“I’m just getting started”: Debbie Millman on 20 years of Design Matters

In 2005, long before podcasts were part of our daily walks and weekly routines, Debbie Millman launched a “scrappy” online radio show called Design Matters. Recording via telephone from the Empire State Building, she began broadcasting her conversations with designers, artists, and thinkers. Nearly 20 years and 500 episodes later, the show is one of the longest running podcasts in the world – a treasured archive of creative discourse.

Speaking to It’s Nice That, Debbie reflects on the podcast’s beginnings, her most meaningful episodes, and why – after all this time – she still feels like she’s just getting started.

It’s Nice That: Design Matters is the original design podcast – can you recall why you wanted to do this in the first place?! And what the landscape looked like then for podcasts around creativity?

Debbie Millman:I often say that Design Matters began in 2005 with a dream and a telephone line, and a Hail-Mary to my creativity, which I worried had flickered out. At the time, I was consumed by my day job helping to create consumer packaging, and I was consumed by shelf presence and ROIs and KPIs and so forth. So when I was invited to create an online radio talk show on the Voice America network, I jumped at the chance. I started broadcasting the show every Friday afternoon, live from a telephone modem in my office at Sterling Brands in the Empire State Building, face-to-face with my guests, each of us holding a telephone handset. The sound quality that we experienced was similar to the effect that occurs when two people on a land line are on the same call in the same location, on different phones: echo-y and cacophonous. Add to this the fact that the producers were also on the line from a remote location in Arizona, and you have the makings of an episode of Wayne’s World. But I soldiered on as I found my creative spirit begin to come back to life.

Back in 2005, podcasting was still in its infancy. It was such a niche, almost underground format at the time – certainly not the cultural force it is today. Even the word “podcast” wasn’t mainstream until about 2006. I wasn’t trying to start a “podcast”; I was just deeply curious about people and their creative journeys. There weren’t many – if any – podcasts focused on design or creativity then, so I was making it up as I went along. It started as a scrappy experiment, and somehow, here we are 20 years later.

INT: What did you learn along the way, which you perhaps didn’t expect to? Or did anything unexpected come from doing it?

DM:Honestly, everything about it has been unexpected. I never imagined Design Matters would become such a central part of my life and career. I’ve learned how much vulnerability and honesty people are willing to share, and how most creative people are still searching for better. That’s been one of the biggest revelations: just how deeply human and complex even the most celebrated creatives are.

The podcast has led to lifelong friendships, collaborations, and several books. It’s also given me a platform to spotlight voices I believe in, many of whom weren’t being recognised in mainstream media when we first spoke. That’s been a gift.

INT:Has it affected your creative practice?

DM:Absolutely. Talking with hundreds of extraordinary artists, designers, writers, and thinkers has completely expanded my worldview. It’s given me more courage to take risks in my own work, and more compassion when I struggle. Every conversation is a kind of masterclass from some of the greatest minds in our culture. And it’s made me more intentional about how I create what I say yes to, and how I think about the legacy of a creative life.

INT: What’s the best part of doing the pod?

DM:The best part is connecting – really connecting – with someone over the course of a conversation. There’s something intimate and electric about the moment a guest drops their guard and opens up in a way that’s honest and raw and deeply personal. It’s a privilege to witness that and participate in it. I still get excited every time I hit “record”.

INT:I have to ask (sorry): have you had any favourite guests? If people haven’t listened before, which episode should they start with?

DM:Oh, it’s so hard to choose favourites – it’s like picking a favourite child! That said, a few episodes do hold special meaning. My conversation with Milton Glaser, for example, is one I treasure, especially since he passed away. The interview with Roxane Gay, for very personal reasons, was incredibly special, especially now that we’re married : ) I also loved my conversations with Brené Brown, Marina Abramović, and more recently Jon Batiste – they all brought so much depth and presence.

As for episodes to start with: I am working on the redesign of the Design Matters site, and just created a list with links of some of my favourites! You can see it here!

INT:What’s next for Design Matters? What can we look forward to, as fans?

DM:Well, for one, my 20th Anniversary show at Symphony Space in New York City! I will be interviewing Suleika Jaouad and Chelsea Clinton and there will be special performances by Timothy Goodman and David Kwong and a joint performance by some of my all-time favorite guests including Seth Godin, Maria Popova, Christina Tosi, Ashley C. Ford, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds and more!

After that, I will be working with my producer Curtis Fox, to create retrospective episodes from the last 20 years. I’m also still trying to evolve the show – exploring new formats, reaching into new creative disciplines, and deepening the storytelling. But the mission remains the same: to celebrate creativity in all its messy, beautiful forms – and to honour the people brave enough to live and share their creative lives. Twenty years in, and I still feel like I’m just getting started. There are so many voices I haven’t heard from yet, and I want to find them.

The Design Matters 20th Anniversary show is today (17 April) at Symphony Space in New York City – get tickets here.

Debbie Millman’s latest book, Love Letter to a Garden, tells her personal story of falling in love with gardening, and includes recipes by Roxane Gay. It’s out now, published by Hachette – buy it here.