Justin Ahrens: The Reflex Blue Show #280

by on April 5, 2026 at 3:02 pm
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Justin Ahrens: The Reflex Blue Show #280

Justin Ahrens is no stranger to the Reflex Blue Show, as he makes his 32nd appearance (for non-hosts, only Steve Gordon has been on the show more often).

We cover the many changes and evolutions of Rule29 over the past six years – ending with being part of the O’Neil Printing Platform, his Design Of podcast, the Running Ahrens podcast he is co-host of, the other podcast he was on, the Homy Inn, Runza, designing for good and using color to heal, and more.

Enjoy.

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Marian Bantjes: The Reflex Blue Show #279

by on March 3, 2026 at 8:50 am
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Marian Bantjes: The Reflex Blue Show #279

Marian Bantjes stops by the Reflex Blue Show to discuss her new venture – Design Art Gallery (DAG). Located in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, DAG is the gallery showcasing the fine art from designers we all wish was in our town.

We talk about Marian beginning as a typesetter, her work in lettering, and her current work in fine art. We end with a discussion on what makes a good pattern.

Enjoy.

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Charles Nix: The Reflex Blue Show #278

by on February 9, 2026 at 10:34 am
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Charles Nix: The Reflex Blue Show #278

Charles Nix, Senior Executive Creative Director at Monotype, stops by to kick off Season 19 of The Reflex Blue Show!

We talk about working with type at scale (Monotype has a font library of 250,000+ from 4,500+ foundries, which is crazy). We also talk about the Fonts, Feels, & Reels: Generational Attitudes to Type – 2025 Report, 1 of the 6 type trends reports monotype released at the end of 2025.

We also discuss the need for a new (well, 2018?) version of Helvetica in Helvetica Now, the Creative Characters podcast, how Charles got started in type design, and more.

November 7th, 2025 marked the 20th anniversary of the podcast launch for “Be A Design Cast” (the show that we did before “The Reflex Blue Show”, which launched March 4th, 2008) … I guess I have been doing this for a while now. At the 10 year date, I wrote a longer post, this milestone gets a paragraph, and one that is 3 months late.

Enjoy.

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Lyn Wineman: The Reflex Blue Show #277

by on September 2, 2025 at 10:21 am
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Lyn Wineman: The Reflex Blue Show #277

Lyn Wineman opened up the 2025 OnBrand Conference in Omaha last month with her talk, “The Invisible Problem: What’s Really Holding You Back – and How to Fix It.” Her talk, covering the importance of branding, was a great way to start a conference on, well, branding.

We talk about signs of a bad brand, a few red flags in a potential new project, and branding.

We also discuss her “Agency for Change” podcast, and her book, “Untangling Spaghetti: A Branding Fable.”

A big thanks goes out once again to the groups behind the OnBrand Conference – AAF Nebraska, AMA Lincoln, AMA Omaha, and PRSA Nebraska.

Enjoy.

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Mark Mohammadpour: The Reflex Blue Show #276

by on August 7, 2025 at 3:12 pm
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Mark Mohammadpour: The Reflex Blue Show #276

Mark Mohammadpour was the lunch keynote speaker at the 2025 OnBrand Conference in Omaha last month.

Mark, through his company Chasing the Sun®, is a keynote speaker on employee culture and well-being, so, well, we speak about what that actually means (not the keynote speaker part, but what IS employee culture?). We also talk about working in Public Relations and how it is one of the top jobs when it comes to burning out employees. And the things to look for in job postings (both good and bad).

We also discuss Mark’s significant weight-loss from over fifteen years ago, keeping off the weight, and the effects of it.

A big thanks goes out the groups behind the OnBrand Conference for having me out again – AAF Nebraska, AMA Lincoln, AMA Omaha, and PRSA Nebraska.

Enjoy.

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