The Genius Of Design

Paul Boag has been on the internet since 1994. He's advised Oxford University, UNICEF, PUMA, and the European Commission. And after thirty years at the front edge of digital, his take on AI is not what you'd expect: stop worrying.In this conversation, we get into why good design fails in the real world — and why it has nothing to do with the quality of the design itself. Paul breaks down the difference between art and design, why perfection is a trap, and what taste actually is beneath all the mystery people wrap around it. We talk about how AI can follow every rule of design perfectly and still never be great — and why that gap is where human designers live.We also get into how Paul's process has completely changed. From wireframes and Figma to orchestrating ideas through Claude and iterating at a speed that wasn't possible three years ago. What it means to be a designer when the tools do the pixel-pushing. Why process can become the enemy of good work. And what thirty years of watching revolutions come and go has actually taught him about how to survive the next one.

Ken Buslay is a German photographer whose work blends quiet intimacy with documentary depth, shooting primarily on analog film to explore human connection and memory. In this episode, Ken takes us from his first 3-megapixel camera to years of shooting only black and white on a single 50mm lens, to medium format Hasselblad, and what each stage taught him about himself and the people he photographs. We get into why limiting your tools teaches you more than upgrading them, how slowing down literally changes the energy between photographer and subject, what rainbow gatherings and alternative sailing communities taught him about life, and why AI imagery will never carry the weight of a photograph made by someone who was actually there. Ken also opens up about the fear of losing his creative drive, the moments of doubt that even the greatest artists share, and why the act of making the work matters more than anyone ever seeing it.

You said you'd start, and yet there you are, staring at a blank page with nothing to show for it. That pain is real, and it has a way of compounding. One day becomes a week, a week becomes a month, and before you know it, the book, the app, the project you swore you'd build never happens. But here's what nobody tells you: that feeling isn't a sign that you're failing. It's actually the process working exactly as it should.The secret is understanding the difference between push and pull. In the beginning, you have to fight for it — one page, one step, one small act of showing up even when it hurts. But if you keep pushing long enough, something shifts. The work stops feeling like a battle and starts whispering to you, pulling you back into its orbit. You stop forcing it and start falling into it. The only thing standing between you and that feeling is the willingness to stay in the pain a little longer.

Creatives should stop waiting for original ideas and instead focus on copying and iterating on existing works to develop deep skills. Mastery comes from deliberate practice, which includes focused attention, clear standards, immediate feedback, and pushing comfort zones. By copying the work of masters, they can discover their unique voice and create original work through the process of iteration.

For brands like Microsoft, GitHub, NBA, Johns Hopkins, Sony, VW, Audi, BMW, Hennessy, New Balance and global stages such as World Expo Dubai, the World Economic Forum in Davos and Electric Zoo, Vadim Mirgorodskii is the person you call when you want space itself to come alive. In a world where most people treat technology as a tool, he treats it as a living material. Founder and art director of Interactive Items Studio, he designs interactive installations and “living interfaces” for brands, concerts, museums and large-scale events, where spaces don’t just display content – they listen, react and remember.

AI Art: Shortcut or New Medium?This episode explores the contentious debate surrounding AI art — not by asking whether it’s “good” or “bad,” but by questioning how we define art in the first place.It challenges the reflexive rejection of AI, arguing that the value of art has never been about the tool, but about the taste, vision, and judgment behind it. Like the camera before it, AI is a medium — and in the right hands, a powerful one. The conversation examines the economic anxieties fueling resistance, the evolving definition of authorship, and what separates derivative output from meaningful creation. This is not a defense of automation — it’s a defense of discernment.