www.fastcompany.com: The long commute may have been cut short for many of us, but the time Americans spend listening to podcasts is at an all-time high. So is the number of podcasts. With over 2 million to choose from, this is no easy task for those, like me, who want to know everything there is to know, especially when it comes to design.
10 comments:
As much as I want to, I have never been an avid podcast listener, which is ironic because I consider myself an auditory learner. Coincidentally, I wouldn't describe myself as a designer either. I may give it another shot after reading about a few of these. This past year I've gotten more into sustainability, especially if it encourages me to want less and buy less. The first podcast described here known as "Circular" seems aptly named and intriguing to learn about. I've always associated design with abundance, and sustainability with reduction and minimalism. My perspective is shifting, especially when I learn about upcycling and mending. "Design Matters," the podcast about the cultural impact of design, reminds us of the crucial role of the arts in society. Throughout the pandemic, I have felt much more empty without the large presence attending shows, visiting museums, and hearing live music that I was used to. A podcast like this would be a nice reminder as to how we as artists fit into the world, and that the impact resonates.
I love listening to podcasts while I eat lunch or wait in the package pickup line, so I’m always looking out for interesting new ones to check out. One of the ones in the article, 99% Invisible, is one I’ve listened to before and loved. One in particular has stuck in my mind for a long time, episode 363 “Invisible Women.” The episode illustrates the various ways the world is built only with men in mind, and doesn’t take into account how design might affect women; for example, car crash test dummies mostly being in “male” shape and size, which leads to cars being less safe for women. It’s the type of information that makes you think more about who you’re designing for, and who you picture as a “default” person. One podcast that I’d like to check out is Material Matters with Grant Gibson, as it sounds similar to podcasts like Ologies which do deep dives on specific topics. I also enjoy crafting & making things and would love to learn more about how to best use materials.
As a new daily bus rider, I've been looking for more things to listen to as I get ready in the morning and sit on the way to school. I've never been a big podcast listener mainly because I've never known where to start. I've begun many but the only one I still consistently listen to is my longtime favorite Stuff You Should Know which I began about 10 years ago. I've had many people recommend me podcasts but different styles, voices, number of tangents, and topics appeal to different people. The two that appealed to me most from this article were 99% invisible and Material Matters. Listening to people talk about their specialized craft, how they got into it, how it changed their lives or perspectives on it has always interested me. What's not to love about listening to people talk about their passions? 99% invisible interests me because I'm curious how it may affect how I look at life and how and if I notice these everyday design choices that I assume I'm passing by.
I have been trying to listen to podcasts more, especially those across different categories. I’ve listened to podcasts about science, health, technology, film and various other topics. I listen to podcasts about design too because sometimes they help with inspiration but also provide insightful discussion to things we don’t usually consider. So the “Design Matters with Debbie Millman” seems really interesting to me because it invites people across all creative industries to talk and share thoughts. “Material Matters” also appeals to me because it also gives insight to using different media and materials to create art. I listened to one of the episodes “Mark Miodownik on animate materials” and it talks about innovative materials and combining the science behind and the art together. I learned that animate material is considered to be an “active, adaptive and autonomous” material. “Autonomous” refers to the material’s ability to “make decisions”; “adaptive” refers to the material’s ability to make changes when certain factors change, and this helps with being “autonomous”. “Active” refers to the ability to perform the change, examples include self-healing. It’s interesting for me to learn about how fast developing the industry is and how science is closely related to art/design.
Typically, I am only a true-crime podcast listener. I listen to them to escape the mundaneness of life, the routine, especially during the pandemic. This is partially why I chose to pursue theatre. I get to create these stories on stage that are more exciting than my own. I think podcasts serve a similar purpose for me. Podcasts also reset me. They give me a moment to think about something other than what is going through my own head. I look forward to looking further into these podcasts. The two that draw my attention the most are; 99% INVISIBLE and SCRATCHING THE SURFACE. These two are intriguing to me because they challenge design. They go in the “role of design in shaping culture.” I think that this is wildly important because of how much life shapes our culture as a whole. I also enjoy the idea that a good design goes unnoticed because it acknowledges that sometimes good art is just there to be. And that is enough.
I am not an avid podcast listener. Truthfully, I have only listened to podcasts about the industry. However, it seems that more often they are about performing and not designing. I think this list is great and covers so many topics on challenges all creative artists face. I am specifically drawn to the podcast called “The Design Of Business” because it feature a range of designers. I think it would be interesting to listen to it and receive a diverse perspective on being a designer. I also thought “99% Invisible” sounds super interesting! My personal favorite podcast is called “Make Art Not Content”. The podcast discusses re-acclimating your mindset to view every project you work on as an opportunity to feed your soul. I found it really refreshing and enjoyed listening to it on my commute to work. I look forward to listening to the podcasts on the list next!
I love podcasts! I always love to listen to a good episode in the background of any homework I’m doing. I’m not going to lie, this isn’t my usual genre, but these do sound pretty interesting. I think Material Matters with Grant Gibson might be one that I look into in the future. Especially the episodes mentioned in the article: building with straw and welding. I also felt like I struggled on the design part of theater. I’m very hands on and love the whole collaborative process of creative a production, but I never felt truly comfortable in any of the design classes I’ve taken. I’m interested to see if any of these podcasts really help me feel more confident in my decisions when it comes to design. As a technical direction student, I feel like having the designer mindset may help me more to immerse myself into the world of any production. I find that really getting into a project makes me work harder and better in order to bring a world to life.
I ended up listening to a bit of the podcast Design Lab with Bon Ku, which was prefaced as discussing the intersections of design and health, the episode that I listened to was about using design to improve the lives of other people as a core principle. I’m now wondering how many little things there that go into especially industrial/ residential design, or honestly in every field, How many little bits of information are there that could help improve the daily lives of people, both on the large scale and in terms of information that I would apply to say my own life and schedule to be productive. The episode made it sound that design was very rarely, or at least for the majority of his career, used with the express intention of improving lives and so I’m also wondering how many of those things are ignored or flat out not considered.
I’ve been wanting to get into more podcasts for years now as I don’t like to listen to music while I work but I also can’t work in silence so I’m interested to try these podcasts. It's a very strange process of elimination of what I can listen to while I’m being creative, for example I’ve been unable to listen to my favorite comedic podcasts while working as I can’t focus and I often find myself putting on random youtube videos just to have some noise going on in the background while I work. I’m excited to try out 99% Invisible and Scratching The Surface as those seem the most interesting to me. I foresee two outcomes, either I will love it and be extremely productive, or I will be way too distracted trying to learn something. Whatever happens, I’m excited to try these, and if they don’t work for me while I’m working, I’ll find a time to listen while I can just listen and do nothing else.
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