A76 | a design pod
A76 is a podcast that synthesizes surprising connections and speculates on the future of design.
Episodes
45 episodes
048: Humans in the loop with Noel Childs
In the final episode of A76 Season 4, The Human Spark, friend and mentor Frank Grubich flips the script and interviews me using the same questions I’ve been asking guests all s...
047: Human behavior with Gavin Lew
We’re in the back arc of A76’s season exploring The Human Spark and I was fortunate to sit down with Gavin Lew, Managing Partner at Bold Insight, to disc...
046: Idea phantoms with Casey Hudetz
Friend of the pod Casey Hudetz, Senior Manager of Product Design at DocuSign and co-host of A76’s season one comes back on the pod to talk with me about the moment an idea grabs you and won’t le...
045: Stories, not atoms with Dustin Coleman
In the latest episode of A76 The Human Spark, I chat with Dustin Coleman—Writer, Senior Content Strategist and Co-founder of 12 Acres Crea...
044: Mid-season beat with Noel Childs
This is a Patreon previewIn the current season of A76, The Human Spark, I’m stepping away from tools and trends to focus on the people behind the ideas. The conversations have been really refreshing and focused on where ideas come...
043: F-words with Frank EE Grubich
Frank EE Grubich co-founder and brand director of CX&V is back on the pod to talk Fun, Foam and other F-word frivolity. Among ma...
042: Writing on deadline with John L. Micek
In my latest episode of A76, I talk with veteran journalist, author, musician, politics editor for MassLive & friend—John L. Micek. John reflects on three decades of reporting, storytelling, and understanding what makes communities...
041: Exploring serendipity with Andreas Refsgaard
I reconnect with Andreas Refsgaard, an artist and creative coder based in Copenhagen whose art blends algorithms, interaction, and playful experimentation. Andreas shares what he’s be...
040: Ideas in motion with Cal Engel
I chat with Chicago-based videographer and creative Cal Engel to trace one of the more unconventional career journeys—from the early days crafting internal videos, the sudden leap to touring t...
039: Human-centered ideas with Kevin McElroy
In the latest episode of A76, The Human Spark, I talk with Kevin McElroy, Executive Creative Director at Razorfish in Chicago, about designing with empathy and leading teams in a constantl...
038: Pixels to peaks with Chris Ward
In this latest epsiode, I chat with Chris Ward a Seattle-based VP of Account Management at Digitas about how his broad curiosity for design, calm approach, and love o...
037: Designing delight with Mick Champayne
In this episode of A76, The Human Spark, I sit down again with friend of the pod Mick Champayne, a staff designer on Google’s Delight Team—the group behind those joyful little surprises on Google Search....
036: The 13th Warrior with Adam Weil
In this episode I catch up with Adam Weil, Senior Director of Research at Shapiro + Raj to talk about where good ideas come from and what separates the great ones from the noise.<...
035: Season 4 Kickoff ~ The Human Spark
Welcome back to A76.This season, we’re stepping away from algorithms and turning back towards the people behind the ideas.And because we find ourselves in a world where generative AI can spin out thousand of versions of anyt...
034: Season 3 of Scale Wrap-up [Patreon preview]
Welcome to this Patreon exclusive preview. If you’re new to A76’s Patreon or you’re...
033: For the love of the game with Olivia Moore T.
In this deeply personal and expansive conversation, I sit down with Olivia Moore T., a talented designer whose roots in Detroit, radio and tech have fueled a career in experience design. We explore her origin story, the tension between creativi...
032: Reimagining AI assistants with Noel Childs
Who really benefits from our current AI assistants? In this final episode of the NoelAI mini-series on A76, I go on a deeply personal and sharply critical journey of the current state of AI assistants. And ask why—after years of hype—we still d...
031: Design life with Jennifer Andrews
Welcome back from our mid-season break! In today’s pod, I chat with Jennifer Andrews, who leads the Experience Design team in Digitas’ New York office. We chat about web1, her personal origin...
030: The path to a carbon neutral A76
My goal is to make A76 sustainable in as many facets as I can. And for my 30th episode, I'm sharing my introductory conversation with Matt Saip, Head of Technology at Digitas Chicago, where we...
029: Personalized micro-interaction fails with Noel Childs
Welcome to a new episode of A76. Today, we're taking a detour from our usual in-depth interviews with designers and makers to explore something a little different—micro-interactions and moments of personalization that could be vastly improved.<...
028: Icebreak > NoelAI/3 [Patreon preview]
This is an A76 Patreon preview Icebreak episode coming off my interview with Tracy Kramer, President of BuzzCo. If you haven't listened to that int...
027: Finding design jobs with Tracy Kramer
In today’s episode I chat with Tracy Kramer. Tracy is the president of Buzz Company, a talent and recruitment agency based out of Chicago. I origin...
026: Icebreak > NoelAI/2 [Patreon preview]
Welcome to a new Icebreak episode coming off my conversation with friend of the pod Mick Champayne about design and play. If you haven't listened to that interview, hit pause on this one, and
025: The art of play with Mick Champayne
I’ve often found, that the best designers have a lightness about how they go about their craft. They regularly joke, don’t take themselves too seriously, and connect with others through humor. One minute they’re clowning, dropping memes and the...