November 17, 2022

Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune Interview Richard Ting

Richard talks about his passion for merging design and technology, implementing strategic design, and keeping up with the internet.

VSA’s Dana Arnett and dreams • design + life CCO Kevin Bethune sat down with Richard Ting on their podcast, “The Design of Business | The Business of Design.” Richard Ting is the Vice President of Design for Revenue at Twitter and the former Chief Experience Officer at R/GA. He is also Co-Founder and a board member of LAAUNCH, a nonprofit created to combat anti-Asian hate crimes and increase Asian representation.

Richard shared a broad overview of the thinking that has built a career steeped in community, design and functionality. He began his career at R/GA based on his admiration of its ability to leverage both design and technology.

“I think if agencies or companies overindex just on science and technology, you lose a little bit of the emotion—the visual finesse that should be applied to products. And if companies overindex just on art and design, they can’t always push the experiences forward.”

Richard also spoke about how the best kind of design is deeply strategic, how he stays connected to culture, and how admitting what you don’t know is the first step to keeping up with the internet.

“The Design of Business | The Business of Design” is a podcast from Design Observer, now in its 10th season. Dana Arnett and Kevin Bethune co-host the show, exploring how design works within complex organizations to shape decisions and processes, drive innovation, evolve products and services, and more.

Click here to listen to the episode and learn more about this Design Observer podcast.

Dana Arnett

Dana Arnett

Chairman & Founder

For nearly four decades, Dana has been a guiding force behind VSA’s creation of brand programs, digital and interactive initiatives, and marketing solutions for its diverse roster of world-class clients. After serving for many years as VSA’s CEO, Dana guides the strategic growth of the agency in his current role as Chairman and Founder. Since founding VSA with Robert Vogele, his career has been steeped in design leadership, policymaking, business and brand consulting, and a long record of public service. He has been recognized internationally by multiple organizations for his contributions to design and design thinking, including the Smithsonian Institute. In 2016, Dana worked with the State Department under the Obama administration to brand and launch Spark, the first-ever government-led global entrepreneurship initiative. Dana is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, a recipient of the AIGA Medal, and a former board member of the Architecture & Design Society at the Art Institute of Chicago and Project&. He recently served as National President of the AIGA and currently stars as the co-host of Design Observers’ The Design of Business | The Business of Design podcast.