A snapshot of five design podcasts

From innovative product design to tips on branding and interviews with famous interior architects: Podcasts are full of exciting content on trends in interior design and valuable industry information. But compared to trade shows, online videos and trade journals, design podcasts are still largely unknown. It’s time to change that!

Audio has many benefits: You can easily listen to podcasts on the go. They are cinema for the ears and a rich source of information on industry-relevant trends and tips. What’s more, podcasts are an increasingly important alternative to attending international talks and visiting trade fairs and exhibitions. Here are five English and German design podcasts that you should tune in to.

Did you know that Apple’s design has its roots in the Black Forest? Hartmut Esslinger was born in a village in the Black Forest in 1944. As a product designer, he had a significant influence on the tech company’s branding in the 1980s, achieving global fame as a result. You will find this anecdote and many other exciting stories in the ndion podcast produced by the German Design Council. Journalist and TV presenter Jörg Thadeusz interviews interesting figures on interior, furniture, product and communication design and innovation management.

The German-language design podcast premiered in August 2019. The ndion website is packed with additional articles, videos and further content on design, innovation and branding.

• Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, SoundCloud, YouTube and the ndion website
• New episodes every two months
• German
• Check out the ndion podcast

Anyone who is just getting started with digital marketing will find a host of tips, relevant news and stimulating inspiration in this podcast. Hosts Josephine Seidel-Leuteritz and Maximilian Pohlmann focus on digital issues that are relevant to the furniture industry – and there are more and more of them.

E-mail and social media marketing, legal notices in online stores and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the furniture market are just some of the topics that the hosts have discussed with industry experts. The design podcast debuted in May 2020 and aims to help retailers, brands and agencies increase their online visibility.

• Available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and the Wohnklamotte website
• Two new episodes every month
• German
• Check out the Wohnklamotte.business podcast

A museum of urban art, loam as a fascinating construction material and architectural time travel through downtown Munich: The journalists behind the NXT A podcast discuss an incredibly wide range of architectural and cultural topics with their guests. The segments on sustainability, digitalisation and the current challenges facing the arts and cultural sector are especially insightful.

The German-language design podcast produced by the architects’ network NXT A was launched in September 2019. Its guests include Munich architect and Professor Ferdinand Ludwig.

• Available on Spotify, Deezer and the NXT A website
• One new episode every month
• German
• Check out the NXT A Dialog podcast

What effect does electronic music have on design? Can architecture and humour go together? And how can new products be produced from waste? The Monocle global radio station covers exciting issues in design, fashion, architecture and craft three times a week.

Alongside interviews with designers, the podcast introduces new products, discusses innovative ideas and debates socially relevant topics. The archive goes back to October 2011, and numerous international designers and architects have been interviewed for the podcast since then.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, the Monocle website and the Monocle 24 app
• Three new episodes every week
• English
• Check out the Monocle on Design podcast

Daniel Libeskind, Eric Lloyd Wright and Lawrence Scarpa are just some of the famous figures who have appeared as guests on this award-winning design podcast. On USModernist, host George Smart talks, laughs about, and debates modernist residential architecture in the United States with his interviewees.

In addition to the podcast, the non-profit has curated articles, magazines and photographs since 2007, creating the largest digital archive on modernist houses.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Mixcloud, Amazon Music, the USModernist website and many other platforms
• One new episode every week
• English
• Check out the USModernist Radio podcast

Design podcasts are just one of many ways to discover new trends in the interior design industry . Furniture trade shows are subject to restrictions in the COVID-19 era. Manufacturers and retailers of any size should therefore familiarise themselves with digital formats. From social media to virtual showrooms and online talks, our article on trend scouting in the digital age reveals how and where you can spot industry trends .