In the 2016 documentary The Happy Film, designer Stefan Sagmeister started the film's creative process with one set of expectations and ultimately became a co-director who took multiple risks, and suffered a tremendous loss. During the filmmaking, co-director Hillman Curtis passed away. Stefan's movie about happiness not only forces us to look at his life but also our own lives with a fresh perspective, and it teaches us the importance of coping with harsh, tragic, and unforeseen realities.

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Stefan Sagmeister is an Austrian designer living and working in New York. He received his MFA from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, and as a Fulbright Scholar he earned his MFA in communication design from The Pratt Institute. In 2025 he received an honorary degree from Pratt, the Doctor of Fine Arts, for being a creative and innovative leader in the field. He's also been honored by the AIGA, received a National Design Award from the the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, and exhibited his solo and collaborative designs internationally. Early in his career, Stefan brought new life to music packaging with his memorable, interactive designs for albums by the Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and David Byrne, among others, winning two Grammy Awards. His work is in multiple permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, and he is the author of "Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far" a blend of visual whimsy, serious plan, and sound advice.

https://sagmeister.com/‍ ‍

https://www.grammy.com/artists/stefan-sagmeister/9972‍ ‍

https://www.moma.org/artists/30682-stefan-sagmeister‍ ‍

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The Happy Film (2016)

rent/buy @ Amazon

https://amzn.to/3WIdnb6‍ ‍

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5134870/‍ ‍

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Sagmeister's "Now Is Better"

https://amzn.to/4hP4J49‍ ‍

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Sagmeister's "Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far"

https://amzn.to/49UmPzD‍ ‍

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Other movies and shows discussed:

Comedian (2002)

Movies and guests coming soon! Stefan Sagmeister who talks about his documentary The Happy Film (2006), plus plenty of other awesome guests COMING SOON!

Get ready for upcoming episodes.

WATCH NOW!

The Happy Film (2016) with Stefan Sagmeister

-https://sagmeister.com/

rent or purchase The Happy Film @ Amazon

https://amzn.to/3WIdnb6

Amelie (2002) with Zipeng Zhu

-https://www.instagram.com/zzdesign/

rent or purchase Amelie @ Amazon

https://amzn.to/3LrsvY0

Then, our next episodes, listed alphabetically.

Blade Runner (1982) with Kevin Finn

-https://thesumof.com.au/

Arrival (2006) with Debbie Millman

-https://designmattersmedia.com/

Her (2013) with Weber Wong

-https://weberwong.cargo.site/

Moon (2009) with Andy Pratt

-https://andyprattdesign.com/

Tron (1982) with Tim Lapetino

Tron: Ares (2025) with Tim Lapetino

-https://www.instagram.com/timlapetino/

In a previous episode, illustrator and graphic designer Daisy Koenig talked about what makes David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986) so appealing, and explained why the movie is always on a constant rotation in the back of her mind. In this bonus episode, she talks about other Cronenberg movies that have left a mark.

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Daisy Koenig, a graduate of Winthrop University's design program, is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in Charleston, SC. She just finished painting her first mural for the software engineering company Modus21 and continues to illustrate for a variety of clients.

https://daisykoenig.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisykoe/

https://www.instagram.com/daisykoenigart/

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The Fly (1986) with Daisy Koenig [full episode]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6YBTXs0kpX7wGfIxQbHRnl?si=gxVVTLj7Qc-tRtXlLeeS4g

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designers-on-film/id1758203056?i=1000734355230

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3fbee5b6-f988-436f-889e-0d740fd8969d/episodes/705466c1-ea73-425f-aabc-a2d4a75069b9/designers-on-film-the-fly-1986-with-daisy-koenig

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The Fly (1986)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091064/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0906901/awards/

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

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8971-mutation-as-metaphor-body-horror-s-visceral-transformations

https://collider.com/the-fly-david-cronenberg-production-history-explained/

https://ew.com/movies/2018/10/23/the-fly-mel-brooks-david-cronenberg/

https://www.slashfilm.com/887903/david-cronenberg-and-mel-brooks-had-very-different-visions-for-the-fly-2/

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Challengers (2024)

Crash (1996)

Crimes of the Future (2022)

Dead Ringers (1988)

The Fly II (1989)

Multiplicity (1996)

Saltburn (2023)

Scanners (1981)

Videodrome (1983)

David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986) stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, a brilliant scientist who creates a teleportation process using telepods. Geena Davis, who was Goldblum's real-life partner during the filming, plays the ambitious journalist Veronica who falls in love with Brundle. Coming in at approximately an hour and 36 minutes, Cronenberg's remake of the 1958 movie (which was based on a 1957 short story) packs a lot in, getting right to the mad scientist's lab then plenty of body horror, experiments with flesh, and a bizarre transformation. Brundle, who teleports himself during a drunken pity party, did so with a fly on board. Since the computer doesn't know what to do with these two separate entities, it fuses them, resulting in Brundlefly, and utter tragedy. Daisy Koenig, a graduate of Winthrop University's design program, talks about what makes Cronenberg's The Fly so memorable and why unhappy endings are the best kind.

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Daisy Koenig, a graduate of Winthrop University's design program, is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in Charleston, SC. She just finished painting her first mural for the software engineering company Modus21 and continues to illustrate for a variety of clients.

https://daisykoenig.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisykoe/

https://www.instagram.com/daisykoenigart/

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The Fly (1986)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091064/

https://people.com/movies/geena-davis-says-short-marriage-jeff-goldblum-was-magical-exclusive/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000343/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0486228/

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

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Alien (1979)

Beetlejuice (1988)

The Brood (1979)

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Cosmopolis (2012)

Dead Ringers (1988)

eXistenZ (1999)

The Fly (1958)

Frankenstein (2025)

The Fury (1978)

Hereditary (2018)

Hostel (2005)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Saw (2004)

Scanners (1981)

Spider (2002)

Videodrome (1983)

Wicked (2024)

Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance stay at The Overlook Hotel, caring for the estate during its off-season period. Jack has been outlining a new writing project and believes that five months of peace is just what's needed, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Fortunately, Danny has been mentored by Dick Hallorann, who provides cautionary advice and special instructions such as, "Stay out of Room 237," guidance that helps Danny stay one step ahead of dangers that lie within The Overlook, helping Danny evade the horrors that his father Jack will unleash. Designer, brand strategist, and writer Chris Cureton talks about what makes Stanley Kubrick's The Shining a perfect horror movie, and why writing in and of itself can sometimes be a scary endeavor.

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Designer, brand strategist, and writer Chris Cureton helps executive teams move from confusion to clarity. His forthcoming book, The Five Laws of Brand Design, is a field guide for aligning product, marketing, and sales around one powerful, unified strategy. With nearly 20 years of experience, he's assisted leadership teams by helping them cut through complexity, clarifying their unique value, and confidently going to market. He loves helping CEOs, CMOs, CROs, and COOs build one clear strategy, creating actionable steps for teams.

https://chriscureton.com

https://chriscureton.com/the-five-laws-of-brand-design-book

https://www.instagram.com/chriscureton

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The Shining (1980)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/

https://www.afi.com/news/afi-movie-club-the-shining/

https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-shining/

https://youtu.be/U8wxjIecmD4?si=mhwfxDBqNZuoXRy6&t=292

https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/saul-bass-the-shining

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

The Book of Boba Fett (2021)

Black Panther (2018)

The Exorcist (1973)

Get Out (2017)

Hostel (2005)

The Mandalorian (2019-)

Poltergeist (1982)

Room 237 (2012)

John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)

Tron (1982)

US (2019)

For Zac Lim Eubank, there's only one movie that delivers exceptional sound design, calculated editing, and non-stop tension, and it's Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure. Random acts of violence seem to follow a mysterious, wandering man who appears ghost-like but is very grounded in reality.

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Zac Lim Eubank is Chief Creative Officer at Hyper Rabbit Media, an award-winning video production, interactive, and livestreaming studio. He heads up the creative development and technical direction for Hyper with his wife and CEO Malika Lim Eubank and their full service production company is experienced with livestreaming, virtual production, motion control, scripted or unscripted productions, events coverage, original content creation, and audience engagement and gamification. Zac has over 10 years of creative leadership with video production and community strategy for such clients as Microsoft, Amazon, Nintendo, Twitch, AMC Networks, Mapquest, and more. His prior work includes showrunning Legendary Digital's Geek and Sundry Twitch channel, working with several of Hollywood's top talent.

https://www.hyperrpg.com/

https://www.instagram.com/hyperrpg/

https://www.instagram.com/zaceubank/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-lim-eubank-b62568129/

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Cure (1997)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123948/

https://letterboxd.com/director/kiyoshi-kurosawa/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/19/movies/kiyoshi-kurosawa-primer.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/03/movies/film-in-review-cure.html

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Allegory of the Cave

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

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Collectivism

https://sites.psu.edu/global/2018/11/04/4908/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170118-how-east-and-west-think-in-profoundly-different-ways

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Franz Mesmer, mesmerism

https://exhibits.stanford.edu/super-e/feature/franz-anton-mesmer-1734-1815

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Violence in Film

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

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls076483352/

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Chime (2024)

Dead Ringers (1988)

Heat (1995)

Pulse (2001)

SE7EN (1995)

Smile (2022)

Catalina Z. Olvera recalls seeing Weapons in a jam-packed theater, and observing the movie's villain Aunt Gladys for the first time. We also talk about the difference between seeing a horror movie late at night on a small screen in the darkness of your den, or watching it on the big screen with friends and family, as well as strangers, surrounding you. Plus, we reflect on the way design factors into the investigative work Archer does through observations, drawing with a pen and ruler, and ultimately the diagrammatic reveal.

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Catalina Z. Olvera is a Charlotte-based designer and illustrator who combines strategy, storytelling, and artful design to create work that feels intentional and full of character. She studied Visual Communication Design at Winthrop University and now works at Yellow Duck Marketing, shaping brand systems and crafting custom illustrations. Her experience spans nonprofit initiatives, sustainable beer branding like Renew Brew, and local signage in East Charlotte. A dedicated thrifter, film fan, traveler, and collector of oddities, she has been fascinated by horror since age eight. The 2004 horror film Saw remains a guilty pleasure because nothing says “form and function” quite like a well-designed trap. She is always on the lookout for the unusual, the weird, and the wonderfully unexpected.

https://www.yellowduckmarketing.com/about-yellow-duck-marketing/catalina-olvera/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/designers-on-film/id1758203056?i=1000671582112

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Weapons (2025)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26581740/

https://newuniversity.org/2025/08/23/a-convoluted-review-of-zach-creggers-weapons/

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/weapons-zach-cregger-interview-1235398084/

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The Woodford Slasher

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Joubert_(serial_killer)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-woodford-slasher/id1618014949?i=1000598177430

https://www.aetv.com/articles/serial-killer-myths

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Barbarian (2022)

The Conjuring (2013)

Dead Silence (2007)

Hereditary (2018)

Prisoners (2013)

Saw (2004)

Sinners (2025)

Smile (2022)

Stranger Things (2016-2025)

Director and writer Jasmine Osean Thomas and production designer Kyle Marchiafava talk about Kandie (2025), and how various influences come together to make this unsettling horror movie. Notably, Jasmine and her team use visuals to provide backstory, with a variety of graphic, photographic, typographic, and artistic elements revealing a character's interests and passions, as well as inner demons.

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Kandie (short, 2025)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29232698/

Beyond Fest 9/23-10/8

Downtown Film Festival 10/15

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 10/19

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Director, Jasmine Osean Thomas

https://www.instagram.com/jasmineethomass/

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Production Designer, Kyle Marchiafava

https://www.instagram.com/not_for_nothin_papi/

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Art Director, Elena Chudoba

https://www.instagram.com/elenachudoba

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Graphic Designer, Brooke Bamford

https://www.instagram.com/good1bb

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Alien (1979)

All the President's Men (1976)

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

October is here, which means, yes, that's right: SCARY MOVIES. This month, guests will talk about Cure, The Shining, and Weapons, plus the brand new short film making the rounds at festivals, Kandie. See this episode's notes for further information, and as a reminder, leave a voicemail or send a text if you have a question or a guest to recommend, and while you're at it, why not recommend yourself as a guest! Call or text 704-681-6880 to get in touch. Remember to subscribe AND provide a review wherever you listen to podcasts!

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Cure

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123948/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C36nwM4vzm2/

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Kandie

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29232698/

https://www.instagram.com/kandie.film

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The Shining

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DM9_5rrsAga/

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Weapons

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26581740/

https://www.instagram.com/weaponsmovie

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Letterboxd List for Season 2

https://letterboxd.com/jasontselentis/list/designers-on-film-season-2/

Letterboxd List for Season 1

https://letterboxd.com/jasontselentis/list/designers-on-film-season-1/

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DESIGNERS ON FILM, THE HOTLINE

704-681-6880

Erin Sarofsky and Duarte Elvas talk about working with James Gunn for the past ten years, and how trust contributed to the title designs that Sarofsky did for Superman (2025). Erin and Duarte also share details about how research, concept development, and typography factored into the end result, and why tactile, hands-on work can stand out, rather than AI-generated "photo real" images that look and feel too surreal.

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https://www.sarofsky.com/

https://www.sarofsky.com/work/superman/

https://www.instagram.com/sarofsky_design/

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Superman (2025)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5950044/

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Alien (1979)

Star Wars (1977)

Superman (1978)