Design Downtime

Guy Segal

"Design Downtime" celebrates the joys of living a balanced creative life outside the pixels and wireframes.

Join your host, Guy Segal, a design director, on this journey to redefine what it means to be a successful design professional, as each episode features a conversation with a talented design expert, delving into the world beyond their design screens and uncovering the passions that fuel their imagination.

We invite you to break free from the shackles of hustle culture and embrace the full spectrum of human experience – because life is too precious to be spent only in pursuit of productivity.

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Episodes

Katharina Koberdamm Loves Scandinavia
2d ago
Katharina Koberdamm Loves Scandinavia
It’s not just IKEA and fjords, as Katharina Koberdamm joins us to share her deep passion for Scandinavia. Her fascination began in her 20s with Swedish music, which inspired her to take her first solo trip through Sweden and Denmark. Looking at the cultural differences between Scandinavia and her home in Germany, Katharina highlights the minimalist design, the more uniform style, and the serene landscapes of the Nordic countries, and dreams of future trips with her growing family to further share the lands she loves.Guest BioKatharina Koberdamm (she/her) is a design leadership expert and coach from Germany. She is best known for creating the Design Leadership Framework, which helps design leaders be more strategic and structured in managing their teams. Before fully dedicating her time to coaching, Katharina worked as a UX Designer and Lead, collaborating with organizations across Europe. Her passion has always been to make complex things easy to understand, whether it's a user interface, a customer journey, or the abstract challenges of managing a UX team. She holds a degree in Business Administration and specialized in Human-Computer Interaction and User-Centered Design for her diploma thesis. This combination has enabled her to bridge the worlds of business and design effortlessly throughout her career. In her personal life, Katharina loves listening to music, drinking coffee, and traveling. She is married and has a two-year-old son who keeps her very busy. LinksKatharina’s website: https://designleadershipframework.de/Katharina’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/designleadershipThe mentioned artists:Ane Brun: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2L3kwZFd16zjHz9a5kEPAmChristian Kjellvander: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/2NNMCcN4t0zn04kTzdVAS6Frida Hyvönen: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/58XdW0XyGukvmGatf7NC2RTina Dico: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/6AHLjrNUzvqs8jg5JntmeLAsgeir: https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/7xUZ4069zcyBM4Bn10NQ1cCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Amy Lee Loves 3D Printing
Oct 17 2024
Amy Lee Loves 3D Printing
Let’s travel into the third dimension with Amy Lee, as she shares about her journey of discovering 3D printing with an initial understanding of the technology as merely a tool to create figurines, and how it evolved, leading her to experiment with more complex items. She tells us of her fascination with the intricacies of 3D printing, including the steep learning curve, the challenges of designing 3D objects on a 2D screen, and the practical hurdles she encountered in her early projects. Amy also talks about how 3D printing has influenced her view of other aspects of life, and how this technology has opened up a world of possibilities for creating custom objects tailored to her specific needs, rather than relying on off-the-shelf solutions.Guest BioAmy Lee (she/her) is a design system leader who believes in the power of collaboration. She has created and led design system teams at large companies like Salesforce and DocuSign, as well as smaller startups. Amy believes that design systems can be a party where everyone is invited. Amy is also an engineer and a musician. She loves the process of creating things and wondering how to make things exist. She has no formal audio engineering training but has built two shipping iPad-based music-making apps. She'll be performing guitar live on stage; she has 4 more months to learn to play guitar. And lately, she's gotten pretty deep into 3D printing and CAD modeling–because why not. Amy lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys going for walks with her husband.LinksAmy’s website: https://www.jumpingrobot.com/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Chris Strahl Loves Dungeons & Dragons
Oct 3 2024
Chris Strahl Loves Dungeons & Dragons
Grab on to your character sheet and roll for initiative, as Chris Strahl shares about his lifelong love of Dungeons & Dragons. He reflects on his early experiences of storytelling and shares insights on his growth as a Dungeon Master, adapting to the unexpected decisions his players make. Chris also talks about his involvement in professional DM'ing, running public games and corporate events, and how he navigates toxic behaviors to ensured a safe, inclusive environment for all players. Guest BioChris Strahl (he/him) is the CEO and co-founder of Knapsack and the host of the Design Systems Podcast. Knapsack helps the world's leading enterprises go from design to code quickly and accurately using design systems. A respected speaker, he has shared his visionary perspective on the use of generative design and AI technology in next-generation design systems at organizations like Google, Meta, Dribble, Clarity, and other pioneering companies. Outside of work, you can find Chris in the PNW on a river, climbing a trail, or dreaming up new worlds for his latest tabletop game. Chris started tabletop gaming with friends in his teenage years, and he used to be a professional game master in Portland, OR where he lives today. While being a CEO takes up a lot of time, he still holds a weekly game with his friends and spends time organizing games for friends and family.LinksChris’s LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisstrahlChris’s company: https://www.knapsack.cloud/Chris’s podcast: https://www.designsystemspodcast.com/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Brad Frost Loves to Play Music
Jun 27 2024
Brad Frost Loves to Play Music
Season one of Design Downtime is ending on a high (musical) note, as Brad Frost joins us to talk about how much he loves making music. Brad recounts the early days of his musical journey, playing bass guitar in a family band, and his taste evolving from classic rock to punk and ska, and eventually embracing a wide musical spectrum. He talks about shedding the pressure to commercialize his music and how it allowed him to enjoy it purely for fun. This culminated in organizing "Frostapalooza," a one-night-only concert involving 40 musicians from his network, and Brad shares the massive planning effort to curate and coordinate such an event. Guest BioBrad Frost (he/him) is a design system consultant, front-end developer, speaker, writer, musician, and artist located in beautiful Pittsburgh, PA. As a principal and design system consultant at Big Medium, he helps teams establish and evolve design systems, establish more collaborative workflows, and create better software together. He is the author of the book Atomic Design, which introduces a methodology to create and maintain effective design systems. He co-hosted the Style Guides Podcast and has helped create several tools and resources for web designers, including Pattern Lab, Styleguides.io, Style Guide Guide, This Is Responsive, Death to Bullshit, and more.LinksBrad’s website: https://bradfrost.com/Frostapalooza: https://frostapalooza.bradfrost.com/Frost Frost on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/frostfrost-1CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Amelia Marschall-Miller Loves Pottery
Jun 13 2024
Amelia Marschall-Miller Loves Pottery
Grab your clay and join us as Amelia Marschall-Miller shares her journey with pottery, rekindled after a long hiatus since her childhood fascination with ceramics. She is self-taught and enjoys the creative and experimental process of wheel-throwing, where getting comfortable with unpredictability is the key to having fun. Amelia describes her artistic style and influences, and looks to deepen her expertise while keeping pottery an enjoyable and fulfilling activity, rather than a stressful obligation.Guest BioAmelia Marschall-Miller (she/her) is a Senior Director of Experience Design at EPAM Systems. She has spent her career in digital design consulting, having previously worked for Deloitte Digital and TCS. She also co-founded a web and mobile development company in Michigan called Gravity Works - which she led for four years and grew from 2 to 13 people, and is still operating today. After earning a degree in Graphic Communications from Northern Michigan University, her roles have included work in UX and UI design, user research & discovery, front-end development, project management, and operations. After spending 8 years in Colorado and Utah, she now lives in the woods near Traverse City, Michigan. When she's not making pottery in her home studio she enjoys hiking, mountain biking, boating, swimming, and cross country skiing with her husband, John, and blue heeler, Bitsy.LinksAmelia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepingsandspottery/Amelia’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliamarschall/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Laura Costantino Loves Stories
May 23 2024
Laura Costantino Loves Stories
It’s story time on Design Downtime, as Laura Costantino joins us to talk about their lifelong love of stories. They take us all the way back to their childhood in southern Italy, to their father's folk tales, their grandmother's wartime stories, and their aunt's classical literature narratives. Laura tells us how that interest led them to study film and eventually curate film festivals, drawing parallels between the communal experience of oral storytelling and the shared experience of watching films in theatres. Laura also explores their preference for certain genres and touches on the impact of artificial intelligence on storytelling. Guest BioLaura Costantino (they/them) is a senior content designer and strategist working on AI and large language models (LLMs) at Google. For the past ten years, they have worked at the intersection of UX, content, and marketing for some of the world's largest tech companies. Laura developed a passion for storytelling early on and received a MA in Cinema Studies in San Francisco, where they worked as a curator for a range of film festivals and cultural institutions around the Bay Area. Outside of work, Laura is committed to mentoring people transitioning into UX and tech, advocating for content, and sharing advice on LinkedIn. They currently live in NYC, were born in Southern Italy, and speak both English and Italian fluently.LinksLaura’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostantino/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Noelle Lansford Loves Local Theatre
May 9 2024
Noelle Lansford Loves Local Theatre
Noelle Lansford enters stage right to tell us about her love of local theatre. She takes us through her journey, starting from her high school days up to her recent involvement in community theatre, and touching along the way on her love for musicals, memorable productions, and the challenges of balancing theatre with other commitments. Noelle shares her transition from acting to backstage roles, and reflects on facing her the fear of imperfection. Guest BioNoelle Lansford (she/her) is a digital product designer and design systems enthusiast. She is passionate about bridging gaps on multi-disciplinary teams from ideation to build processes. She works on AI design standards and patterns at Nationwide Insurance. In previous roles, Noelle has led design systems everywhere from a Fortune 500 SaaS company to a Series A startup. Noelle is passionate about learning and coaching others on their own journey into tech. After teaching and writing web design courses for her alma mater, Noelle has become a presenter and thought leader in the design systems community.Noelle lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and bearded dragon, where she enjoys exploring the city and the outdoors. Outside of work, Noelle has rekindled her high-school passion for theatre in the Columbus scene, meeting new people both on stage and behind the curtain.LinksNoelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noellelansford/Noelle’s site: https://www.noellelansford.com/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Taylor Cashdan Loves Sandlot Baseball
May 2 2024
Taylor Cashdan Loves Sandlot Baseball
Joining us on the field is Taylor Cashdan, who’s here to tell us about his love for sandlot baseball. Taylor talks about the approachability of the sport, how inclusive it is, and how he was drawn to the community aspect of it. He touches on the challenges of maintaining a casual and fun atmosphere while accommodating players of varying skill levels, and the rituals and preparations involved on game days. Taylor highlights how he’s grown through sandlot baseball, which he sees as an opportunity for making connections beyond the realm of work.Guest BioTaylor Cashdan (he/him) is a North Carolina-based multidisciplinary creative and community builder that’s passionate about people, design, and all the intersections in between. He has a burning desire to collaborate with others to create exceptional work for people who give a shit.With nearly a decade’s worth of experience, Taylor currently spends his workdays leading the next evolution of the Mayo Clinic’s design system program. Previous roles include a variety of in-house positions within the management consulting realm, ad-tech, and HBO all focusing on brand and marketing maturation, as well as leading fintech UX projects, contributing to and consulting for established design systems, and leading design standardization and operations efforts.LinksCarolina Sandlot Collective: https://www.carolinasandlotcollective.com/Neuse River Nine: https://neuse-river-nine.square.site/Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-cashdan-7720b442Taylor on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/taylorcashdanTaylor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorcashdan/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Mordechai Hammer Loves Improv Comedy
Apr 25 2024
Mordechai Hammer Loves Improv Comedy
Mordechai Hammer joins us to talk about the world of improv comedy. He talks about his journey into learning and practicing improv, joining a local troupe, taking classes, and performing on stage. Mordechai explores the building blocks of improv, such as the importance of making bold choices or building trust with fellow performers, and reflects on how far he’s come, as well as what skills he’s still working on.Guest BioOriginally from Los Angeles, Mordechai Hammer (he/him) graduated from Santa Monica College with a Bachelor’s in Interaction Design. After a stint as a Motion Graphics designer in the entertainment industry, he discovered his true passion — design systems. As a child of deaf adults and a former sighted guide, his work is rooted in a drive for inclusive, accessible design that works for all. In his current role as a Product Designer on the Design Systems team at Lyft, he’s grateful to be surrounded by people who share those values. He is also an avid teacher, running Figma workshops at California State University Long Beach, as well as internally at Lyft. There’s nothing that brings him more joy than sharing knowledge with his peers. In his spare time, Mordechai just finished taking a woodworking class, which was decidedly not his thing. You’re equally likely to find him hosting his weekly trivia game or on a hike with his wife and pup. LinksThe Idiot Box Comedy Club: https://www.idiotboxers.com/Mordechai on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/_mordechaiMordechai’s site: https://www.mordechai.design/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.
Ben Callahan Loves Coffee
Apr 18 2024
Ben Callahan Loves Coffee
Ben Callahan shares his journey and passion for coffee, a fascination that began in childhood. This curiosity led him to explore the science behind coffee preparation, and his quest for the perfect cup of coffee led him to experiment with various brewing methods, equipment, and even water quality. Throughout the conversation, Ben emphasizes his love for sharing coffee with others and his enjoyment of both the ritualistic and authentic aspects of coffee culture, highlighting his deep passion, continuous learning, and exploration within that world.Guest BioBen Callahan (he/him) founded Sparkbox in 2009 with a mission to build a better web. He has helped lead and grow the organization while they work alongside clients like Gap, The Oklahoma City Thunder, and Stanford University. He’s focused his energy most recently on developing a maturity model for design systems, articulating the anatomy of design systems, and chronicling his findings about workplace culture in the tech space. When not knee-deep in these explorations with others, Ben is a father, partner, poet, and home barista. His personal motto is, “Stay in learning mode” and this helps him to remember that every interaction is an opportunity to grow.LinksEspresso Vivace: https://espressovivace.com/Bialette Moka Express: https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/moka-express.htmlHario v60: https://www.hario-usa.com/products/v60-coffee-dripper-02-ceramicKalita Wave flat bottom brewer: https://kalitausa.com/collections/waves-seriesFlair Lever Espresso Maker: https://flairespresso.com/Bellman Stovetop Steamer: https://bellmanespresso.com/products/bellman-stovetop-steamer-50ssComandante hand grinders: https://www.comandantegrinder.com/Niche coffee grinder: https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/Fellow Opus grinder: https://fellowproducts.com/products/opus-coffee-grinder?variant=41510665715812Acaia coffee scales: https://acaia.co/collections/coffee-scalesPRESS Coffee in Dayton Ohio: https://www.pressdayton.com/Wood Burl Coffee Roasters in Dayton Ohio: https://www.woodburlcoffee.com/Ben’s site: bencallahan.comBen’s company: sparkbox.comCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.