From your inbox to your ears: Audio versions of The Brief

02/21/25 • 8 min

Every month, our premium subscribers receive our newsletter The Brief , which assembles wisdom gleaned from interviews with creative thinkers. It’s a chance to go deeper into salient topics like creative collaboration, the ephemeral nature of designing software, and how other creative people in music and film solve problems.

But inboxes are busy places—an issue might slip past you. And everyone learns differently. Some of us learn best by listening. We’re always looking for new ways to support your learning. :)

We’re now creating narrated versions of The Brief released as a podcast in your feed.

Want to check it out? We’re releasing the first episode from our most recent issue of The Brief, What do many creative people have in common? ADHD.

We hope this new feature helps you continue your educational journey into design and creativity.

But inboxes are busy places—an issue might slip past you. And everyone learns differently. Some of us learn best by listening. We’re always looking for new ways to support your learning. :)

We’re now creating narrated versions of The Brief released as a podcast in your feed.

Want to check it out? We’re releasing the first episode from our most recent issue of The Brief, What do many creative people have in common? ADHD.

We hope this new feature helps you continue your educational journey into design and creativity.

Previous Episode

Kevin Bethune: Nonlinear—Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kevin-bethune-returns

One core strength that good designers cultivate is the ability to navigate ambiguity. Our guest today, Kevin Bethune, returns to the show to discuss his new book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction, which emphasizes that to achieve real innovation, teams must be willing to venture into the “proverbial forest of ambiguity.”

We talked to Kevin about how we can bring non-linear thinking into our very linear workflows to shake them up to embrace ambiguity and exploration. Kevin also shared why he thinks multidisciplinary thinking is essential to innovation and creativity.

Buy the book

Bio

Kevin Bethune is a multidisciplinary design and innovation executive, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and keynote speaker based in Redondo Beach, California. His career spans mechanical engineering within nuclear power, product creation at Nike, and advanced design studies at ArtCenter, culminating in a pioneering path for servant leadership in design and innovation. As the founder of dreams • design + life—a “think tank” integrating strategic design, industrial design, and brand strategy—Kevin helps organizations uncover human-centric, holistic opportunities that bridge physical, digital, and service-oriented experiences. Over the years, he has led large-scale creative teams, guiding 30+ direct contributors and influencing global groups of more than 70 in shaping design functional excellence and innovation best practices.

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This is a premium episode on Design Better. We release two premium episodes per month, along with two free episodes for everyone. Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.

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Next Episode

Gareth Hinds: A golden age for the graphic novel

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/gareth-hinds

Graphic novels are experiencing something of a renaissance recently. As the medium has gained popularity, notable thinkers like Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari and the late John Lewis have brought their stories to life beautifully in graphic novel form. Gareth Hinds has played a big role in shaping the medium. His graphic novel adaptations of The Iliad, The Odyssey, Macbeth, Beowulf, and King Lear have brought new readers and new perspectives to these classic tales. Count us in that group of his readers looking at these ancient stories differently.

We speak with Gareth about his creative and editorial workflow, and how he turns challenging works from Shakespeare, Homer, and others into a graphic novel. We also talk about how his background in video game design influences his work, and how he chooses stories that lend themselves well to his style of illustration.

Bio

Gareth Hinds is the creator of critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics, including Beowulf (which Publisher’s Weekly called a “mixed-media gem”), King Lear (which Booklist named one of the top 10 graphic novels for teens), The Merchant of Venice (which Kirkus called “the standard that all others will strive to meet” for Shakespeare adaptation), The Odyssey (which garnered four starred reviews and a spot on ten “best of 2010” lists), Romeo and Juliet (which Kirkus called “spellbinding”), and Macbeth (which the New York Times called “stellar” and “a remarkably faithful rendering”). Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library’s “Literary Lights for Children” award. His books can be found in bookstores and English classrooms across the country, and his illustrations have appeared in such diverse venues as the Society of Illustrators, the New York Historical Society, and over a dozen published video games.

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Premium Episodes on Design Better

This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you’d like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you’ll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to the documentary Design Disruptors and our growing library of books, as well as our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.

Upgrade to paid

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Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:

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If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: [email protected]

If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: [email protected]