001: Season 1 kick off with A76 creator Noel Childs

In May of 2021, the iceberg that would become A76 calved off an ice shelf in Antarctica. Spotted by Keith Makinson, a polar oceanographer, he estimated it to be over 100 miles long and 16 miles wide, one of the largest icebergs in history, more square mileage then Rhode Island. Eventually it broke into 3 separate icebergs that are still floating out there in a vast sea of ice. My guess is you’ve never heard of A76 and maybe you’re even thinking to yourself why should I care?

My name is Noel Childs and I’m curious about the surprising connections to hidden aspects of our world. And although I’ve been designing for nearly 30 years, I’ve recently felt the proverbial earth under the design industry shift. A subtle, but unprecedented movement of hyperobjects. Much more then trend. End of a golden age of smart usability. A nascent era beginning.

I created A76 to synthesize these connections and speculate on the future of design. And get into important topics like ethics, diversity, technology in design and climate crisis.

And this first season is all about an established design process that seems at odds with a tech very much in the zeitgeist right now – the Double Diamond design model and AI. Hosted by myself and friend and colleague Casey Hudetz.

A76 and a season of AI. Coming Soon.