Automattic’s head of design on diversity, the three kinds of design and the four quarters of life

John Maeda is the head of design and inclusion at Automattic. In this episode, we discuss how he turned RISD into the best design school in the country, why inclusivity is the secret weapon on design teams, and why design is ultimately about the customer.

Classical design, design thinking and computational design: Maeda says these are the three kinds of design and elaborates on the issues that arise when you take a classical approach to computational design.

He also goes deep on when designers should or should not go to college, and what they should actually study if they do.

Jared Erondu and Bobby Ghoshal are the hosts of High Resolution. This post and episode notes were put together by freelance writer, Gannon Burgett. Watch for High Resolution episodes to drop every Monday on TechCrunch at 8 a.m. PT. You can also listen on iTunes and Overcast.