BrandBox: A Philosophical, Design-Infused Dialogue About Meritocracy

In the wake of the country’s primary political party conventions, Tom Guarriello and Mark Kingsley ask: As the world struggles with inequality, how do we rethink the meaning of “merit”?

Soon, we’ll be launching an all-new initiative, the PRINT Podcast Studio, featuring cutting-edge shows we love. One such: BrandBox by Guarriello and Kingsley, “a (playful and thoughtful) podcast on the strategies and effects of brands.”

On the show’s latest episode, found at the intersection of design and philosophy, the two ponder all things meritocracy—“the consequences of which are anything but neutral and equal.”

Show Notes:

• Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents

• Michael Sandel, The Tyranny of Merit

• Poll: Is America Headed in Right Direction? On the Right Track? 27% Say Yes

• Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone

• Michael Young, The Rise of the Meritocracy

• Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality

• Andrew Yang's Universal Basic Income Proposal

• The K-Shaped Recovery Is Real, And It Perfectly Captures the Economy

• The Golem: How He Came Into the World (Der Golem: wie er in die Welt kam), 1920

• Kenosha County, WI Sheriff David Beth Rants About "Warehousing" Black People

• Doc Rivers’ (Head Coach for the Los Angeles Clippers) Post-Game News Conference

• The Beatles, Penny Lane

• On the Corner by Miles Davis. An Album Cover Art Story

• Miles Davis, On The Corner

• Rare Public Appearance of Corky McCoy, Designer of On The Corner Cover Art

• Miles Davis, Bitches Brew

• Introduction to Mati Klarwein, Designer of Bitches Brew Cover Art

• Mati Klarwein

• Joan Baez, There But For Fortune

SVA Masters in Branding program // Music courtesy of Mikel Rouse // Dr. Tom Guarriello // Mark Kingsley

Get the details on the all-new PRINT Awards!