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With Intent episodes
- LifeStraw: Revolutionizing Safe Water Access Through Innovative Design
In this episode of the With Intent podcast byIIT's Institute of Design, hosts Thamer Abanami and Albert Shum welcome LifeStraw CEO Alison Hill. They discuss how LifeStraw was borne out of innovative technology and a unique business model that balances profit with purpose.
Key Points:- The global water crisis: 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
- LifeStraw's origins with Vestergaard and partnership with the Carter Center
- Evolution from public health tool to consumer product
- Innovative hollow fiber membrane technology
- User-centered design principles for public health products
- LifeStraw's dual focus on consumer business and social impact
- Impact: Nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease, reaching 10 million children
Additional Resources:- LifeStraw’s 2023 Impact Report
- Vestergaard (LifeStraw's parent company)
- The Carter Center
- World Health Organization water crisis statistics
Institute of Design at Illinois Tech
Discover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.
Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapes our world, whether we call it design or not.29 min - Geometry vs. Geography: Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 New York City Subway Map
Hosts Thamer Abanami and Albert Shum explore the tale of Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 New York City Subway Map. Vignelli's design was celebrated for its modernist brilliance yet heavily critiqued for its practical shortcomings. Here, Thamer and Albert delve into the tension between geometric abstraction and geographic accuracy, examining how Vignelli’s map became both a milestone and a lesson in design history.
Take a deep dive into the complexities of designing for large-scale systems. This episode explores the importance of finding a delicate balance between aesthetic innovation and practical functionality, emphasizing the importance of user-centered design and iterative processes. Take away valuable lessons for engineers, designers, and systems thinkers on the profound impact that design and client decisions can have on user experience and social progress.
RESOURCESHarry Beck’s London Underground Map
Understand the pioneering design that influenced transit maps worldwide.
Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 Subway Map
Explore the original design that sparked both acclaim and controversy.
Hertz and Associates 1978 Subway Map
Explore the 1978 successor to the Vignelli map and foundation of today’s NYC Subway Map
The Subway Map that Rattled New Yorkers, The New York Times
The New York Times’ take on the Vignelli map controversy.
Helvetica and The New York Subway System, by Paul Shaw
A detailed exploration of the history and evolution of signage in the New York City subway system. The book examines the complex interplay between design, politics, and public perception in shaping the visual identity of one of the world's most iconic public transportation systems.
The New York Subway Map Debate, Edited by Gary Hustwit
A book containing the full transcript of the New York Subway Map debate from the newly discovered tape, along with new interviews with surviving participants John Tauranac, Peter Laundy, Arline Bronzaft, and more.
Institute of Design at Illinois Tech
Discover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.
Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapes our world, whether we call it design or not.46 min - The List
In this introductory trailer to With Intent Season 3, hosts Thamer Abanami and Albert Shum introduce themselves as this year’s Latham Fellows at the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech. They share their excitement about co-hosting the podcast and reflect on their 15-year professional partnership, including their collaborative work on a broad range of design projects and their previous podcast, The Design Vault. Their longstanding relationship sets the stage for insightful discussions on design and its impact on society.
The hosts outline the themes and focus for the upcoming season, which will explore designs featured in ID’s list of 100 Great Designs of Modern Times, published with Fortune magazine in 2020. They will delve into topics centered around innovation, responsible design, social impact, and scalability. By using notable designs as a backdrop—such as Zipline’s drone-based logistics platform (2014, #69), Massimo Vignelli’s New York City Subway Map (1972, #28), the ClearRx prescription bottle redesign (#36, 2005), the OXO Good Grips Peeler (1990, #6), LifeStraw water filters (2005, #53), and the Raspberry Pi computer (2012, #54)—they foster deeper conversations about design principles and the unexpected insights embedded within these creations.
RESOURCES
ID: 100 Great Designs of Modern Times
Published in 2020 by Fortune magazine, this list was created after the Institute of Design conducted an extensive survey of various professionals in the design field to identify designs widely regarded as exceptional. This season of With Intent discusses six designs from the list.
Fortune:
Article: The Greatest Designs of Modern Times
What does it take to become a design icon? There‘s more to it than good looks. These 100 products have made our lives simpler, better, and yes, more stylish.
Video: The Greatest Designs of Modern Times
An introduction to the list and the designs included in it say about how design is evolving in business.
The Design Vault Podcast
Thamer and Albert’s podcast series about the stories and lessons behind iconic products from the past.
Institute of Design at Illinois Tech
Discover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.
Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapes our world, whether we call it design or not.4 min - Where Must Design Go Next?In the final episode of our second season of With Intent, Jarrett Fuller asks ID Dean Anijo Mathew, Where Must Design Go Next?Anijo discusses ID’s pioneering history and where it’s headed next—summarizing ID’s four eras, defining what he calls Design Plus, and contextualizing the three forces acting on design today and where they will lead us.Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.38 min
- How Can Design Make the Biggest Impact?In the fifth episode of our second season of With Intent, Jarrett Fuller asks ID Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability Weslynne Ashton and Associate Professor of Design for Technology and Society John Payne, How Can Design Make the Biggest Impact?“In the business world and in the government space, people often look around the world for ideas to select and decide on—as opposed to create. The mindset of the designer is that we are going to get together and create something.—John PayneWeslynne and John discuss working in the private versus the public sector, systems design, service design, why design isn’t just problem solving, and where design is headed next.“We're in a yet unnamed era of design, that is more civic-engaged, that is thinking more about how do we tackle these bigger problems than developing a product or developing a service for particular client. We're going to see more and more people going throughout their careers between public and private sector.—Weslynne AshtonJarrett Fuller, host of Scratching the Surface, is the 2022–23 Latham fellow at the Institute of Design and hosts With Intent this season.Tune into With Intent to discover where ID is taking design next. Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.44 min
- Why Is Design Always Talking About Complexity?In the fourth episode of our second season of With Intent, Jarret Fuller asks ID Associate Professor of Healthcare Design and Design Methods Kim Erwin and Associate Professor of Civic and Community Design Maura Shea, Why Is Design Always Talking About Complexity?Kim and Maura discuss making change in large communities and systems through asset-based community development, the value of modeling complex systems, and what a designer’s creative output looks like today.Jarrett Fuller, host of Scratching the Surface, is the 2022–23 Latham fellow at the Institute of Design and hosts With Intent this season. Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.40 min
- What If Human-Centered Design Isn’t Enough?In the third episode of our second season of With Intent, Jarrett Fuller asks ID Associate Professor of Behavioral Design Ruth Schmidt and Charles L. Owen Professor of Systems Design Carlos Teixeira, What If Human-Centered Design Isn’t Enough? Ruth and Carlos discuss the capabilities and limits of human-centered design, the concept of humanity-centered design, and how the evolving role design plays in our organizations and corporations will shape our collective future. Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.42 min
- How Do You Teach Design for Tomorrow?The second episode of our second season of With Intent asks ID Associate Dean Matt Mayfield and Assistant Professor Zach Pino, How Do You Teach Design for Tomorrow? Matt and Zach discuss ID’s ever-evolving curriculum, the relationship of design to art, how students learn about technology at ID, the recent “seismic shift” in students’ goals, and challenges and opportunities of a field in flux.Jarrett Fuller, host of Scratching the Surface, is the 2022–23 Latham fellow at the Institute of Design and the hosts With Intent this season.Tune into With Intent to discover where ID is taking design next.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and then do us a favor and rate and share the episode. Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.37 min
- How Does Someone Become A Designer?Jarrett Fuller asks, How does someone become a designer? in the first episode of Season Two of With Intent. This episode features Tomoko Ichikawa, Associate Professor of Visual Communication, and Marty Thaler, Associate Professor of Product Design. Tomoko and Marty discuss ID's Foundation sequence—possibly the strongest tie that ID has today with its history as The New Bauhaus. (Foundation at ID makes it possible for nondesigners to enter our graduate school.) Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.33 min
- Hope and action with Mushon Zer-AvivMushon Zer-Aviv is an activist, artist, and designer. He's currently at work on devising new ways of understanding change and the future—ways that account for the limits of forecasting and consider the "darkness" of the future as a place for hope and possibility.He also discusses systemic bias, the value of small talk, his appreciation for Rebecca Solnit, Naomi Klein, and Milton Friedman, and how his work brings provocation and action together. Institute of Design at Illinois TechDiscover programs and resources on design and systems thinking.Subscribe to With Intent for more explorations into how design shapesour world, whether we call it design or not.51 min
About With Intent
From the publisher's feed
With Intent is a podcast from ID where we talk to a range of people—writers, designers, business strategists, policymakers, doctors, community organizers. The common thread? Whether they self-identify…
as designers or not, they're using design in their work.