Design Exchange with Thomas Grové

Design Exchange with Thomas Grové

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Design Exchange with Thomas Grové episodes

  • DXP-028: Jon Deragon - UX Design, Coffee Culture, and Living Life in Vietnam
    UX Design, Coffee Culture, and Living Life in Vietnam

    Jon is currently Head of FPT Design at FPT Software in Vietnam. In this beer-fueled conversation, we talk about design, but as often happens with beer, the topics veer more towards life, freedom versus safety, and living abroad.

    This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/xQpp43z2_Ag

    Jon's Links:
    • https://jonderagon.com/
    • https://cafescene.com/
      • Thomas's Links:
      • My indie games: https://okipoo.com/
      • The best bag for the Nintendo Switch: https://sefu.jp/switch-bag
      • Listen to the podcast: https://dxsaigon.com/podcast/
        • Table of Contents:
        • 0:00:00 - Teaser
        • 0:00:25 - Intro
        • 0:01:51 - Jon's History in Vietnam
        • 0:10:36 - Saigon's Dynamism
        • 0:21:05 - Saigon's Evolution in Term of Design
        • 0:26:43 - Concept of Countries and Borders in The Future
        • 0:37:29 - Things as They Are in Local People's Perspective
        • 0:42:46 - Effects of Vietnam on Jon's Skin and Ears
        • 0:48:59 - The Dark Side of Globalization
        • 0:53:45 - Consciousness vs Business
        • 1:01:05 - Safety vs Freedom
        • 1:13:55 - Safety vs "Being Alive"
        • 1:20:25 - Summary
        • 1:22:08 - Outro
          • 1 hr 23 min
        • DXP-027: Julien Noyer - Hypnotherapy, Super Heroes, and Productivity Myths
          Hypnotherapy, Super Heroes, and Productivity Myths

          Julien Noyer is a former VJ and motion graphics designer and currently a practicing hypnotherapist in France. Thomas caught up with Julien in Vietnam, before the pandemic started, to learn about hypnotherapy and to vent his neuroticism on camera ;)

          Julien's Links:
          • https://julien-noyer.com/
          • https://www.facebook.com/julien.noyer.hypnotherapy/videos

            • This episode is also available as a video: https://youtu.be/dEFhhwFD2XA

            Table of Contents:
            • 0:01:02 - How Thomas met Julien
            • 0:03:01 - Learning to become a hypnotherapist
            • 0:10:36 - What is (and what is not) hypnotherapy
            • 0:16:20 - Hypnotherapy session
            • 0:25:20 - Hypnotherapy won't make you another person
            • 0:28:41 - TIps for creative people
            • 0:36:01 - About the feeling of not doing
            • 0:44:11 - Ethics is relative
            • 0:49:24 - Action movies and the Disneyfication of drama
            • 0:56:59 - Leisure times
            • 0:59:24 - Zen meditation and falling out of enlightenment
            • 1:04:00 - Dealing with assholes: Curb Your Enthusiasm and driving in Vietnam
            • 1:07:37 - Being too critical; Thomas's identity as a designer, growing beyond personality types
            • 1:11:46 - Driving in Vietnam, communicating anger through actions
            • 1:17:31 - Women and jealousy
            • 1:23:53 - Constant change
            • 1:26:07 - Outro
              • 0 min
            • DXP-026: Hiroshi Hachiga - Running a Climbing Gym in Japan
              Running a Bouldering Gym in Japan

              Hachi-san is the founder of Travis Bouldering Studio, located in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan.

              This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/gQ6NL3sfccU

              Hachi's Links:
              • http://travisbouldering.com/
              • https://www.instagram.com/travis_bouldering_studio/
              • https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGgEH-9thyCDPFy2ADfuITg/videos
                • Table of Contents:

                0:00:00 - Start

                0:00:29 - Intro
                0:01:36 - The State of Japan During Corona Virus
                0:06:46 - Opening a Climbing Gym After 1 Year of Practice
                0:11:51 - Difficulties to Open a Climbing Gym
                0:18:17 - Travis Bouldering Studio's Location
                0:25:59 - Comparison with Other Climbing Gyms
                0:30:31 - Lead Climbing
                0:34:40 - Designing Climbing Walls
                0:43:31 - Designing Climbing Routes
                0:51:37 - Why Does Hachi Speak English?
                1:01:19 - PayPay and Cash in Japan and Pricing at Travis Studio
                1:08:41 - Customers' Habits
                1:12:46 - Marketing Travis Bouldering Studio
                1:14:12 - Outro

                Tags:

                bouldering, rock climbing, climbing gym, bouldering gym, Kansai, Japan, Osaka, Hirakatashi, entrepreneurship, design, podcast, design exchange, Hiroshi Hachi, Thomas Grové

                1 hr 16 min
              • DXP-025: Daryl Villanueva - The Business of Sci-Fi Motorbike Design
                The Business of Sci-Fi Motorbike Design

                Daryl Villanueva is the owner of Bandit9, a motorbike design company based in Vietnam. His designs are unlike any other bikes out there. In this episode of the Design Exchange Podcast, we talk about his approach to design and business and get a sneak peek at some of his latest designs.

                Daryl's Links:
                • https://bandit9.com/
                • https://www.instagram.com/bandit9_/

                  • Special thanks to Royal Enfield Vietnam for allowing us to film there! https://royalenfieldvietnam.vn/

                  This episode is also available as a video: https://youtu.be/NIPM7SdzdgE

                  Table of Contents:

                  00:00 - Teaser

                  00:33 - Intro
                  04:07 - Building Motorbikes
                  10:58 - Inspiration for Sci-Fi Bikes
                  16:22 - Advertising Motorcycles
                  20:03 - American Chopper and Taking Your First Steps as an Entrepreneur
                  25:22 - From China to Vietnam
                  28:07 - Next Projects for Bandit9
                  30:56 - Advice for Designers - from Sketch to Prototype
                  35:36 - Electric Vehicles, Motorbikes, DIY, and Cyber Truck
                  42:29 - Dealing with Haters, Criticism in Design, and Designing for a Niche
                  46:16 - The Reason for Producing 9 Bikes per Design
                  48:34 - Luxury vs Mass Production as a Business Strategy
                  54:08 - Managing Clients and Mitigating Risk
                  59:40 - Different Kinds of Financial Concerns for Startups
                  1:08:14 - Managing Work-Life Balance
                  1:19:18 - Book Project
                  1:24:08 - Outro

                  1 hr 26 min
                • DXP-024: Tung Khi / Crazy Monkey
                  Videogames, VJing, and Growing A Motion Graphics Studio

                  Tung Khi is the founder and creative director of Box, a motion graphics design studio based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

                  special note: Tung has a thick accent, so we highly recommend watching the video version of this episode: There are subtitles you can read-along with and examples of Box's motions graphics are projected on the wall behind us throughout the interview. You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/yBFEHgc0Vs0

                  Tung's Links:
                  • https://www.theboxcollective.tv/
                  • https://www.instagram.com/theboxcollectivevietnam/
                  • https://www.crazymonkey.vn/
                  • https://www.instagram.com/tungcrazymonkey/
                    • Software Tung Uses:
                    • https://www.notch.one/
                    • https://smode.fr/
                      • Podcast Links:
                      • http://dxsaigon.com/podcast/dxp-024
                      • https://youtu.be/yBFEHgc0Vs0
                      • https://sefu.jp/switch-bag/
                        • Table of Contents:

                        00:00 - Teaser

                        01:09 - What is the Box Collective
                        03:22 - Tung's Early Career
                        07:24 - From Employee to Company Owner - Using Your Connections
                        09:10 - Team Growth, New Offices, and New Branding
                        11:56 - Where to Find Box on The Internet
                        14:13 - Typical Box Work and Box Clients
                        18:18 - Tung'Style
                        23:13 - Chuck Csuri
                        24:09 - Projecting on Murals
                        25:12 - Differences between Hanoi and Saigon
                        28:20 - Personal Work vs Corporate Work
                        30:50 - Scaling a Creative Company
                        32:38 - Typical Staff Background
                        33:46 - Good Clients vs Bad Clients
                        36:12 - Video Games: Arcades and Emulators
                        38:07 - The Story of The Switch Bag
                        38:59 - Consequences of Aging
                        44:02 - The Joe Rogan Experience and Elon Musk
                        45:05 - Tesla vs Vinfast
                        49:54 - Why Starbucks and McDonalds struggle in Vietnam
                        53:27 - The Nintendo Switch: Reigniting Videogame Love
                        57:06 - Design of The Switch Lite
                        58:04 - Crossplay - Fortnite and Fantasy Strike
                        1:00:09 - Unity vs Unreal
                        1:03:17 - Software Used for Motion Graphics and VJing
                        1:04:33 - Outro

                        1 hr 7 min
                      • DXP-023: Rafael Masters
                        Designing Affordable, Modular, Prosthetic Limbs and Building Humans

                        Rafael Masters is the CEO of Vulcan Augmetics, a Vietnam-based startup that develops affordable, adaptable, and upgradable robotic arms.

                        Links:

                        https://www.wearevulcan.com/

                        https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-masters-81276678/

                        Table of Contents:

                        00:00 - Intro

                        01:51 - Affordable Prosthetics
                        11:44 - Design Concerns to Make Prosthetics More Affordable
                        19:07 - Customer's Journey
                        29:39 - Amputee's Mental Acceptance
                        36:06 - Company's Journey
                        46:14 - Elon Musk / Tessla's Cyber Truck Design
                        52:21 - First 2 Years of Operations and Investment
                        59:57 - Design for Maintainance, Practicality, and Dignity
                        1:07:35 - Outro

                        Episode Hashtags:

                        #Augmetics, #Prosthetics, #Robotics, #3dprinting, #Entrepreneurship, #Startup, #Vietnam, #Affordable, #Design, #DXP

                        This podcast is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/MLRoTsqeBRw

                        1 hr 10 min
                      • DXP-022: Aaron Shinn
                        Designing and Marketing Delicious Tea

                        Aaron Shinn is a former #IDEO design lead and the cofounder of August Uncommon Tea who has been a dear friend for many years. We caught up on the streets of Osaka to discuss #futurism, Japan, and the nuts and bolts of designing and selling #tea.

                        Links:

                        https://www.aaronshinn.com/

                        https://www.instagram.com/ashinn/
                        https://august.la/
                        https://www.instagram.com/augustuncommon/
                        https://www.facebook.com/AugustUncommon/

                        Table of Contents:

                        00:00 - Start

                        00:50 - Intro to Aaron Shinn
                        01:40 - Dontonbori is the Fisherman's Wharf of Osaka
                        01:52 - Japan Neon, the 80's Future, and a Newer Future in Other Places
                        03:47 - Aaron Shinn is one of Thomas Grové's Design Mentors
                        04:40 - KPT Bryce and 90's Art Tools
                        06:21 - Realtime Rendering, VJing, Cloaking, Crazy Monkey
                        08:21 - August Uncommon Tea
                        09:15 - Availability in Japan
                        10:16 - The Economics of Running and Scaling A Tea Business
                        16:01 - Acquiring Customers through Advertising: Retargeting vs Prospecting
                        19:46 - Why Did Aaron and Gina Get into the Tea Business? And Where August Fits Amongst the Different Types of Tea Markets.
                        28:36 - The Process of Developing a Tea Flavor and the Link between Taste and Smell
                        34:06 - How Are People Preparing and Drinking August Tea?
                        39:35 - Random People Join the Fun pt 1
                        41:38 - Aaron Shinn's Role at August
                        46:27 - This is a Record of This Conversation
                        47:20 - Neil Stephenson - Cryptonomicon - Tea and Why Oversteaping Tea Makes It Bitter
                        53:20 - Can You Cold Brew Flavored Teas?
                        55:27 - The Development Process - What Percentage of New Blends are Failures?
                        1:00:26 - Customer Service and Dealing with Negative Feedback
                        1:10:05 - Random People Interaction Pt 3
                        1:10:54 - Tools for Ecommerce Pt 2
                        1:12:05 - Aaron Shinn Says Japan is a Different World. And Hiking the Kumonokodo Pilgrimage Trail.
                        1:14:03 - Outro

                        This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/6XuDLZQvO9Y

                        1 hr 16 min
                      • DXP-021: Dan Cooney - The Encore
                        Acting, Directing, and Running a Theatre Company

                        Dan Cooney is a professional actor, a director, and the founder of The Encore, a musical theatre company in Dexter, Michigan.

                        Episode Links:

                        • https://www.theencoretheatre.org

                        • https://www.facebook.com/Encore.Musical.Theatre

                          Table of Contents:

                          • 00:00 - Teaser

                          • 00:15 - Intro to Dan Cooney

                          • 00:50 - Dan's Acting Path

                          • 05:37 - A Pro Actor at Acting School

                          • 07:50 - "Schmackting"

                          • 11:47 - Difference between Acting on Stage and on Camera

                          • 13:30 - Advice for Aspiring Actors

                          • 20:38 - Learning acting and singing

                          • 25:34 - Advice for Young Actors - Meditation, Observation, Learn Yourself

                          • 30:06 - About Method Actors

                          • 34:18 - Directing

                          • 42:29 - Show Preparation

                          • 50:31 - From Acting to Directing

                          • 54:48 - Why Encore is Moving to a Bigger Space

                          • 58:12 - The Economic Effects of a Theater in a Community

                          • 1:02:18 - Outro

                            This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/GSw1FSvzz08

                            The Design Exchange Podcast is produced by dxSaigon.

                            1 hr 4 min
                          • DXP-020: Leo Huynh
                            Boutique Fashion Design in Vietnam

                            Leo Huynh is the founder and designer of the Sinhtolina fashion brand. She makes the clothes that she wants to wear, characterized by comfortable open-back dresses suitable for warm weather.

                            Leo's Links:
                            • https://www.instagram.com/sinhtolina/
                            • https://www.facebook.com/Sinhtolina
                              • Table of Contents:
                              • 0:00:27 - Intro - Vietnamese and Spanish Names
                              • 0:03:55 - The Genesis of a Fashion Brand
                              • 0:06:40 - Challenges with Sizing
                              • 0:12:14 - Femininity in Fashion across Different Cultures and Ages
                              • 0:19:20 - Thomas Thinks Confidence is Sexy
                              • 0:22:52 - Leo's Design and Business Background
                              • 0:30:23 - Influencer Marketing
                              • 0:33:36 - Comparing Interior Design and Fashion Design
                              • 0:40:53 - Shrinking Issues
                              • 0:44:37 - Thomas's Frustration with Mass Production
                              • 0:53:42 - Brand Positioning
                              • 0:56:46 - Finding Inspiration, Human Observations, Corporate Creative Life
                              • 1:00:59 - Where Can You Find Sinhtolina?
                              • 1:03:05 - Origin of the Sinhtolina Name
                              • 1:05:34 - Outro

                                • This episode of the Design Exchange Podcast is also available to watch as a video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/lhecO_8DxwQ

                                Tags: Fashion, Design, Dress Design, Saigon, Vietnam, Sinhtolina, Leo Huynh, Design Exchange, Podcast, DXP, Business, Entrepreneurship,

                                1 hr 8 min
                              • DXP-019: Vi Ton
                                Running a Design Agency in Vietnam

                                Vi Ton is co-founder and CEO of Studio BCA (Bo Cong Anh / Dandylion) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

                                Vi's Links:
                                • https://studioboconganh.com/
                                • https://www.facebook.com/StudioBCA
                                • https://www.linkedin.com/in/vi-ton-b07b9626/
                                  • Table of Contents:
                                  • 00:33 - Intro
                                  • 01:04 - Vi's Journey
                                  • 10:33 - Business partnership
                                  • 14:41 - Voice User Interface Design
                                  • 22:54 - Artificial Assistants for Design
                                  • 31:28 - Personal Implication in Entrepreneurship
                                  • 37:05 - Human Resource Management
                                  • 41:23 - Business and Identity Design
                                  • 46:42 - Outro

                                    • This episode is also available to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/-GRqScEw6WQ

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                                    49 min

                                  About Design Exchange with Thomas Grové

                                  From the publisher's feed

                                  Thomas is a veteran of the video game industry and founder of the Séfu fashion brand. Join him as he interviews people around the world working in creative fields to find out what gets them out of bed in the morning.