

Clever with Amy Devers
Amy Devers
Clever is an award-winning, independent podcast that offers a window into the humanity behind the design of the world around us.In each episode, designer Amy Devers has candid and revealing conversations with the visionaries, culture-makers, and creative forces who shape our world and inform our society. Through a disarming mix of raw candor and honest shop-talk, Clever peels back the layers to unearth the gritty, authentic and sometimes surprising details of their creative paths.Clever Confidential is Clever’s offshoot series where we dig into the lesser told stories of the darker side of design; the shadowy, sometimes sordid, tales hiding under a glossy top coat of respectable legacy.Visit our website:cleverpodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 13, 2020 • 1h 1min
Ep. 75: Lauren Makk [Rebroadcast]
Please enjoy one of our classic episodes from the archives this week!Interior designer and TV personality Lauren Makk grew up in the south, fluffing other people’s pillows, painting murals on train cars under cover of darkness, and rolling with her car crew Ill-usion. As a little girl, Julia Sugarbaker on TV’s Designing Women was Lauren’s career role model. Years later, she is also a designer on TV! She’s made her mark on Trading Spaces, FABLife, and Home Made Simple. She’s building an empire, leaving a legacy, and dreaming of giving the White House a “Makk-over.”Images and more from our guest!Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Jennie Josephson.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you! SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 6, 2020 • 1h 8min
Ep. 130 Award-Winning Architect Jordan Goldstein
Award-winning architect and current Head of Global Design and Innovation for Gensler, Jordan Goldstein, discovered his passion for architecture at age 5 while visiting construction sites with his mother. From LEGO bricks to skyscrapers, he’s built his life’s work with an interdisciplinary approach and a focus on elevating the human experience. A believer in architecture’s role in supporting communities, today he’s an educator and sought-after spokesperson on the future of design both domestically and globally. Images, links and more from Jordan Goldstein!Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 29, 2020 • 53min
Ep. 76: Todd Oldham [Rebroadcast]
Everyone’s most beloved DIY hero, fashion designer, and creative maverick Todd Oldham grew up experimenting at the family craft table and stabbing his sister (volunteer fit model) with pins. A self-described little weirdo, he learned early on to eschew the arbitrary boundaries that society uses to stratify and separate. He values process over outcome and honors his curiosity while staying committed to excellence. This has earned him brand permission and a ton of wisdom for living a full, creative life.Images and more from our guest!Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and Jaime Derringer, with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Jennie Josephson.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 22, 2020 • 1h 29min
Ep. 129: Creative Strategist Maurice Cherry
Creative strategist, visionary, and design podcaster Maurice Cherry was born in Selma, Alabama where it quickly became apparent he was going to take the world by storm. Immensely talented on all fronts, Maurice has dedicated his career to recognizing and celebrating the power of Black design and creativity online. These days, Maurice is perhaps most well-known for his award-winning podcast Revision Path, which showcases Black designers, and as of 2019 is the FIRST podcast to be acquired by the Smithsonian. Images, links and more from Maurice CherryClever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 15, 2020 • 52min
Ep. 48 Timothy Goodman [Rebroadcast]
Designer, illustrator and artist Timothy Goodman was labeled a “dead-end kid” in his youth until he did four years of hard labor with a mentor/father-figure in the home improvement industry, through which he found both discipline and a desire to study design. A degree and a few more mentors later he’s now known for his illustrations, viral social experiments, murals, books and even protests. Plus, he’s checking his white cis straight male privilege and championing inclusion in ways both meaningful and practical. Pretty rad.Images and more from our guest!Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Alex Perez. If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 8, 2020 • 57min
Ep. 128: Furniture Designer & Educator Wendy Maruyama
Furniture designer & maker, artist, and educator Wendy Maruyama is a legend in her field. Born with Cerebral Palsy, deaf, and growing up 3rd generation Japanese-American she discovered an interest in woodworking as a teenager and by early adulthood was one of the first two women to get an MFA in Furniture Design from RIT. Throughout her nearly 50-year career, Wendy has been extremely influential in the world of studio and artistic furniture. She’s also a badass feminist, and funny as all hell.Images, links and more from Wendy Maruyama Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 1, 2020 • 1h 2min
Clever Confidential Ep. 1: The Strange Disappearance of Norman Jaffe
On the morning of August 19th, 1993, mid-century architect, Norman Jaffe, parked his car in his client’s driveway, walked to Ocean Beach in Bridgehampton, New York, stripped down, folded his clothes, and dove into the Atlantic. He never returned and his body was never recovered. Was it murder? Was it suicide? Did he fake his own death? What happened to Norman Jaffe? This is the first episode of Clever Confidential, where we dig into the lesser known stories of the darker side of design - the shadowy, sometimes sordid tales hiding under a glossy top coat of respectable legacy.Images, links, and more about Norman JaffeCredits: Hosts: Amy Devers & Andrew WagnerGuest: Alastair GordonWriting and research: Amy Devers & Andrew WagnerEditing: Rich StroffolinoAll Sound Bites: from Alastair Gordon's documentary film "Beyond the Beach: The life and Death of Norman Jaffe, Architect"Theme Music: “Astronomy” by Thin White Rope courtesy of Frontier Records. Logo: Laura JaramilloFor more on Norman Jaffe please grab a copy of Alastair Gordon’s Romantic Modernist, The Life and Work of Norman Jaffe, Architect, published by Monacelli Press in 2005. It is fantastic :) Please say Hi on social! Twitter, Instagram and Facebook - @CleverPodcast, @amydevers, If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 25, 2020 • 1h 1min
Ep. 127: Artist & Designer Bethan Laura Wood
Artist and product designer Bethan Laura Wood grew up with ample access to kitchen-table craft projects and a flair for self-expression. When kids made fun of her clothes, she reclaimed her style by going full-on “dress-uppy.” Her schooling, which included a craft-based technical track as well as conceptual rigor, has armed her with a finesse for elevating industrial materials to luxury levels, layered with depth and intrigue. Side note: she is known to travel in style, much to the delight of TSA agents! Images, links and more from Bethan Laura Wood!Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 18, 2020 • 1h 17min
Ep. 79: Grace Bonney [Rebroadcast]
Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney grew up knowing she wasn’t straight but not knowing what to do with that. Her love of Riot Grrrl music and angry collages informed her creative identity and after studying art and journalism in college, it all melted together in the creation of Design*Sponge. After 15 years and a lot of success, she’s just announced that she plans to shutter this year and she’s sending it out in a blaze of experimentation and celebration. We can’t wait to see what’s next!Images and more from our guest!Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 11, 2020 • 1h 18min
Ep. 126: Sustainability Thought Leader Joel Towers
Architect & Professor of Sustainable Design Joel Towers grew up in the suburbs with steady access to New York City. His father taught him to build and repair things, which helped carve his problem-solving neural pathways from a young age. Aware of the tension between humans and nature, a pivotal trip to Alaska set him on a dedicated path to striving for alignment and harmony. An educator at Parsons, he’s outspoken and optimistic about a future that is circular, decolonized, decarbonized, just, and feminist.Read the show notes here.Clever is created, hosted and produced by Amy Devers and with music from El Ten Eleven and editing by Rich Stroffolino.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.