Monsters of Design

In this episode of Monsters of Design, the Tenacious Trio—Jon Sontag, Adrian Crabtree, and Jon Delman—join forces with Karen Piper, Head of Brand Strategy at Code and Theory, to confront a particularly moody menace: CX, the monster that emerges when Customer Experience goes bad. This isn't the warm, fuzzy kind—it's the version dripping in frowny face emojis and weighed down by heavy thumbs downs. It shows up when brands make big, shiny promises but fail to deliver where it counts. Together, they dig into why beautiful content and sleek design aren't enough—brands must follow through with meaningful, consistent experiences or risk awakening this sulky, trust-breaking beast. And to keep things balanced, they end the episode swapping stories about their current favorite monsters, including aggressive wild turkeys, the cuddly enigma of Totoro, and a few unexpected legends lurking in the shadows.

In this episode of Monsters of Design, a new era begins. Adrian and Jon, weary from battling creative beasts alone, have summoned an old ally to the frontlines—Jon Delman, a past guest turned permanent co-host. From this point forward, it's a trio of minds, a triumvirate of design nerds, wielding wit, insight, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. Some episodes will welcome brave guests into the fray; others will feature the three of them, sparring in the arena of ideas. Their first battle as a full unit? THE BRAND. A big, bold, and unruly monster that chases down designers, herding them away from the deeper truths of authentic storytelling. Together, they'll break free from this monster and challenge what it really means to build a brand that matters. Also, we talk about why Thrifty Ice cream is (or isn't) the best. Yeehaw!

Alright, monster slayers, it's time for the grand finale of our three-part A.I. adventure! This time, Jon and Adrian sit down with Craig Elimeliah, Chief Creative Officer at Code and Theory. Craig is a master of blending tech and creativity, and he's here to share a treasure trove of wisdom from his vibrant, boundary-pushing career. He's built teams and ideas in this wild A.I. era, where innovation meets a dash of chaos. We dive into how A.I. is shaking up the design world and why curiosity and experimentation are now our superpowers—especially with machines doing more heavy lifting. And of course, no episode is complete without a little monster talk. This round, we're dishing on creatures like the one from Jeepers Creepers, Data, the Blank Page (terrifying, right?), and even... squirrels. Yes, those tiny terrors make the list, too. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

The MOD dudes are back. It's been a minute, but Jon and Adrian are ready to go! They continue their epic three part battle with the Artificial Intelligence monster. Marcus Thompson – Senior Copy and Content Designer at Code and Theory, jumps right in as their guest, giving us some key insights into the wonderful (but often scary and overwhelming) world of the prompt. His creative mind and silver tongue help us navigate a new and improved road to a much more inspired generative A.I. output. Get ready to watch this crew unearth and unlock a powerful creative process. The episode comes to an end with some monster favorites from each monster slayer on set. They tango with Mothman, the alien from Signs, and the shape shifting creature from The Outsider! Stay tuned. MOD is on the move!

In this week's episode, witness the dynamic duo, Jon Sontag and brand new co-host, Adrian Crabtree, as they delve into the mysterious realm of Artificial Intelligence. Accompanied by their special guest, Jon Delman – Senior Design Manager at Workiva, they unravel the secrets of AI's impact on our careers. With his hard-earned wisdom, Delman guides us through a hopeful path for the future, emphasizing the importance of taming this technological beast. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride through the uncharted territories of Artificial Intelligence, where the real monsters aren't the ones hiding under your bed but the ones we create ourselves. The episode concludes with the MOD tradition of discussing favorite monsters, including the disturbing Krampus—a monster most likely created by parents determined to instill good behavior in their kids during the holidays. We hope you enjoy the show!

In this episode, Jon and Bryan call for backup to help slay, tame and love the latest monster to cross their path—MARKETAUR. Will Leivenberg, Director of Brand Marketing at YML, answers the call and helps them explore the two-way street connecting marketing and design. As they traverse that well-worn road, they shine a light on the Marketaur, identifying the unique challenges marketing a premium Silicon Valley brand to the world poses. Will brings his incisive wit to the table, detailing how his career at Bleacher Report led to a profound understanding of storytelling and identifying who your audience is, as well as unpacking the unique bond designers and marketers share today. They wrap things up by talking all things horror, sharing the most striking monsters that've been haunting and prowling their imaginations.

In this episode, Jon and Bryan have a lovely chat with Steven Sczepanik, Senior Product Designer at Headspace, about the occasionally overbearing monster: Feedback. This electrified guitar god can forget to plug the amp in from time to time, leaving us clueless about what we can do to improve. But thankfully, Steven knows how to dial in his tone with the right amount of highs, mids, and lows. He tunes us into the correct frequency for listening to and giving meaningful, heartfelt feedback. And of course, it wouldn't be the MOD POD without a fun chat about our favorite monsters at the end. Tune up, plug in, and strum along as we slay Feedback!

In this episode, Jon and Bryan have a delightful conversation with Redona Dida, Product Designer at YML, about the monster that turn us into stone: Overthinker. This Medusa-like character draws us into the void of endless thoughts, keeping us away from some much needed simplicity. Fortunately, Redona helps us untangle our thoughts, urging us to take things one at a time with patience and ease. Her ability to not only keep this monster at bay, but to embrace each thought that hisses into our ear and view them as potential solutions is amazing. We end the episode with our tradition of discussing our current favorite monsters. Now sit back, press play and help us slay Overthinker!

In this episode, Jon and Bryan chat with Adrian Crabtree, Art Director at Product Plan, about the monster with a syndrome—Imposter. This lil' dude just wants to be loved, hugged, and encouraged to come out of his shell. Fortunately, Adrian breaks down all the things that cause this syndrome, tackling each unique facet one at a time. We chat about how failure can stem from not having the right solution to a problem, and how that keeps this monster behind the mask and active in our head. We also dig deep into Adrian's passion for frisbee golf, the color spectrum of his frisbee discs, and why he keeps a frisbee basket near his desk. Now sit back, press play and help us slay Imposter.

In this episode, Jon and Bryan chat with Laura Polkus, Creative Director at YML, about the monster that doesn't like to quit—Overtime. It's a hairy, overbearing beast that likes to grab hold and not let go, but with Laura's help, we learn how to kick free and make peace with it. We talk all things productivity and self-worth while sorting through the finer points of the 40hr vs 30hr work week debate. We also chat about biophilic design, exploring various ways to bring nature into human-made spaces. Now sit back, press play and help us slay Overtime.

In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Roseville, Ca visual brand designer, Dan Otis, about our next monster: Stakeholder. These hulky stake-holding monsters can be terrifying—and like a lot of our monsters—they're misunderstood. Join us as Dan shares about his time spent with a wide variety of stakeholders as clients, co-workers, and most importantly, those who experience or use the things we design. We also talk about the horror movies that wrecked us when we were kids, why Bryan has a bone to pick with wasps, and what the incredible Oura biometric ring has to offer. 

In their first-ever Wrap Up episode, Jon and Bryan offer up the previous five monsters to Sølver, our season 1 Monster Slayer. They also chat about Darth Vader's romantic life, why Dobby the House Elf is the ultimate epitome of “Burnout” and what Hari Seldon from Apple's Foundation has in common with one of our monsters. They also somehow find a way to make the episode about Star Trek, again.

In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Jon Delman, Director of Product Design at Twitter. Their goal is simple: to slay Processs, our next monster. A hodgepodge of a few different things, Processs moves around unpredictably. Sometimes it's too slow. Other times it's too fast. Jon Delman, our Dungeon Master, takes us into the dark caverns where this creature was created, unearthing the arcane secrets that gave birth to it. After the slaying, taming and loving, they also chat about Dr. Who, technobabble and all things sci-fi. 

In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to San Diego brand design manager, Emily Hsiao, about our fourth monster: Burnout. This dude is a hot mess, burning us out and chucking fireballs at others, burning them out along with us. Emily opens our eyes to all the useful firefighting tools she wields against this monster. Additionally, Bryan goes into some "spoilers" about Loki, he shares his love for beavers, and we all get into a discussion about octopi vs octopuses.

In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Atlanta product designer, Chelsea Kinley, about our third monster: The Hoverer. It possesses our unfortunate souls at times. We just want to collaborate and keep the project moving, but some of us grow a few extra heads and start lurking behind our team. Chelsea uncovers super helpful tips on how to deal with The Hoverer, including a plea for all of us to focus on empathy and communication. Additionally, Jon forgets to press record for a while, and Chelsea talks about her favorite monster and monster slayer from the manga turned anime, Attack on Titan. We also throw out some innovative Figma suggestions for Dylan Field, and Bryan gets attacked by a spider.

In our latest episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Portland illustrator, Kevin Tudball, about our second monster: Ego Maniac. We all have an ego we need to have a relationship with, but sometimes that ego gets a little too big for its britches. Join us as Kevin talks about refining his voice and growing his career as an accomplished illustrator and designer while still keeping his Ego Maniac at bay. We also talk about ego vs confidence, the importance of soul searching while your career is on pause, and our favorite monsters in pop culture that we can't stop thinking about.

In our premiere episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Bay Area corporate + commercial film director, Cheryl Isaacson, about our first monster: Scope Creep. We've all had client projects grow more than we scoped. Listen in as Cheryl walks us through how to slay, tame, and love that tricky, unpredictable monster known as Scope Creep. We also talk about niceness vs kindness, what it means to prioritize specificity in storytelling, and why Mark Ruffalo is the best damn Hulk ever.