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
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Enrique Allen: Design and entrepreneurship at Designer Fund [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:53
Until Designer Fund was founded by Enrique Allen and Ben Blumenrose, venture capital investments rarely considered design strategy when investing. Companies like Stripe, Notion, Gusto, and Omada Health—all in Designer Fu…
Design Better Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:18
Design Better co-hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter explore the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process through conversations with inspiring guests across diverse creative fields, to help you hone y…
Brendan Boyle: Toy design, play, and the creative process [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:39
Eli first met Brendan Boyle when Brendan was his instructor in the undergraduate Product Design program at Stanford, where Brendan has taught for many years. Brendan is also a toy inventor, and one of the assignments in…
Rewind: Vicki Tan: Learning from new voices [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:38
This week, we’re rewinding to one of our favorite episodes from our 6th season, with Vicki Tan. Vicki is a designer and author, who is now a staff product designer at Pinterest. When we spoke with her, Vicki was an assoc…
Connor Moore: Sound design for Tesla, Uber, Peloton and more [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:06
Sound is the unsung hero of interaction design. The iconic chorus you hear as you boot up your Mac, the double knock of an arriving Slack message, and the ascending notes Airpods make as they connect to a device all prov…
Matt Abrahams: Think Faster, Talk Smarter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:02
Becoming a better communicator is one of the best ways to level up your career. Being able to think on your feet and communicate ideas effectively is critical, no matter what role you have right now, or where you’d like…