Posts Tagged ‘podcast’
141 items.
Allan Espiritu & Kevin Kernan: The Reflex Blue Show #187
June 11th, 2018 |Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show
Allan Espiritu and Kevin Kernan of GDLOFT were at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston to celebrate winning the Print Magazine Regional Design Award, Grand Prize with their poster designs for AIGA Philadelphia’s 35th Anniversary. They were also signing slightly modified versions of these posters at the Neenah Paper booth while there.
And I have to say, these posters are sweet. I have a, well, crazy amount of stuff in the office, so it’s not like one item can stand out that much, right? Or maybe so, as I hung up one of the three posters, and the first two people to visit the office afterwards (and not at the same time), immediately mentioned how cool this one poster was.
Anyway, we talk about the posters, about pop music lyrics, David Bowie, the colors for a 35th anniversary, GDLOFT, teaching, and wait – Allan not only works full-time at GDLOFT, but also seems to teach design full-time at Rutgers. We also talk a bit about fine-art, and advice for students.
Graphic design is such a wide and varied profession, that I always enjoy talking to people that see what they can do with design, and then make their own path rather than just follow what they believe to be the norm. And GDLOFT certainly makes their own roads in design. There may be a difference between fine art, design, and teaching, but there is also an overlap, and sometimes the best ideas come from those little areas that we find in-between.
Enjoy.
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Emily Chohen was at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston to speak about “The Power of Saying No.” I said yes to a podcast though, and we speak a lot about no. Well, the power of saying no. And when to say no. And how to say no. And how not to say no. Also, when to say no. And probably other things about no.
We also speak about her new book, Brutally Honest. I am looking forward to getting my copy, as every time I speak Emily, I end up quoting one or two things she told me for the next few months… sometimes much longer.
We also talk about how Emily helps her clients (who are basically other creatives). And most creatives, starting with myself, always need help with the non-creative things – maybe how to write a proposal, how to price graphic design work, what work is appropriate for a graphic designer to do, what work should a graphic designer go after, how and when should a graphic designer hire someone, and why you should fire at least one client a year.
Just re-listening to our conversation while editing this podcast helped me to confirm that I made a decent decision earlier today. What is with being in design and second-guessing everything? Not all clients are perfect fits, and not getting a project is not the worst outcome – in fact, it’s probably more common than actually getting a project – and chasing anything that doesn’t make sense, well, just doesn’t make much sense at all.
Enjoy.
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Bill Gardner was presenting the 2018 Logo Trend Report (not quite online yet, but it will be soon) at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston. We ended up taking a bit of time to discuss logos, the difference between trendy and trend, amazing orange jackets at conference parties, LogoLounge and their now 15(!) books, and more.
At last year’s LogoLounge party (my short post about the event here) at HOW Design Live, I saw Bill do an amazing magic trick. This year, I wrote about him doing another magic trick in the exhibit hall. So, we spend the first part of this episode talking about magic, and what it was like performing a trick for Muhammed Ali.
I guess I have been an actual member of LogoLounge for almost eight years. I probably should have signed-up earlier, as I really do believe it’s beneficial to me, and more importantly, to the profession of design. When I review student portfolios, I always ask something like, “What type of work do you like doing the best?” and I would say at least half of the students respond with something like, “Logo design.” There is just something about the initial look of a company / cause / event – about distilling meaning and mission into something that still works at a fourth of an inch. Having a website dedicated to nothing but logo designs, presenting them well (and easily searchable), as well as putting the best of the group on the front page, well, I guess it reminds me of what we should be doing, the quality we should be doing it at, and the constant reminder that even in a format that we speak of wanting something ‘timeless’, that change is always needed. Take risks in logos. Make a logo look like it was created a long time ago, and yet also created in the future.
Enjoy.
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HOW Design Live 2018, Conference Recap 3 of 3 : Julie Goldsberry, Cami Travis-Groves
May 17th, 2018 |Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show
Julie Goldsberry and Cami Travis-Groves discuss the third day of 2018’s HOW Design Live in Boston.
Between this recap, and the Day 1 / Day 2 recaps, I was happy to get 5 of this year’s 10 HOW Ambassadors on the podcast. The Ambassadors – or hosts – of the event were fantastic as usual. Big props.
Graphic Design is such a great profession, but wow, it can burn you out sometimes. I’m thankful that the HOW Conference is there to help remind us of why we love design, that we can make a difference, and that there are many other creatives that can totally relate to what many others may not think are not really issues at all. I am also happy that I got to see a bit of Boston as well – part of a great conference is the area, and being able to experience something different than my usual day in Omaha, Nebraska. As I was able to fly in early enough the day before to actually see the Boston Commons in the day (I saw the park during my two other trips to Boston, but seeing it in the daylight was much more impressive). I also made it out to the older downtown area of Boston for the first-time. Overall, I had a great five days, and have HOW and Boston to thank for much of it. Until next year’s HOW – Chicago – we will be back on our regular podcast schedule, starting in a week or two with the first of six podcasts recorded while at HOW (I believe Bill Gardner is the first one).
Enjoy.
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Dallas Franklin, Jennifer Lemerand, Thanh Nguyen, and Alex Withers discuss the second day of 2018’s HOW Design Live in Boston.
Listen to Day 1’s recap here. Wait around until tomorrow-ish to hear about day 3. Or, if you are viewing this page anytime after, let’s say, May 16th, 2018, find the link to the day 3 recap on our Season 11 archive. It’s a bit crazy to me, but this was actually the 10th time I attended the HOW Conference. I remember back in 2009, Nate and I had heard from a lot of people that it was the event to go to, and with a push from Steve Gordon, made the decision to attend. Sometimes things happen not exactly as you plan – I say sometimes, but I probably mean never happen the way that you plan. Way back in Season 2, I did actually make that trek to Austin, and Nate ended up staying in Omaha and recording the show remotely. The best part of that set-up was that the shows went out an hour or so after they were recorded. Things change, and this year’s recaps took maybe the longest yet, like 10 days, to go live. Regardless, the memories of the event are still fresh in my mind, and I look forward to many more. It’s weird to think back to how much this event changes every year, but I think that’s what makes it a good one, it adjusts to the times, stays relevant, and isn’t afraid to take a few chances to see if it can continue to improve. I only hope some of the craziness and excitement come across well.
Enjoy.
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Nate Voss is a designer, illustrator, talkshow host and design journalist. Working in Omaha since 2001, Nate served four years on the Board of Directors for 
Donovan oversees all creative development at