Design Better

Leonardo Giusti, co-founder and Chief Design Officer at Archetype AI and former Google ATAP design lead with a Ph.D. in HCI. He discusses foundation models trained on sensor data, Project Soli and Jacquard’s tangible interactions, why chatbots are a limited interface for the physical world, and designing AI as a tool to augment human intelligence rather than replace it.

Brooke Hopper, Senior Principal Designer at Adobe who led early Firefly work and the Not Generated partnership with Parsons, talks about AI as a creative collaborator. She discusses designers keeping craft and taste, faster playful prototyping, new autonomy with tooling, and how AI reshapes production while leaving room for human judgment.

Daisy Fancourt, a UCL professor who studies how arts shape health, argues arts belong alongside sleep and exercise. She discusses arts changing gene expression, slowing biological aging, and stabilizing vital signs in the NICU. Topics include why creative work can heal yet also risk burnout, how different art forms target different health goals, and practical daily habits to boost the benefits.

Fiona Crombie, an Australian production designer twice Oscar-nominated, shapes film worlds that tell story without words. She discusses defining everything in frame that is not costume. Short scenes cover research, visual mapping, prototyping, and how sets influence performance. The conversation highlights making locations feel lived-in and using motifs like trees and corridors to carry emotion.

Sam Beam, five-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter behind Iron & Wine, began as a visual artist and film teacher before music. He talks about how a four-track recorder changed his process. He reflects on balancing prolific creativity with parenting five daughters. He discusses collaborative recording, working with his daughter Arden, and how his songs grew from bedroom demos to cinematic arrangements.

George Newman, a cognitive scientist and author of How Great Ideas Happen, describes creativity as discovery rather than magic. He outlines a four-step “creative archaeology” workflow and discusses hot streaks in creative careers. He also explores how intuition fits into structured practice and shares practical exercises for breaking creative ruts.

Nate Koechly, YouTube UX Director modernizing the app with research-driven design, and Matthew Darby, Director of Product Management coordinating product strategy and measurement. They discuss a four-year redesign with paired visual and quality-of-life updates. They explain predictive measurement, balancing metrics with perception, refining the player, algorithm trade-offs, and giving viewers more control through language and personalization.

Bill Burnett, design educator and author of Designing Your Life, shares a design-driven take on meaning. He reframes the question to finding meaning in life. Conversations cover why work often fails to provide lasting meaning, the four-part framework Wonder, Coherence, Flow, Community, and how relationships and community shape a meaningful life.

Austin Kleon, bestselling author and artist known for Steal Like an Artist, shares a simple, sustainable creative toolkit and daily rituals. He talks about why physical making and constraints spark ideas. He warns against overreliance on digital tools and highlights the role of rest, boredom, and humane workspaces in sustaining creativity.

Raffaela Panie, the Brand, Identity, and Look Director for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, shares insights into the colossal design challenge of creating a unified visual identity for the games. She discusses how to honor Olympic heritage while incorporating Italian culture, focusing on themes of beauty and contemporary spirit. Raffaela reveals the unique elements, from medals to mascots, and the importance of a modular design system that adapts to various platforms. This creative endeavor requires collaboration with a diverse team and extensive research to resonate globally.