. Is library science the one true skill necessary in the modern world? Is the current state of IA just a liminal space between analog sorting and tag-based search?

Brian and Joe break down whether creative work is calling, or just a job? Can a creative person be just as happy keeping their creative work to their hobbies? Is making money as a creative part of what being a professional creative is? And where do blenders come in to all of this?

Design recruiter Dave Miller from designcitizen.com comes by to share what he learned after talking to nearly 200 creatives. What is the mood out there? What are some of the biggest challenges we face?

Good designers often have to check their egos at the door to allow room for empathy. That's great for human centered design, but it doesn't come without it's challenges, like feeling unheard, unacknowledged or under appreciated. We'll talk about how to find balance.

The incredible Aaron James Draplin (http://draplin.com), the prolific graphic designer, author of Pretty Much Everything, and all round wonderful guy, comes by the show to share his views on the craft of design.

In the episode Brian asks Joe, what is the role of designer? Do we have a say in the products we build, or should we just stay in our lanes of production?

Brian and Joe check-in with some designer friends and see how they’re holding up in this never-ending zoom call.

Josh Glenn stops by to provide Joe & Brian a master class in semiotics – the study of signs and symbols that we use to create meaning from visual stimuli like color, typography and imagery. He helps us understand what semiotics is, provides some examples of how it is used in branding and package design and how designers can use semiotics in their own work.

It's a Design Tools “Ball of Death” Match! Brian & Joe compare the pros and cons of common design tools like Sketch, Figma and Photoshop. They share their experiences of finding the right tool for the job and their preferred tools for getting sh*t done.

Brian & Joe talk to legendary book designer and Fantagraphics Creative Director Jacob Covey about iteration: how do you know when something you’re on is done? We talk about design reviews, client feedback, and telling that little voice in your head to shut up sometimes.

We pass the mic to returning guest Bekah Marcum of Black Designers of Seattle to share what she is experiencing as the George Floyd Protests unfold around the world.

Happy St. Patricks Day (also Brian's Birthday)! This week we discuss observation in design – how does it turn a good designer into a great designer. What does it mean to observe the world? How can we let observation influence our sense of design to create a shared moment of "humanness." Mentioned in this episode: - Joe's Original Post, Observation As A Prerequisite For Design (https://formidable.com/blog/2019/design-observation/) - Ira Glass on the Taste Gap (https://vimeo.com/85040589) -...

Design-led companies are making a big impact in the market today. But a new report out shows that 90% of companies are not reaching their full potential. In this episode we will try and figure out what the hell is going here. What is the difference between design-led companies and everyone else? Mentioned in this episode: - Are you asking enough from your design leaders?...

Can designers help lead society towards a better future? What role can designers play in creating a brighter tomorrow? What are some of the things we would change? And how can we get started in bringing about real systemic change in the world. Let’s dive in. Special thanks to Catleah Cunanan (@catleah) for producing this episode. Recorded at Cloud Studios in Seattle (www.cloudstudiosseattle.com).

The incredible Bekah Marcum of Black Designers of Seattle joins us on the show to talk about her experiences being the only black designer working on design teams. And how we can be better "co-conspirators" in talking about race in the workplace. Connect with Bekah Marcum on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekahmarc/ And if you are a black designer in Seattle, be sure connect with Bekah's group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13668366/ Special thanks to Catleah Cunanan (@catleah)...

In this episode Joe gives Brian a little designer therapy to talk through feelings of professional and creative burn out. For example, everyone talks about the importance of design, but do designers really have a seat at the table? Frank Chimero's Burnout List is a great primer for this discussion: http://frankchimero.com/blog/2020/burnout-list/ Also mentioned in this episode... The iPad Awkwardly Turns 10 by John Gruber http://daringfireball.net/2020/01/the_ipad_awkwardly_turns_10 Second...