As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to pause and take stock of what’s been a transformational year in design. From Figma’s landmark IPO to the rise of AI across every category of product, to major brand evolutions at Nike, Netflix, and The New York Times—this year has been defined by what our guest today calls “mass acceleration.”
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Mark Wilson is the Global Design Editor at Fast Company, where he’s been tracking these seismic shifts, reporting on everything from the architecture of data centers to the comeback of wired headphones. He’s a journalist who straddles multiple worlds—covering the design industry, and now co-hosting the By Design podcast. He’s someone who can explain why Labuboos became an unlikely cultural phenomenon and why your kids might be more interested in building with Chompsaw than staring at a screen.
Today, we’re looking back at 2025 with Mark to understand not just what happened, but what it all means. We’ll explore the biggest moments in design and business, and tackle the uncomfortable questions about AI—are we in a bubble? Is it actually making us more productive? And what does the future hold for designers in an automated world?
We’ll also dig into the design industry’s blind spots, the problems that aren’t getting solved because they’re not sexy or VC-fundable, and why there’s a growing hunger for physical craft and working with our hands in a world increasingly mediated by screens.
Books & Links mentioned:
Bio
Mark Wilson is the global design editor at Fast Company, who covers the entirety of design’s impact on culture and business.
An authority in product design, UX, AI, experience design, retail, food, and branding, he has reported landmark features on companies ranging from Nike and Google to MSCHF, Canva, Samsung, Snap, IDEO, and Target, while profiling design luminaries including Tyler the Creator, Jony Ive, and Salehe Bembury. He’s tracked the innovation of performance sneakers and the relevance of streetwear in high fashion with equal fervor to the evolution of Apple and the rise of generative AI. He has flown a jetpack and once designed a menu item for Taco Bell.
Mark has been writing and producing video projects for nearly two decades. After graduating from the University of Iowa, he helped define the era of modern writing at Gawker Media properties including Gizmodo and Kotaku, while contributing to National Geographic, GQ, Esquire, and others. He’s published in Marvel By Design, which traced the rise and impact of comics on culture. He also once launched his own startup, Philanthroper, which raised $1 donations for new nonprofits each day.
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