I met up with Tad Carpenter in the green room at The Funny Bone Omaha of all places. That’s right, AAF Nebraska’s annual Meet the Pros upped their game on the location and went full-on comedy club! Tad was just hours away from being the main keynote speaker at the area’s best design / advertising / marketing student event, and we crammed into the coat closet / janitorial supplies storage / green room to talk about his brand-centric design company, Carpenter Collective.

We talk a bit about doing cup designs for Sonic, and knowing how many people have thrown your work away, designing a book cover for Wonder (which then went on to be a huge deal), and more.

We also talk about the importance of play, and finding joy in the design we do – something that Tad has found over the past (almost) 9 years by creating a sun every Sunday in his Sunday Suns.

Thanks again to AAF Nebraska for hosting an amazing event. I still have great memories of attending when I was a student, and always encourage others in the area to find a way to make this one. Once again, I also served as one of the many portfolio reviewers (the ‘Pros’ in the Meet the Pros I suppose), which I am happy to see the local market once again stepping up to support the event with their presence.

Enjoy.

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