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Faces of Design

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Practitioner profiles revealing the people behind today's design work.

Faces of Design profiles individuals shaping the architecture and design industry through their work and expertise. Each episode spotlights a practitioner's approach to design challenges, client relationships, and creative problem-solving in the built environment. The channel offers a human perspective on what drives design decisions at the professional level.

7 episodes
Channel Brief·Faces of Design · 7 episodes
Updated Jan 17, 2019

Excellence in Architecture Emerges From Authentic Storytelling

MarketScale profiles AEC leaders who built influence by sharing real problems, unconventional paths, and centuries-old crafts reimagined through modern practice. Proof comes through direct voices and documented business turns.

Faces of Design argues that influence in architecture and design flows to practitioners who break from industry convention by communicating honestly about their work and reimagining traditional practice. The channel proves this by profiling founders, principals, and practitioners who either rebuilt failing companies through modernization, launched independent studios after leaving established firms, or built massive audiences by demystifying the profession online.

Drawn from Faces of Design: Behind the Fire with Eric Ede… and 5 more →

“I saw myself more and more going against the stream with the designs I was creating.”

Sarah Kuchar, interior designer and studio founder

By the numbers

hundreds of thousands

monthly readers reached by Life of an Architect blog

30+ years

Fireclay Tile's age at time of profiling

1986

Year Fireclay Tile was founded by Paul Burns

33

Sarah Kuchar's age when founding her studio

What the channel argues

InsightEric Edelson revived Fireclay Tile from near-failure during 2008 recession to multimillion-dollar growth.→
InsightSarah Kuchar founded her own interior design studio at 33 after leaving a prominent architecture firm.→
InsightBob Borson's Life of an Architect blog became one of the most trafficked architecture websites by delivering authentic, engaging content.→
InsightFireclay Tile, founded in 1986, remained largely unchanged for decades until modernization efforts began.→
InsightKEM Studio's Jonathon Kemnitzer and Brad Satterwhite partnered nearly two decades ago to fuse multiple design disciplines.→

What you'll learn

•Established companies in centuries-old industries can be transformed by integrating modern technology without abandoning craft heritage.
•Breaking away to start an independent practice requires solving unglamorous operational problems alongside creative vision.
•Authentic content about day-to-day professional challenges can build influence that reaches hundreds of thousands monthly.
•Multidisciplinary partnerships often emerge from solving specific client problems rather than planned strategy.
•Leadership in architecture flows to those willing to work publicly against industry convention.

What to do about it

→Audit your firm's or company's storytelling: are you sharing the genuine behind-the-scenes work or only polished outcomes?
→Map where your practice or product diverges from industry norms, then communicate that difference to practitioners and audiences.
→Document and share how you solved operational or creative problems that others in your sector face silently.

Who and what shows up

Eric Edelson

CEO, Fireclay Tile

Revived a moribund tile company from 2008 recession to multimillion-dollar growth by modernizing ancient craft.

Sarah Kuchar

Interior designer and studio founder, Chicago

Founded independent studio at 33 after recognizing creative misalignment with established firm direction.

Bob Borson

Principal, Malone Maxwell Borson Architects

Built Life of an Architect into one of the world's most trafficked architecture websites through authentic, down-to-earth content.

Jonathon Kemnitzer

Co-founder, KEM Studio

Pioneered multidisciplinary design partnership that fuses multiple disciplines from solving real client problems.

Paul Burns

Founder, Fireclay Tile

Lifetime tile craftsperson who founded Fireclay Tile in 1986 from passion cultivated since age 12.

Questions this channel answers

Q

How do you build influence in architecture and design?

By sharing authentic, behind-the-scenes work and challenging industry norms through engaging content that informs and entertains rather than impresses.

Faces of Design: Design Conversations with Bob Borson →
Q

What drives someone to leave an established firm and start their own practice?

Creative misalignment with existing work combined with the willingness to solve unglamorous business problems like office space, websites, and accounting.

Faces of Design: Designing Your Future With Sarah Kuchar →
Q

How can legacy craft industries stay relevant?

By integrating modern technology and business practices while preserving the centuries-old craft at the core.

Faces of Design: Reviving the Fire →
Topics:Tile manufacturing and designIndependent studio foundingArchitectural blogging and thought leadershipMultidisciplinary design partnershipsTechnology integration in traditional crafts
Themes:Authenticity drives influence over polishTradition and technology integrate, not replaceBreaking convention requires visible articulation

Industry context

Design and manufacturing innovation in architecture is increasingly driven by integration of smart technology with traditional materials, enabling customization alongside heritage craftsmanship.

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