The Design Matters podcast is an absolute treasure for anyone who loves creativity and storytelling! Debbie Millman’s conversations with artists, designers, and thinkers are so insightful and beautifully crafted. Every episode feels like an intimate look into the minds of some of the most inspiring and innovative people, covering not only their creative journeys but also the philosophies and personal stories that drive their work. Debbie’s interviewing style is warm, thoughtful, and truly brings out the best in her guests.

Thanks for infusing my life with such incredibly creative and thought provoking guests. I’ve been listening in my studio for years and always inspires me to keep going.

real curiosity and fun…i love that debbie listens and lets the guests shine but when she does get personal, it fits right in…never miss an episode…

so fake. terribly forced. full of epiphanies if you never matured beyond the age of 12. the Host is full of herself. the dialogue is from an underfunded hallmark movie. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻 I really tried to give it a fair shot with several episodes. But it’s got almost nothing to do with design. they can’t even get the basics right. it’s just garbage.

I enjoy soaking in every podcast I get a chance to listen to. Thank you for the design inspiration and most importantly, being such a lovely human being.

This show is an invaluable treasure trove for the modern creative spirit. Every episode blends wisdom from top-tier creatives with actionable steps for those on the unconventional path. It's more than just inspiration—it's a call to action for every creative soul to follow their dreams and change the world!

Debbie brings on the most fascinating guests to cover a myriad of topics, and she does it in such a captivating and professional way. She is an excellent interviewer and her show is definitely worth a listen!

I listen to a lot of podcasts as I create. Design Matters always leaves me feeling a little smarter and a lot more creative! Thank you!

Design Matters with Debbie Millman is one of my top favorite podcasts for feeling connected to the design community. It’s become a running joke in the office when the team sees me with my blue headphones on, they know I’m in the design podcast zone. The interviews and subjects discussed are Inspiring, interesting, moderated beautifully, with a million take aways — A must listen to if you’re a design geek like myself.

Few interviewers in the world are as adept & patient with guests as Debbie. She asks beautifully crafted questions and patiently gives her guests the space to answer instead of rushing to the next point. Also her research on guests always uncovers the most interesting little known moments to pull on.

The Design Matters podcast with Debbie Millman is a great show! She is an interesting and engaging interviewer and brings on guests that provide advice based on experience and knowledge for any listener! I will be listening weekly. Enjoy!

It’s just Somalis re: the folks from Somalia.

Thanks you for having Starlee as a guest. I loved her Mystery Show podcast and have been waiting for new episodes to fill my feed since 2015! Didn’t realize it had been that long until your interview with Starlee. Maybe I should unfollow Mystery Show now that I know it won’t be back. Please let Starlee know she is missed!

Debbie is the best interviewer! She has interesting comments and insightful questions. I love Ethan Hawke so much, and this interview is the best.

I love you so much

Debbie Millman could interview Satan and it would be charming, insightful and un-pause-able, just like the rest of her interviews. She does her homework and inspires listeners, as do her guests. At first, I thought this was gonna be a podcast about interior design (which is how/why I discovered it in the first place) but I found out that it’s really about “inner” design.

Debbie, host of the podcast, highlights all aspects of people with creative lives and more in this can’t miss podcast! The host and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!

I’m a fan of the show. Full stop. That said, there’s something in this industry and in the TED-like circles that always bugs me. I recently listened to Debbie on Kara Swishers podcast and a very thoughtful listener asked a question about her obsession with other people’s failures and asked her to share one of her own. She could not. The closest thing was that she accepted a job at a corporate design company after college. I’m sorry, but that isn’t failure or even a setback. So I’m just curious why there’s so much obsession in these idea circles with failure and overcoming challenges and so little acknowledgment of the truth: some people are just LUCKY! It’s not that they have the most resilient mindset or have figured out how to get through challenges. Many times, it’s simply that they’ve lived a fortunate life where things just kind of clicked for them and there’s wasn’t much to overcome. Let me be clear…there is nothing wrong with this!! But to pretend grit and determination are the key ingredients to success is just ridiculous. Debbie and many of her guests have had a relatively smooth path with opens doors AND have made the most of it. Good for them and for her! But let’s please let’s just be honest about this reality.

I listen to *lots* of podcasts; most of them are light and funny listens that liven up chores and other mundane moments. Design Matters is different. Although it’s a fun, engaging listen, I always learn something new, or come away inspired, or both. Debbie is a gifted interviewer and creative talent in her own right, and she draws insightful conversations from her equally talented subjects. Magical!

Fantastic, real, thoughtful conversations with a wide range of fascinating, creative people. Highly recommend!

Overall great episodes and conversations. Richard Saul Wurman episode grinds my gears….semi interesting talk but as a guest on the show he seems very obtuse and defensive for no reason…I can only imagine Debbie having to get through the interview! Haha

"... the collective adjacent possible of humanity." Who talks that way?

One of the most interesting and enjoyable interviews of all time! Bravo and thank you.

Debbie is an exquisite interviewer and she gets the most interesting guests! This is a must listen for everyone!

Debbie Millman ties creativity, business, culture, and deep introspection into every interview. The people she curates are always amazing, but it's truly her voice and commitment to exploring the creative condition through a lens that's always kind, interesting, informative, and entertaining that makes the podcast special. 10/10

I am a visual artist and every time I hear one of these podcasts, I get connected to a period on my life, past and present. Having an art career was a bit hard for me and in these shows you can hear so many answers to your doubts and concerns . I wish I had this resource when I was started my career, highly recommended

I use this podcast to balance the many tech podcasts I listen to regularly. I feel Debbie does a great job interviewing and bringing topics I would otherwise have no clue about. The design of every day things really helps to provide perspective in my career, as a father, a husband, and a human being. 10/10 recommend!

I must have been under a rock! How is it that I never listened to this? I am in love with this podcast. Debbie interviews and speaks with gentleness and talent.I am hooked. Design Matters, matters .

Debbie Millman’s thorough research and thoughtful questions bring out the best in her guests. Her craftsmanship as a podcast is worthy of more attention. Her interview with Michael R. Jackson and Seth Godin are so good I had to stop what I was doing and listen. Debbie is a gem!

Fascinating topic overall – I really appreciate Debbie’s approach to applying and understanding design in society and our lives. I rarely listen, however, as I would like to have a little bit of an indication about the topic before listening to an episode.

This podcast is truly extraordinary with a palette of interviewees on how we can build confidence in our creativity and lead our fullest life visions.

I love listening to Debbie talk to guests. They have an amazing way with words and every episode I learn something new.

Keep apologizing for this awful hellhole of a country we live in Debbie. You go girl!!

I'm so surprised to see fewer than 1,000 reviews for Design Matters. This podcast is excellent for anyone working in design, or interested in design. My background is architecture and graphic design, and this podcast helps me learn about a huge spectrum of creative professionals I otherwise would not have known about. Debbue Milman's interviews are in depth, she asks so many of the right questions plus extras that take the conversation in new and interesting directions..

She does her homework, which allows her to get through biographical information quickly and get to really great questions sooner. So even in a fairly short interview, she asks a lot of good questions. She also gives her guests time to answer: I don’t recall her ever interrupting. But what I like best is that she is a fan of her guests — so obviously respectful of them — and I think that that helps put them at ease and give rich, often extraordinary answers. To me, her interview with Massimo Vignelli is priceless because of what she brings out of him.

I’ve been listening to this podcast since I was 16. 7 years later and I still get excited about new episodes. Thanks to the team that makes this possible, y’all are a lifeline during covid 🌸💕

Debbie is brilliant. It’s so apparent how much work and thought go into her interviews. I can’t recommend this podcast enough.

all i can say is it is about time someone interviewed you— debbie! please please please, roxanne, get her back in the chair for a full-on hour exploration of the amazingly swell debbie millman! you bring so much color and passion to my weeks— love you—

I just finished listening to the conversation with Chanel Miller. I have read her amazing book (everyone should do the same) and it is so important to continue to listen to what she has to say. She is such a strong and impressive woman who deserves to know how much we appreciate her tireless work and how much we support her. Thank you for sharing this conversation and for asking her more about herself.

Debbie is an AMAZING interviewer and she goes so deep with each guest that even if I’ve heard them doing the circuit I always learn something new. Many of her episodes have made me cry! She gets people to be vulnerable and reflective. There’s definitely some where I don’t vibe with the guest, usually the ones that are more specific to the design world where their work and insights don’t really seem to have broader impact or implications but there are so many good guests that it is worth it. There are some I listen to again and again. ❤️

Debbie Millman is such an amazing interviewer! You can tell how much thought she puts into preparing for each guest. She is so eloquent and keeps a riveting conversation going for the duration of each episode. I also enjoy the wide variety of guests. I’ve been exposed to so many creatives that I might not have otherwise heard of if it weren’t for this podcast.

It’s a JOY to listen to Debbie interview her guests. An interview is only as good as the questions asked and Debbie isn’t afraid to ask the hard, deep ones as well as the lighter, simpler ones that all lead to revealing, enlightening, and sometimes surprising answers. I love listening to this podcast because the guests are fascinating creatives (Shantell Martin! Malcolm Gladwell! Lynda Barry! Austin Kleon! Roxanne Gay! And more!) and because I can tell the host really loves talking and listening to them. Bravo to Debbie and the whole Design Matters team.

This pod makes me happy !

Debbie Millman is a genius interviewer. Her questions are unexpected, funny, interesting, important. This podcast is my favorite of all time. Thank you for making such great content!

So thank you for staying put. Deep, meaningful conversations that fill my creative heart with awe inspiring content. Looking forward to listen to them all. Congratulations.

Debbie is so great!!! So glad I found this.

Debbie interviews like a prosecutor. She does her research and the podcast feels like a session where she confirms what she has uncovered about a guest-not a conversation. Her coy voice really grates.

One of the best interviewers with the best guests. Well researched before so that the discussions can get right to the meaty bits. I can be pulled in and wrapped up into people who I had never heard of before in minutes. Love love love

I feel completely at home here - bowled over by brilliant advice and nourishing conversations. :) Debbie is absolutely world-class at extractign those bits of gold listeners are looking for. Highly recommend listening & subscribing to Design Matters if you're interested in exploring your own personal / professional evolution & development.

Debbie selects very interesting and innovative speakers and she’s a great interviewer. It feels like I’m part of a conversation. It’s inspiring to hear the stories, struggles, and successes from a wide range of artists of all types. Thank you!