What people are saying about 99% Invisible
“99% Invisible…is completely wonderful and entertaining and beautifully produced…”
— Ira Glass, This American Life
“We think what he’s doing is inspiring. It has a kind of rhythm and musicality that you don’t normally find in radio or podcast storytelling.”
— Jad Abumrad, Radiolab
“Roman Mars lights the radio. His pieces conjure other worlds, grapple with big ideas, make sound three dimensional. They are smart and funny and original. The Kitchen Sisters would like to be Presidents of his Fan Club.”
— The Kitchen Sisters, Peabody Award-winning producers for NPR
“I love the show. It’s wonderful. [It] actually reminded me of why I love radio.”
— Jonathan Goldstein, CBC’s WireTap
“Mars is the Ira Glass of design.”
— Allison Arieff, design columnist for The New York Times
Wired
30 of the Best Podcasts for Curious Minds in 2019
October 10, 2019 "99% Invisible tells the fascinating stories behind the parts of our world we don't always pay much attention to. As an added bonus, host Roman Mars has one of the smoothest voices in podcasting."
Vulture
The 10 Nonfiction Podcasts That Changed the Genre
October 1, 2019 "Roman Mars’s 99% Invisible is an institution in more ways than one. On the one hand, it is the preeminent source of stories about design and the relationship between people and the physical world... on the other, it’s the cornerstone of Radiotopia, a beloved independent podcast collective ..."
iHeartRadio
Top Ten Podcasts to Inspire Artists
July 8, 2019 "99% Invisible will have you seeing the world around you with new eyes."
The Hustle
The 7 Podcasts You Should Have (Already) Discovered
March 12, 2019 "Hosted by Roman Mars, 99% Invisible explores the hidden designs and architecture that shape our lives. If you’ve ever wondered why our world is the way it is, this show has your answers."
American Express Essentials
5 Minutes With... Roman Mars
2018 "Popular podcast '99% Invisible' explores the "unnoticed design that shapes our world" - we sit down with its author, Roman Mars, to try and see the world through his eyes."
San Francisco Magazine: Modern Luxury
Making Waves: 100 Artists Putting the East Bay on the Map
May 31, 2018 "If there’s such a thing as a podcasting rock star, it’s Mars, whose chart-topping design radio show and podcast on KALW, 99% Invisible, carved a path forward for the next generation of independent audio producers."
Business Insider
9 Podcasts That Will Change How You Think About Human Behavior
February 1, 2018 "Hosted by Roman Mars, 99% Invisible tells the hidden stories of the fixtures of everyday life."
The Atlantic
The 50 Best Podcasts of 2017
December 21, 2017 "Roman Mars knows that the harmony that connects designers, physical structures, function, and human ambition is as rich and complicated as that created by any orchestra."
Refinery29
10 Podcasts To Get You Through Your Commute
August 29, 2017 "Host Roman Mars (possibly the greatest name of any podcaster alive today) devotes each episode of 99% Invisible to a different aspect of design or architecture that you've probably never noticed."
Medium
Roman Mars on 99% Invisible and the Narrative of Design
August 7, 2017 "Roman Mars is the host and producer of 99% Invisible, the most innovative and beloved radio program about design, and how design impacts the world around us."
Portland Monthly
How Studying Design Turned Roman Mars into a Pathological Optimist
May 2, 2017 "Roman Mars thinks deeply about things most of us barely notice... As creator and host of the podcast 99% Invisible, the onetime plant geneticist spends his days making audio gold about architecture and design, from suburban McMansions to political logos."
The Webby Awards
2017 People's Voice - Podcasts & Digital Audio - Best Host
April, 2017 "The host with the most: demonstrates the best qualities of hosting an online audio interview or conversation."
The Guardian
The 50 best podcasts of 2016
December 21, 2016 "Roman Mars delves into design and architecture records to uncover the people and ideas who have shaped the world around us."
Vulture
20 Great Podcasts Under 25 Minutes Long
October 20, 2016 "Roman Mars is a legendary design supergeek, and his show, 99% Invisible, which serves listeners stories about the life of design and the designs that informs our lives, is a temple of thoughtful, practiced observation."
The Webby Awards
2016 Webby Award Winner - Best Podcast
April, 2016 "Best podcast series that sets an industry standard."
Time
Talking Money with Podcasting Pioneer Roman Mars
October 30, 2015 “I’m fearless about it because I have ongoing support from the audience and advertisers.”
Format Magazine
Roman Mars on Ugly Buildings with Good Stories
September 23, 2015 “That’s the premise of the show: a kind of geeky enthusiasm for the world”
TED Blog
Roman Mars on Why Not to Give the “Big, Grand, Sweeping” TED Talk
September 14, 2015 “Roman Mars had two ideas for his TED Talk: the talk he thought he should give and the talk he wanted to give.”
SFGate
Radio Host Leads Charge to Change S.F.’s Official Flag
September 6, 2015 "A Bay Area radio talk-show host has launched a mission to bring down San Francisco’s official flag, calling it an eyesore and uninspiring."
Medium
99% Invisible Podcast’s Brilliant Response to Criticism of Women’s Voices
July 14, 2015 “Mingle has apparently received enough listener complaints about women’s voices on the program that she’s opted to create a brilliant folder and auto-reply email system to deal with such criticism”
q on CBC
99% Invisible's Roman Mars Discusses The Concept of Design in Studio Q
May, 2015 Roman Mars joins Shad to discuss how the world changes when seen through curious eyes, the challenges of telling design stories on the radio, and why it's worth being the kind of person who read plaques.
Forbes
5 TED 2015 Storytellers That Are Sharing What They See (And Hear)
March 16, 2015 “Radio is Rocking – and Roman Mars is part of the reason why.”
Wired
Roman Mars: The Man Who’s Building a Podcasting Empire
January 28, 2015 “I get to make media that’s perfectly oriented for the modern world”
East Bay Express
Building Public Radio 2.0
November 12, 2014 "Oakland-based podcaster Roman Mars is propping up independent radio producers across the country through Radiotopia, a new collective of innovative storytelling shows."
The Globe and Mail
Q&A with Roman Mars: ‘I think there’s a pathology in the love of design’
July 9, 2014 “The heart of the show is the exploration, it’s the not knowing.”
Fast Company
Roman Mars' Secret to Irresistible Storytelling
March 18, 2014 “The title of Roman Mars's popular podcast, 99% Invisible, actually reveals something crucial about telling compelling stories: helping people put their fingers on the (nearly) intangible.”
Mother Jones
Roman Mars on the Secret Allure of Highway Stripes and Manhole Covers
September 28, 2013 “His hit podcast, '99% Invisible', reveals the untold stories of things we take for granted.”
The Guardian
Roman Mars: Public Radio Maverick
August 6, 2013 "Almost exactly one year ago, Roman Mars' 'tiny radio show about design' proved itself a big online hit when it became the most highly funded journalism Kickstarter to date."
The Economist
A Public-Private Partnership: Kickstarter helps raise money for public radio
August, 2012 "The quirky, design-oriented public-radio show has raised $160,000 through Kickstarter to produce the next season. Other public-radio types are taking notice."
East Bay Express
'99% Invisible' Uncovers the Hidden World of Design
August 22, 2012 “Roman Mars' radio show and podcast is changing the way we look at design — and maybe the nature of public radio.”
Ad Week
At $170,000+, ‘99% Invisible’ Becomes Most Funded Kickstarter in Journalism
August 12, 2012 “It’s also no small feat for anyone on Kickstarter — as the early post noted, 99% Invisible is one of only a few over 200 projects on the crowdfunding site to raise over $100,000.”
Core 77
Kickstart 99% Invisible: Design Stories for the Radio
August 3, 2012 “Mars has a knack for finding the remarkable in daily life.”
Wired
How 99% Invisible Will Change Public Radio
July 20, 2012 “The hugely inventive podcast 99% Invisible treats the design of everyday things like a forensic science”
USA Today Pop Candy
'99% Invisible': More Visible Than Ever
July 18, 2012 "I've mentioned my love of a little podcast/radio show called 99% Invisible. Hosted by Roman Mars, its short episodes delve into 'design, architecture and the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world'."
Design Matters with Debbie Millman
Roman Mars Interview
April 6, 2012 "Radio producer Roman Mars discusses the connection between ’zines and radio, why he ditched science and the reason he named his show 99% Invisible."
Radiolab
Radiolab Presents: 99% Invisible
December 12, 2011 “Roman Mars loves to spotlight the seams and joints that make up the world around us. He's the host of an irresistible podcast called 99% Invisible”
Transom
Show: 99% Invisible
March 21, 2011 "Roman creates lovely little form-is-content pieces about design. They stick with you. Come check out an episode or subscribe to the whole thing, and read Roman’s encouraging notes about making creative work."
Boing Boing
99% Invisible: Podcast on the Power of Design
February 9, 2011 “Each episode is a beautiful, rich look at one tiny corner of our lives through the lens of design.”
