AI technologies loom large in contemporary design discourse, but how well do we understand this new technology and the opportunities it presents? In recent years, IBM has been collaborating with Map Project Office and Universal Design Studio to design both AI hardware and the physical environments it inhabits, with the aim of making the technology …

A live recording of How women might move design forward and engender social change through creative practice, a panel discussion recorded at the Royal College of Art in London on 19 September 2024. The panel was part of Design Stories London, a collaboration between London’s Royal College of Art and Warsaw’s SWPS University, supported by the Britis…

Screens dominate contemporary technology and the home, but we are regularly encouraged to see them as non-objects: glass voids that present a surface and nothing more. But what happens when we start to think of screens as objects in themselves, and how might we encourage more meaningful, intuitive interactions with technology by doing so? In this e…

Sound design is well established across music, film and media, although the field’s importance to product design and architecture has historically been overlooked. Yet given the central role that electrical devices play in our lives, how can the sounds they emit be tailored to make our everyday experiences more intuitive, friendly and integrated in…

We often think of technology and nature as separate things, but what happens when they come together? In this podcast, recorded live from the heart of Maison&Objet, host Oli Stratford discusses different approaches of combining technology and ecology with designers Simon Dupety, Suzanna Laskaridis and Felix Rasehorn. The episode digs into how new b…

How can design connect to nature? At January's 2024 edition of Maison&Objet, Disegno created a pair of podcasts, recorded live from the heart of the fair, to interrogate this question. The first episode sees the journal's editor-in-chief, Oli Stratford, speak with Mathieu Lehanneur about Outonomy, an installation Lehanneur created as the fair's Des…

“Creativity” has become a buzzword – a tagline that brands and individuals deploy to describe how they approach business. But what do we mean when we use this word so freely, and what role can designers play within a business climate that already professes to be “creative”? In this episode of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office, host …

The built environment is rarely designed with physical, cognitive or intellectual disabilities in mind, leaving our cities difficult to navigate, unwelcoming, and potentially dangerous for large parts of the population. So what can be done to make moving around more inclusive for everyone? In the final episode of season one of Re-routing the City, …

What does mobility mean in the 21st century? In this episode of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office, host Oli Stratford is joined by designers Will Verity, Dr. Jiayu Wu, Andy Wheel and Liam Young to discuss how autonomous and electric vehicles are softening the barriers between private cars and leisure spaces.With a rising interest in…

In the second episode of Re-routing the City host India Block is joined by Tim Fendley and Julia Thrift to discuss the ways in which different road users occupy public space. The conversation ranges from the positive impacts that well-designed roads can have on health, to the need for governments to take more holistic, long-term approaches to creat…

In this inaugural episode of Re-routing the City host India Block is joined by Tim Fendley and Kate Jeffery to discuss the science behind our sense of direction. From discussion as to whether rats and humans share a universal internal compass to the study of yellow as a naturally understood warning colour, the conversation moves in multiple directi…

In this Disegno podcast, Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen of Belgian design studio Muller van Severen are interviewed about their Oasis installation for the upcoming Maison&Objet trade fair – a cocoon-like pavilion designed to offer visitors to the fair a moment of peace and respite. Oasis is conceived of as a total composition, not an exhibition…

In this Disegno podcast the journal’s deputy editor India Block is joined by designers Marcel Wanders, Yves Béhar, Anahita Mekanik, Frederik Duerinck and Clark Scheffy to discuss how designers and brands can strike up purposeful partnerships with artificial intelligence. Speaking live from Milan Design Week 2023, the panel explores the implications…

In this fifth instalment of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office, host Oli Stratford is joined by Laura Lebeau, Soomi Park, Zoe Schladow, and Bas van de Poel to ask how technology can be more sensitively embedded into people’s homes and whether it should be. While many examples of ambient technology are austere and built around black s…

To kick off season two of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office, host Oli Stratford is joined by Rosalie McMillan, Peter Griffith, Seetal Solanki and Richard Stevens to unpick the complexities, biases and attitudes surrounding the use of plastics. While our heavy reliance on plastic, especially single-use plastic, is an undeniable probl…

In this third instalment of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office, host Oli Stratford is joined by Natsai Audrey Chieza, Afaina de Jong, Nick Rolls and George Garner to discuss the shifting roles of designers, and to ask whether the discipline is done with stuff. With a rise in digital products and services, new social and commercial mo…

In this second instalment of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office, host India Block is joined by Dr. Destiny Thomas, Dan Hill, Emilie Robinson and Andrea Rosati for a panel discussing the future of mobility. Electric vehicles hold huge potential as society aims to cut its reliance on fossil fuels, but this is not the only issue facing …

In this Disegno podcast, the journal’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford speaks with architect Cristina Celestino about the ideas infusing her Palais Exotique installation for the upcoming Maison&Objet. The pavilion has been erected at the heart of the fair and will provide a space dedicated to decoration and colour, traits traditionally prized within …

In this inaugural episode of Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office the panel ask questions about the fetishisation of newness in design. Host Oli Stratford is joined by guests Richard Stevens, Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, Priya Khanchandani and Hella Jongerius as they discuss how the industry might adopt a different approach, in which product…

Imagining what the offices of the future may look like has become a ubiquitous topic within design given the disruption of the past two years. Yet when Maison&Objet put this question to the architect Franklin Azzi for its spring 2022 edition, Azzi felt that he wanted to take inspiration from the history of the office in formulating his response. In…

Disegno's editor-in-chief Oli Stratford catches up with Maison&Objet’s managing director, Philippe Brocart, to talk about the return of the trade fair to Paris this September, the reopening of the French capital, and how over a year of disruption has helped Maison adapt and create new approaches to programming for the design industry. Hosted on Aca…

Welcome to the forest is the first episode of Words on Wood, a new podcast from AHEC made in collaboration with Disegno. Offering a deep dive into some of the big issues surrounding forests and how these affect design and architecture, you can listen to the whole series by subscribing to Words on Wood, available on all major podcast platforms. Host…

Introducing a new fortnightly podcast from Disegno, the Quarterly Journal of Design. The Crit takes the best design stories from around the world, pulls them apart, and looks at what’s really going on underneath. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disegno's editorial staff discuss the Salone del Mobile's decision to postpone its 2020 edition following the outbreak of coronavirus in north Italy. This episode is produced by Evi Hall and edited by Kristina Rapacki. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disegno's editor-in-chief Oli Stratford is joined by neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis and Michael Held, design director at Steelcase, to discuss the relationship between our bodies and minds, and how both movement and environment can shape how we think and feel in the workplace. This episode is produced and edited by Evi Hall and was recorded at the St…

Join Disegno's founder Johanna Agerman Ross, editor-in-chief Oli Stratford, and deputy editor Kristina Rapacki for a discussion of the 2010s in design. What was the single most important design typology of the decade? How did the role of the designer change? Is the starchitect dead? And why so many biennales? This episode is produced by Evi Hall, w…

Listen to highlights from a conversation about sustainable production between fashion designer Reet Aus, ceramic artist Eva Spoof, and Matthew Grant from the design studio Dust London. The talk, which was held at the Finnish Institute on 20 September, is moderated by Disegno's editor-in-chief Oli Stratford. This podcast was made in collaboration wi…

Is curation restricted to museums and galleries? Or can the discipline be extended into the wider public realm? In 2018, the Istanbul Design Biennial launched its fourth edition. Themed "A School of Schools", the biennial sought to tackle ways in which design and education might better support one another. One of the projects launched in Istanbul, …

Disegno's editorial team discusses installations and exhibitions at the 2019 edition of the London Design Festival. In this fourth and final episode, Disegno's editorial team picks up some loose ends: Martino Gamper's Disco Carbonara installation at Coal Drops Yard; Masters of Disguise from the collectible design gallery Seeds; and Lines Form Surfa…

Alisa Ruzavina visits the Guna Yala province of Panama to learn about Mola textiles. In collaboration with local women, she explores the ways in which fashion and craft can be made more sustainable in the context of a global economy. This podcast is a collaboration between Disegno and the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisa…

In this episode, Disegno's editorial team has picked out a number of research-driven projects: Chipsboard, shown as part of Material of the Year at the London Design Fair; James Plimmer's Flohaler, nominated for the Rado Design Prize; Bio Iridescent Sequin by Elissa Brunato, exhibitited as part of CSM's Designing for Turbulent Times display; and th…

Disegno's editorial team discusses installations and exhibitions at the 2019 edition of the London Design Festival. This episode covers three projects using recycled or reclaimed materials: A Second Life by Matter of Stuff, Please Be Seated by Paul Cocksedge, and A Boundless World: In the Face of Tradition by Attua Aparicio Torinos at MDR Gallery. …

Disegno's editorial team run the rule over the opening installations and exhibitions of the 2019 London Design Festival. The team look at Sam Jacob, Big Chief Desmond Melancon, and Non-Pavilion at the V&A, as well as Please Sit at Fenton House. Music by Zapsplat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

How do we make our cities more liveable and loveable? Who should we include in discussions about the city, and how can we turn those conversations into concrete action? Disegno speaks to reSITE and Manifesto Market founder Martin Barry about his work in the field of urbanism, ahead of reSITE's annual conference. This podcast was recorded live in Ma…

Weaver Michelle Stephens and academic Rachel Kelly explore the varied weaving practices found across the Philippines, and how to document the country’s local techniques and patterns for prosperity. This podcast is a collaboration between Disegno and the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educ…

Researcher Xiaofang Zhan visits Jingdezhen, the ceramic centre of China, and discusses the industrial changes the city and surrounding region have undergone in the late 20th century. This podcast is a collaboration between Disegno and the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportu…

Designer Jess Kilubukila explains the inspiration behind his use of the pan-African Mandombe script on traditional Kuba textiles in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo. This podcast is a collaboration between Disegno and the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.…

Artist and blacksmith Katie Surridge explores traditional smelting techniques in Ireland and Japan, taking listeners on a journey through the processes and folklore associated with metalworking. The Residency podcast is a collaboration between Disegno and the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations an…

A conversation about the afterlife of products and furniture between FranklinTill’s Caroline Till, designer and Berlin University of the Arts lecturer Ineke Hans and Flokk’s Christian Eide Lodgaard, chaired by Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford. This podcast was created in collaboration with Flokk. This podcast was recorded at the Flokk showro…

Fashion designer Rahemur Rahman reflects on his childhood growing up as a Londoner with Bangladeshi parents, his upbringing’s influence on his work, and his desire to redefine what it means to be “Made in Bangladesh”. The Residency podcast is a collaboration between Disegno and the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation fo…

Disegno's editorial team come together to discuss their impressions from the 2019 Salone del Mobile, with discussion turning to sustainability at the Fiera and Paola Antonelli's Broken Nature at the Triennale. Music by Zapsplat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation about the gendering of objects and furniture between the University of Roehampton’s Nina Power, Betti Marenko of Central St Martins, and designers Nika Zupanc and Ab Rogers, chaired by Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford. This podcast was recorded at the Moooi showroom in London in October 2018. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…

A conversation between Emeco's Gregg Buchbinder and the designer Michael Marriott about usage and reuse, chaired by Disegno's editor-in-chief Oli Stratford. This podcast was created in collaboration with Emeco. This podcast was recorded during a live talk hosted at SCP on 20 September 2018 during London Design Festival. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c…

A conversation between Central Saint Martins' Carole Collet, Franklin Till's Caroline Till and Steelcase's John Small about the potentials afforded by material research and development, chaired by Disegno's editor-in-chief Oli Stratford. This podcast was created in collaboration with Steelcase. This podcast was recorded during a live talk hosted in…

A conversation with Nike's Bret Schoolmeester about the development of Flyprint technology, a means of 3D-printing running shoes. This podcast was created in collaboration with Nike. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation between Patrizia Moroso and Staffan Tollgard about the legacy of Italian and Swedish postwar design, chaired by Johanna Agerman Ross. This podcast was created in collaboration with Moroso and Staffan Tollgard Design Group. This podcast was recorded during the launch of Staffan Tollgard's Shapes and Sizes rug for Golran, on 16 Novembe…

How familiar does the city around you feel? In collaboration with the British Council and The Finnish Institute. Chaired by Oli Stratford with Prof. Juhani Pallasmaa, Luca Picardi, Kate Goodwin, Maria Gasparian and Holly Lewis. This podcast was recorded at a live event at The Finnish Institute, London, on 20 May 2017. The event followed a walking t…

Why aren't all economies circular? In collaboration with the British Council. Chaired by Joseph Grima with Sarah Mann, Carl-Johan Skogh and Vera Sacchetti. This podcast was recorded live at Atelier Clerici during Salone Del Mobile in Milan on 5 April 2017. It is the third of three podcasts about the future of European design, based on programming h…

Can the European design industry survive a transition from free movement to protectionist values? In collaboration with the British Council. Chaired by Johanna Agerman Ross with Jan Boelen, Ineke Hans, and Orhan Nikšić. This podcast was recorded live at Atelier Clerici during Salone Del Mobile in Milan on 4 April 2017. It is the first of three podc…

Are overseas fees corrosive to transnational education? In collaboration with the British Council. Chaired by Oli Stratford with Sebastian Bergne, Alexis Georgacopoulos, and Tamar Shafrir. This podcast was recorded live at Atelier Clerici during Salone Del Mobile in Milan on 4 April 2017. It is the first of three podcasts about the future of Europe…