Design Discipline

Sean is best known as the founder and creative force behind The Waldorf Project, an ongoing experimental art platform launched in 2012 that has gained international recognition for pushing the limits of immersive and participatory experience.Through The Waldorf Project, Sean has conceived and directed large-scale, radical performance environments often described as “empathy engineering” experiments. These works dissolve the boundary between audience and performer, combining ritual, architecture, sound, choreography, and psychological framing to explore connection, vulnerability, and collective consciousness. The project has been realised worldwide, involving over 5,000 participants in Thailand and a high-altitude performance for 400 people aboard a Lufthansa flight, an unprecedented context for live immersive art.As a natural continuation of The Waldorf Project, Sean expanded his practice into virtual reality with Virtual Serenity, translating his principles of collective experience into a large-scale XR environment. Conceived as one of the most ambitious location-based VR empathy experiments to date, Virtual Serenity enabled up to 288 participants to share a synchronized virtual journey, extending Sean’s exploration of presence, emotional resonance, and shared human states into the digital realm.AffiliatesThese are products we personally use and recommend.* Framer: build websites, the easy way* Rize: magically track everything you do* Color AI: generate meaningful color palettes* Sublime: turn ideas into worlds of inspirationSean on LinkedIn | Waldorf Project| Waldorf Project on Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe

Mila is the founder of Decima Longevity, a venture focused on making regenerative and longevity medicine transparent, ethical, and human-centered rather than opaque and elite.Her work in longevity centers on translating complex fields such as cell therapies into systems people can understand, trust, and navigate.She founded her first company at the age of 22, building a software-driven business for collaborative 3D/4D/5D workflows in design and construction. That early venture bridged architecture, technology, and large-scale production, serving both infrastructure projects and high-end creative studios. Her career shows a consistent pattern: entering complex industries and restructuring them through clarity, aesthetics, and system-level thinking.AffiliatesThese are products we personally use and recommend.* Framer: build websites, the easy way* Rize: magically track everything you do* Color AI: generate meaningful color palettes* Sublime: turn ideas into worlds of inspirationMila on LinkedIn | Decima Longevity | Le Chacuel This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe

Carl Rivera became Shopify’s Chief Design Officer in 2025, reinstating a design leadership position that was dormant at the company since the departure of its founding designer.Earlier in his career, Carl co-founded Tictail, the Stockholm-based social shopping platform and marketplace known for its design. Shopify acquired Tictail in 2018, bringing Carl into the organization. He has since held product leadership positions at Shopify, where he led major initiatives serving millions.AffiliatesThese are products we personally use and recommend.* Framer: build websites, the easy way* Rize: magically track everything you do* Color AI: generate meaningful color palettes* Sublime: turn ideas into worlds of inspirationBooks from the conversation* The Bhagavad Gita* The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell* The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by Carl G. Jung* How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian ShaughnessyCarl on LinkedIn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe

Adrian Shaughnessy is a British graphic designer, writer, and educator, best known for bridging design practice with critical thought. A self-taught creative, he co-founded the influential studio Intro and later the publishing imprint Unit Editions, producing landmark works on design culture. His 2005 book How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul remains a favorite worldwide. Adrian teaches at the Visual Communication program of the Royal College of Art in London as an associate lecturer. He has contributed essays, critiques and editorial work across major design publications, and under Unit Editions has published monographs on figures such as Herb Lubalin, Ken Garland, Lance Wyman, and Paula Scher. Visit our sponsors:* Framer: build websites, the easy way* Rize: magically track everything you do* Color AI: generate meaningful colour palettes* Sublime: turn ideas into worlds of inspirationFrom the conversation:* Graphic Design: A User’s Manual by Adrian Shaughnessy* Herb Lubalin: American Graphic Designer by Unit Editions* How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy* Manuals 2: Design & Identity Guidelines by Unit Editions* Paula Scher: Works by Unit Editions* Pentagram: Living by Design by Unit Editions* Studio Culture Now by Unit Editions* What is a Designer: Things, Places, Message by Norman Potteruniteditions.com | x.com/AJWShaughnessy | shaughnessyworks-prints.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe

Sari Azout, founder of Sublime and former strategy lead at Rokk3r Labs, dives into creativity and AI's impact on productivity. She discusses Sublime's innovative approach to knowledge management, focusing on connections and community over mere storage. Sari also explores how AI can be harnessed to enhance creativity, arguing for the importance of human curation in the digital age. She addresses the evolving nature of jobs in automation and the significance of rituals in creative work, offering delightful insights into building a meaningful creative practice.

Weber Wong is founder and CEO of FLORA: a powerful AI canvas, built specifically for creative work. The New York-based startup has raised more than $6 million, and built tooling that is loved by creatives at top studios like Pentagram, Instrument, and MSCHF.Weber has a background with diverse experiences spanning venture capital, investment banking, poetry, history, and more recently, studies on interactive art at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. We discussed how these experiences shaped his approach to building one of the most exciting startups in the space of design and creative work today; and his unique perspective on the present and the future of design.Get 50% off FLORA’s Pro Tier with code: DESIGNDISCIPLINEVisit our sponsors:* Framer: build websites, the easy way* Rize: magically track everything you do* Color AI: generate meaningful color palettes* Sublime: turn ideas into worlds of inspirationFrom the conversation:* Strategy by Lawrence Freedman* Innovators by Walter Isaacson* Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates * Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight* The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro* Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle by Matthew Symonds* Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech* Dieter Rams: The Complete Works by Klaus Klemp* Hiroshi Fujiwara: Fragment* Hiroshi Fujiwara: Fragment #2* Digital Art: 1960s to Now by Pita Arreolaflorafauna.ai | x.com/weberwongwong This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe

Andres Jasso is the Founder and Creative Director of ALL HANDS, a design studio in San Antonio, Texas. With over 12 years of design experience, he shares his entrepreneurial journey, transitioning from a classical music background to graphic design. They discuss the innovative SAFEHOUSE membership lounge, emphasizing community over data in business. Andres also highlights the evolution of coffee culture, exploring artisanal trends and unique experiences. He reflects on design's impact on personal identity and the importance of collaborations in building community.

Rob is a South African web designer and creator who runs One Page Love and hosts the Yo! Podcast.He’s currently working full-time on his self-owned portfolio of internet businesses after a decade freelancing. When he’s not building online he loves to surf, travel and listen to 90s punk rock.Products from the Conversation* 7 Rules of Power by Jeffrey Pfeffer* Anything You Want by Derek Sivers* Build To Last by Jim Collins* Good To Great by Jim Collins* Great By Choice by Jim Collins* Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling* How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie* Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t by Jeffrey Pfeffer* The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph CampbellConnect with Robrobhope.com | onepagelove.com | yo.fm | x.com/robhopeSupported by:* Color AI: Generate meaningful color palettes with cultural references This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe

Explore the journey of Anthony Hobday, a self-taught interface designer, as he discusses the evolution of design perception, challenges in content creation, design book recommendations, embedding visual design practices in tools, interface design challenges, and the balance between functionality and aesthetics in design.

Alex is the production designer for Fight Club, Minority Report, The Crow, Watchmen, The Terminal, and Man of SteelVisit: https://designdisciplin.com/alex-mcdowell This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designdisciplin.com/subscribe