FUTURE OF XYZ

Radha Mistry, foresight lead at Arup with past roles at Autodesk and Steelcase, explores future-focused thinking as provocation and the difference from trend tracking. She talks about embedding foresight in business strategy, AI augmenting design collaboration, zero-G manufacturing, shifts in built environments, democratizing futures, and hopeful shifts in education and culture.

S8 E8: Todd Bracher studied at Pratt, did his Masters in Copenhagen, and spent a decade working across Europe, before returning to New York City where he established his eponymous design studio. Credited with bringing more than 200 products to market and receiving over two dozen patents alongside dozens of accolades and awards – Todd is the first American industrial designer to have Phaidon publish a retrospective of his work. “Observations Research & Design” was released just prior to the recording of this episode. WIth diverse projects undertaken for Herman Miller, Geog Jensen, and now as the Global Creative Director at Humanscale – Todd is also an expert in seating which is what we’re speaking with him about in this tremendously interesting new episode. Tune in today! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E7: Within the industrial design community, our guest is known as an innovative, global leader who has created hundreds of products and services for major brands, launched over 100 early-stage ventures including Uber and TELO Trucks, received over 300 awards, was named one of TIME Magazine’s Top 25 Visionaries and recognized by Forbes as the “Most Influential Industrial Designer in the World”, and has works included in the permanent collections of museums worldwide incl. MOMA and SFMOMA. The Founder and CEO of Fuseproject- a design and innovation studio based in San Francisco and Lisbon since 1999- Yves Behar has turned his attention to our homes in recent years, most notably the ways in which user friendly ecosystems are created and how “intelligent home” products can “hide in plain sight”. Tune in to learn way more than IoT jargon. Not to miss. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E6: “Embodied presence.” “Intelligent gestures.” “Vulnerability is the real humanity inside us.” This week, we host Artist & Experience Designer, Annabelle Schneider, for a seemingly esoteric, abstract conversation about ‘What’s Real’. However, Annabelle quickly shows the topic to be anything other than nebulous. Based on her long-time interiors practice and now multiple award-winning installations that have traveled the globe – we learn how ‘what’s real’ is ultimately fully grounded in the physical, emotional, and spiritual experience all human beings share. In the face of accelerating digitalization and collective overstimulation, Annabelle says: “Discernment- the ability to feel what is authentic, to slow down enough to notice, and to consciously choose depth over distraction- becomes essential!” ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E5: Humans have been covering our feet with shoes to protect from injury and disease for over 5000 years. Sportsmen have been harnessing shoe innovation to maximize performance since the 1800s. The global footwear industry today produces millions of SKUs every year tailored to the unique demands of every imaginable sport, demographic, and style preference. Once a highly valued handcraft, technology has increasingly taken over. And yet, nearly 12% of the world’s population remain “unshod”. This week’s guest is Charles Johnson who has spent nearly four decades in the footwear business- developing products for Puma, Converse, adidas, and others. He is now an academic at Carnegie Mellon University and social entrepreneur working to deliver change at scale. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E4: “It’s about the orchestration of human judgment and machine capability towards a shared outcome.” This week’s episode is about (Hu)man-Machine Collaboration, and our guest is Matt McElvogue, the Vice President of Design at Teague - a century-old Seattle-based design firm renowned for solving complex challenges at the forefront of technology. Whether we’re looking to space or deep into the internet, the fact is that when people and automated technology work together, leveraging each other's strengths to achieve goals better and faster – the collaboration enhances efficiency and innovation. This is a fascinating conversation with a design leader at the forefront of what’s next in the universe literally, not only of design! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E3: Of all the spaces in the world that people flock to, admire, and emulate in recent decades – few are as iconic as NYC’s The High Line- the old, elevated railroad tracks on Manhattan’s West Side, turned native garden and cultural space. In this episode, we speak with the project’s co-Founder, Robert Hammond, about 'Third Places'- what they are, why they matter, and how they’re evolving. From their sometimes-grandiose role in urban renewal (such as the High Line) to their essential everyday purpose as a space for connection – third places include parks, libraries, cafes, bars, gyms, and other community gathering spots. Tune in to learn more. You’ll also hear about Robert’s newest vision – bringing public bathhouses to the US after their millennia of importance as third places in Europe, Asia, and throughout human history. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E2: At the start of the year, what else is there for us to do than imagine all the bright wonderful possibilities ahead? And color helps guide us into sense and feeling. Our guest this week is Laura Guido-Clark, an expert in color, materials, and finishes whose career has touched interiors, education, public works, automotive, electronics, and household appliances. Science says the spectrum of light offers infinite color variations, though estimates the human eye can distinguish between 7-10 million different colors – hear in this week’s episode about how color works and its outsized impact on our lives from nature and design, to pure aesthetics, wellness, and beyond. ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

S8 E1: To kick off the new year, we are opening Season 8 with a conversation about a favorite holiday entertainment and pastime, ‘moviegoing’. Our guest is Jed Harmsen, VP & General Manager of Cinema & Group Entertainment at Dolby Laboratories, famous for revolutionizing audio with noise reduction and compression to significantly reduce high background noise and now the world leader in spatial audio and high dynamic range imaging for movies, streaming, music, gaming, PCs, mobile, licensing, and more. Quoting famed film director George Lucas, Jed says “Sound is more than half the picture”. Tune in today to learn more about moviegoing in 2026 and beyond! ABOUT THE SERIES: FUTURE OF XYZ is an award-winning interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented by iF Design- host of the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD- FUTURE OF XYZ is also a proud member of the SURROUND Podcast Network. New episodes every other Thursday. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz and @ifdesign on Instagram, listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts, watch on YouTube, or visit ifdesign.com/XYZ for show links and more. 

Nick Foster, acclaimed industrial and futures designer and author, reflects on how we imagine futures and why that matters. He outlines four ways of thinking about the future and why rigor and public critique are needed. Conversation touches on everyday design implications, algorithmic accountability, youth mental health, sustainability, and the goal of widespread futures literacy.