Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Over the last 19 years, Design Matters has evolved from a niche, live intenet radio program to a global podcast with over 500,000 downloads a month. While the program was originally about design (hence the name) and began before the advent of mainstream podcasting, the show evolved over the years into a widely respected, award-winning podcast about the journey artists of myriad disciplines—including designers, writers, artists, musicians, educators, scientists, philosophers, athletes and performers—take in creating their lives, and making their respective art. Just some of the many guests on Design Matters include activists Gloria Steinem and Anita Hill; artists Mickalene Thomas, Marilyn Minter, Marina Abramovic, Nick Cave and Bisa Butler; writers Roxane Gay, Min Jin Lee, Isaac Fitzgerald, Malcolm Gladwell, Brene Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jason Reynolds, James Clear, and Kevin Kelly; designers Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, Emily Oberman, Irma Boom, Dario Calmese and Chip Kidd, musicians Rosanne Cash, David Byrne, Michael Stipe, Jack White, Indigo Girls and Rick Rubin, athletes Megan Rapinoe, Chris Evert and Abby Wambach, and many more.
The format of Design Matters is organized around the idea of "storytelling through questions," and host Debbie Millman seeks to create an environment of trust allowing guests to deeply share original and intimate stories about the path their lives and work have taken. Considered one of the most rigorously researched podcasts on the air, the show won a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in 2011, in 2015 Apple designated the show as one of the best podcasts on iTunes and in 2022 and 2023 named it one of their “All Time Favorites." In 2017 the magazine Business Insider chose it as one of the best podcasts in the world. In 2023 the show won two Webby Awards, three Communicator Awards, a Signal Award, three awards from The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, including a 'Best In Show' award for Best Host. The podcast also received a 2023 nomination for an Ambie Award. The show has been featured on over 100 “best-of” lists including Architectural Digest, Goop, The Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Magazine, Marie Claire and HGTV.