St. Edward’s professor to release innovative design podcast on iTunes

Graphic+design+professor+Jimmy+Luu+gave+a+sneak+peak+of+his+new+podcast%2C+Designing+Designers%2C+at+a+faculty+art+exhibition+on+Sept.+16.

Graphic design professor Jimmy Luu gave a sneak peak of his new podcast, Designing Designers, at a faculty art exhibition on Sept. 16.

Using the ambiance of a still and dimly lit room in the Fine Arts Building, Graphic Design Professor Jimmy Luu gave a sneak preview of his podcast, Designing Designers, to a full and captivated audience on Sept. 16.

At the opening night of the visual studies faculty exhibition titled, Mapping, audiences could catch the snippet of the first episode of Luu’s podcast.

The podcast included content written by Luu, students and other educators sharing their thoughts on design, all of which is set against the background sound effect of someone walking on gravel. Each season, Designing Designers will provide a new view into the education of a designer in the 21st century.

Inspired by podcasts like Radiolab and Cereal, Designing Designers brings Luu’s ideas from the past two years to fruition. It also serves as an extension of the work that he does as a design educator.

“I had a moment of realization when I started going around the country that there’s all this cool stuff going on that my peers and colleagues are working on that doesn’t ever make it out into the world at large,” said Luu. “So I am attempting to do that.”

Listeners can stream the podcast, which is set to include about six episodes in its first season on iTunes this semester.

Since Luu’s podcast fit the theme of the visual, audio and physical installations on display, the exhibition allowed Luu to get feedback from the St. Edward’s community and the general public before the podcast is made available for streaming.

“Part of being an artist, or designer, is always trying to see different viewpoints and see from different people’s eyes,” Professor at Texas State University Maia Wright said. “That’s why I’m excited about the podcast.”

Wright plans on listening to the podcast to get a different design perspective for her teaching methods. During his set, Luu has said that he understands the podcast might be too abstract for some audiences.

Still, the podcast has reached out to other educators, like Dean of Humanities Sharon Nell.

“I think the message of the podcast is that there are elements of design that shape and frame the way we live and we don’t even realize it,” Nell said.

At one point during the podcast, Luu described various situations people find themselves in during their everyday lives, whether it involves our phones or roads, and noted they were all something design is responsible for.

Describing the show as revolving around “the experiences that make the people who make the things.”

Mapping will have a display referencing Luu’s podcast for viewing until Sept. 29.