Students of Design

• Lisa Quine – Lettering Song Lyrics, Airline Barf Bags, and Pricing Murals – Ep22

  Lisa is a Cleveland-based creative consultant specializing in lettering, murals, illustration, and graphic design. She's created over 125 murals in 9 US states AND 1 in France. She's made art for clients like Amazon, Meta, PepsiCo, Mercedes-Benz, Harley-Davidson, Aveda, StubHub, and many more. Lisa's obsessed with Lana Del Rey and tiki bars and has a creative crush on Gemma O'Brien. Once, she said, "If you throw a stone, you get a mural." I don't think she meant to say THAT, but you get the point—she loves making murals. Lol. Also, Lisa has been called the LeBron James of lettering, and in 2024, she was voted Best Artist in Cleveland. Tune in for a talk about lettering some of her favorite song lyrics, taking inspiration from William Morris and Jason Carne's Lettering Library and her approach to pricing murals. Lisa's easy to find on Instagram @lisa_quine, lisaquine.com, and other places like LinkedIn, Behance, and Dribbble.Questions for this interview.What do you think is the most important thing you learned as a student?What do you remember about the Panic! At The Disco CD booklet, and why was it special?Lana Del Rey inspires you a lot. Why is it important to you to have a muse who isn't a visual artist?What comes to mind when I mention airline barf bags and puke puns?Who made more of an impact on you, Paula Scher, Gemma O'Brien, or William Morris?Can you share some thoughts about your Rilo Kiley hand-lettered book?Do you remember which book you chose as the canvas?Was that project your Instagram breakout moment? Is that when your follower count started to take off?Which project led to more social media followers? The Rilo Kiley lyrics you hand-lettered or your Dream Big mural?You hand-lettered on leaves for Inktober. How much experimentation went into finding the right leaves and choosing the right tools to draw with?How often did you destroy one by stabbing through it or need to start over for a different reason?How did your mural for GBX Group change the career path you were on?Did you charge them 10K for that mural?You completed 30 murals in a single year before. How much money did you make from those murals that year?About increasing your prices. Did those increases align with milestones or reaching goals throughout your career? Or did they happen more organically?Can you share those rates with us?How much would you charge for the same mural today?How do you typically communicate the visual differences between the three options you offer your clients?Have any of your murals been covered up or painted over?Is the Cleveland Guardians you painted the largest surface area you've covered in a single mural?Is it true that before you were married, you used a dating game to fuel your hand-lettering hobby, and you said yes to some of those dates just because it gave you a reason to hand-letter song lyrics inspired by how those dates went?Can you explain what Jason Carne's Lettering Library is?How have you specifically used those photos to inspire your work?You've become more patient after having children. Can you think of ways that patience makes you a better artist today compared to the time before you had children?Since going independent, where have you seen the most growth? Has it been personal growth, technical growth as a lettering artist and muralist, or growth as a business owner?You've completed over 125 murals and plenty of design and lettering projects, and last year, you were voted Best Artist in Cleveland. How does all of that make you feel? ---If you LIKE what you hear, please subscribe and keep listening. Sharing this episode with someone is the best way to support the podcast. If you LOVE what you hear and want to help me keep the interviews coming—consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.Also, I'm always looking for questions from listeners. If there's a burning question you want to hear answered on the podcast, please email it to me at [email protected] @studentsofdesignpod on Instagram for updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content.The music you hear on the podcast is Accident by Timothy Infinite and PUSH !T by Nbhd Nick.studentsofdesign.simplecast.com

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• Dan Lee – Hand Lettering, Cohesive Compositions, and Collision Theory – Ep21

  Dan (aka Destiny Child, I meant Destiny Kid) is an artist, writer, illustrator, and designer specializing in hand lettering. His Instagram account @dandrawnwords is his creative sandbox, and he's created thousands of lettering compositions over the past decade. Phrases like: "Your Failures Fail to Define You" and "Tomorrow You'll be Glad You Did It Today." Those are shorter messages, but he's also created compositions with a hundred or more words, too—because why not when you love torturing yourself with FromSoftware boss fights? Like the rest of us, Dan is "working" on his professional portfolio (Destiny Kid Labs), and he's also the Art & Design Lead behind a moto lifestyle brand called Go Fast Don't Die. Did I mention he didn't attend design school? Tune in for a talk about creating cohesive compositions, closing the door on his chemical engineering career path, and varying the priority of words in his lettering. Follow Dan on Instagram @dandrawnwords, check out Go Fast Don't Die, and keep your eyes peeled for updates to Destiny Kid Labs.Questions for this interview.Why do you create layouts with 20 or 30 or more words? What's appealing about those pieces?What are the challenges of lettering five words vs. lettering thirty words?Can you talk about ways you keep all those words organized and readable?What does a piece of lettering artwork need to look and feel like a cohesive composition?Are those reasons also why our brains can digest a (visually) complicated design and make sense of it?How do you start a composition? Do you loosely sketch the entire phrase to figure out word placement first?During the sketch, do you experiment with weight and stroke contrast? Or does that happen after you've locked in the placement for each word?Do you change brushes or drawing tools when transitioning between sketching and refinement?(Within a single design) do you ever swap brushes when bouncing between different letter styles?Have you ever felt like an imposter because you didn't attend design school?What do you tell yourself when you feel like an imposter?When did you decide to close the door on the chemical engineering career path? How did you come to that decision?How have you leveraged your engineering experience throughout your creative career?Do you feel a push-pull between scientific objective truth and the subjectivity of the art world?Unlike the engineering field, creativity doesn't have mathematically proven formulas. However, if there were basic creative equations to live by, what would they be?Tell us about your first design job at the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia. How did your boss, Lucy, make an impact on you?Back to lettering. How do you decide which words to prioritize, and how do you like to emphasize them?Where—or what—are some of your favorite sources of inspiration to pull from?How do you balance choosing messages that resonate with you vs. messages that will resonate with others? ---If you LIKE what you hear, please subscribe and keep listening. Sharing this episode with someone is the best way to support the podcast. If you LOVE what you hear and want to help me keep the interviews coming—consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.Also, I'm always looking for questions from listeners. If there's a burning question you want to hear answered on the podcast, please email it to me at [email protected] @studentsofdesignpod on Instagram for updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content.The music you hear on the podcast is Accident by Timothy Infinite and PUSH !T by Nbhd Nick.studentsofdesign.simplecast.com

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• Jacob Cummings – Collaboration, Typographic Deficiencies, and Type Design – Ep20

  Jacob is a Dingbat—MR. Dingbat to you—a designer and art director who runs a tiny graphic design studio in Austin, TX, also called Dingbat. His studio specializes in brand identity, packaging, illustration, and typography. Once upon a time, he worked at IBM and then Helms Workshop, and he's partnered with selected clients like Duolingo, Cratejoy, Emojibator, Kammok, and Fifty-Nine Parks. Did I mention he designs typefaces, too? Yeah, you can find them at Dingbat.xyz! Tune in for a talk about collaborating with other designers, tips for maintaining readability, and which typeface designer he would wipe from history. See more of Jake's work on Instagram and Dribbble, and browse his typefaces on Gumroad. Who knows, if you get into his inner circle, he might serve you a cortado from his coffee cart, Lil Dingus.Questions for this interview.Do you typically collaborate with people you already have a relationship with?Do you actively look for opportunities to collaborate, or do you prefer to take them on whenever they fall into place on their own?What would you say to someone afraid to ask another designer to collaborate on a project?What did you realize you took for granted after leaving IBM?Since going independent, what do you miss about working with a team of people?Did you move to Austin for IBM, or were you already living in Austin when you started working there?What was your experience working at Helms Workshop like?Do you think an internship is worth the time and effort?What were your thoughts when you transitioned from using your name to using the word Dingbat?Are you happy you made that change?Were there any other names you seriously considered before settling on Dingbat?What's something you're into that isn't directly related to design?Has design ever ruined your passion for anything?If you had to teach a random person one thing about typography, what would you teach them?Which is worse? Poorly justified text or bad typographic hierarchy?Which is worse? A poor ragged edge or (slightly) misaligned text frames?Can you give us some tips for readability when working with body text?Are there any typographic treatments that get under your skin or you won't put up with?How often do your type designs start from a specific source of inspiration vs. a custom letterform you designed or a sketch?Was the name of your typeface, Marston, inspired by Red Dead Redemption?Which part of the type design process is the most complicated?If you had to choose Helvetica, Futura, Clarendon, or Garamond, which typeface would you erase from existence?If you had to choose Matthew Carter, Jonathan Hoefler, Adrian Frutiger, or Erik Spiekermann, who would you erase from history? ---If you LIKE what you hear, please subscribe and keep listening. Sharing this episode with someone is the best way to support the podcast. If you LOVE what you hear and want to help me keep the interviews coming—consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.Also, I'm always looking for questions from listeners. If there's a burning question you want to hear answered on the podcast, please email it to me at [email protected] @studentsofdesignpod on Instagram for updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content.The music you hear on the podcast is Accident by Timothy Infinite and PUSH !T by Nbhd Nick.studentsofdesign.simplecast.com

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• Adam Grason – Financial Literacy, Getting Blacklisted by Disney, and Working With an Agent – Ep19

  Adam is a designer and illustrator from Orlando, Florida. For the past 4.5 years, he's been working as a Senior Brand Designer at Acorns—basically, he draws squirrels for a living, lol. But, before the squirrels, he worked independently for a long time and created designs for big names like Disney, Target, Dunkin' Donuts, William Sonoma, and Cartoon Network. Eventually, his world started to fall apart. He lost some people close to him, Disney cut him off, and the social media demons got the best of him. Since then, he's picked himself back up, and 2025 is his redemption tour. Tune in for a talk about growing up without understanding financial wellness, making critical mistakes with a huge client, and how working in-house at Acorns provides the stability to move forward. Look for his work on Instagram, Dribbble, and his website, studiograson.com. Also, start investing :)Questions for this interview.Can you give us some examples of the types of design assets you create at Acorns?There's a lot of green in the Acorns color palette. How's that treating you?Has working at Acorns changed how you think about money or plan for your family's future?Can you share what growing up in Pine Hills was like?How did your grandmother impact your creativity?Is there any time when you feel like you legitimately hit rock bottom?Can you share some encouraging thoughts for anyone in the trenches who feels they might be experiencing their lowest point?Can you tell us what happened between you and Disney?What is your non-professional relationship with Disney like today?What did the situation with Disney teach you about respect?How did you start rebuilding yourself and your identity after Disney cut ties with you?Why are you so willing to share personal information about yourself?How are you navigating your work and the design industry differently than you were before?Has working in-house for the last 4.5 years helped you refocus, rebuild, and work on yourself?Do you still take on a lot of independent work?How does being represented by Arthur and Elias fit into everything?Can you tell us how the relationship works?Who do you think this kind of relationship is for?Is there a level of quality or experience someone needs before applying for representation?Can you tell us about the family Instagram account your wife (Christina) manages?How close are you to being the happiest you've ever been? ---If you LIKE what you hear, please subscribe and keep listening. Sharing this episode with someone is the best way to support the podcast. If you LOVE what you hear and want to help me keep the interviews coming—consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.Also, I'm always looking for questions from listeners. If there's a burning question you want to hear answered on the podcast, please email it to me at [email protected] @studentsofdesignpod on Instagram for updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content.The music you hear on the podcast is Accident by Timothy Infinite and PUSH !T by Nbhd Nick.studentsofdesign.simplecast.com

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• Kendrick Kidd – 20 Years at an Ad Agency, Sacrificing Letterform Nuances, and SpongeBob – Ep18

  Kendrick is a Creative Director and VP of Creative at Shepherd, a full-service ad agency in Jacksonville, Florida. He surfs and skates, and you can find him at Kona Skatepark with his kids on the weekends. Kendrick is just an all-around swell guy, and his work is fantastically textured, smooth, slick, cute, gnarly, or literally whatever it needs to be. Despite working at the same agency—Shepherd—for TWENTY YEARS, Kendrick does plenty of independent work for clients like Nickelodeon, Target, ESPN Magazine, Billabong, and Reve Brewing. Tune in for a talk about agency life, typographic taste, and his work for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. You can find Kendrick on Instagram, Dribbble, and LinkedIn.Questions for this interview.Kendrick, are you a leader?What do you think great leaders in the design and advertising industry do well?You've worked at Shepherd for 20 years. Why stay at the same agency for two decades?Have you ever worried that staying in one place for too long could lead to stagnation or cause you to stop growing creatively?What's the role of a Creative Director at Shepherd?Can you think of a misconception that people (with no agency experience) have but isn't true in your agency experience?You watched a lot of people come and go. Why do you think agency life didn't work out for some people?Imagine a recent grad wanting to work at Shepherd. What would you recommend they focus on to prepare for the interview?Art Director vs. Creative Director. Has one of those roles been more stressful or complicated than the other?How do you feel when someone says you're their design hero or calls you a legend within the industry?Where is your comfort zone, and how do you define it?You designed a modular typeface called Snips. Where did the idea for the typeface come from? Is there a story to tell?Do you think good typographic taste can be taught or learned?Who's your favorite SpongeBob character? Were any characters more fun to work on than others?What did you use as reference material, and where did you pull inspiration?Did working on such a high-profile IP (SpongeBob Squarepants) come with extra pressure?Have you outgrown falling into the comparison trap?Who's your favorite droid in the Star Wars universe?Is there any part of your process or technique that you turn to often enough to consider a crutch?You've had a long and successful career. What have you done right to get yourself to that point?Would you have stayed at Shepherd for 20 years if they didn't allow you to take on independent clients or support you the way they do? ---If you LIKE what you hear, please subscribe and keep listening. Sharing this episode with someone is the best way to support the podcast. If you LOVE what you hear and want to help me keep the interviews coming—consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.Also, I'm always looking for questions from listeners. If there's a burning question you want to hear answered on the podcast, please email it to me at [email protected] @studentsofdesignpod on Instagram for updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content.The music you hear on the podcast is Accident by Timothy Infinite and PUSH !T by Nbhd Nick.studentsofdesign.simplecast.com

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