Daily Features

The Creative Interviewer: Debbie Millman on Why Design Matters

A new book from the design world’s most famous podcaster showcases her inspiring interviews with a range of creative luminaries.

By Stephanie Salomon March 22, 2022

This Women’s History Month, we’re honored to showcase a new book by Debbie Millman, ebullient host of the award-winning podcast “Design Matters“ and a treasured member of our Designers & Books community.

The book brings together 55 of the podcast’s most inspiring interviews with a wide range of creative luminaries, from designers and artists to writers, musicians, filmmakers, chefs, and public thinkers — all marked by Millman’s boundless curiosity for “how the most creative people in the world create their lives.”

“I’ve discovered that the arc of a creative life is a circuitous one, and I am endlessly fascinated by how people become who they are and how the decisions they make over the course of their lives impacts their work, ” Millman writes in the newly released Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World’s Most Creative People (Harper Collins, 2022). The result is what Millman describes as a “love letter to creativity.”

Debbie Millman an author, educator, curator, brand consultant and the host of the podcast “Design Matters,” one of the world’s first and longest-running podcasts. In the 16 years since its inception, “Design Matters” has garnered a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, six Webby nominations, and an Apple Podcasts “best overall podcast” designation. In 2013, Millman collaborated with Designers & Books to create a special series focusing on designers and design books, which included interviews with graphic designer Michael Rock, interior designer Sheila Bridges, and prouct designer Hartmut Esslinger, among others.

In 2009, Debbie Millman co-founded with Steven Heller the world’s first graduate program in branding at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She served as president of Sterling Brands for 20 years. Millman is President Emeritus of AIGA and is a frequent speaker on design and branding. Her TED talk was ranked one of the best TED talks of 2020.

Debbie Millman is the author of seven books and has been published in more than 10 languages. A selection of the books that have inspired her is featured as a Designers & Books Book List of the Week.

Read more about Debbie Millman’s newest book, Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World’s Most Creative People, on www.debbiemillman.com.

Debbie Millman Answers The Proust Questionnaire—Book Edition

Debbie Millman's Book List

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