Working at the intersection of user experience, visual communication, creative leadership and systems thinking, Hiroki Asai blends his design talent and love for travel as Airbnb’s Chief Experience Officer. Evan and Josh recently visited San Francisco and participated in the full ecosystem of what the company is offering before sitting down with Asai to talk about skateboarding, modernism, local cuisine and travel adventures. They got a special look at how important and impactful end-to-end design is at Airbnb.

This episode is available in video at coolhunting.com/design-tangents

This Old Ledge: Skate History and Architecture in SF

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/5915329

Hyperlocal, foraged fare by Clair

https://www.airbnb.com/services/6068057

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As a young chef Nobu began working in Peru and quickly embraced a lack of traditional Japanese ingredients as an opportunity to innovate using local flavors. This fusion of cuisine and culture birthed what later became known as “Nobu style.” Today there are more than 80 Nobu restaurants and hotels around the world. Some might call this an empire—to Nobu, it’s a family. Josh and Evan caught up with Chef Nobu recently in Maui during the opening weekend of Nobu Maui at the Grand Wailea Hotel. Together they talked about his travel routines, grounding philosophies, respect for place and generosity of heart.

Nobu Restaurants

Nobu Hotels

Nobu: A Memoir

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Wyna Liu is a puzzle editor who is responsible for creating the New York Times games’ “Connections” and also creates crossword puzzles there, for The New Yorker, and AV Club. When she’s not making her challenging, sharable and meme-worthy games she creates jewelry inspired by crystalline structures, often incorporating magnets pushed to the edge of their tension. Evan and Josh sat down with Wyna recently and learned about her love of puzzles and explore how they play into the wearable jewelry and sculptures she creates.

https://www.wynaliu.com

https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections

https://itp.nyu.edu/itp/

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Some are born with good taste, and Teo Yang is one of them. Among South Korea’s most interesting designers and collectors, he consistently studies the country’s past to find inspiration and connection to its present and future. His interior design practice creates private, public and corporate spaces, often filled with an eclectic mix that includes furniture and furnishings that he’s designed. Evan and Josh spent time with Teo in Seoul and more recently caught up with him while he was passing through NYC on his first visit in many years. They spoke with the gifted entrepreneur about how he weaves his vision across multiple businesses, including skin care, fragrances and science fiction.

TeoYangStudio.com

en.Eastern-Edition.com

Instagram.com/TeoYang

CoolHunting.com/TeoYang

en.EathLibrary.com

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This episode was produced by Rob Schulte and Rachel Senatore.

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Apple’s Johnny Manzari and Rich Dinh share insights on the new button and how it helps people capture more photo / video opportunities

Following the release of Apple’s new iPhone 16 we sat down with Johnny Manzari, Designer from the Human Interface Team, and Rich Dinh, Senior Director, Product Design, at Apple HQ to dig in deep to the Camera Control button—how it was developed, what it can do, and how it works—all to help you more easily capture the moments you often miss.

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Growing up in Milan, Paola Antonelli was surrounded by design and became aware of its importance when she noticed things that weren’t well designed. For nearly 30 years Antonelli—an architect, author, editor and podcaster—has been the Design Curator at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. A long-time inspiration for us at COOL HUNTING, we were excited to sit down with her to talk about her perspective on design, what’s exciting her now, current and future MoMA exhibitions, her Design Emergency podcast and her work running the Research and Development department focusing on discourse around life’s moments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paola_Antonelli

https://www.moma.org/about/senior-staff/paola-antonelli

http://momarnd.moma.org/salons/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/design-emergency/id1655108265

Photo by Marton Perkaki

Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.

This episode was produced by Rob Schulte.

Design Tangents is presented by Genesis.

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Jonathan dreamed about being a potter but was thwarted by the advice of others, so after university he started working at a talent agency in NYC, and threw pottery on the side. It didn’t take long for him to listen to his heart and pursue his true calling. Thirty one years later he’s achieved superstar status as a multi-faceted creator and designer with a retail empire and a creative studio that celebrates his unique point of view on living with glamour and style. In this episode Josh and Evan talk to Jonathan about building his eponymous lifestyle brand, the power of yes, flexing vocabulary and keeping it carny.

jonathanadler.com

Instagram.com/JonathanAdler

Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.

This episode was produced by Rob Schulte.

Design Tangents is presented by Genesis.

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A pioneering creative and life-long culture maker, Katie Longmyer is also a talented operator. Known by many as “Good Peoples,” a label given to her during her early club-kid days, that’s exactly the type of person she attracts and it eventually became the name of her events and experiences agency. In this episode Evan and Josh talk to Longmyer about the arc of her career, Co-founding and being the CEO of Proto, community building, Shibari, the future of social media and more. 

katielongmyer.com 

instagram.com/goodpeoples 

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This episode was produced by Rob Schulte with editing assistance from Hannah Viti.

Design Tangents is presented by Genesis.

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During her 22 years at Apple meriko borogove worked on some of the most interesting and transformative products the company has made. If you’ve ever used a camera on an Apple device, then you’re already familiar with some of her work, as she led the camera team for years. A designer, engineer, director and photographer who one colleague labeled a “unicorn” given her epic levels of intelligence, creativity, logic and humanitarianism, she is now leading a future where technology and entertainment increasingly collaborate. In this episode Evan and Josh talk to borogove about the early Apple days, how cameras and photography have evolved, spatial computing, volumetric imaging, live performance and more. Artists and nerds love her and you will too.

merikob.com

scanlabprojects.co.uk 

audienceofthefuture.live/projects/dream

Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.

This episode was produced by Rob Schulte.

Design Tangents is presented by Genesis.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Operating behind the scenes and under the radar Willie Williams has been creating some of the most memorable and talked about experiences and live performances for decades. Josh + Evan caught up with the co-founder of London's Treatment Studio in Las Vegas, where the firm designed both U2’s epic residency at The Sphere and Weekends With Adele at Caesars Palace. In this episode we hear about Williams' work with U2 over the last forty years, his creative process, how the modest technical genius integrates cutting-edge innovation into his projects, the power of reading and more.  

Reference Links:

www.Williewilliams.com

www.treatmentstudio.com

Discover more shows from SURROUND at surroundpodcasts.com.

This episode was produced by Rob Schulte.

Design Tangents is presented by Genesis.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.