Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

Episode 142: Comfort Food Personalities - Bob Evans and Nathan Handwerker

A lot of chain restaurants and widely-known food products have real names and personalities behind them. Some of these businesses put their founders front and center — a

Episode 141: Greetings from Two Designers - Postcards for Ham Radio and Our Nation's Landmarks

Postcards. Even in the age of instant communication, receiving a postcard in the mail is pretty fun. Friends checking-in from familiar haunts or destinations unknown with

Episode 140: Dogs Playing Poker, Ernest P. Worrell and Pitchmen Going Pop (Classic Episode)

We're still on summer vacation, so we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Hey, Vern. In this episode we discuss how artwork advertising cigars became a cornerston

Episode 139: The Origin Story of Psychedelia (Classic Episode)

With news of Ken Kesey’s bus Further returning to San Francisco, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass. We r

Episode 138: Signs of the Times - Barber Poles and Pawn Broker Balls

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. There are visual icons that have symbolized professions for so long their origin stories are unknown to the very customers

Episode 137: Pop Culture Products - Wonka Bars and Duff Beer

Today we’re going to use our imaginations a little bit. We’ve brought a couple of interesting products with us to the bar...but not just any products. These two were ori

Episode 136: KISS, The Bicentennial and the Year 1976 (Classic Episode)

In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Why 1976? Plenty of reasons. We discuss each of our ages in this, the banner year

Episode 135: Cult Products - TaB Soda and McDonald's Fried Apple Pie

Today we’re digging around in the backs of our minds and the pits of our stomachs to remember a couple of beloved food products. Ones that have cult followings and large

Episode 134: Iconic Pop Culture Cars (Classic Episode)

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. While we don't recommend drinking and driving, we do recommend talking pop culture and cars while sitting safe and sound on

Episode 133: Visual Alphabets - Nautical Flags and American Sign Language

Signs, signs. Everywhere a sign. Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of colorful visual alphabets. Not typefaces, but the kinds of alphabets that are their ow

Episode 132: Game Show Logos for The Gong Show and the Dating Game (Classic Episode)

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Today we’re going to be talking about game show logos – the good, the bad and the ugly — and how sometimes all of those qua

Episode 131: Fabric Patterns and the Stories Behind Camouflage and Paisley

There are some new tablecloths here in the bar, which has gotten us thinking about fabric patterns. Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of patterns that, if yo

Episode 130: Cups, Plates and Trophy Design

With March Madness wrapping-up and spring break calling, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. If you wander into any school, bar or thrift store, you're bound t

Episode 129: Punk Meets Tech and New Wave is Born (Classic)

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Bold colors. Funky haircuts. The Cold War and the Cola Wars. Video games and MTV. Japanese electronics and European fashion

Episode 128: Homage Designs - A Poster for Swatch and an Orgy for Disney

Everyone says that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But if that were true, copyright law wouldn’t need to exist. We’re discussing a couple of items that coul

Episode 127: Psychedelia Comes Down, Hangs Around and Gets Reinvented

For one last time, we’re delving into the depths of our expanded minds to talk about the impact of psychedelia on popular culture. We may have been at the bar a bit too l

Episode 126: The 1960s and the Era of Peak Psychedelia

In our last episode we talked about the origins of psychedelia and learned about Bicycle Day celebrated every April. (Hint: it involved a lot of science and experimentati

Episode 125: The Origin Story of Psychedelia

Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass. We’re kicking off our series on psychedelia with its origins, the impact on a generation of pop culture and its last

Episode 124: Talking Food Mascots with Kirk + Kurtts (Classic)

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. What do Betty Crocker, Charlie Tuna, Tony the Tiger and the oddball characters from Off Limits Cereal have in common? Along

Episode 123: The Origin Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

We have one more Christmas gift for our listeners! Today we’re going to be talking about a holiday icon that began as a marketing stunt. (Let’s be honest. Sometimes it fe