Women Designers You Should Know

This episode features legendary designer and leader Maria Giudice, who shares her journey from Staten Island art kid to founding Hot Studio, navigating Facebook’s acquisition, and using design to shift culture, leadership, and the C-suite. _______ Support this podcast with a small donation: Buy Me A Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/womendesignerspod] This show is powered by branding and design studio  Nice People [https://nicepeople.com/] Join this podcast and the Patreon community: patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow [https://www.patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow] Have a 1:1 mentor call with Amber Asay: intro.co/amberasay [https://intro.co/amberasay] _______ About Maria: Maria Giudice is a trailblazing designer, creative leader, and author who has spent over three decades redefining what it means to lead with empathy. She’s the founder of Hot Studio, one of the first woman-led digital design studios in the country, which was acquired by Facebook in 2013. Maria went on to become Director of Product Design at Facebook and later VP of Experience Design at Autodesk, helping bring people-centered thinking into the heart of tech culture. She’s the co-author of Rise of the DEO [https://amzn.to/4mdmETV] and Changemakers [https://amzn.to/44uAE5k], two influential books that empower designers to lead change. From painting in Staten Island to reshaping Silicon Valley—Maria’s story is as bold as it is inspiring. Follow Maria: Instagram: @mgiudice [https://www.instagram.com/mgiudice/] LinkedIn: Maria Giudice [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariagiudice] Rise of the DEO [https://amzn.to/4mdmETV] Changemakers [https://amzn.to/44uAE5k]   ____ View all the visually rich 1-min reels of each woman on IG below: Instagram: Amber Asay [https://www.instagram.com/amberasay] Instagram: Women Designers Pod [https://www.instagram.com/womendesignerspod]

This dual feature episode explores the legacy of Tomoko Miho’s masterful use of space and quiet modernism, alongside Jessica Strelioff’s thoughtful approach to building timeless, soulful brands through her studio, Goodside. _______ Support this podcast with a small donation: Buy Me A Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/womendesignerspod] This show is powered by branding and design studio  Nice People [https://nicepeople.com/] Join this podcast and the Patreon community: patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow [https://www.patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow] Have a 1:1 mentor call with Amber Asay: intro.co/amberasay [https://intro.co/amberasay] _______ Sources: * AIGA Medalist: Tomoko Miho [https://www.aiga.org/medalist-tomokomiho] * The Quiet Confidence of Tomoko Miho — Eye Magazine [https://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/the-quiet-confidence-of-tomoko-miho] * Herman Miller Stories: Creative Class Hero - Tomoko Miho [https://www.hermanmiller.com/stories/why-magazine/creative-class-hero/] * Tomoko Miho Vintage Poster on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/201923687476 [https://www.ebay.com/itm/201923687476]   About Tomoko: Tomoko Miho (1931–2012) was a pioneering American graphic designer known for her elegant use of space, clarity, and restrained modernism. A graduate of the Institute of Design in Chicago, she worked for George Nelson Associates and Unimark International before founding her own studio, Tomoko Miho & Co. Her clients included Herman Miller, MoMA, and the Smithsonian, and in 1993, she was awarded the AIGA Medal for her outstanding contributions to design. Miho’s work masterfully blended Swiss modernism, American pragmatism, and Japanese aesthetics to create timeless, poetic visual communications. About Jessica: Jessica Strelioff is the founder and creative director of Goodside Studio, a design practice known for its emotionally resonant, timeless branding. With a background in creating thoughtful, human-centered design, Jessica builds brands that are both strategic and soulful, always with a strong editorial and visual clarity. Her work embodies restraint and intentionality, carrying forward the spirit of designers like Tomoko Miho into a modern, digital world. Follow Jessica: Goodside Studio Website: goodside.studio [https://www.goodside.studio/] Threads: @jessicastrelioff [https://www.threads.com/@jessicastrelioff] Instagram: @jessicastrelioff [https://www.instagram.com/jessicastrelioff/] LinkedIn: Jessica Strelioff [https://www.linkedin.com/in/strelioff] Behance Portfolio: behance.net/strelioff [behance.net/strelioff]   ____ View all the visually rich 1-min reels of each woman on IG below: Instagram: Amber Asay [https://www.instagram.com/amberasay] Instagram: Women Designers Pod [https://www.instagram.com/womendesignerspod]

In this episode, multidisciplinary designer Alex Proba shares how persistence, daily creative rituals, and an unwavering belief in color have shaped her global design career—from posters and murals to pools and product lines. _______ Support this podcast with a small donation: Buy Me A Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/womendesignerspod] This show is powered by branding and design studio  Nice People [https://nicepeople.com/] Join this podcast and the Patreon community: patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow [https://www.patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow] Have a 1:1 mentor call with Amber Asay: intro.co/amberasay [https://intro.co/amberasay] _______ Alex Proba is a German-born, New York-based multidisciplinary designer and the founder of Studio Proba. Known for her playful use of color and pattern across murals, furniture, textiles, installations, and branding, she has collaborated with global brands like Nike, Google, and Louis Vuitton. Her iconic “Poster a Day” project launched her career and continues to inspire creatives worldwide with its message of consistency and exploration. Follow Alex: * Instagram: @alexproba [https://www.instagram.com/alexproba/?hl=en] * Website: studioproba.com [http://studioproba.com/] ____ View all the visually rich 1-min reels of each woman on IG below: Instagram: Amber Asay [https://www.instagram.com/amberasay] Instagram: Women Designers Pod [https://www.instagram.com/womendesignerspod]

This episode we talk about the high-heeled rise, fall, and fierce reinvention of designer Tamara Mellon, co-founder of Jimmy Choo, whose resilience redefined what it means to be a woman in luxury fashion—with cultural insight from author Rachelle Bergstein. _______ Support this podcast with a small donation: Buy Me A Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/womendesignerspod] This show is powered by branding and design studio  Nice People [https://nicepeople.com/] Join this podcast and the Patreon community: patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow [https://www.patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow] Have a 1:1 mentor call with Amber Asay: intro.co/amberasay [https://intro.co/amberasay] _______ Sources / Links: * In My Shoes: A Memoir [https://bookshop.org/a/92039/9781591847045] by Tamara Mellon * Tamara Mellon on the Shopify Plus Blog [https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/tamara-mellon-on-the-new-luxury-and-why-the-days-of-brands-staying-neutral-are-over] * Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us [https://bookshop.org/a/92039/9780061969683] by Rachelle Bergstein * Tamara Mellon Interview on Inc. [https://youtu.be/rG-nV25JqLQ?si=pfGCFZTvOH3mPZF9] Tamara Mellon is a British-American fashion designer and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo. A former accessories editor at British Vogue, Mellon played a pivotal role in shaping the brand’s aesthetic and global success. She later launched her own label, Tamara Mellon Inc., where she continues to design with a focus on empowering women and disrupting the fashion business model. Rachelle Bergstein is a writer and cultural commentator, best known as the author of Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us [https://bookshop.org/a/92039/9780061969683]. Her work explores the intersection of fashion, identity, and culture. With a background in literature and a sharp eye for symbolism in style, Bergstein brings a unique voice to fashion history and its impact on women’s lives. Follow Rachelle: * Instagram: @rachellewb [https://www.instagram.com/rachellewb/] * Website: rachellebergstein.com [https://www.rachellebergstein.com/] ____ View all the visually rich 1-min reels of each woman on IG below: Instagram: Amber Asay [https://www.instagram.com/amberasay] Instagram: Women Designers Pod [https://www.instagram.com/womendesignerspod]

This dual feature episode explores the legacy of Susan Kare, the designer behind the original Mac icons, with guests Amy and Jennifer Hood, the twin creatives behind Hoodzpah, known for their bold branding and empowering creative business strategies. _______ Support this podcast with a small donation: Buy Me A Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/womendesignerspod] This show is powered by Nice People [https://nicepeople.com/] Join this podcast and the Patreon community: patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow [https://www.patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknow] Have a 1:1 mentor call with Amber Asay: intro.co/amberasay [https://intro.co/amberasay] _______ Sources / Links: * Susan Kare's Prints: kareprints.com [https://kareprints.com/] * Smithsonian Article [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-susan-kare-designed-user-friendly-icons-for-first-macintosh-180973286/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Amy and Jen's Book: Freelance and Business and Stuff by Amy Hood and Jennifer Hood [https://hoodzpahdesign.com/product/fabas-freelance-business-book-print/] About Susan Susan Kare is a graphic designer and pioneering iconographer best known for her work on the original Apple Macintosh in the early 1980s. With a background in fine arts, she had no prior experience in computer graphics when she was hired to design the first digital icons and typefaces for the Mac. Using graph paper and pixel constraints, she created some of the most enduring symbols in tech history, including the Happy Mac, the Command key symbol, and the original Mac fonts like Chicago and Geneva. Her designs humanized technology, making computers intuitive and accessible to non-technical users. After Apple, she continued shaping digital interfaces at NeXT, Microsoft, Facebook, and Pinterest, and today, she serves as a Design Architect at Niantic Labs while selling limited-edition prints of her iconic designs. About Amy & Jen Hood Amy and Jen Hood are the twin sister duo behind Hoodzpah, a Southern California-based branding agency known for its bold, strategic, and personality-driven design work. Since founding Hoodzpah in 2011, they have worked with major brands like Disney, Nike, and 20th Century Fox, creating memorable identities and custom typefaces. Beyond client work, they are passionate about helping creatives build successful careers—they wrote Freelance, and Business, and Stuff, a practical and empowering guide to running a creative business, and have launched resources for designers, including brand identity courses and custom fonts. With a fearless approach to branding and a deep understanding of creative entrepreneurship, Amy and Jen have carved out a distinctive place in the design world while uplifting the next generation of creatives. Amy and Jen's Book: Freelance and Business and Stuff by Amy Hood and Jennifer Hood [https://hoodzpahdesign.com/product/fabas-freelance-business-book-print/] Follow Amy & Jen: * Amy's Instagram: @amyhoodlum [https://www.instagram.com/amyhoodlum/?hl=en] * Jen's Instagram: @thegoodhood [https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhood/] * Studio Instagram: @hoodzpahdesign [https://www.instagram.com/hoodzpahdesign/?hl=en] * Website: hoodzpahdesign.com [https://hoodzpahdesign.com/] ____ View all the visually rich 1-min reels of each woman on IG below: Instagram: Amber Asay [https://www.instagram.com/amberasay] Instagram: Women Designers Pod [https://www.instagram.com/womendesignerspod]