Unpacking Design

In this episode, Mike and Tim talk about ideas that they’ve wanted to design and mass produce from bird houses to lamps made of recycled cardboard. They talk about how they would start creating these products and scale it up to mass production.

In this new series, Design Life, Tim talks about a research project that he’s currently working on that investigates the evolution of a kit house and speculates the future of prefabricated architecture in the 21st century. Mike reflects on his experience designing and fabricating a little outdoor library for a community in Buffalo, NY.

How does sleep help designers work efficiently, get new ideas, and stay focused? Learn more about Mike and Tim’s thoughts on why sleep is one of the most important components of every designer’s life in this episode.

How can we narrow down all of our creative ideas and work through the most important ones? Get into a mastermind group that shares a common interest. In this episode, Mike and Tim talk about the impact that their mastermind group has had on their careers, side projects, and personal lives. During the latter half of the episode, they hold a brief mastermind session where they share what they’re currently working on and help each other work through some of their major ideas.

In this episode, Mike and Tim share some of their experiences staying at an Airbnb, interacting with their hosts, and exploring the local hotspots. They talk about how they use Airbnb to plan their experience in places where they’re traveling and their excitement to try the experiences feature of Airbnb.

As one of the oldest toys that continue to be one of the most popular, Lego continues to inspire children and adults to make their imaginations a reality through building blocks. In this episode, Mike and Tim make small objects with Legos while talking about its influence on the world today.

How can designers come together and address the pay gaps within all design professions? What are some of the implicit biases that we have about white males, women, people of color, and others? In this episode, Tim and Mike talk about the uncomfortable topic of pay gaps within the design profession based on a YouTube video by Glamour Magazine entitled “Confronting the Pay Gap: Two Graphic Designers Compare Salaries”.

Why should designers attend conferences hosted by organizations in their respective fields? How can young professionals afford the travel, accommodations, and cost of attending these conferences? In this episode, Mike and Tim discuss the value of attending conferences at any point in one’s career. From advice on budgeting for a conference to networking tips, they talk about how they personally get the most out of every conference.

In this episode, Mike and Tim talk about what being a designer means to us and how it influences our lives. They talk about how being a designer affect the way that we look at the world through a creative lens.

In this episode, Mike goes on a rant about the way that designers and architects are portrayed in different types of media; typically a nerd wearing black clothes and black glasses. Mike and Tim discuss how designers are portrayed in written, video, and photographic media.