Two Designers Walk Into a Bar
Pop culture inspires some serious fun. Join hosts Todd Coats and Elliot Strunk, two creatively curious pals living between the bookends of grand museums and dive bars, the sweet spot where highbrow and lowbrow become drinking buddies. They talk influential work and uncover stories of how the familiar became iconic. Think Behind the Music for the stuff we love. ----- Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/ for images, links, episode extras and more. ----- Two Designers Walk Into a Bar is part of the Evergreen Podcasts network.
Episodes
January 21, 2026 • 33 mins
Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass.
We’re kicking off our series on psychedelia with its origins, the impact on a generation of pop culture and its lasting effects. Psychedelia’s origins are messy, fascinating, and full of odd little historical crosscurrents. We discuss science, bicycle rides and the first official album of psychedelic music.
So, ask the bartender for a couple of Psychedelic Frogs—and to see if t...
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January 7, 2026 • 32 mins
We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.
What do Betty Crocker, Charlie Tuna, Tony the Tiger and the oddball characters from Off Limits Cereal have in common? Along with fellow creatives Kirk Visola and Andy Kurtts of the “Kirk and Kurtts” design podcast, they were all our drinking buddies one evening!
We chewed the fat with Kirk and Andy about some classic characters and their impact on pop culture (and snacking), and why t...
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December 24, 2025 • 33 mins
We have one more Christmas gift for our listeners! Today we’re going to be talking about a holiday icon that began as a marketing stunt. (Let’s be honest. Sometimes it feels like Christmas is just one big marketing stunt.) But we’re with friends, so we're getting into the Christmas spirit. (Or spirits!)
Today we’re going to be talking about everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph, and his origin story from a retail store’s...
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December 10, 2025 • 50 mins
Just in time for Christmas, we've brought some classic toys with us that have become iconic collectibles.
First, we suggest you grab your seat belt and buckle-up as we white knuckle the wheel and talk the fast-paced glitz of Hot Wheels cars, and then we’re gonna fight for truth and justice as we get our hands on some highly collectible Mego superhero action figures.
So order up a couple of Caped Crusaders. We’re gonna be crossing...
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November 26, 2025 • 37 mins
As we head into the holiday season, we’re giving thanks by spotlighting the four freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want—along with the man who brought them to life in ways everyone could understand: Norman Rockwell.
We talk about how while critics threw shade his way, Rockwell created what is arguably the most iconic Thanksgiving image of all time, parodied and remixed over the year...
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November 12, 2025 • 56 mins
Magazines. They’re still big business, but today’s magazines are a pale imitation of what they once were. And being on a magazine cover meant that you hit the big-time. Sometimes that was amazing, other times not so much.
Today we’re discussing some iconic covers that made statements from the shelves of newsstands and delivered surprises to unsuspecting mailboxes. John Lennon, Demi Moore, Richard Nixon, New York City, Apple and Ba...
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October 29, 2025 • 37 mins
Since it’s still October, we’re continuing with the second of our two Horror Month episodes here in the bar. If you didn’t get enough shock and terror from our last episode, you just weren't listening closely...Come to think of it, that could be said about any of our episodes.
Today we’re discussing a couple of amazing horror movie posters for The Thing and Creature from the Black Lagoon. The stories that inspired them, the artist...
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October 15, 2025 • 40 mins
Since it’s October, we’re gonna jump into the next two episodes with Horror Month here in the bar.
Horror? Sure, regular listeners will wonder why this month is somehow different from any other, but don’t worry. The quality is still the same, only this time we’re talking about some characters created for the amusement of both the young and the young-at-heart. We’re talking about the origin stories of Monster Cereals from General M...
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October 1, 2025 • 46 mins
While we don't recommend drinking and driving, we do recommend talking pop culture and cars while sitting safe and sound on a couple of bar stools.
Buckle up as we travel back in time to discuss what are arguably the two most popular cars in pop culture: the original 1960s Batmobile and the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Sometimes they worked, oftentimes they didn't. If you smell some burning rubber, it's not from us thinking—a...
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September 17, 2025 • 43 mins
We’re taking a short break. In the meantime, grab a drink and kick back with one of our classic episodes.
Cats. You may love ‘em, hate ‘em or feel indifferent, but there’s no escaping their power, especially if you spend any time online.
Cats have a long history in the world of advertising. In this classic episode we invited friend and poster expert Paul Hennessey back into the bar to discuss the appeal of cat posters aesthetical...
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September 3, 2025 • 40 mins
When we say "TV network," what do you think of? When we say "TV network brand," what pops into your head? Is it a logo or a sound? Is it an animation or an app? Is it a signature show?
Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of identities made for NBC and Netflix. We discuss the origin stories for both their visuals and their sounds.
So add us to your queue. We're gonna be sipping on a couple of Cobra Strikes as we get thi...
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August 20, 2025 • 36 mins
We’ve been exploring the Polynesian Pop trend that swept suburbia. From the 1930s to the ‘70s, tiki culture was everywhere. And then, like the tide going out, it was gone.
Today we talk about the factors that brought it back in the late ‘90s and early 2000s (hint: swing, thrifting and SpongeBob) and how tiki is influencing artists today.
Grab a Bahama Mama and join our conga line as we swing, sway and sashay back into the ...
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August 6, 2025 • 33 mins
Today, we're continuing our series on tiki culture as we look at how professional designers embraced and evolved the island aesthetic. Was it low brow? High brow? A symbol of exotic adventure? A goofy gimmick? Regardless, the movement left a deep imprint on graphic, interior, fashion, product, and architectural design, in applications ranging from kitsch to high-concept.
We'll gonna figure out the price of some amazing tiki drinks...
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July 23, 2025 • 32 mins
Today we’re dressing up the bar with coconut mugs, gardenia flowers, surf boards and pu-pu platters because we’re diving into the first of a three episode series on Tiki culture. We’ll talk about the origins and influences — it’s not as simple as you think — and learn why this very Americanized look took off throughout the country and set sail across the globe.
Grab your tiki mugs, some fresh-cut pineapple and a chilled pitcher...
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July 9, 2025 • 35 mins
Today we’re returning to the bar with Matt Stevens, a designer and illustrator who has been successful working with clients ranging from a tequila brand to clients like Apple TV+ and Netflix.
But what we have in common is not only a love for design, but also pop culture. So we’re talking with him about a personal project that grew into an actual project, his new book Good Movies as Old Books. We dig into subjects as varied as a ...
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June 25, 2025 • 35 mins
Today we’re sitting down with a new friend, a designer and illustrator who has been successful working with clients ranging from a local hot dog shop to clients like Airbnb and Facebook.
But what we have in common with Matt Stevens is not only a love for design, but also pop culture. So we’re talking with him about a personal project that grew into an actual project, his new book Good Movies as Old Books.
It’s time to grab a ...
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June 11, 2025 • 46 mins
If you’ve ever caught a late-night flick full of high-speed chases, stylish wardrobes, and unforgettable soundtracks, you might’ve stumbled into the bold, brash world of blaxploitation. This genre wasn’t just about action—it brought civil rights, empowerment, and attitude to the screen, with a mix of crime, martial arts, westerns, horror, comedy, prison breaks, and even musicals.
Today, we’re diving into two of the era’s most icon...
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May 28, 2025 • 35 mins
If you wander into any school, bar or thrift store, you're bound to see a collection of trophies. Have you ever wondered why they often look like cups, plates and other objects you wouldn't think about grabbing after a robust game of tennis or an intense hockey match? We did, and we’ve got a couple of amazing examples we’re talking about today: Wimbledon's Venus Rosewater Dish for women's tennis and The Stanley Cup for men's hockey...
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May 14, 2025 • 37 mins
We want you! If you’re looking for something to volunteer for, if you’re ready to be part of something bigger than yourself...Something that will make you see the world in a new way and make new friends...While spending some time together in the trenches or back home supporting the effort, then listen to our wartime propaganda episode!
Today we’re discussing the histories of two of the most iconic posters (and characters) in the...
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April 30, 2025 • 46 mins
Today we’re talking about a couple of state flag designs. And just like everyone here in the bar, they have unique appearances and colorful histories. In one corner we have the funky flag from Ohio, and in the other we have the boldly graphic flag of Maryland.
It’s time to order a couple of Aviation cocktails. We’re gonna be getting into some different states of mind today in the bar.
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