2025 Holiday Gift Guide

2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Author: The Curiosity Department, sponsored by Wix Studio December 4, 2025 Duration: 44:41
It’s that time of year again—our favorite episode to put together. A moment to look back at the objects, experiences, and ideas that sparked creativity for us this year. From books that moved us to tools that surprised us to experiences we can’t stop recommending, we’ve gathered a set of gift ideas for the designers, makers, and curious people in your life (including you). We’re starting with budget-friendly picks and moving up from there, so whether you’re filling a stocking or going big, you’ll find something here. Let’s get into it. *** Before we get to the list, if you’re looking to give (or get) the gift of education, for the next week only you can get or gift a year of premium for 25% off, our only sale of the year. Buying a year-long subscription will get you to our ever-expanding Design Better Toolkit (with over $2K in discounts on tools and courses), as well as monthly AMAs, ad-free episodes, and our library of books. Doing this also supports anyone who can’t afford a subscription through our scholarship program. 25% off a year, expires in 1 week *** Find the full gift list on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/2025-holiday-gift-guide

Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter host Design Better, a podcast from The Curiosity Department, sponsored by Wix Studio, that lives in the rich space where design, business, and technology meet. Their conversations move beyond simple tips to explore the entire creative process with guests from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Each episode feels like a deep, practical discussion aimed at refining your skills, sparking new ideas, and mastering the nuanced art of working with others. You’ll hear from leaders and practitioners who share not just what they do, but how they think, tackling the real challenges and breakthroughs that define modern creative work. This isn't just for seasoned professionals; if you have any interest in how things are made and why they work, this podcast offers valuable perspective. It’s that consistent depth that earned praise from outlets like Vanity Fair, which noted the show's sharp and substantive focus. Tuning in provides a regular dose of inspiration and actionable insight, whether you're looking to elevate your craft or simply understand the forces shaping the products and experiences around us.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Design Better
Podcast Episodes
Matt Raw: Balancing legacy and innovation at The New York Times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:49
Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matt-raw Matt Raw, Interim VP of Design at The New York Times, and his team have a tough job. Their work is seen by millions every day who…
The Brief: Microscopes and telescopes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:49
Microscopes and telescopes By Aarron Walter A friend and former colleague called me recently to catch up and get my perspective on an important question. He leads a product team at a major tech company and the design tea…
Rhiannon Bell: Designing the future of search at Google [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:15
This is a preview of one of our premium Design Better episodes. To listen to the whole episode, head over to our Substack and subscribe: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rhiannon-bell We all rely on search—sometimes doz…
Noah Levin: AMA with Figma's VP of Design on their latest releases [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:43
Figma is central to most designers' workflow these days (certainly is here at Design Better). So it's important to get familiar with all of the latest features. Who better to give us the back story of the releases announ…
Design Better Live AMA at The New York Times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:42
We were recently invited to the The New York Times where we spoke with Matt Raw, the interim head of design at the Times. Eli and I are accustomed to interviewing, but this was a different experience for us as this time…