Undisciplined By Design

This episode is part 1 of a conversation with Simon King and Kelly Bjork, design directors at IDEO's Chicago studio. In this episode we'll explore how IDEO leverages a "post-disciplinary" approach to building teams and solving creative challenges, and the importance of using internal critique at key stages of a project to maximize impact.

In this episode we talk with Dave Seal, Design Director of Chicago-based design and innovation consultancy MINIMAL, about the nuances of truly blurring discipline lines when using design to solve problems, and even challenge some traditional definitions and parameters of what it means to be a “designer”.

This episode is part 2 of a conversation with Sam Amis, former Nike footwear and "innovation kitchen" designer and Director of Product Design at The James Brand, and Malcolm Lee, SVP of Financial Center Design at Bank of America. Sam and Malcom each have more than a decade of experience progressing their careers through a variety of design roles at boutique firms, high end consultancies, startups, and large corporations. In this episode we discuss the transition from focusing on craft and execution to setting a vision for other creatives as design leaders. They'll also share memorable educational moments, and the joy of finding and translating creative inspiration from unexpected sources. University of Cincinnati architecture student Alex Phinney also joins the conversation. This episode was recorded on location at The James Brand in Portland, OR.

Today's episode features Sam Amis, former Nike footwear and "innovation kitchen" designer and Director of Product Design at The James Brand, and Malcolm Lee, SVP of Financial Center Design at Bank of America. Sam and Malcom each have more than a decade of experience progressing their careers through a variety of design roles at boutique firms, high end consultancies, startups, and large corporations. In this episode they'll share some practical advice for navigating the early years of a design career, and knowing how and when it's time to pivot to what's next. We're also joined by University of Cincinnati design student Alex Phinney, sharing her perspective on re-framing and re-setting before your career officially begins. This episode was recorded on location at The James Brand in Portland, OR.

In this episode creative and strategic talent recruiter Liz Connelly talks about the importance of hustle and grit when building a creative career, and the beauty of non-traditional career paths in design. Liz also gives us an insider's guide to how recruiters evaluate creative talent. This episode was recorded on location at the North American headquarters of Adidas in Portland, OR.

In this episode veteran footwear recruiter Andy Shearer, the Director of Talent Acquisition at KEEN Footwear and former creative recruiter at both Adidas and Nike, shares memorable stories of discovering creative talent in unexpected places by celebrating the genius of outliers in the creative community. This episode was recorded on location at KEEN's world headquarters in Portland, OR.

In this episode we discuss the importance of keeping the end user in mind for ALL design projects, regardless of scale or type, and the nuances of evolving from project-based work with specific design deliverables to strategic consulting with design principles at the core of creative solutions. Our guests are Senior Design Consultant Wyeth Augustine-Marceil of McKinsey Design, and Environmental Graphic Designer Dani Grimes of Selbert Perkins Design. This episode was recorded on location at McKinsey Design in Chicago, IL.