Detroit City of Design Podcast

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Philip Kafka and Ishtiaq Rafiuddin Discuss Combining Innovation and Efficiency to Create Design-led Developments that Inspire Sep 10, 2020

Real estate developer Phillip Kafka and and architect Ishtiaq Rafiuddin discuss real estate development as a system for solving problems, which for Detroit, means ensuring affordability while creating new economic value.

Philip and Ish are behind some of Detroit's most exciting projects, including the award-winning restaurant and Takoi and Core City Park.

Links for Reference:

Takoi, Core City Park, True North, The Caterpillar, Design Core's Real Estate Design Guide, Edwin Chan, Julie Bargmann, tabula rasa, Ochre Bakery, Bloomscape.

Openbox Founder Marquise Stillwell Discusses the Transformative Power of Designing Spaces and Systems to Meet the Needs of All People Aug 19, 2020

Marquise Stillwell is the founder of Openbox, a design studio and consultancy based in New York City that works at the intersection of people and systems. He is also the cofounder of Opendox, a film company that tells lesser-known narratives, Deem Journal, an editorial publication focused on design as a social practice, and Artmatr, an international community of artists and engineers working to merge digital technology with painting methods. In this episode Marquise and Olga discuss his human-centered approach to design and how the design industry can respond to the current calls for racial and social justice.

Links for reference: Openbox, Opendox, Artmatr, Black Girls Code, MLK Library, adrienne maree brown, Shield and Spear, Designing for Dignity.

Dug Song and Sally Carson Discuss Design as a Bridge to Help Tech Companies Better Serve Communities and People Aug 05, 2020

Dug Song and Sally Carson, discuss the role of design in tech. Doug is a general manager and cofounder of Duo Security, now a part of Cisco. And Sally is their head of product design and user research.

Duo Security makes it safe to log into anything from anywhere, from any device, at any time. Duo combines security expertise with a user-centered philosophy to provide simple and effective security solutions for all users today, we will explore why design matters in tech and why we need to build more inclusive environments across the tech community.

Links for Reference: Duo Security, Cisco, Elayna Spratley, w00w00, Allied Media Conference, Brian Stevenson at the Equal Justice Initiative, Digital Defense Playbook, Project Greenlight, Detroit Community Technology Project, Chamath Palihapitiya, Ben Adida, VotingWorks, Ban the Box, Org Design for Design Orgs

Jennifer Janus Discusses How Pophouse Designs Workplaces That Centers Flexibility and Integrates Work-From-Home Possibilities Jul 08, 2020

Pophouse is a Detroit-based interior design studio focused on strategic, unconventional, and human-centric design. We will discuss how research influences Pophouse’s design strategy and how COVID-19 is impacting the future of workspaces.

Ryan Sullivan and Grant Goulet of Xenith Discuss How Fostering a Design-thinking Mindset Underscores their Unique Approach to Manufacturing Jun 17, 2020

Xenith is a Detroit-based industry leader in football helmet technology, and also produces shoulder pads, face masks, apparel and more. Xenith has prioritized design thinking in all of its product development, which has resulted in gear that transcends protection alone—designing for optimal fit, feel, comfort and style. Today, we will discuss how collaboration between designers and engineers can result in groundbreaking innovation. We will also touch on Xenith’s initiative to provide 20,000 face shields to Detroit area Hospitals.

Links for Reference:

Xenith, College for Creative Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit PAL, ISAIC, Shadow XR Helmet, Carhartt, Xenith Loop, BASF

Rama Gheerawo on Adding Value to Human Life Through Inclusive Design May 20, 2020

Rama Gheerawo is the director of the Helen Hamlyn Center for Design at the Royal College of Art. Rama is a global leader in people-centered and socially inclusive design. He's a serial innovator in the fields of technology, products, services, and transport with over a hundred projects to his name. In this episode we discuss the role of design in creating products, services, and systems that benefit people of all abilities, especially in terms of aging populations in healthcare, and why creative leadership is needed now, more than ever.

Links for Reference:

Helen Hamlyn Center for Design, Include Conference, Oxford Aging and Technology Project, Slow-Mo

Jessica Helfand Encourages Business Leaders to Lean on the Creative Process of Designers to Move the Needle May 06, 2020

Jessica Helfand is the and award-winning designer, artist, writer, and the founding editor of Design Observer. Jessica is the author of numerous books on visual and cultural criticism and is also the host of two podcasts, The Observatory and The Design of Business | The Business of Design. Host Olga Stella talks with Jessica about the impact that crisis can have on the creative process, and the crucial role design will play in helping businesses adapt to our new reality.

Links for reference:

The Observatory

The Design of Business | The Business of Design

This Car Saved Ford by Ellen McGirt

raceAhead by Ellen McGirt

Ford plans mobility testing site behind Michigan Central Station

Timothy Geithner, former Secretary of the Treasury

Jon Iwata, senior advisor to IBM

James Rhee, CEO of Ashley Stewart

The New York Time: Why Zoom is Terrible

Face: A Visual Odyssey by Jessica Helfand

The Self-Reliance Project

Design for America | Design innovation for social good

Uncertainty: The Design Observer 2020 Summit

Angela Glover Blackwell Explains Why Designing Equitable Systems Is Imperative to Our Growth as a Nation Apr 22, 2020

Angela Glover Blackwell is the Founder in Residence at PolicyLink and the host of the Radical Imagination podcast. She has helped grow and define a national equity movement focused on innovating and improving public policy to ensure access and opportunity for all low-income people and communities of color. Host Olga Stella talks with Angela about how COVID-19 has exacerbated inequality issues as well as how everyone benefits when we implement solutions for our most vulnerable populations.

Links for reference: Policy Link, Radical Imagination Podcast, UNESCO City of Design Designation, The Curb-Cut Effect, How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans

How Designers Help Brands Adapt During Times of Uncertainty Apr 01, 2020

Kacha Azéma is the executive creative director of Skidmore Studio, a strategic creative studio focused on helping consumer-facing companies grow through innovative design and branding services. Host Olga Stella talks with Kacha about brand adaptation and how design can help businesses through trying times.

Links for reference: Skidmore Studio, Detroit Design Network, Bon Bon Bon, Stroh's, Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, Ellis Island Tea, Learnings from the first week of social distancing

Suchi Reddy on Finding Wonder in Detroit and the Healing Power of Architecture Aug 27, 2019

Reddymade
University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture
Johns Hopkins University
Times Square Arts "X"

Sarida Scott on Co-creating Communities with Residents Aug 26, 2019

Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD)

Dan Kinkead on Designing Equitable Cities for Future Generations Aug 13, 2019

SmithGroup
Detroit Future City Strategic Framework

Mark de la Vergne and Lisa Nuszkowski on Designing an accessible, seamless transit system Aug 06, 2019

City of Detroit Mobility
Detroit Department of Transportation
Detroit Transit Expansion
MoGo Detroit Bike Share
MoGo Expansion

Imani Day and Andrew Blauvelt on Detroit’s Design Legacy Jul 30, 2019

Gensler
University of Detroit Mercy
National Organization of Minority Architects Detroit
Cranbrook Art Museum

Zena Howard Talks Remembrance Architecture and Giving Residents Autonomy in their Communities Jul 23, 2019

Perkins+Will
Greenville, North Carolina Town Common
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Motown Museum

Frida Escobedo on Designing Spaces that Reflect Cultural Experience Jul 16, 2019

Serpentine Pavilion
Aesop West Loop
UNESCO City of Design- Mexico City

Ralph Gilles on the Role of Automotive Design in a World of Changing Mobility Jul 08, 2019

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
College for Creative Studies: Transportation Design
Waymo

Craig Wilkins Talks Hip Hop Architecture and the Intersection of Design and Activism Jul 02, 2019

University of Michigan A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning

The Wilkins Project

Tracy Reese Talks Detroit’s Opportunity for Sustainable Fashion Production Jun 25, 2019

Industrial Sewing and and Innovation Center

Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)

Detroit Public Schools Foundation

College for Creative Studies

Detroit City of Design Podcast Trailer Jun 04, 2019

Olga Stella, executive director of Design Core Detroit, previews our upcoming Detroit City of Design Podcast.

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