The Design Vault

Technics SL-1200 MK2: The Turntable That Defined Hip Hop (feat. Dan the Automator)

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami are joined by legendary producer Dan the Automator Nakamura (Gorillaz, Deltron

PalmPilot: When We Almost Had Smartphones

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the remarkable story of the PalmPilot—the device that solved the PDA pu

Citroën DS: When France Built a Spaceship Disguised as a Car

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the extraordinary story of the Citroën DS, arguably the most audacious

Koss Porta Pro: The Anti-Fashion Headphones That Became Forever

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the remarkable story of the Koss Porta Pro, a pair of headphones that d

TiVo: The DVR That Invented the Future (But Couldn't Own It)

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the revolutionary TiVo digital video recorder, a product so transformat

Casio G-Shock: Engineering the Unbreakable

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the remarkable story of the Casio G-Shock DW5000C—a watch born from hea

Tamagotchi: When Pixels Became Pets

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the remarkable story of the Bandai Tamagotchi—a simple plastic egg with

Polaroid SX-70: Engineering the Impossible

Episode Overview In this episode of The Design Vault, hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami explore the revolutionary Polaroid SX-70 camera—a masterpiece of industrial des

Season 1 Wrap-Up: See You for Season 2 in Spring 2025!

Thank you to all our listeners for your incredible support throughout Season 1! Your feedback and engagement have helped us learn, grow, and adapt, and we can’t wait to c

Roland TR-808: The Drum Machine that Revolutionized Music

Welcome back to another episode of The Design Vault with your hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami. Today we explore an absolute game changer in the world of music techno

Braun ET66 Calculator: The Power of Principles

In this episode of The Design Vault, we explore the iconic Braun ET66 calculator, designed by Dieter Rams in 1987. We discuss how this calculator, now featured in the Mus

Nintendo Game Boy: Lateral Thinking and Embracing Constraints

In this episode of The Design Vault, we dive deep into the fascinating story behind one of gaming's most iconic devices—the Nintendo Game Boy. We uncover how Nintendo's h

The Creation of the Microsoft Mouse with Steve Kaneko - Part 2

In today’s episode, we continue our fascinating discussion with designer Steve Kaneko, as he shares his insights into the development and impact of the Microsoft Mouse 2.

The Creation of the Microsoft Mouse with Steve Kaneko - Part 1

In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome Steve Kaneko, a pivotal figure behind the design of the Microsoft Mouse 2.0, a product so significant it earned a place in the

Speak & Spell: The Dawn of Teaching Machines

The Speak & Spell, an iconic electronic learning toy introduced by Texas Instruments in 1978, revolutionized educational devices. Combining speech synthesis and interacti

Rise of Motorola Razr with Moni Wolf - Part 2

In this episode, we plunge back into our fascinating discussion with Moni Wolf who was a designer at Motorola during the time of the Razr. We dive deep into the revoluti

Rise of Motorola Razr with Moni Wolf - Part 1

In this episode, Moni Wolf, former industrial designer at Motorola, shares her journey and experiences working at the company. She discusses joining Motorola and her time

Sony Walkman: The Evolution of Portable Music

In this episode, we reflect on the iconic Sony Walkman and its impact on design and personal experiences. We discussed the history of the Walkman, its design features, an

Welcome to The Design Vault

Welcome to our new podcast The Design Vault, hosted by Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami.   TAKEAWAYS The Design Vault Podcast aims to explore the intersection of design,

The Design Vault Trailer

The Design Vault is a show where we learn from the past and present as we shape the future of design together, brought to you by hosts Albert Shum and Thamer Abanami.