Explore every episode of the podcast minor details

James and Nick catch up on recent projects, from a Lego-inspired barricade moment to the surprisingly complex reality of building a two-ton “rock chair.”

They then dig into a bigger design question: what makes an object truly beautiful versus merely cool, playful, or hyper-functional—using bicycles, keyboards, and iconic industrial design examples as the spark for a spirited debate.

Music by KYOSHY (THE KID)

Send questions to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com.

James and Nick discuss the trend of incense holders, the "brutalism" of modern coffee machines, and the five-year development of Nick’s modular Strap Box. They also debate Dieter Rams’ design philosophy and the cultural shift toward "tangible" retro technology like iPods and digital cameras.

Music by KYOSHY (THE KID)

Send questions to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com.

James and Nick catch up. James talks about a road barrier he designed. Nick talks about the Haybale and Jex. They discuss Ikea, Bambulab’s latest printer, and recent AI thoughts.

James and Nick catch up. James chat’s about his new son and coffee routine. Nick is writing essays. They discuss a renaissance of 3D printing.

Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

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Afshin Mehin is a designer and the founder of Card79. He discusses his design journey, working for Whipsaw and IDEO, starting his design firm, designing for Neuralink, and the future of design. Check out Card79.com

Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com 

Shop our merch at minordetailspodcast.com/shop

Support us by supporting Visune, get 10% off your first purchase by using our affiliate link.

https://visune.io/minordetails

Dan Harden is the founder of Whipsaw and discusses his design journey, working for George Nelson, stories of Steve Jobs, starting his design firm, the business of design, his Skrolla chair, design values, and the future of design.

Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com 

Shop our merch at minordetailspodcast.com/shop

Support us by supporting Visune, get 10% off your first purchase by using our affiliate link.

https://visune.io/minordetails

James and Nick review the Strap Box and answer questions about daily practices, prelaunch jitters, Miro, licensing, and Dyson. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com 

Support us by supporting Visune, get 10% off your first purchase by using our affiliate link.

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James and Nick discuss their thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

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James gets settled in Pennsylvania. Nick launches the Super Chair. We discuss the future of design as AI matures to become a useful tool. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

Our sponsor this week is Momnt, get 20% off any purchase with the code MINORDETAILS

https://visune.io/minordetails

Nick launched his first sofa. James is dreaming about coffee. We discuss talk some juicy design news and rank the design of video game consoles. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

James and Nick talk about their week, James’s life update, Nick’s organizing rack, lifestyle businesses, and how the design process has changed. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

Matty Benedetto, the evil genius behind Unnecessary Inventions, comes on the podcast and talks about his journey as an entrepreneur to content creator. Matty discusses his process for coming up with inventions, tricks for the algorithm, and touches on his views on future technology and his business. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

Use the code MINORDETAILS for 10% off the Essential Keyshot Materials. Links below.

Individual license: https://www.almond.school/offers/yPQeompy?coupon_code=MINORDETAILS

Small team license: https://www.almond.school/offers/yhBR7ufL?coupon_code=MINORDETAILS

James and Nick talk about their break, AI vs NFTs, minor detail rants, and designing under constraints. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

Thanks to Play.ht for letting us try their voice AI software.

James and Nick talk about coffee, hardware wallets, answer questions, and reflect on the year to wrap up this podcast season. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

James and Nick catch up and talk about amusement parks, ChatGPT, the performance of design, and 3D printed shoes. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

James and Nick celebrate episode 100 with a marathon 2 hour podcast. Guests call in to chat about music, AI, and hobbies. Nick reviews the Quest Pro. James has a hot take on Dieter Rams. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

KYOSHY (ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪᴅ) 100th Episode Themehttps://soundcloud.com/yoshikon/minor-details-pod-100th

James and Nick talk about Storm King, Gantri, social media, and breaking into the industry. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

James talks about some kickstarters and coffee products. Nicks talks about the new Meta Quest Pro, Web3, and NFTs. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com.

Big thanks to our sponsor this week APTHCRY. Check out their products at https://www.apthcry.com/ and use our promo code minordetails for 10% off your order!

James and Nick talk about new AI software, Teenage Engineering’s new release, and meme design. Email us your questions at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

James and Nick talk about the Peloton Row machine, Nick’s VR course, more thoughts on AI, and specialization. Email us at minordetailspodcast@gmail.com

We catch up on our week, chat about Adobe and Figma, and other news. The topic this week is artificial intelligence, how we use it, and what the future will hold for designers.

We’re back at it again! James and Nick catch up about life and design. Big thank you to our sponsor this episode, Gravity Sketch! Check out their software with our referral link below.

https://gravitysketch.com/?utm_source=minordetailspodcast&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=2022-09-minordetailspodcast

We are excited to have Lucas Lappe on the podcast! Lucas is a design engineer and cofounder of Doris Dev and Canopy. James and Lucas through the Quirky alumni network and discuss the dynamics of the designer vs engineer relationship. Lucas talks about collaborating with design firms and working on some amazing projects like the Lalo stroller and Canopy Humidifier. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @idrawonreceipts, and @doris.dev . Special thanks to our sponsor @onshapeinc and our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

Please support us by trying Onshape for free!

Go to www.Onshape.com and sign up for the full-featured free version, make sure to put 'minor details' in the company field!

If you'd like to trial the pro-version without talking to a salesperson, email our contact at kmurray@ptc.com.

We hop on a video call with Reid Schlegel to catch up and listen to his design horror stories. We listen to a few more story submissions and Nick and James give their horror story tangents. We also catch up and chat about the latest PS5 and Xbox. Our shoutout of the week is @mauriellodesign’s Design Theory on Youtube. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, @idrawonreceipts, and @reidschlegel. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We hop on a video call to catch up about life. Nick talks about the stretch clock and launching the Kickstarter. James talks about LA life and the wildfires. We discuss the topic of finding jobs and whether interview projects are good or bad. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We had a chance to interview Amy Koudelka earlier this year. Amy talks about discovering design at her art high school and going on to study both industrial and toy design. She went on to work at Fisher Price and then took a spatula sabbatical at Lifetime Brands. Amy is now the SVP at Silvergate Media where she heads up the product development for a range of brands. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod ,@nickpbaker, @idrawonreceipts, and @amykoudelka . Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily and @idsadesign . Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are super excited to finally have Tim Zarki on the podcast. Tim talks about dabbling around with 3D modeling as a kid and discovering industrial design. While attending DAAP, Tim had a range of internships working for Fisher Price, Huge, Insync, and MNML. After graduating, Tim took on a full time role designing at MNML and found interest in visualization and rendering. Tim currently works at Oculus as a 3D artist and pursues a plethora of side projects in his free time. We talk about the value of personal work and presenting your projects, as well as answer a few questions from the listeners. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod ,@nickpbaker, and @_zarki_ . Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily and @idsadesign . Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to participate in the 7 question challenge on youtube this week. James has a big announcement and Nick is making chairs. We answer questions about our inspiration, style, the good and bad about industrial design and more. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to have Julia Troy on the podcast this week. Julia talks about discovering industrial design from her art teacher and getting her first job at Evo design. After cutting her teeth at Evo Design, Julia went to work on more future forward projects at Fahrenheit 212. Julia talks about working at Quirky with James and pulling all nighters. Julia moved up to a director role at Quirky and shares insights on managing other designers. After Quirky, Julia talks about pursuing her freelance career fulltime and leading design sprints for companies. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod ,@nickpbaker, @idrawonreceipts, and @juliatroydesign. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We hop on instagram live to try out a new podcast style this week. James is getting ready for his baby and Nick shares his process of selecting an intern. We talk about how to make your portfolio stand out from the crowd. We answer questions from the livestream about freelance work and our most influential projects. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Our shoutout of the week is @moluk_design . Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

Back in January, we had the wonderful opportunity to interview Stuart Harvey Lee of Prime Studio. Stuart talks about graduating from RCA and moving to NYC with just a suitcase. After cutting his teeth at Smart Design and Able Design, Stuart makes a leap of faith to start Prime Studio. Stuart talks about the ups and downs of running a studio as well as landing big clients like Harry’s and Ikea. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod ,@nickpbaker, @idrawonreceipts, and @primestudio_nyc. Special thanks to our promotional partners @letsdesigndaily and @idsadesign. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are back to do our first video chat podcast. James talks about his move to LA and has a big announcement. Nick shares a few updates from the past couple months. We talk about the coronavirus and how it has impacted the design industry. We want to hear from you and how this pandemic has affected your life. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Our shoutout of the week is @meghanpreiss_ . Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to have Andrew Greenbaum on the podcast this week. Andrew talks about interning for Umbra and starting his career at Mash studios. Andrew went on to Lusive Lighting and talks about learning the sourcing and technical side of design. We dive into some of Andrew’s entrepreneurial endeavours and how he started a pool float company after one of his projects went viral. Check out Andrew’s work on aboutnowdesign.com, @andrew_greenbum, and pompomfloats.com . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod and @nickpbaker. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

Please listen to this episode. We have an important update about the podcast and need your help. Also, the survey results are in, and we announce the winners of the bottle openers. We wrap up this year by  reminiscing about our favorite episodes and just hanging out. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

As this decade comes to a close, we decided to pull together our favorite and most impactful designs over the past ten years. We chat about everything from the iPhone 4 to fidget spinners and more. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to have Sean Davidson and McKay Nilson on the pod this episode. We dive into art direction, photography, and conveying the story of a product. We also touch on some of their style and background as well as their latest endeavours. Give them a follow @mckay.nilson and @seandavidson. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We just had to hop back into the studio for a review of the Cybertruck. Let us know your thoughts and opinions over on the discord. You can also give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily.

Nick made his first wholesale. James is gearing up to sell his posters. In design news we chat about the Mustang Mach-E and the Nike Pulse shoe. The topic of the week is changing your mindset about projects that you may not be excited about. We answer a question about having a client take a design that isn’t finished yet. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @visualizevalue . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to have Dan Grossman back for part 2 of the conversation. We pick back up on Dan’s story going transitioning from Lifetime Brands to Prime studios and Martha Stewart. Dan shares his insights from these contrasting work environments. After working for Martha Stewart, Dan went on to work at Bark and then transitioned to his current role as the Associate Design Director at Smart Design. We wrap up by getting Dan’s thoughts on the future of ID and what he’s most excited about. Check out Dan’s work on dangrossmandesign.com, @dangrossmandesign, and @smartdesign . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts . Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to have Dan Grossman on the podcast this week. Dan talks about growing up in NYC and only doing art classes senior year of high school. During college, Dan interned at Husqvarna and then went on to intern on beauty projects after graduation. Dan talks about working at Lifetime Brands and Project H. We dive down into the topic of world changing design and Dan shares his experience with designing for developing nations. Check out Dan’s work on dangrossmandesign.com, @dangrossmandesign, and @smartdesign . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts . Special thanks to our promotional partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

James and Nick have their bottle openers back in stock. Nick has been playing around with his new OP-Z and updated his familiarism article. We follow up on some comments from last week’s modular episode. In design news, we round out the wireless earbud market with Apple’s new Airpods Pro. This week we talk about some of our design horror stories. We answer questions about hyper consumerism and portfolios for applying to colleges. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @the_misused . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

James and Nick are doing class critiques. Nick has been writing down everything he does each hour. In design news, Banksy has started his own houseware brand. This week we talk about modular and multifunctional design. We answer questions about outsourcing design and design creating a cult following. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @hudsonriodesign. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

James went to Dia Beacon. Nick has a leak in the studio. Google announces a whole new line of products, and Dyson scraps their car project. This week we talk about getting in the flow and riding the wave. We answer questions about utilitarian design and selecting your thesis project. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @craighillcompany. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker, and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

This week we recap the Core77 Conference. We share our thoughts on topics presented by some awesome speakers including Liz Jackson, John Maeda, and Francois Nguyen to name a few. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @thechrisdo . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are back from a little break and catch up on life. James gives some updates on Idor. Nick is trying some supplements. We chat about the new products that Microsoft announced and tell stories about our times wearing convertible pants. We answer questions about showing confidential work, getting ideas when you shower, and studying abroad. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @design_plus_morna. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts. Support our partner @letsdesigndaily. Come join the conversation on the discord.

Reid is back this week and chats about his latest LEGO castle. Nick is diving deeper into VR with the new Valve Index. We give the obligatory iPhone 11 thoughts and impressions. Reid brings the heat with the topic of designers saving the world. We answer questions about knowing when the design is finished and organizing your files. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @catapult.design . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @reid.schlegel . Come join the conversation on the discord.

James has been shipping bottle openers. Nick went back to Texas. Frog launched a new passion project. We talk about sink marks. For the topic this week we discuss having to design around patents and existing designs. We answer questions about universal design and redoing sketches for your portfolio. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @charliewhiskeytango. You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts. Come join the conversation on the discord.

This week James announces the launch of his design brand idor! Nick is working on updating his website. We dive into the micro detail of adding artificial weight to products. The topic this week revolves around how to foster good habits especially early on in your career. Give us a call on our google voicemail 1-646-494-4011 or send in a question to minordetailspodcast@gmail.com. Our shoutout of the week is @jamesowendesign . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts . Come join the conversation on the discord.

Scott Henderson is back for part two. Scott talks about the two articles that he’s written and around the drawbacks of design thinking and how nature influences design. We dive into some questions about Scott’s distinctive style, how he comes up with ideas, and how he keeps honing his skills. Check out Scott’s work on scotthendersoninc.com and @scott_henderson_inc . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts . Come join the conversation on the discord.

We are excited to have Scott Henderson on the podcast this week. Scott talks about his childhood and his passion for art. After going to college, Scott worked on lighting then worked on aircraft interiors at Teague design. Scott talks about his time working at Smart Design and working his way up to VP of ID. After Smart Design, Scott started his own studio as well as a houseware brand called Mint. Check out Scott’s work on scotthendersoninc.com and @scott_henderson_inc . You can find us on instagram @minordetailspod, @nickpbaker and @idrawonreceipts . Come join the conversation on the discord.