6 podcasts every web pro should know about
The number of podcasts available to web designers and developers has exploded in recent years. While there are plenty of books and blogs available on the subject, podcasts are an excellent supplement to help us stay current with what’s happening in the industry. They’re convenient, easy to consume, and free.
A few years ago, it was surprisingly difficult to find any podcasts related to web design. I remember discovering Boagworld by accident when the show turned up in a Google search. I was immediately hooked, but it seemed to be the only show of its kind out there. I’m sure it wasn’t, but searching the web or iTunes found nothing of quality. Today the situation is much different. My iTunes library now includes at least a dozen or so shows that I listen to on a regular basis.
In this post, I’ve compiled six of my favourite podcasts. If you’re a web developer or designer and you don’t already know about these shows, you should.
What they all share in common, besides the subject area, is a solid mix of information, entertainment, and production quality. Of course, the information is the meat of each show, and I almost always come away having learned something new. But if I’m going to listen to people talking for an hour then the show also has to make me laugh, or at least smile sometimes. And it also needs to sound good. These shows do all of that.
Boagworld
What the show is about: "A podcast for those who design, develop and run websites."
Hosted by: Paul Boag & Marcus Lillington
Format: Audio
Notable episodes:
- Episode 184: HTML5 with Jeremy Keith
- Episode 179: Affordance with Dan Rubin
- Episode 157: Live panel discussion at SXSW09 with Andy Budd, Daniel Burka, Jeremy Keith & Joe Stump
CreativeXpert
What the show is about: "…a podcast series featuring interviews with web designers and other creative experts about their careers, techniques, inspiration and upcoming projects."
Hosted by: Alan Houser & Eric Anderson
Format: Audio
Notable episodes:
- Episode 43: Kristina Halvorson on content strategy
- Episode 41: Jeffrey Zeldman & Ethan Marcotte on Designing with Web Standards 3rd Edition
- Episode 37: Dan Rubin on partnerships & collectives
CSS-Tricks
What the show is about: "Tutorials on web design."
Hosted by: Chris Coyier
Format: Video
Notable episodes: The Building a Website series:
The Big Web Show
What the show is about: "…special guests and topics like the future of publishing, art direction online, content strategy, web fonts and typography, CMS shootouts, HTML5 and CSS3, building an audience, and more."
Hosted by: Dan Benjamin & Jeffrey Zeldman
Format: Audio & Video
Notable episodes:
- Episode 6: Luke Wroblewski on designing for mobile devices
- Episode 4: Kristina Halvorson & Erin Kissane on content strategy
- Episode 2: Jeremy Keith on HTML5.
The Dev Show
What the show is about: "…news and discussion about the latest topics in the software development community, with a focus on Ruby, PHP, Java, JavaScript, and more, with commentary from your hosts."
Hosted by: Dan Benjamin & Jason Seifer
Format: Audio & Video
Notable episodes:
Sitepoint Podcast
What the show is about: "News, opinion, and fresh thinking for web developers and designers. The official podcast of sitepoint.com."
Hosted by: Kevin Yank, Patrick O’Keefe & Brad Williams
Format: Audio
Notable episodes:
- Episode 64: Russ Weakley on learning the web
- Episode 63: There are two webs
- Episode 58: Mat Patterson on HTML email
What podcasts would you recommend?
Let’s hear your favourite shows in the comments!