Design is Human

Elayne DeLeo speaks with Terence Lester about homelessness, Love Beyond Walls & The Dignity Museum in Atlanta. Terence stands as a beacon of compassion and advocacy in the realm of social justice. With an unyielding commitment to uplifting underserved populations, he founded Love Beyond Walls, a non-profit organization that ambitiously seeks to humanize the stories of the homeless and dismantle systemic poverty. Their initiatives span from mobile makeovers for the homeless to providing resources for education and empowerment. One of the most groundbreaking initiatives by Love Beyond Walls is the Dignity Museum. Unlike any conventional museum, it immersively showcases the stories, challenges, and aspirations of those facing homelessness, bridging the divide of understanding between society and its marginalized members. By placing a spotlight on the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their socio-economic status, the Dignity Museum reshapes narratives, fostering empathy and reminding visitors of the shared human experience that binds us all. Lester’s work is a poignant reminder that in the pursuit of justice and equality, love can indeed move beyond walls, transcending barriers and uniting communities.

Elayne DeLeo speaks with designer John Ferguson on how taking an elective class in desktop publishing at his Atlanta public school sparked his path to becoming a digital design professional, the importance of mentorship for young students who may not see design as a career path, why Atlanta is the cultural capital of the US (and how it may be failing in design), and creating the Black Bauhaus movement to celebrate the work of black designers. John Ferguson is Design Director at Work & Co, based in the agency's Atlanta office. During his tenure at Work & Co, he’s shaped breakthrough products for clients such as The Home Depot, Traeger, and Vistaprint. An art director and graphic designer by training, John has worked at agencies including SapientNitro, Ogilvy, Razorfish, Huge, and Goods & Services. He is also the founder of the Black Bauhaus Mvmt, inspired by the artistic sensibilities and ethos of the Bauhaus style and the social and cultural influences of the Black Panther Party, and creative director of production/creative company Bold Honey, founded by his daughter Priah Ferguson. www.BlackBauhaus.com https://work.co/ Affordable or free design schools and resources mentioned in podcast: https://www.usefulschool.com/ https://www.scopeofwork.co/ https://oneschoolus.com/

Speakers: Ruth Stevens, Chairman, The Potters House CBO/APT Kenya Cath Barton, Pediatric Physiotherapist APT Kenya is a project run by The Potter’s House CBO since February 2022 addressing this need by using Appropriate Paper Technology (APT) as a low cost and sustainable solution to make seating and standing devices for disabled children in Kenya.APT devices help the child to maintain a comfortable and functional position in either sitting or standing. This good positioning is proven to help prevent contractures and spinal deformities, and can improve digestion, bowel function, and maintain skin integrity. The equipment also enables the child to play and communicate with those around them, increasing both the amount and the quality of their participation in home activities, as well as increasing independence, communication and quality of life.

Elayne DeLeo talks to designer and author of Superhuman by Design, Donald Burlock, Jr on his path from dreaming of designing airplanes to experience and brand designer, how to make organizations understand and activate around the value of design process, and why empathy is not the primary motivator for good design. Donald Burlock, Jr. is an in-demand design leader with more than ten years of experience creating strategies and game-changing results in the marketplace. Donald has launched highly-awarded global campaigns and helped top organizations like Coca-Cola, IDEO, Dolby Labs, and Capital One deliver innovative design solutions to diverse audiences. He has contributed to multiple design outlets and regularly speaks on creativity and design thinking. Currently, he works as a Sr. UX Designer at Lab126 and has recently published a book on his creative journey called Superhuman by Design: Keys to Unlocking Your Creativity for Game-Changing Results. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a Master of Industrial Design degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Good, the Bad, and Ugly of Artificial Intelligence Elisa Celis is an assistant professor in the Statistics & Data Science department at Yale University. She studies the manifestation of social and economic biases in our online lives via the algorithms that encode and perpetuate them. Her research leverages both experimental and theoretical approaches, and her work spans multiple disciplines including data science, machine learning, fairness in socio-technical systems and algorithm design. At Yale she co-founded the Computation and Society Initiative. Elayne DeLeo talks with Elisa Celis, an artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and professor on the inherent biases encoded in AI and how social platforms like Facebook are lulling users into a false sense of security around their personal data. She discusses how data such as facial recognition is being used and misused, how Facebook and other platforms leverage user patterns to feed a larger percentage of emotional content to users, why ethical AI practitioners need to play a major role on digital platforms, and how these platforms know more than you think they know including how you might be thinking about getting a divorce.

Elayne DeLeo speaks with Jason James, VP of Design for Instacart about his path to a career in design and the reality of "imposter syndrome" when success comes early. He also shares his insights on how businesses need to leverage design to build culture and foster collaboration, what he does to spark creativity in his team and for himself, and the design thinking and principles underlying Instacart’s approach to COVID and how they continue to guide their design into the future. Bio: Jason James (he/him) is VP of Design at Instacart, a grocery delivery and pick-up service. He leads the evolution of products and brand, along with research. Previously, he served as VP of Design at Thumbtack, a marketplace for connecting homeowners and local professionals to get projects done. He developed brand and product design across their marketplace. He also was an early design leader at Earnest, Intercom, Kin, and DoneDone. Jason is currently a mentor at Made in the Future, a program for emerging under-represented designers. There he helps mentees build their careers and get to the next level. He studied Design & Visual Communications at Northern Illinois University and studied Graphic Design abroad at Akademia Sztuk Pięknych in Poland. Jason shares time between Oakland and Chicago with his wife and two cats – Whiskey and Ringo. See his articles on Medium: A Framework for Deciding Your Next Job and 5 Myths About Design Management

Elayne DeLeo has a conversation with Andrew Graves, Director of Ortus Economic Research on what defines a design economy, the data and outcomes of his research for the Design Council UK, how design is key to future economic growth and positive societal change, and why cities should invest in a study of their creative industries to understand the impact of design on business growth, real estate value, new investments, employment, GVA and exports, policy decisions, and the use and under-use of design within the economy. About Andrew Graves Andrew Graves is an economic development strategy and research consultant with 25 years’ experience of evidencing, designing and evaluating public policies, strategies, programmes and projects. He has worked in consultancy his entire career, working closely with clients from a range of organisations and across many disciplines to improve economic outcomes for places and sectors. Andrew brings a wide range of skills – technical, analytical and process – to assess the economic performance and potential of places, sectors, and markets, and to develop solutions for delivering increased competitiveness, productivity and economic resilience. In 2015, the Design Council UK commissioned Andrew and Ortus to deliver new insight into the skills held by designers across the economy and how these link to productivity, innovation and economic performance for the UK economy. In 2017, MA!, the organizer of Atlanta Design Festival commissioned Ortus to conduct a 1st phase of research on the economic impact of design and creative industries in Atlanta with plans for a full study to be completed by Q1 2022. www.ortuser.co.uk

In our last podcast of 2020, Elayne DeLeo spoke with multidisciplinary designer and researcher Victoria Ayo. They discuss why designers need to create with intention for greater equity, and her research on maternal mortality in the United States and how it disproportionately affects black women across all socioeconomic levels. This research led her to create the pregnancy care app Kindred that provides doula-informed care and support for a fully supportive pregnancy experience available to all mothers. Victoria is a multidisciplinary designer and researcher based out of New York City. She is native New Yorker with roots in Georgia and a passion for great food! She studied Digital Media at the Georgia Institute of Technology before returning to New York to work as an Experience Design Consultant designing for Bulge Bracket Investment banks, Supermarkets, Agencies and more. She recently completed her MFA in Products of Design at the School of Visual Arts where she explored the ways design could be used to create more equitable maternal healthcare for black women. She is currently designing listening experiences at Spotify. www.victoriaayo.com

Elayne DeLeo spoke with Catherine Clark, architect and President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)-USA and former Chair of the New York Chapter of the RIBA-USA. They discuss how architects must take the lead in addressing climate change (and pandemics) through the built environment, her mission and plans for expanding RIBAs role and membership in the US, how identity influences how young architects view joining industry organizations like RIBA and AIA, and why now is the best time for architects to experiment and create buildings that inspire and uplift the spirit. Catherine has lived and worked as an architect in NY for over 15 years and is the Director of BArC Studio. Her work has been featured in RIBA Journal, Building Design as well as the books Design Brooklyn - an overview of the best architectural and design projects across the borough and The Culture of Practice, which is a snapshot of architectural practice culture from around the world. BArC Studio's design for a Brooklyn restaurant was distilled into an icon for the critic’s review in the New Yorker Magazine. Her experience ranges from master-planning in Hampshire, UK to leading the design of New York’s first ‘Green School’. Catherine studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL and is an examiner for the RIBA Part 3 exams.

Elayne DeLeo spoke to Carla Swickerath, Partner at Studio Libeskind about the rewards of working closely with government, 9/11 families and businesses on Libeskind's World Trade Center Master Plan, how COVID-19 has laid bare the inequities of our communities and the importance of having designers contribute to big solutions, and some advice for architecture grads coming into an uncertain future. www.libeskind.com

Dr. Pierce Gordon—An innovation catalyst, researcher, facilitator, and evaluator. He specializes in interdisciplinary research that unpacks how communities value, support, and practice innovation in social justice and international development. His research and consultation work has worked to track and support the field's spread, complexity, and emergence. Whether conducting ethnographic analyses and facilitation projects in the Botswana innovation ecosystem, or by co-founding Reflex Design Collective, an equity design consultancy that's worked for creative social justice in the Bay Area, his core aim is to critically catalyze good social change. Elayne DeLeo spoke to Dr. Gordon about the differences between innovation and design, the history and hidden perceptions behind wearing masks, how design is a political act, how oppressed and underserved communities have been creating their own design solutions for thousands of years, and why he believes the alien in the 2018 film "Annihilation" is a metaphor for design. www.piercegordon1.com

Jonas Pettersson—CEO of the award winning design firm Form Us With Love, spoke with Elayne DeLeo about the collaborative process between their design team and the brands they work with, why sustainability and designing for a better world is key to their success, and how the name Form Us With Love started as a joke, but has become their raison d'etre. www.formuswithlove.se

Atlanta commercial real estate broker and cultural developer Gene Kansas joins MA!'s Elayne DeLeo for a conversation on how his childhood in the gumbo of New Orleans inspired his love of storytelling, his work to save the historic Atlanta Daily World Building in Sweet Auburn, and the responsibility of developers and humankind to create "affordable everything". In his 20+ years in Atlanta commercial real estate — and inspired by a colorful, deep-fried, parade-filled, culturally rich upbringing in New Orleans, LA — Gene Kansas has garnered a reputation as a champion of historic preservation, adaptive reuse, community building, and storytelling through the built environment. Each Gene Kansas project aims to blend an appreciation of culture and history with creative, responsible, and vital refashioning that brings new relevance to space and how it is used by clients, neighborhoods, and the city. https://www.genekansas.com/

Chris Hardy is an American industrial designer based in Atlanta. Born in Houston in 1984, he pursued an education of design, receiving a BFA in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies and a Masters of Design from the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. After returning to the United States in 2009, he began his career as a freelance designer collaborating with furniture and lighting manufacturers as well as interior design firms. His work has been exhibited at Salone de Mobile in Milan, Frankfurt Light + Building, Neocon in Chicago, Wanted Design during New York Design Week and Montreal’s SIDIM. He has been featured in design publications including: Metropolis, Dwell, Wallpaper, Surface, Architectural Digest, Interior Design, Frame, Hospitality Design, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. http://www.chrishardydesign.com/ Photo credit Kevin Adams