99% Invisible
If things are designed well, they look natural and that is the true achievement of a designer. 99% Invisible, described to be about “all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about”, captures the nuances of design that we take for granted. For example, one of the episodes discusses how a majority of Singapore residents willingly changed their death rituals, from burial to cremation, due to scarcity of land. And to put icing on the cake, the host Roman Mars has a beautiful voice and keeps you hooked with great quality content and high production output.
PuliyaBaazi
It’s very rare to find meaningful content in Hindi online, especially in India, against Bollywood’s overbearing backdrop. PuliyaBaazi is a Hindi podcast that brings to you in-depth conversations on politics, public policy, technology, and philosophy. Hosts Saurabh Chandra and Pranay Kotasthane, along with featured guests, have casual conversations that are incredibly insightful. I believe it’s relevant for designers too, because if we have to bring design discussions to the dinner table, we should understand the behavioural economics or public policies behind many design decisions. One of my favourite episodes is Ep. 50: सोचे तो सोचे कैसे?.
Freakonomics
This is another great podcast to understand the dynamics of the world and get a nuanced view of how things work, from economics to politics, which are important ideas for a designer to understand. This is especially true for designers with 10+ years of experience who are managing teams and trying to influence stakeholders.
Typeradio
Each episode usually starts with one question — “Are you religious? Do you have any rituals?” — which really intrigues me. Typeradio is a radio channel (and podcast) on type and design. I really love their five-part episode series with professor RK Joshi, and I think every designer in India should listen to it.
