We are two dorks with degrees in design and we wax poetic about everyday objects, fashion, interactions, and all things designed in the world. Our conversations run the gamut from examining that pen in your pocket to questioning whether pressing or percolating coffee produces a better brew. Part per
We've always wanted to peek into other people's homes. In this episode, we trace how mass media turned having the trending paint color or most in-demand decor from something relegated to the elite to an attainable reality of the people. This delirious journey starts with how the Gutenberg press and renaissance pattern books allowed for trends to proliferate. We then journey through the 19th and early 20th century as World’s Fairs, parlor oddities and early magazines became centers of culture (hello Cold War "kitchen diplomacy"). We then enter the TV era of interior design from Lifestyles of…
From the iconic red square of Coca-Cola to the curvilinear geometry of midcentury furniture, codes define the objects, environments and systems around us. Design codes are what make us instantly recognize a blue box as Tiffany's, or associate a gargantuan menu and a cacophony of interior design choices with The Cheesecake Factory. In this episode, we dive deep to define exactly what a "code" is. How does it differ from a brand? An aesthetic? A vibe? Does design literacy help us apply design codes to our own work with greater nuance (I'm looking at you, Tomato Girl Summer!)? We end with some…
This week we’re getting stitched into the world of theatre with CS Fergusson-Vaux, a theatre and installation artist whose work moves fluidly between costume, set, and performance art. We start with Shakespeare and trace the histories hiding in every hemline and well-placed pearl. Fergie talks to us about world building and character creation, down to the details that make stories feel real. Can a costume really set the stage (pun intended) to impose tension, restriction, and atmosphere before an actor says a word? Objects, intention, makeup, and codes: we get into all of it. Grab your…
This summer has been scorching, and the design discourse has been no cooler. In this episode, we're serving up a menu of design tapas: an artistic amuse-bouche, a cinematic charcuterie board, and a little bit of everything in between as we catch up on the biggest design stories of the past few months. This episode has it all — from the runways of Paris Haute Couture Week, to the mysterious islands of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, to the campus of the Obama Presidential Center, and — yes — even the world's sudden, unshakeable love affair with Hidden Valley Ranch and Haaland's Hair. Bon…
The postwar ‘50s saw TVs proliferate into every American home—and the ad dollars followed. As media flooded American living rooms, ad dollars poured right in after them — advertising spend nearly quintupled from the 1950s into the ’60s. Branded summers and ideal living were packaged and purchased writ large. These pop-color-soaked styles have stayed with us as the quintessential American summer. Throw in America’s birthday party and you’ve got a recipe for sweet celebration. Join us as we take a road trip across the decades and explore some of the iconic summer themes and designs that are…
In this episode, we trace the disco ball from 1920s jazz clubs where it scattered light equally across every dancing body, through fifty years of obscurity, to its resurrection in the 1970s alongside a revolution in music technology—the synthesizer, the drum machine, the extended 12-inch remix—tools that were never designed for disco but got seized and celebrated by producers and DJs who understood something crucial: dance could be a powerful form of community and purpose. Disco didn’t die in 1979. It was murdered. And we’re here to tell you exactly how a singular cultural object was at the…
We’re living in a moment where recent history feels lost but still recoverable. The 90s are close enough to feel familiar, and distant enough to feel like a mirage in the desert of all things digital. Turning away from the endless algorithmic feeds, we long for that era of the last genuine analog culture. That final decade of the 20th century has become like the secret garden… a walled off sanctuary where things were built by hand, patina’d by imperfection, and steeped over time. While waiting for the photos to develop and the movie to hit VHS, we were using technology without being…
Wine has always been two things at once: what's in the bottle and everything around it. In this episode of Design Darlings, we uncork the full design story of wine. Our guest Matthew Stebenne is a product-developer-slash-sommelier who brings rare fluency in both design craft and what's actually in your glass. He helps us decant each topic, even touching on the graphic design of labels—a surprisingly contested space where tradition, typography, and pure panache collide in a 4 inch square. We dig into ways that regional identity shapes great grapes and discuss why a Burgundy bowl looks nothing…
Fashion is a cultural phenomenon. A mix of design, photography, style, and setting, a garment isn't just an isolated confabulation of fabric — it's an experience, an aspiration, a mini movie in a single snap. This episode uses the Met Gala and the long-awaited Devil Wears Prada 2 to interrogate what happens when fashion stops being worn and starts being performed ... for the camera, for the meme, for the morning-after discourse. Who is at the helm of the design dialogue? Are the editors and critics steeped in true design knowledge of craft and material science being replaced by an algorithm…
Over the millennia, our humble water bottle had a serious glow-up. The modern metal tumbler is an innovation in thermodynamics that you tote from the farmers market to your freeway commute. But somewhere between the Stanley craze and the Hydro Flask wars, this utilitarian object became a full-on totem: color-dropped like a sneaker, curated like a handbag, plastered with stickers that scream I have opinions about oat milk. This episode, designer Vidya Mantrala joins us to unpack how a heat-transfer workaround became the bumper sticker of the body — a walking mood board that also hydrates…
From the steam-powered chaos of the 18th century to the silicon-fueled frenzy of the digital age, humans have always met technological upheaval with the same cocktail of terror, wonder, and remarkable adaptation. Each industrial revolution didn’t just rewire economies — it rewired identities, aesthetics, social structures, and what it means to be human. Luddites smashed looms and Cubists fragmented reality in response to mechanized warfare. Now, as AI reshapes the landscape yet again, history whispers its familiar truth: the most interesting story was always about us. Links…
This week our hosts discuss a caffeinated story arc covering early 2000s coffee houses to the design-ification of coffee hustle vibes. Did the social media girl boss grind aesthetic hijack the formerly cozy couch setting of your favorite spot? Are we coming full circle with a return to the book store hangout that defined the late 90s? Grab your favorite brew and sit for this open mic coffee house revival. At the news desk, we cover the fashion and production design of the 98th Academy Awards, and how a partnership announcement between NVIDIA and Adobe could change our design workflows.…
Can something as functional as fire have design? This episode asks how the invention of matches and lighters sparked from a basic necessity–like lighting candles, lamps, and tobacco– into statements of self expression. Join the discussion as we examine how lighters and candles expanded beyond functional objects from the 1800s into modern designs of personal vibes and aesthetics. A Brief History of Flame Brief History of Matches and Lighters BIC Timeline AD Set Tour- Wuthering Heights
This first episode introduces our podcast premise, our hosts, and posits the big question- what IS design? We consider the 4 orders of design and their place in brand development, while also considering how human cultures developed the original modes of design. Listen for fun and insights from this friendly duo and look to their show notes for inspiration and links to extra content. LINKS: Wicked Problems in Design Thinking (4 orders of design) Dieter Rams 10 Principles of Good Design Victor Papanek- Design for the Real World
About Design Darlings
We are two dorks with degrees in design and we wax poetic about everyday objects, fashion, interactions, and all things designed in the world. Our conversations run the gamut from examining that pen in your pocket to questioning whether pressing or percolating coffee produces a better brew. Part per
Design Darlings is a English arts & books podcast from Design Darlings. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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