BusinessWeek -- 10 Cutting Edge Designers

As of Monday June 26th our 10-Cutting Edge Designers series has ended. Because of the popularity of this podcast we are producing another series focused on Cutting Edge Designers in the auto industry. The first episode is set to launch on July 31. Your current subscription is valid and will continue to update as new episodes are added. If you are interested in other innovation and design series, please subscribe to our Innovation of the Week podcast available every Tuesday. The Innovation of the Week series includes stories ranging from industrial design and architecture to branding and business innovation. Thank you for your support and thanks for listening

As of Monday June 26th our 10-Cutting Edge Designers series has ended. Because of the popularity of this podcast we are producing another series focused on Cutting Edge Designers in the auto industry. The first episode is set to launch on July 31. Your current subscription is valid and will continue to update as new episodes are added. If you are interested in other innovation and design series, please subscribe to our Innovation of the Week podcast available every Tuesday. The Innovation of the Week series includes stories ranging from industrial design and architecture to branding and business innovation. Thank you for your support and thanks for listening

For several years Hilary Cottam lived in a Dominican barrio, a network of sewers inhabited by 40,000 people. There, she grew increasingly aware of how the design of the built environment affected people's emotions and, in turn, their social and economic opportunities. In this podcast, Cottam talks about her work as director of RED, an experimental "do-tank" in Britain's Design Council. Its aim: redesigning public services and systems

For several years Hilary Cottam lived in a Dominican barrio, a network of sewers inhabited by 40,000 people. There, she grew increasingly aware of how the design of the built environment affected people's emotions and, in turn, their social and economic opportunities. In this podcast, Cottam talks about her work as director of RED, an experimental “do-tank” in Britain's Design Council. Its aim: redesigning public services and systems

MacArthur Fellow and MIT instructor Amy Smith proves that cutting-edge innovation isn't necessarily synonymous with high-tech invention. She has developed forward-thinking design solutions to problems in developing communities in Haiti, Ghana, Brazil, India, China, and other areas of the world. Her remake of a simple flour mill, for example, doesn't require a screen (an expensive and rare commodity in impoverished regions) to sift grains for food staples like bread. Smith's screenless mill -- the first of its kind -- works by separating different-size particles according to their varied aerodynamic properties. With an endless imagination applied to limited means, Smith dedicates her engineering know-how to humanitarian relief

MacArthur Fellow and MIT instructor Amy Smith proves that cutting-edge innovation isn't necessarily synonymous with high-tech invention. She has developed forward-thinking design solutions to problems in developing communities in Haiti, Ghana, Brazil, India, China, and other areas of the world. Her remake of a simple flour mill, for example, doesn't require a screen (an expensive and rare commodity in impoverished regions) to sift grains for food staples like bread. Smith's screenless mill -- the first of its kind -- works by separating different-size particles according to their varied aerodynamic properties. With an endless imagination applied to limited means, Smith dedicates her engineering know-how to humanitarian relief

Gapminder is a nonprofit dedicated to better communicating and disseminating global-development statistics. In this podcast, founder Dr. Hans Rosling explains how interactive design helps "mind the gap" between the world's rich and poor, and discusses what Google is doing to help

Gapminder is a nonprofit dedicated to better communicating and disseminating global-development statistics. In this podcast, founder Dr. Hans Rosling explains how interactive design helps "mind the gap" between the world's rich and poor, and discusses what Google is doing to help

Leading architect Peter Marino discusses how he conducts in-depth, in-house R and D before designing show-stopping flagship stores for the world's most chic luxury brands, from Chanel to Vuitton. He incorporates cutting-edge materials in store architecture to reflect a luxury brand's contemporary sensibility. While other "starchitects" have certainly contributed to show-stopping stores, Marino has made brand-building architecture a focus of his ever-growing practice

Leading architect Peter Marino discusses how he conducts in-depth, in-house R and D before designing show-stopping flagship stores for the world's most chic luxury brands, from Chanel to Vuitton. He incorporates cutting-edge materials in store architecture to reflect a luxury brand's contemporary sensibility. While other "starchitects" have certainly contributed to show-stopping stores, Marino has made brand-building architecture a focus of his ever-growing practice

Physically, Freedom of Creation is based in Amsterdam. But it thrives on the edge at which technology meets design. Founder Janne Kyttanen talks about how his small studio found its place on the cutting edge

Physically, Freedom of Creation is based in Amsterdam. But it thrives on the edge at which technology meets design. Founder Janne Kyttanen talks about how his small studio found its place on the cutting edge

Angela Shen-Hsieh wants to save us from our data -- the spreadsheets, databases, and search-engine results that seem to offer infinite data points but few answers. A Harvard-trained architect and the president and CEO of Visual i/o, Shen-Hsieh explains how her firm is taking information visualization to a new level

Angela Shen-Hsieh wants to save us from our data -- the spreadsheets, databases, and search-engine results that seem to offer infinite data points but few answers. A Harvard-trained architect and the president and CEO of Visual i/o, Shen-Hsieh explains how her firm is taking information visualization to a new level

It all began with a T-shirt competition won by Jake Nickell. He, along with partners Jacob DeHart and Jeffrey Kalmikoff decided to perpetuate the contest, Threadless, via their design firm, skinnyCorp. Threadless has received some 60,000 designs since it launched in 2000. The designs are displayed on the site, then voted on by members of the online community. The six winning designs are printed and sold. The project has allowed Nickell, DeHart, and Kalmikoff to quit their day jobs and devote themselves full-time to Threadless and the other projects developed by skinnyCorp. It shows the power and potential of co-creation

It all began with a T-shirt competition won by Jake Nickell. He, along with partners Jacob DeHart and Jeffrey Kalmikoff decided to perpetuate the contest, Threadless, via their design firm, skinnyCorp. Threadless has received some 60,000 designs since it launched in 2000. The designs are displayed on the site, then voted on by members of the online community. The six winning designs are printed and sold. The project has allowed Nickell, DeHart, and Kalmikoff to quit their day jobs and devote themselves full-time to Threadless and the other projects developed by skinnyCorp. It shows the power and potential of co-creation

In 1977, Bob Greenberg and his brother Richard founded R/GA -- and helped pioneer the use of advanced motion graphics and digital special effects. The company first turned heads one year later with its title sequence for the movie Superman. R/GA went on to produce visual effects for some 4,000 commercials and 400 films, including Alien and Predator. Almost 30 years later, Greenberg is still pushing the edges -- of marketing and advertising. Now a multiplatform ad agency, R/GA has helped brands like Nike, Purina, Nokia, and Target change the way they engage their customers

In 1977, Bob Greenberg and his brother Richard founded R/GA -- and helped pioneer the use of advanced motion graphics and digital special effects. The company first turned heads one year later with its title sequence for the movie Superman. R/GA went on to produce visual effects for some 4,000 commercials and 400 films, including Alien and Predator. Almost 30 years later, Greenberg is still pushing the edges -- of marketing and advertising. Now a multiplatform ad agency, R/GA has helped brands like Nike, Purina, Nokia, and Target change the way they engage their customers

For London-based Guy Battle, engineering is about politics and economics as much as it's about technical issues. This holistic approach has made his firm, Battle McCarthy Consulting Engineers, a major voice in the green business revolution. In this podcast, Battle discusses buildings that breathe, sheds for Wal-Mart, and why CFO's are his new best friends

For London-based Guy Battle, engineering is about politics and economics as much as it's about technical issues. This holistic approach has made his firm, Battle McCarthy Consulting Engineers, a major voice in the green business revolution. In this podcast, Battle discusses buildings that breathe, sheds for Wal-Mart, and why CFO's are his new best friends

A former board-game designer and software programmer, Doug Whatley founded BreakAway Ltd., a maker of popular strategy PC games like Tropico in 1998. Then he realized that the sophisticated graphics and artificial intelligence tech of popular video games could be used to design highly effective -- and addictive -- training tools. Whatley discusses how first-person shooters inspire military, medical, and management training tools -- and vice versa

A former board-game designer and software programmer, Doug Whatley founded BreakAway Ltd., a maker of popular strategy PC games like Tropico in 1998. Then he realized that the sophisticated graphics and artificial intelligence tech of popular video games could be used to design highly effective -- and addictive -- training tools. Whatley discusses how first-person shooters inspire military, medical, and management training tools -- and vice versa