Monsters of Design
Jon Sontag & Bryan Miller
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Hosted by Jon Sontag and Bryan Miller, each episode features a guest from the the design industry. Together we call out a specific monster that keeps us from doing our best work.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Jan 15, 2023
Marketaur
In this episode, Jon and Bryan call for backup to help slay, tame and love the latest monster to cross their path—MARKETAUR. Will Leivenberg, Director of Brand Marketing at YML, answers the call and helps them explore the two-way street connecting marketing and design. As they traverse that well-worn road, they shine a light on the Marketaur, identifying the unique challenges marketing a premium Silicon Valley brand to the world poses. Will brings his incisive wit to the table, detailing how his career at Bleacher Report led to a profound understanding of storytelling and identifying who your audience is, as well as unpacking the unique bond designers and marketers share today. They wrap things up by talking all things horror, sharing the most striking monsters that've been haunting and prowling their imaginations.
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Oct 25, 2022
Feedback
In this episode, Jon and Bryan have a lovely chat with Steven Sczepanik, Senior Product Designer at Headspace, about the occasionally overbearing monster: Feedback. This electrified guitar god can forget to plug the amp in from time to time, leaving us clueless about what we can do to improve. But thankfully, Steven knows how to dial in his tone with the right amount of highs, mids, and lows. He tunes us into the correct frequency for listening to and giving meaningful, heartfelt feedback. And of course, it wouldn't be the MOD POD without a fun chat about our favorite monsters at the end. Tune up, plug in, and strum along as we slay Feedback!
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Jul 13, 2022
Overthinker
In this episode, Jon and Bryan have a delightful conversation with Redona Dida, Product Designer at YML, about the monster that turns us into stone: Overthinker. This Medusa-like character draws us into the void of endless thoughts, keeping us away from some much needed simplicity. Fortunately, Redona helps us untangle our thoughts, urging us to take things one at a time with patience and ease. Her ability to not only keep this monster at bay, but to embrace each thought that hisses into our ear and view them as potential solutions is amazing. We end the episode with our tradition of discussing our current favorite monsters. Now sit back, press play and help us slay Overthinker!
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Apr 25, 2022
Imposter
In this episode, Jon and Bryan chat with Adrian Crabtree, Art Director at Product Plan, about the monster with a syndrome—Imposter. This lil’ dude just wants to be loved, hugged, and encouraged to come out of his shell. Fortunately, Adrian breaks down all the things that cause this syndrome, tackling each unique facet one at a time. We chat about how failure can stem from not having the right solution to a problem, and how that keeps this monster behind the mask and active in our head. We also dig deep into Adrian's passion for frisbee golf, the color spectrum of his frisbee discs, and why he keeps a frisbee basket near his desk. Now sit back, press play and help us slay Imposter.
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Feb 10, 2022
Overtime
In this episode, Jon and Bryan chat with Laura Polkus, Creative Director at YML, about the monster that doesn’t like to quit—Overtime. It’s a hairy, overbearing beast that likes to grab hold and not let go, but with Laura’s help, we learn how to kick free and make peace with it. We talk all things productivity and self-worth while sorting through the finer points of the 40hr vs 30hr work week debate. We also chat about biophilic design, exploring various ways to bring nature into human-made spaces. Now sit back, press play and help us slay Overtime.
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Nov 26, 2021
Stakeholder
In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Roseville, Ca visual brand designer, Dan Otis, about our next monster: Stakeholder. These hulky stake-holding monsters can be terrifying—and like a lot of our monsters—they're misunderstood. Join us as Dan shares about his time spent with a wide variety of stakeholders as clients, co-workers, and most importantly, those who experience or use the things we design. We also talk about the horror movies that wrecked us when we were kids, why Bryan has a bone to pick with wasps, and what the incredible Oura biometric ring has to offer.
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Oct 18, 2021
Sølver
In their first-ever Wrap Up episode, Jon and Bryan offer up the previous five monsters to Sølver, our first Monster Slayer. They also chat about Darth Vader’s romantic life, why Dobby the House Elf is the ultimate epitome of “Burnout” and what Hari Seldon from Apple’s Foundation has in common with one of our monsters. They also somehow find a way to make the episode about Star Trek, again.
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Sep 17, 2021
Processs
In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Jon Delman, Director of Product Design at Twitter. Their goal is simple: to slay Processs, our next monster. A hodgepodge of a few different things, Processs moves around unpredictably. Sometimes it’s too slow. Other times it’s too fast. Jon Delman, our Dungeon Master, takes us into the dark caverns where this creature was created, unearthing the arcane secrets that gave birth to it. After the slaying, taming and loving, they also chat about Dr. Who, technobabble and all things sci-fi.
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Aug 13, 2021
Burnout
In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to San Diego brand design manager, Emily Hsiao, about our fourth monster: Burnout. This dude is a hot mess, burning us out and chucking fireballs at others, burning them out along with us. Emily opens our eyes to all the useful firefighting tools she wields against this monster. Additionally, Bryan goes into some "spoilers" about Loki, he shares his love for beavers, and we all get into a discussion about octopi vs octopuses.
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Jul 23, 2021
The Hoverer
In this episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Atlanta product designer, Chelsea Kinley, about our third monster: The Hoverer. It possesses our unfortunate souls at times. We just want to collaborate and keep the project moving, but some of us grow a few extra heads and start lurking behind our team. Chelsea uncovers super helpful tips on how to deal with The Hoverer, including a plea for all of us to focus on empathy and communication. Additionally, Jon forgets to press record for a while, and Chelsea talks about her favorite monster and monster slayer from the manga turned anime, Attack on Titan. We also throw out some innovative Figma suggestions for Dylan Field, and Bryan gets attacked by a spider.
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Jun 17, 2021
Ego Maniac
In our latest episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Portland illustrator, Kevin Tudball, about our second monster: Ego Maniac. We all have an ego we need to have a relationship with, but sometimes that ego gets a little too big for its britches. Join us as Kevin talks about refining his voice and growing his career as an accomplished illustrator and designer while still keeping his Ego Maniac at bay. We also talk about ego vs confidence, the importance of soul searching while your career is on pause, and our favorite monsters in pop culture that we can’t stop thinking about.
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May 13, 2021
Scope Creep
In our premiere episode, Jon and Bryan talk to Bay Area corporate + commercial film director, Cheryl Isaacson, about our first monster: Scope Creep. We’ve all had client projects grow more than we scoped. Listen in as Cheryl walks us through how to slay, tame, and love that tricky, unpredictable monster known as Scope Creep. We also talk about niceness vs kindness, what it means to prioritize specificity in storytelling, and why Mark Ruffalo is the best damn Hulk ever.
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