This week, Rachel and Charles welcome interior designer Monika Shreves to discuss the difficult-to-define “Pacific Northwest Aesthetic.” Is the real Pacific Northwest all mid-century modern homes and industrial-chic interiors, or is there something even more authentic hidden beneath?

4 - The Pacific Northwest Aesthetic with Monika Shreves

With this influx of new Seattleites and their eclectic backgrounds and influence, how are our neighborhoods evolving? What role does nostalgia play in the future of Seattle and its neighborhoods?

5- New Neighborhoods with Robert Mech of Board & Vellum

Seattle has an eclectic and prolific collection of neighborhood parks, but Puget Sound is, in its own way, Seattle’s most prominent park. What does it mean when we have to pay money to access it? Plus, when both indoor and outdoor natural spaces are locked behind a gate with hours and limited access, do they cease to be public?

6 - Parks and the Paywall with Leslie Batten of Board & Vellum

Urban life and suburban life yield very different experiences. Newcomers and Seattle natives alike are facing a choice of how much space they want, versus how much they can afford. If there’s an exodus of Seattleites, are they moving towards the city center, or away?

7- City to the Suburbs with Todd Martell

Seattleites may think of beaches and resorts when they think of Hawaii, but first and foremost, Hawaii has a vibrant culture and proud traditions that reach back far before anyone in the Pacific Northwest ever visited. How is Hawaiian culture represented in design, and how do Seattle’s sensibilities compare to the even more nature-focused values of Hawaii?

8 - Hawaiian Design with Chris Parker of Board & Vellum

Public transportation has been a hot topic in Seattle for some time now, and as the face of the city changes with an influx of newcomers, the evolving public transportation infrastructure is facing a big test. How does Seattle’s struggles to form a fully developed transit system compare to the struggles of other cities? Why do some neighborhoods fear the light rail coming to their neck of the woods? Does Seattle being late to the game mean can we take advantage of new technologies and innovations?

9 - The Race for Light Rail with Matt Hagen

The great outdoors is hugely important to Pacific Northwest culture, and landscape designers work in the language that Pacific Northwesterners speak fluently. As the line between inside and out blurs, how do we manage the expectations of an urban population that values this vital connection above all else? With so many new Seattlites with different sensibilities regarding the outdoors, how do designers manage these expectations?

10 - Northwestern Hospitality with Zack Thomas of Board & Vellum

We talk about taste all the time, yet it’s one of the most difficult concepts to define in any creative genre. Who has good taste? Who has bad taste? Who tells you if you have it and what do you do with it? We chat about that and more, including fever dreams, houses made out of doors, and Scandinavian crime dramas. This is a great episode, trust us, we have great taste.

25 - In Good Taste with Brian Baker of Board & Vellum

We are all living in the Post Truth Era, whether we choose to believe it or not. Once upon a time, we all experienced the world accepting basic, fundamental truths, but, as of late, that's just no longer the case. Basic concepts, like science, are being called into question, and when that happens, everything goes out the window. Nowhere is this more evident than in graphic design: ground zero for the battle between fiction and fact. Gabriel Stromberg, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Civilization, a design practice here in Seattle, helps us with our cognitive dissonance, understanding how powerful design can be, but also, ruining smoothies in the process.

28 - Post Truth Design: Part 2 with Gabriel Stromberg of Civilization

Just say the words “Post Truth” and journalism comes to mind. Whether you think the news is full of information or disinformation depends completely on who we trust to frame the facts, and our differing opinions are bringing a lot more polarization into our daily lives. How will we escape the Post Truth era? Will we be able to at all? What can we do to try to come together more, if not on a grander scale, at least in the communities where we live? For this third episode in our series on Post Truth, we invited returning guest, Monica Guzman, Director of The Evergrey, a digital news publication here in Seattle, back to the studio to light up the path forward.

29 - Post Truth Design: Part 3 with Monica Guzman of The Evergrey

It’s official, Hustle Culture is a thing. As young workers enter the workforce, there is a glamorization of overwork. Some are cheering it on, but are we risking the burnout of an entire generation? Gary Vaynerchuk, dubbed by the NY Times as “The Patron Saint of Hustle Culture” may have started it, but it has taken on a life of its own, as Instagram accounts light up with all-nighters, coffee binging contests, and other overwork competitions. What’s the line between seizing an opportunity to make your mark on the world, and just plain grinding?

31 - (Dis)Respect The Hustle with Jeff Pelletier of Board & Vellum

The word “design” is one of the most intriguing in the English language (says us designers), straddling the line between specific and vague, and causing an unparalleled possessiveness among many creative professions. How do we unpack what it means to all of us, and in the end, is it a word that does creatives harm, or does it do us justice?

32 - The Word “Design” with Charles Fadem and Rachel Scott

In today’s data-driven society, it’s easy to forget that we don’t experience our lives in numbers. Instead, we experience our lives in impressions and feelings. Design at its core is meant not only to help us survive, but to make us feel something: perhaps safe, or comfortable, or relaxed, or joyful. Yet in western culture, we resist talking about design in terms of emotions, we prefer geometry and color, zoning, and square footages. How can we get back in touch with the emotions that are at the core of experiencing design?

33 - All The Feels with Marissa Lada of Honey Lune Hivery

In the post “Inconvenient Truth” world, many of us try our best to be conscious of the impact we have on the environment, and designers, even more so. There are companies everywhere boasting how “green” their products and services are, and once you take a deeper look, it’s not as simple as it seems. Is buying a product that claims to be “green” helping the environment? Are designers that choose recycled products doing enough? Or, have we all succumbed to “greenwashing,” the act of marketing things as environmentally sensitive, when they’re anything but?

34 - Greenwashing with Ryan Adanalian

When someone asks you what it’s like to live in Seattle, it’s not the easiest question to answer, and one of the biggest reasons why, is that words just don’t do it justice. Three women set out to use graphic design to solve this, creating a book comprised almost entirely of infographics. To answer the question once and for all, the answer is, beautiful.

35 - Graphic Seattle with Natalie Ross, Co-Author of Seattleness

We now live in a world where an entire generation lives in constant terror that their friends are doing something cooler than they are. FOMO, or fear of missing out, can have a paralyzing effect. How are today’s community spaces and event organizers changing how they design gatherings to meet the demands, and fears, of the next generation of people?

37 - Design in the Age of FOMO with Jordan Lyon of The Evergrey

Artistic expression is a fundamental part of the human condition, but body art remains one of the most stigmatized versions of expression on a global level. In the US, 40% of Americans under the age of 30 have a tattoo, so clearly something is shifting. Why has tattoo art, and the designers and artists that work in the medium had such a hard time being accepted into the artistic community, and why do so many unfair stigmas remain?

36 - Thinking Ink with Christy Lillard of Laughing Buddha Tattoo

There is nothing more inescapable in the world of architecture and design than the celebrity architect. On television and in film, famous architects — both fictional and real — swagger and lecture, point to the horizon, and find themselves surrounded with adulation for their unique visions. Even though there are a few dozen celebrity architects in the world, for the rest of us, the world is a bit different. These “Capital ‘A’ Architects” may be inspiring at times, yet can do real harm to the profession with their work and attitude. Case in point: Bjarke Ingles.

38 - Breaking Bjarke with Charles Fadem and Rachel Scott

One of the best parts of living in a city is having access to an endless array of bars and restaurants, and the food and drinks are just the beginning of what draws us out. Aesthetics play a huge role in the experience, as well, and design can make or break a successful bar, restaurant, or lounge. How do we create spaces that feel authentic instead of clichéd? How do we entice social media buzz with design, and navigate the fickle world of design trends? Seattle restaurateur and designer Linda Derschang joins us to answer these questions and more.

39 - 1 Bar, 2 Bars, Old Bar, New Bar with Linda Derschang of the Derschang Group

History is filled with designers telling people how to live. And just as much, with people living however they please, no matter what designers say. This conflict between the creators of space and the people who inhabit those spaces goes on today. Is that tension productive? Are designers and architects learning the lessons of yesterday, or just repeating them? Do any of us really know how people will use the spaces we create, even with the best of intentions?

40 - Tacos and the Perils of Modern Design with Charles Fadem and Rachel Scott

“Tactical Urbanism” is really just a fancy phrase for temporary installations in civic public areas. But what might seem like a simple change to your sidewalk or street for a few days can have a lasting impact on how our cities evolve, and how we inform the civic spaces of the future.

41 - Just Park(let) Here: Owning Your City with Tactical Urbanism with Taylor McNeill

“One-Off,” “Limited Edition,” “Here for a limited time only!” — if you follow design, you’ve likely been seeing these phrases a lot lately. There is a premium placed on design that is “of the moment” and then it’s gone. This so-called “short-run trend” is sticking around more than the designs that comprise it — what is the consequence of that? Without “design movements” that cross years, disciplines, even generations, embedding deeply in society and culture, what is left? Where do we go from here?

42 - Short Run Design with Charles Fadem and Rachel Scott

Coffee: it’s as much a part of the identity of the city of Seattle as Puget Sound, salmon, the Seahawks, or the Space Needle. On top of that, it’s fair to say that coffee culture is everywhere in Seattle, and the design of each shop is as unique as the roasting and blending techniques of the beans consumed there. Now, besides the physical spaces themselves, there is a lot of thought and design being put into the process by which that coffee gets across the world, to the shop, and into your cup. And even in the “fair trade” era, so to speak, that process might surprise you.

43 - Coffee’s On Us with Kala Wolfe of Onda Origins Coffee

3D rendering technology, 3D printers, CNC Routers, inexpensive recycled materials, and a whole new generation of open-minded designers and clients have led to an era where experimentation is celebrated, but tricky. Now that architecture firms can start to create some of their own built elements, what are the consequences for designers presenting themselves as makers? What are the pitfalls of this new era of experimentation, where architects can iterate at blinding speed? Do we sacrifice quality for quantity? Or are more iterations, faster, actually better?

44 - Experimental Design with Scott Crawford of LMNts

The aggressive, angular, stainless steel wedge on wheels looks like something out of a science fiction movie. To say it’s polarizing is an understatement. People love, hate it, are scared by it, excited by it, some think it’s one of the worst automobiles ever designed, and others look at it and see the future. One thing is for certain: Tesla, known in many circles for design innovation, has not disappointed in pushing the envelope when it comes to design norms. The Cybertruck could have huge implications for the design world, and not just when it comes to cars.

45 - The Cybertruck Moment with Charles Fadem and Rachel Scott

The design community in Seattle, and others across the country, are attempting to resolve their civic present with their urban future. It’s up to architects, planners, developers, and designers to listen to communities and shape the city to serve its people. But what does that mean when some see downtown Seattle as a response only to tourism and the bridge and ferry crowd? How do we develop and preserve Seattle’s unique nightlife along with the exponentially growing transportation demands? More importantly, how do we retain the natural beauty of our city and still, literally, reach for the sky with the office spaces of the future?

46 - Downtown Lowdown with Don Blakeney of the Downtown Seattle Association

Design can make a statement. Sometimes it’s a statement that’s open to interpretation, something that reminds us of a feeling, or inspires us. Other times, the statement is clear and intentional, and the designer’s intent is transparent. In an age where we can connect directly with our audience, what does it mean when we want our message heard? How can we communicate our values to the world, while activating grassroots movements? When we wish to design according to our values, how can we be sure that our efforts aren’t invisible?

47 - Values Driven Design with Tara Clark of Believe Love Unite

Not too long ago, there were (mostly male) Master Architects, moonlighting as professors, criticizing student work a few times a week, while students scrambled 23 hours a day to understand the architectural movement of the era. It was the Beaux Arts back in the late 1800s, Bauhaus and Modernism in the early 1900s, then Postmodernism, Deconstructionism, and Minimalism following, late into the century. Lately, though in the 21st century, design movements have faded, giving way to values-driven design, unlocked by constantly evolving digital technology has been the catalyst for a sea change in architectural education.

48 - We Don’t Need No Education with Jeff Sandler of Mahlum & UW Architecture

Whether it’s an abstract collection of geographic shapes, or a photo-realistic montage, murals are everywhere you look in Seattle, big and small. Some take planning and execution, and others happen organically. There are some, though, that transcend what we think of as public art, ones that become a part of Seattle’s consciousness. One of those murals is on the wall of a famous music venue here, called Neumos. Every month, the mural is painted over, again and again, each one more fantastic than the next. This mural is maintained by a collection of artists, and to them, the city is their art gallery.

49 - Gridiron to the Gallery with D’Andre Goodwin of ZJ Group & a Former NFL Receiver

Rachel and Charles look back at the first 50 Design Goggles podcasts. We chat about the beginnings of the show, and how it evolved into a chat about design, how it shaped Seattle, the world, and our future.

50 - Looking Back with Rachel Scott and Charles Fadem

Hosts Charles Fadem and Rachel Simrell Scott from Seattle architecture and design firm, Board & Vellum, talk about the evolution of our cities and the world around us through the lens of design. Architecture, interior design, graphic design, fashion, art, tech, UX and more — no corner of the design world is off-limits.

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