Scratching the Surface

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30. Abbott Miller (Originally aired 5/31/17) Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

We're taking the summer off and rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes in the archives over the next few months. First up is our 2017 conversation with Pentagram partner Abbott Miller! We'll be back with new episodes in September! — Abbott Miller is a designer, writer, and a partner at Pentagram where he leads a team designing identities, exhibitions, and books. Before Pentagram, Abbott ran a studio, Design Writing Research, with Ellen Lupton and wrote for publications like Eye, Print, and I.D. A monograph of his design and writing, called Design and Content, was published in 2014. In this conversation, Abbott and I talk about where his interest in critical theory came from and how he’s worked to incorporate it into his design work, using writing to find new ways into design, and how his various interests have come together in his current work designing exhibitions at Pentagram. Links from this episode can be found at: https://scratchingthesurface.fm/post/161266191870/30-abbott-miller — We're continuing to publish new content on our Substack. Paid subscribers get bonus interviews every month. Sign up and support the show here: surfacepodcast.substack.com

290. Giorgia Lupi May 27, 2026

Show notes

Giorgia Lupi is an information designer and partner at Pentagram. Her work synthesizes data and storytelling for clients such as Google, IBM, Gates Foundation, and the New York Times. She’s the author of Speak Data with Phillip Cox, and previously published Dear Data, Observer, Collect, Draw, and the picture book This is Me and Only Me. In this conversation, Jarrett and Giorgia talk about the evolution of how we talk about data, blending clarity and communication with artistic expression, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed how she thought about data and her work. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/290-giorgia-lupi —— Support the show and sign up for our newsletter at surfacepodcast.substack.com

289. Marco Ferrari May 12, 2026

Show notes

Marco Ferrari is the co-founder of Studio Folder, an agency for visual design and spatial research based in Milan, and the head of the Information Design program at Design Academy Eindhoven. His work focuses on information design and data visualization, the politics of data collection, and visualizing borders and climate. In this conversation, Jarrett and Marco talk about Studio Folder’s setup that blends client work and original research, how his background in architecture informs his work, and why he’s not that interested in the design profession. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/289-marco-ferrari — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

288. Alan Ricks & Sierra Bainbridge Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Alan Ricks and Sierra Bainbridge are founding members of Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS). Alan, an architect and co-executive director, and Sierra, director of the Landscape Studio and Abundant Futures Lab, are co-authors of the new book, Seeking Abundance: Design, Ecology, and a Flourishing Planet, that looks at MASS’s work across three projects as examples of multidisciplinary collaboration, regenerative practices, and community engagement. In this conversation, Jarrett talks with Alan and Sierra about MASS’s structure as a non-profit, architecture for the more-than-human, and why design should not be about minimizing harm but rather maximizing abundance. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/288-alan-ricks-sierra-bainbrdige — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

287. Jeremy Till & Tatjana Schneider Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

Jeremy Till and Tatjana Schneider are architects, educators, writers, and researchers. With their research collective Mould, they are co-authors of the new book, Architecture is Climate that re-examines architecture as a practice deeply connected to climate, politics, economics, and social justice. Jeremy was previously the head of Central Saint Martins and Tatjana is head of the Institute for History and Theory of Architecture and the City at the Technical University Braunschweig. In this conversation. Jarrett talks with Jeremy and Tatjana about how the climate crisis changes architecture, the problems with sustainability, and the expanding potentials for architectural thinking. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/287-jeremy-till-tatjana-schneider — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

286. Heidi Korsavong & Benjamin Critton Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Heidi Korsavong and Benjamin Critton are the founders of Marta, a Los Angeles-based, globally engaged art gallery. Founded in 2019, Marta makes space for “artists to experiment with the utility of design and for designers to explore the abandonment of function.” In this conversation, Jarrett talks with Heidi and Benjamin about art that lives between disciplines, the curatorial ideas that anchor their exhibitions and how their backgrounds—Heidi in interiors and furniture and Benjamin in graphic and typography—informs the work they do now. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/286-heidi-korsavong-benjamin-critton — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

285. Giovanna Borasi Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

Giovanna Borasi is an architect, writer, and curator. She’s currently the director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, where’s she previous held the positions of Chief Curator, Curator of Contemporary Architecture, and Associate Director of Programs. In all these roles, her work often seeks to challenge the conventional definition of the architect. In this conversation, Jarrett and Giovanna talk about the CCA’s mission and history, how her background studying architecture influences her work, and why she’s interested in the confusion that comes with blurring disciplinary boundaries. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/285-giovanna-borasi — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

284. Walter Hood Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

Walter Hood is a landscape architect, architect, artist, and urbanist. He’s the creative director and founder of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, CA and the former chair of the department of landscape architecture at University of California, Berkeley. He’s the author of Blues & Jazz Landscapes, Urban Diaries, and the co-editor of Black Landscapes Matter. In this conversation, Jarrett and Walter talk about thinking of landscapes as a medium, his interest in subverting typologies, and why he refers to his work as a cultural practice. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/284-walter-hood — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

283. Oliver Munday Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

Oliver Munday is a graphic designer and writer. His new book, Head of Household, is a collection of short stories that explore the conditions of modern fatherhood. Perhaps best known for his book cover designs, Oliver is currently the executive director of art and design at Doubleday, previously designed covers for Knopf and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and served as associate art director of The Atlantic. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jarrett and Oliver talk about his move into fiction, why he wrote a book about fatherhood, and the limits of working as a graphic designer. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/2823-oliver-munday — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

282. Sonja Stummerer & Martin Hablesreiter Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Sonja Stummerer and Martin Hablesreiter operate under the name Honey & Bunny. Their work moves between art, photography, performance, video, and writing to explore our relationship to food. With backgrounds in architecture, they are the authors of the books Food Design and Eat Design and the directors of the film Food Design: The Film. In this episode, Jarrett talks with Sonja and Martin about the origins of food design, what they learned from Hans Hollein, and why food is the most important design object. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/282-sonja-stummerer-martin-hablesreiter — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

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