Design Education Talks

Dan Vlahos is a Boston-based design leader, educator, and researcher. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at Bentley University and is serving on the AIGA Boston Board. Vlahos is also a member of the Boston Society of Printers, the Design Management Institute, and was a founding member of Design Museum Boston (now CoDesign Collaborative). His interdisciplinary design work has been recognized by the AIGA, the One Club, Print, How, and...

Our guest today is Jan Kubasiewicz, Professor of Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and one of the most influential figures in the development of dynamic media and motion design education. Born and educated in Poland, Jan has spent decades working at the intersection of visual language, time, information, and systems. He is the founder and long-time coordinator of the Dynamic Media Institute at MassArt, a programme t...

Nikolaus Hafermaas is a designer, educator, artist, and lifelong experimenter whose career moves fluidly between practice and pedagogy, Europe and the United States, the analogue and the digital. A self-described classic car romantic and spirited driver, his work is grounded in physical experience, curiosity, and resistance to comfort—values that shape both how he designs and how he teaches.

Growing up in Kassel, Hafermaas encounter...

Christian Dominique, co-founder of Digital Wellness and trained neuroscientist from McGill University, is on a mission to redesign education systems that have forgotten how to cultivate joy. In this compelling episode of Design Education Talks, Dominique reveals a startling statistic: adults laugh and smile more than ten times less than children, and traces this "domestication" directly to outdated educational models that...

James Grady is a designer, educator, and creative researcher who fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in design, technology, and performance. As an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Boston University, he works closely with faculty, students, and industry partners to explore how emerging tools and processes shape creative practice. His teaching emphasizes experimentation, authorship, and process-driven design, encouraging ...

Today on Design Education Talks, we’re joined by John McFaul , Executive Creative Director, Brand Consultant, Educator, and one of those rare, restless creatives who has never quite fitted into the neat boxes the world tries to offer. From the Wirral to New York, from art school misfit to brand visionary, John's career is a vivid testament to curiosity, risk-taking, and cultural immersion.

He began his journey believing he was ...

Sheng-Hung Lee is a designer, engineer, and educator dedicated to advancing human-centered design and systemic service innovation. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), focusing on human behavior and service design. He is also a Board Director at Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). His interdisciplinary research integrates design, technology, and system engineering to deve...

I run MA illustration and teach on BA illustration. Also supervise practice-based PhDs. Specialism is in illustration/artistbooks/zines and teaching. My own creative practice is mostly as in artists book /artzines and as an artist. I work both digitally and also with real materials like drawing, collage and print. I think social awareness and research skills are an important part of teaching illustration. I initiated and curate the...

Gwen van den Eijnde is a French–Dutch artist and costume designer based in the United States. For the past decade, he has been teaching apparel design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, where he currently serves as Head of Programme.

While pursuing his artistic research at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg, he began creating costumes as sculptural works. His practice explores how the act ...

As an illustration educator, few figures stand out as boldly, and as impactfully, as Brian Grimwood. His work is not merely a reflection of evolving visual trends; it is a catalyst for change that helped define what modern illustration could become.
In an era when hyper-realistic, tightly controlled imagery dominated the commercial landscape, Grimwood dared to introduce a freer, more expressive line, loose, lyrical, and unmista...

We’re thrilled to welcome Haluk Sicimoğlu, a dynamic strategist, storyteller, and entrepreneur hailing from İzmir. As the founder of THAAT’S IT!, Haluk brings a sharp focus on innovation powered by insight, and crafts heartfelt brand narratives that truly connect with people 

You might know Haluk from his compelling TEDx talk in 2019 — “Kimsenin Sevmediği Kahve” (The Coffee That No One Likes) — where he masterfully used a simple cup...

Lee-Sean Huang - Co-Executive Director, Learning + Programs
Giulia Donatello - Design Competitions and Event Manager

The 2025 AIGA Design Conference is happening in Los Angeles from October 9th to 11th, and it's not just any conference—it's the 40th anniversary! This is the place to be for three days of inspiration, connection, and professional growth. As a listener of our podcast, you get an exclusive 15% di...

Dr Ari Chand, Lecturer in Illustration and Animation, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia.

Ari is a Designer/Illustrator and practice-based design researcher, Lecturer in Illustration and Animation at UniSA Creative at the University of South Australia, Australia, and soon to be Adelaide University launching in 2026. He teaches into the only combined Illustration and Animation Degree in Australia. Primarily teaching I...

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Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Sven Ingmar Thies studied graphic design at Braunschweig University of Art and completed his final thesis in Tokyo and Yokohama.
 
 Since his time at university, he has focused on a holistic design approach that seamlessly connects to other design disciplines, other specialist areas or even to handicrafts. This conviction was intensified further by two professional engagemen...

We are delighted to welcome back Phil Cleaver for this landmark 100th episode. A distinguished and multi award-winning figure in the world of graphic design, Phil has long been recognised as one of the field’s true heavyweights. A protégé of Anthony Froshaug, Phil refined his design and typographic expertise under the guidance of Alan Fletcher at Pentagram, Wim Crouwel at TD in the Netherlands, and Michael Wolff at Wolff Olins.

In 1...

Liza Deyrmenjian is the founder and Dean of The Cut Design Academy, where she shapes the next generation of creative talent in fashion and design with a strong focus on environmental responsibility. With over three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, film producer, and design expert, Liza launched her career at twenty by founding Arteenelle Designs Inc. and Noccona Manufacturing in Vancouver, producing for brands like Lo...

After a decade in publishing, Mike formed the highly successful design consultancy Carroll, Dempsey & Thirkell (CDT) in 1979, which he ran for 27 years. In 2007, he left to set up Studio Dempsey. Mike’s awards include the New York Art Director’s Club Silver Cube, the CSD Minerva Award, the Reginald M. Phillips Medal for Postage Stamp Design, ten D&AD Silvers, the coveted Gold award, and in 2012, he received a unique D&A...

Kadine James is a successful serial entrepreneur and expert in all things web3, digital fashion, nfts/tickens and is cited as a pioneer of the Metaverse. She founded The Immersive KIND in 2016, a Web 3 commerce company, with a mission to bring brands into the metaverse through The Immersive KIND’s extended reality studio specialising in virtual reality, augmented reality and immersive production. She is listed as top 10 web 3 found...

Tom Lynham is a writer and creative director who helps organisations around the world to communicate better. He works with startups, design consultancies, galleries, museums and companies such as Lego, IKEA, Jumeirah Hotels and Thomas Heatherwick Architects. Collaborating with NB Studio in London he has just written a biography of the legendary brand guru Michael Wolff who co-founded Wolff Olins. 

You can see Tom’s portfolio at http...