On this Clever Extra, we peek under the surface of the most defining patterns of the last century. Formica is a decorative laminate so ubiquitous its patterns have come to serve as a record of history and visual representation of our collective consciousness through the years. Meghan Howell, Creative Director with Formica, and Art Director and Editor of the book Beyond Boomerang: A Celebration of 110 Years of Formica Patterns by Shawn Patrick Tubb, takes us on the Formica team’s investigative mission into the backstories, and shares the revelations, controversies, and questions contained within our most recognizable surfaces.

Images, links and more from Meghan!

Please visit Formica.com to learn more about Beyond Boomerang: A Celebration of 110 Years of Formica Patterns by Shawn Patrick Tubb.

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

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We're taking the summer off to recharge our creative batteries. Please enjoy some of our favorite episodes and we'll be back in the fall with more fantastic Clever episodes!

Airbnb Co-Founder & CEO, Brian Chesky, grew up playing hockey and asking Santa for poorly designed toys so he could redesign them. A self-described “peculiar” kid obsessed with art, no one pegged him as a future CEO. He studied industrial design at RISD where he also met his future business partner. After soaring global success, Airbnb, having suffered dramatic losses due to coronavirus, is getting back to its creative values and making meaningful contributions in the modern crisis of connection.

Images, links and more from Brian!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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OK, first of all, we know the question you're asking: why are we talking to Terry Crews on a design podcast? We first spotted him on the scene during this year's Milan Design Week and then again in NYC for NYCxDesign... and that got us thinking the same question as you—what's he doing hanging around the design scene? Well... besides being a former NFL linebacker, and an actor, writer, and many other things, Terry Crews is also a talented artist and a design patron. As you can imagine, we were excited and we knew we had to get the scoop.

In this episode, Terry recounts his adventures in furniture design, including the genesis of his new design label Amen & Amen, co-founded with fashion designer Nana Boateng (see pics below). In the process, he slings some serious wisdom and infects us with his super-contagious lust for life. His high-octane enthusiasm and charisma is like jet fuel for your brain. 

Images, links and more from Terry!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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Brooklyn-based podcaster Avery Trufelman has radio in her DNA. Her parents met while working at WNYC, so from birth she was nurtured with love and appreciation for radio. As a teenager, Avery took to expressing herself through wild, quirky thrifted fashion ensembles, much to the confusion of her peers. After cutting her audio teeth in college radio, Avery submitted a midnight application to intern at 99% Invisible and moved across the country to work in a closet with Roman Mars in beautiful downtown Oakland. When 99pi and the field of podcasting blew up, Avery was on the rocket ship. She’s since created an acclaimed 2-season series, Articles of Interest, around iconic items of clothing – which makes her teenage sartorial obsessions all add up – and worked on Nice Try! and The Cut. She’s a dynamic and thoughtful voice in the podcasting landscape, as always, making distinctive and bold style choices.

Images, links and more from Avery!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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Streetwear designer Bobby Hundreds grew up as a minority of a minority, being both Korean-American and into the socal skate punk scene. He loved to draw, but was not encouraged to pursue the arts so he got a law degree instead. When he started The Hundreds with a classmate, it took off like a rocket and he learned to fight like both an underdog and a champion. With the soul of a storyteller, he uses his voice—zines, blog, film, book—to champion the streetwear ecosystem.

Images and more from our guest!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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Only child Cheryl Durst grew up with a tribe of imaginary friends at her side. Her scientist mom and professor dad encouraged this, since it helped with her stutter and soothed her loneliness. A deep love of learning and art pulled her to the Smithsonian museums to work as an educator, before joining IIDA over 25 years ago! At the helm of IIDA, she’s moved interior design forward, as a profession and as a value to society.

Images, links and more from Cheryl!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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Multidisciplinary designer, Raphael Navot, grew up in homes built by his dad, inventing creative escapist activities with his siblings. After the success of Silencio, a Paris nightclub collaboration with David Lynch, he did the opposite of what many expected - turned down the flood of offers and took time off to reconnect with himself and his purpose. Many notable projects later, he remains deeply rooted in a practice informed by curiosity, care and intention.

Images, links and more from Raphael!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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Creative powerhouse, Maria Giudice, grew up on Staten Island painting portraits of dogs. Teens ushered in the wonderfully weird world of Rocky Horror Picture Show and the flourishing of her wildly independent, creative spirit. In the Bay Area she founded Hot Studio, a pioneering human-centered experience design practice. Now she’s harnessing all her wisdom and experience to cultivate changemakers.

Images, links and more from Maria!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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Multidisciplinary designer, Rodolfo Agrella, grew up in Venezuela with a happy place at a kid-sized table. A self-described weirdo and excellent dancer, he put it all to work as a social butterfly. Now at the helm of an award-winning studio designing products, interiors and experiences, he’s on a steady and colorful streak translating the vibrancy of the tropics into a universal design language.

Images, links and more from Rodolfo!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!

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Germane Barnes knew he’d be an architect at age 6, before he even knew what that meant.

Growing up playing basketball, he honed skills he now deftly deploys in his creative practice.

After a tumultuous period spurred by devastating loss, he has taken the architecture world by storm. He’s swept the most prestigious prizes and is poised to become one of the most notable architects of our lifetime.

Images, links and more from Germane on cleverpodcast.com!

Clever is hosted and produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Rich Stroffolino, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.

If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!

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VISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodes

SAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.