281. Otto von Busch

281. Otto von Busch

From Scratching the Surface by Jarrett Fuller

January 21, 2026 · 60 min

About this episode

Otto von Busch discusses his book 'The Design Comedy' and the intersection of design practice and theory.

Otto von Busch is a designer and professor of Integrated Design at Parsons School of Design. He has a background in arts, craft, design, and theory and his work focuses on how making practices can mobilize community and social activism. His new book, The Design Comedy, repackages Dante’s to explore the broken promises of design, the problems in academia, and the role of design theory. In this conversation, Jarrett and Otto talk about the book and its analysis of the state of design, the value of making in design education, and the relationship between design practice and design theory. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/281-otto-von-busch — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com

People in this episode

Host: Jarrett Fuller

Guest: Otto von Busch

Topics covered

  • design
  • education
  • social activism
  • community
  • design theory
  • making practices

Keywords

  • design
  • education
  • social activism
  • community
  • making practices
  • design theory
  • Otto von Busch

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Parsons School of Design

Books & works: The Design Comedy, Dante’s

More episodes of Scratching the Surface

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Scratching the Surface podcast page.