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
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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April 16, 2025 • 36 mins
Today we’re going all literary, getting in touch with our bookish sides. We’re not being antisocial, but we’ve brought a couple of books to the bar. And in spite of that phrase we all hear so often, we're gonna judge two books, Jurassic Park and The Great Gatsby, by their covers.
So order up a couple of Tequila Mockingbirds. We’ve brought our library cards (and Todd’s credit card) with us to the bar.
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April 2, 2025 • 49 mins
Today we’re going aaaalllll Hollywood. We're talking about movie studio logos, quite possibly the oldest examples of liquid branding, with one logo that's been relatively unchanged over close to 100 years and another that has gone through a bit of an identity crisis only to return to a familiar form: 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers.
So have your people call our people, because we’re having a three martini lunch and making som...
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March 19, 2025 • 64 mins
Today we’re going to be talking about game show logos – the good, the bad and the ugly — and how sometimes all of those qualities could be found in a single piece of artwork. We’re zeroing in on a couple that are loud, busy and colorful, just like the era they were created in and the sets they were created for: The Gong Show and Match Game.
So grab the remote, ask the bartender for a couple of Slot Machine cocktails and join us on...
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March 5, 2025 • 49 mins
Today we’re going to be talking some more about postage stamps. The way they reflect pop culture and how they are an art form that celebrates other art forms. We’ve got some stamps with fluid line work and a whole lotta shakin’ going on… Al Hirschfeld and Elvis have entered the building.
Mix-up a couple of 2-Cent Stamp cocktails and join us once again as we send you a couple more stories from right here in the bar.
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Vis...
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February 19, 2025 • 41 mins
Today we’re going to be talking about postage stamps: the history and origin of them, who uses them and whether or not they’re still relevant in our age of email and mail order deliveries. And, of course, the art of it all and why stamps still matter today.
We touch on the controversy of who invented the stamp, the fraud associated with early mail and how the U.S. Postal Service misprinted a commemorative stamp for Swede Dag Hamma...
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February 5, 2025 • 31 mins
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 these same techniques invented decades ago still...
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January 22, 2025 • 43 mins
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 our latest episode, we invite friend and poster expert Paul Hennessey back into the bar to discuss the appeal of cat posters aesthetically and financially, discuss a few of our favorites and decode why their traits and quirks make them perfect f...
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January 8, 2025 • 64 mins
The Goodyear Blimp is turning 100 years old, so we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.
Ever wonder why a tire company is most known for a blimp? Or why an animation studio has a desk lamp as its trademark? We did. Turns out Goodyear and Pixar didn’t invent either of these things. Learn the origin stories of Goodyear’s blimps, Pixar’s loveable Luxo lamp, and how these adopted objects transcended their initial utility to beco...
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December 25, 2024 • 36 mins
We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.
Video may have killed the radio star, but it poured gasoline on the spark of New Wave. As MTV exploded, youth culture moved to center stage and companies making wearables were more than happy to cater to changing tastes. In this episode we focus on Vans and Swatch, a couple of iconic fashion accessories found on the wrists and feet of Gen X.
As we wrap-up our season on New Wave, let us ...
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December 11, 2024 • 16 mins
Today we’re bringing you an example of the bonus content you can find on our Patreon page.
In the summer of 1994, the television show The Real World was filming in San Francisco. That same summer Elliot ended up in SF for an internship. One day those two worlds collided in a true Gen X moment.
So sit back with a plate full of wings and one of your favorite beers from college. It's time to join us back in the bar.
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Visit ou...
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November 27, 2024 • 40 mins
In this episode we take a step back from our typical subject matter to dig into our mailbag once again as we answer questions submitted by you, our listeners. Topics include record album art, April Fool’s pranks, Taylor Swift, listener reviews, Broadway shows and some recent speaking gigs. We also plug one of our favorite bar foods: onion rings.
So sit back with your favorite warm and cozy beverage. It's time to join us back in the...
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November 13, 2024 • 47 mins
We’re bringing some video tapes with us into the bar — or at least some trusty YouTube links. Why? We’re talking music videos! And we have so much to share, we’ve broken this subject into two episodes.
For today, we dusted off an older gem and coupled it with a more current one: a gritty and fun “Need You Tonight” from Australia’s INXS and Taylor Swift’s surreal technicolor dreamscape that is “ME!” We discuss the thinking behind ea...
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