This Is A Prototype

• S3•E4 Ashleigh Axios

  The practice of civic design is increasingly in the spotlight in the U.S. as dramatic cuts to federal agency staffing and funding resulted in the abrupt elimination of thousands of design jobs earlier this year. My guest this episode is Ashleigh Axios, one of the top leaders in the global civic design community. Ashleigh is the founder of Public Servants, a consultancy that partners with government and civic organizations across the US to design equitable, effective, and human-centered experiences. Ashleigh served as Creative Director and Digital Strategist in the Obama White House, and has held numerous leadership roles, including as president and board chair of AIGA, the professional association for design in the US.Recently Ashleigh authored an excellent essay titled Not Just Another Chess Set: What the U.S. Chief Design Officer Must Deliver, following the launch last August of America by Design, a new National Design Studio that will work out of the executive branch of the US government—and the announcement that AirBnB co-founder Joe Gebbia will lead this initiative as the US Chief Design Officer. Here is a list of resources and initiatives that we reference in our discussion:DotGov Design initiative (AIGA DC)DotGov Design ConferenceDori Tunstall: “The current regime’s America by Design announcement misses the mark” (Archpaper)Jesse Gardner’s accessibility check of America by Design site (LinkedIn post)Rachael Dietkus: “America by Design, Harm by Default” (LinkedIn article)Fast Company: “Nixon, NASA, And How The Federal Government Got Design” (2017)Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA.gov)“From Airbnb to America’s ‘Chief Design Officer’” — New York Times, Aug 27, 2025 (nytimes.com)e-EstoniaDoug Powell is an award-winning designer and executive design leader with more than 30 years of experience in a wide range of design disciplines. Learn more about Doug's practice as a consultant, educator, and coach at his website dougpowell.design.

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• S3•E3 Sara Cantor + George Aye

  On this episode, host Doug Powell is joined by Sara Cantor and George Aye, co-founders of Chicago-based Greater Good Studio, a design firm dedicated to the public sector, taking a people-centered approach to their work with non-profits, philanthropic foundations, and municipal and government agencies. Earlier this year, Greater Good Studio launched Angry Hour, the "happy hour for pissed off optimists," as a way to bring designers together with community members and activists around local issues and organizations. They’ve held Angry Hours in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Austin. Now they are building on the momentum of Angry Hour by with the first ever Livid Conference, which will bring together designers who want to make a greater social impact through their work, with social sector professionals who are looking to be more creative. Livid Conference will be a hybrid in-person and online event in Chicago on November 3. Registration for Livid Conference is now open at lividconference.com, and listeners of TIAP can get a 40% discount on in-person and online registration by using the discount code DOUG-FRIEND.Doug Powell is an award-winning designer and executive design leader with more than 30 years of experience in a wide range of design disciplines. Learn more about Doug's practice as a consultant, educator, and coach at his website dougpowell.design.

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• Special Edition: Building Diverse Design Teams, Part 2

  On August 28, I hosted a webinar on Building Diverse Design Teams in which I spoke to some of the top leaders in design about the importance of building a more diverse, equitable and representative profession—and what we as individual leaders can do to make that happen. The event was also a fundraiser for an organization called Diversify by Design, and their program DESIGN=, which provides design curriculum kits, teacher training, mentorship, and career guidance to middle- and high-school classrooms in marginalized communities. My co-host for the event was design leader, educator, author, and tv presenter, Kevin Bethune. In part two of this two-part episode, Kevin and I are joined by Tysonn Betts, Omari Souza, and Debbie Millman, and we also heard from students who are working with the DESIGN= curriculum kits in the classroom. In part one—which dropped last week—we were joined by Oen Hammonds, Shawn Williams, and Ellen McGirt.Doug Powell is an award-winning designer and executive design leader with more than 30 years of experience in a wide range of design disciplines. Learn more about Doug's practice as a consultant, educator, and coach at his website dougpowell.design.

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• Special Edition: Building Diverse Design Teams, Part 1

  On August 28, I hosted a webinar on Building Diverse Design Teams in which I spoke to some of the top leaders in design about the importance of building a more diverse, equitable and representative profession—and what we as individual leaders can do to make that happen. The event was also a fundraiser for an organization called Diversify by Design, and their program DESIGN=, which provides design curriculum kits, teacher training, mentorship, and career guidance to middle- and high-school classrooms in marginalized communities. My co-host for the event was design leader, educator, author, and tv presenter, Kevin Bethune. In part one of this two-part episode, Kevin and I are joined by Oen Hammonds, Shawn Williams, and Ellen McGirt, and we also heard from teachers who are working with the DESIGN= curriculum kits in their classroom. In part two—dropping next week—we are joined by Tysonn Betts, Omari Souza, and Debbie Millman.Doug Powell is an award-winning designer and executive design leader with more than 30 years of experience in a wide range of design disciplines. Learn more about Doug's practice as a consultant, educator, and coach at his website dougpowell.design.

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• 2025 State of Black Design Conference

  The State of Black Design conference was launched as a virtual event in 2020 during the wake of the murder of George Floyd at a time when our country, and the design industry were confronting the sobering reality of racial inequity. Since 2020, the State of Black Design has grown into a vibrant and thriving community of design leaders, practitioners, educators, and students. On Juneteenth that community will come together in Minneapolis for State of Black Design conference, We On Point: A Celebration of Black Design Excellence. In this special episode, I speak with the founder of State of Black Design, professor Omari Souza, and with one of the moderators of the upcoming conference, Chanda Smith Baker. Omari Souza is a designer, educator, and community activist. With industry experience at organizations such as VIBE magazine, Capitol One, and CBS Radio, Omari is now Assistant Professor of Communication Design at University of North Texas. His forthcoming book, Design Against Racism: Creating Work That Transforms Communities, explores the role of design in perpetuating and repairing racial harm. Chanda Smith Baker has spent her career of more than 25 years at the intersection of philanthropy, business, government and community. Founder and CEO of the Minneapolis-based consultancy Smith Baker, Chanda is an experienced executive leader, board member, and public speaker who focuses on nurturing diverse talent, and activating audiences toward racial equity and social impact. Her podcast, Conversations with Chanda can be found wherever you get your pods.Doug Powell is an award-winning designer and executive design leader with more than 30 years of experience in a wide range of design disciplines. Learn more about Doug's practice as a consultant, educator, and coach at his website dougpowell.design.

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