design future now logo

Design Future Now!

How is design changing as a discipline and profession? How do we face these opportunities as a community? AIGA's Lee-Sean Hung explores these questions and more with creative practitioners and leaders.

Listen here or subscribe with your favorite podcast app.

Previous episodes

November 27, 2020 | 37 min

Fireside Chat with Kayo Roehm, 3M Design Officer

AIGA Executive Director Bennie F. Johnson and 3M Design Officer Kayo Roehm have a conversation about leadership in design at the 2020 AIGA Design Conference

November 18, 2020 | 32 min

Fireside Chat with Dantley Davis, Twitter Chief Design Officer

AIGA Executive Director Bennie F. Johnson and Twitter Chief Design Officer Dantley Davis have a conversation about leadership in design at the 2020 AIGA Design Conference.

October 21, 2020 | 28 min

Episode 14: Lee-Sean gives an update and discusses design and storytelling with Anne-Laure Fayard

Lee-Sean shares the story of his professional journey and shares thoughts on design and storytelling in our crossover with the Design Thinking Roundtable podcast hosted by Anne-Laure Fayard. 

May 14, 2020 | 51 min

Episode 13: Bobby Alexis and Roger Manix on Play

In this final episode of season 1, we hear from Bobby Alexis and Roger Manix, co-founders of a new company called Ludolo, which helps remote teams increase creativity, productivity, and develop a sense of belonging, through play.

April 29, 2020 | 42 min

Episode 12: Richard Ting on Digital Craft

Richard Ting, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Experience Officer, and US Chief Creative Officer at R/GA talks with Design Future Now's Lee-Sean Huang about digital craft, moving from "human centered design" to "humanity centered design," and more. 

April 16, 2020 | 24 min

Episode 11: Giorgia Lupi on Data Humanism

This episode is adapted from a webinar conversation that Design Future Now host Lee-Sean Huang had with Giorgia Lupi, an information designer, advocate for Data Humanism, and a partner at Pentagram.

May 15, 2020 | 51 min

Episode 10: Amanda Makulec on Communicating COVID-19 Data

Amanda Makulec shares her expertise with Lee-Sean Huang about how to design, visualize, and interpret data related to the COVID-19 / Coronavirus pandemic.

March 18, 2020 | 46 min

Episode 9: David Carroll on Data Rights

Design educator, data rights advocate, and recovering entrepreneur David Carroll talks with Lee-Sean Huang about the challenges that digital platforms pose to privacy, democracy, and beyond.

March 9, 2020 | 39 min

Episode 8: Rinat Sherzer on Biomimicry and Gender in Design

Interdisciplinary biotech engineer, social entrepreneur and designer Rinat Sherzer talks with Lee-Sean Huang about biomimicry and gender in design.

March 2, 2020 | 42 min

Episode 7: Sloan Leo on Community Building as Design Practice

Community centered design strategist Sloan Leo chats with Lee-Sean Huang about community building as design practice and the intersections of social innovation and justice. Sloan is director of social innovation at The Vaid Group, designer in residence at MFA Design for Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts, and a board member of AIGA New York.

Feb 12, 2020 | 14 min

Episode 6: Paul Pangaro on Design for/as Conversation

Paul Pangaro has been thinking about and working on design and conversation, for decades now. In this episode he discusses why conversation matters for design, ethics, artificial intelligence, and more.
Read More

Jan 31, 2020 | 21 min

Episode 5: Deborah Littlejohn and Randa Hadi, Data, Damn Lies, and Disruption

Professor Deb Littlejohn demystifies the buzzword "Big Data" and explains why she has her students tell lies with data. Later MFA student, Randa Hadi opens up about her hopes and fears for the design profession.

Jan 23, 2020 | 13 min

Episode 4: Kim Erwin, healthcare delivery designer and researcher

Kim Erwin, co-director for the Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design.

Jan 15, 2020 | 41 min

Episode 3: Miya Osaki and Tina Park, Healthcare Experience Designers, Educators, and Podcasters

Miya Osaki and Tina Park of Diagram, a design studio dedicated to improving healthcare experiences and outcomes by seeing through the eyes of patients.

Dec 23, 2019 | 39 min

Episode 2: Jack Roberts, Cherokee author, designer, educator, and filmmaker

Lee-Sean Huang talks to designer, filmmaker and author Jack Roberts.

Dec 17, 2019 | 16 min

Episode 1: Sarah Gibbons and Jodi Forlizzi, AIGA Design Conference 2020 Speakers

Sarah Gibbons, chief designer at Nielsen Norman Group and Jodi Forlizzi, Geschke Director and a professor in the Human Computer Interaction institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Building Partnerships With A Vibrant Community

The National Partnership Program is about leadership, relevance, and impact—with, within, and through design—to build and sustain programs, initiatives, and resources that champion a more contemporary and inclusive profession.