Episodes
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In episode 10, the last episode of season four, I talk with Jonny Ouellette, the co-founder and creative director of the motion design firm, Kill 2 Birds and 2002 graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art & Design. We talk about our interactions in the graphic design program at MassArt and our passion for making type move on screen. Jonny shares stories of his client work that involve some of the most watched series and movies in recent years and I dig into our design collaboration on some DVD intros for Aspect Magazine. He also discusses taking that entrepreneurial leap of faith with a friend to start Kill 2 Birds. Additionally, Jonny educates me on some of the industry-specific terminology, like key art, upfonts, MOGRTs, and lower thirds. This episode is full of amazing motion graphics, so be sure to check out the video on Youtube. Let’s do this one more time. Enjoy the show.
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Jonny’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileResponsible Business Initiative for JusticeAfter EffectsBostonMassachusetts College of Art & DesignThe Intro Music
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In episode nine of season four I interview Ringling College of Art & Design graduate and Director of Product Design at BILL, Greg Tariff. We discuss his appreciation for design’s role in the business world and how to navigate a career in Silicon Valley. Greg talks about how his interest in cars led to an internship at General Motors, how networking in New York City led to an agency job in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and how a side project with some agency friends led to a career in product design. Greg also shares insights about working on start-up projects, advising start-up companies, and mentoring young designers. We also discuss collecting 1990s pop culture (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Shepard Fairey art. And of course we talk about the dogs — Shelby, Sookie, and Salem. If you are at all interested in design, business, networking, and dogs you’ll want to have a listen. Time to download episode nine and get to work.
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Greg’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileBillToyota SupraShepard FaireyTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesRingling College of Art & DesignThe Intro Music
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Missing episodes?
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In episode eight I interview 2015 graduate of Russell Sage College and Director of User Experience at Upside Collective, Krystal Hinckley. In our discussion Krystal shares details of working on large-scale websites for the state of New York, including the attorney general’s website that she spent two years working on. She also talks about scrolling through the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society photos for project research that ended with her adopting her third cat. We also discuss our time together at Sage which included a trip to Boston to visit design firms and the Boston Aquarium because that’s what you do when you go to school in Albany. Krystal shares her love of paragraph styles that she gained in high school that led to her interest in the organizing aspects of UX design. And of course we talk about home projects including stripping paint from stairs, putting up wallpaper, as well as getting excited about a new roof and gutters. Now that’s adulthood! Oh yea, cats are mentioned multiple times in this episode. So sit down with your favorite pet friend and have a listen.
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Krystal’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileUpside CollectiveThis Old HouseMohawk Hudson Humane SocietyDrupalRussell Sage CollegeThe Intro Music
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In this episode I talk with 2016 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Rachel Suflita McKee, about her path from intern to art director at the Boston-based design studio, Pinkergreen. She talks about how the diversity of projects (Boston University Global Music Festival, Flex Rx, Flyte 70, The Bug Club, etc.) at a small studio is special and keeps her engaged with graphic design and the people she collaborates with on those projects. We also discuss a challenging design school assignment, about graphic design style, that had both of us considering some of the ethical questions involved in the creative process. We talk about the wonderful aspects of life outside of work like baking (so much butter), cooking (Bolognese), vacationing (in Maine), and of course yoga where goats climb on you as you try to stretch — it’s mostly about playing with goats. And finally, Rachel shares the wonderful news that she will be a new mom in March. Time to rest up people, episode seven is here now.
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Rachel’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfilePinkergreenBolognese recipeNY Goat YogaBoston’s South EndThe College of Saint RoseThe Intro Music
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Five, four, three, two, one… Happy New Year. In this first episode of 2024 Saint Rose alumni and technical UI designer, Nael Uppal, talks to me about starting a degree in his home country of Pakistan, continuing his education in Albany, NY, and completing his degree back home — it’s called a sandwich degree. Apparently that’s a term. Somewhere in the middle of this culinary delight is some work experience as well. Nael tells us about growing up in a creative family, including hanging out in museums with the older kids in his mom’s art classes. He explains in great detail and clarity the complexity of the development of web and mobile games and his current role at Revolving Games where he works on the user interface side of the process. Nael also talks about the very different experiences of going to school in two different parts of the world. And we learn a little bit of the history and culture of Pakistan. Winter break is over. Time to get listening to episode six of Design Futures.
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Nael’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileRevolving GamesSandwich DegreePartition of IndiaLahore, PakistanNational College of ArtsCollege of Saint RoseThe Intro Music
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As 2023 comes to a close, I interview Lindsay Agnew, 2010 graduate of the Ringling College of Art & Design and creative director at Panama Jack (She has since moved on to Entertainment Retail Enterprises). In this episode we discuss the trajectory of her career that started at Disney Imagineering working as an environmental graphics designer, where she focused on designing signage and way-finding systems for the Mouse. This in turn led her to working on similar projects for The Villages, a massive planned retirement community, sometimes referred to as the Disney for adults. And we talk about her role at Panama Jack designing packaging and apparel for the sun-care lifestyle brand. If you’re not already there, this episode will make you wish you were at the beach. Grab a cold one and the sunscreen, it’s time for episode five.
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Lindsay’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileDisney ImagineeringTest TrackThe VillagesPanama JackOrlando, FlWGSNRingling College of Art & DesignThe Intro Music
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In this episode, Stephanie Pepaj, 2019 graduate of the College of Saint Rose discusses her spontaneous decision, based on an over-heard conversation at a coffee shop, to go back to school to get her master’s degree in marketing from Queens University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Why not? It was the pandemic and she always wanted to live outside the U.S. While living in Belfast she worked for a digital agency, spent time traveling in Europe, and went swimming in ice-cold water. Apparently, that’s a thing. Currently, Stephanie is putting her education into practice with developing social media marketing campaigns for her food and beverage clients. We also talk about avoiding bears on hikes, her family restaurant in Cooperstown, NY, and her commitment to yoga. It’s time to set an intension to listen to episode four of Design Futures. Namaste.
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Stephanie’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileQueen’s University BelfastYoga Benefits (Johns Hopkins)ToscanaCold Plunge Science (NPR)Best Lunch Recipes (Food Network)Later.comBelfast, NIThe College of Saint RoseThe Intro Music
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In this episode I chat with Lead Product Designer, Alex Gennette, at Netflix Games. We not only discuss his role in designing for the Netflix Games platform, but we also talk about board games and those tiny figurines that come with many multi-player adventure games. We nerd-out about non-linear content and a project in Alex’s portfolio that required him to design a system for livestream motion graphics. Alex also shares insights about being humble when designing for users. Of course we touch on his time at Ringling College of Art & Design, where he learned to write code for Flash animations just as Apple announced they would not support it on the iPhone and spending time at the beach, but only during the evening because he was too busy working on class assignments during the day. Game on people!
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Alex’s PortfolioTwitter ProfileLinkedIn ProfileSony PlaystationNetflixPolaroidFigmaGloomhavenSan FranciscoRingling College of Art & DesignThe Intro Music
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Heather Argus, a senior brand designer at the tech company Platform.sh, is a founding member for the Asheville chapter of AIGA. In this episode I talk to Heather about her journey from upstate New York to North Carolina and from being a not-so-confident design student to a role as a design mentor. She talks about the people, her family included, that have influenced her and continue to build her confidence as a designer. Heather also shares some design-adjacent stories about being a booth model and an actor while living in Southern California and some details about creating a home and family (dogs and chickens included) in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
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Heather’s PortfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileAIGA AshevilleAsheville Humane SocietyFigmaBlue Ridge MountainsThe College of Saint RoseThe Intro Music
Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.) -
In this first episode of season four of Design Futures I talk with London-based designer Kristie Malivindi of Jones Knowles Ritchie. We discuss her journey from making amazing work and mistakes at the two-person design firm, 2communiqué, to mentoring young designers in her recent role as creative director at JKR, where she works on global brands such as Burger King and M & M’s. We also talk about the in-between years of “being a brat” in Chicago as well as losing her dream design job and the hustle of New York City that led to burnout. We get nostalgic for our time (way back in the 20th century) at Massachusetts College of Art & Design in the graphic design department where I was a grad student and Kristie was an undergrad. And we talk about all the good things in life, like naps, cats, travel, and New York bagels.
Jones Knowles RitchieLinkedIn ProfileAlexey BrodovitchHarper’s BazaarNapping: The Do’s and Don’ts for Healthy AdultsClaire Saffitz Makes Homemade BagelsVisit LondonMassachusetts College of Art & DesignDinosaur Jr.The Intro Music
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Hey future & current designers it’s time for Season 4 of Design Futures. Starting the first week of October you’ll hear all new stories from former students.
Season 4 is unofficially titled the international season because in this season I talk to a designer who went on to earn her Masters degree in Northern Ireland, a designer who returned to Pakistan to work in the gaming industry, and two designers who live and work in England.
And you’ll hear from other designers living in the states of Massachusetts, Florida, California, New York, and North Carolina.
They all having thriving careers in the areas of Branding, Packaging Design, UI/UX Design, Social Media, and Motion Design.
In order to get ready for this trip make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you can catch up on the first three seasons of Design Futures.
As always, Thanks for listening.
See ya.
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For all those foodies and a designers out there, this is for you. In this last episode of Season 3, Ashley Tucker, 2006 graduate of the University of Denver (DU) and Associate Design Director at Penguin Random House, joins me for a conversation about food, design, and book publishing. She talks about her transition from a pre-med course of study at Northwestern University to studying graphic design at DU. Ashley also shares her enthusiasm for typography, printed books, cooking, baking, and reading; the challenges of reviewing color proofs with only natural sunlight; and enjoying some amazing meals in New York City. And finally, she gives a whole lot of credit to her parents, mom for being an inspiring interior designer and architect and crediting her dad with her drive for precision and craftsmanship. Bon Appétit.
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Ashley’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfilePenguin Random HouseThe Chef’s GardenDirt CandyLoring PlaceLasagna RecipeDateline PodcastEsquire MagazineUniversity of DenverThe Intro Music
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Wake up listeners. It’s time for episode 8 of season 3. In this episode my guest, 2019 graduate of the College of Saint Rose and Death Wish Coffee Merchandise Coordinator, Sadie Kenyon talks about her journey from designer to working with designers on the non-coffee products for the coffee company. She connects the design skills of paying attention to the details as well as giving feedback to the merchandise coordination of sourcing products and working with vendors to find the right solutions for the Death Wish customer. We also talk about her background in welding, her love for dogs (she has five), and creating a sustainable farm that includes cows and way too many chickens. And finally, Sadie discusses her hustle energy that kept her working in college and always growing. So, grab your favorite cup of coffee and have a listen.
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Sadie’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileDeath Wish CoffeeBestpassPDPThe Capital District Humane SocietyWelding at BOCESThe College of Saint RoseThe Intro Music
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In episode seven, 2018 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Kim Lê joins me for a discussion about all things Boston, such as what it’s like working for Opus Design, a small design studio, enjoying the T, and finding four-leaf clovers in her neighborhood park — a hobby that started as a college experiment during one summer break. We also talk about her family expectations of career and how those didn’t include graphic design. Kim acknowledges that science was not her strength, as she quickly learned at Clarkson University, and that she was truly an art kid. Finally, we talk about life at Saint Rose, including Kim’s confession that she was her own worst enemy when it came to redesigning her projects at the last minute. Stop wasting time and listen now.
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Kim’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileBehanceOpus DesignKombuchaThe Boston TThe College of Saint RoseLuck of Four-Leaf CloversThe Intro Music
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In episode six, the first of 2023, 2014 graduate of The Sage Colleges, Jared Schafer joins me for a conversation about 3D motion graphics, water-cooled computers, and creating animated videos for virtual reality. He talks about instead of watching TV he enjoyed a healthy drawing competition with his brother when they were kids that developed his illustration passion and skills. We also discuss the challenges of InDesign, hating web design, and having side projects to fuel your creativity as well as the 20 dudes that would buy what results from those side projects. And Jared talks about finding design after he tried a few other things in his 20s, like playing guitar, video games, and tending bar. If you’re ready for the honest truth, press play now.
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Jared’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileArt on LarkUpside CollectiveLearn After EffectsOnewheelThe Sage CollegesIra Glass talks about the gap between taste and falling shortThe Intro Music
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In episode five of this season, I talk with 2017 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Moira Gilligan about her career as a designer and art director in the fashion world. We discuss big budgets, location scouting, and hiring models for fashion shoots. And she educates me in such fashion trends as dressing a goat in a cashmere sweater, chunky white dad sneakers, and high-waisted mom jeans. Speaking of moms and dads, Moira credits her parents with unquestioning support to pursue a creative career. She also tells me about the time she and some college friends went looking for a place to use the Ouija board in the basement of an old residence hall that also happened to have the drawing studios in it. After seeing the drawings in the studio she knew she had to change majors to earn her B.F.A. It’s time to put on that cozy boyfriend sweater, grab a hot beverage, and press play, because this episode is on-trend.
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Moira’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileKoioNaadamHarper’s BazaarOuijaKlaviyoThe College of Saint RoseWashington Park (Albany, NY)The Intro Music
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Ringling College of Art & Design and Accenture alumus (he currently works for Brunswick Creative), Yuri Priamo Canales joins me to talk about high level brand strategy in experiential design, running disruption sessions in the Mural whiteboard space, questioning what the client thinks they want for design deliverables, and trying to understand the Metaverse. He also retells the story of organizing his own New York City apartment viewing before anybody else had a chance to look at it, thus ensuring he got the apartment and upsetting at least one real estate agent in the process. We also discuss getting into graphic design through is father’s vinyl record collection and learning a lot about his Ringling faculty by packing up their offices to move into new building. Pass the box cutter, it’s time to unpack episode 04.
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Yuri’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileAccentureBrunswick CreativeStorm ThorgersonAlex SteinweissMuralRingling College of Art & DesignThe Intro Music
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In this episode, 2014 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Taira Perrault, schools me in digital product design jargon like M.V.P.s, D.S.M.s, and sprints as we view her portfolio and nerd-out about components and templates for editorial design experiences. She also talks about her experience with a UX/UI bootcamp where she mentioned to the teachers that some of their exercises about visual design were wrong (hey, she does have BFA in graphic design) and despite that feedback she created a product design portfolio that redirected her career. Taira shares fond memories of trips to New York City and drawing on one of the eight wonders of the world during her time in college. For all you high school students listening, Taira discusses getting college credits during her senior year that gave her a head start in higher ed. And of course we talk about baking for fun and for interviews. Bon appétit!
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Taira’s portfolioLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileThinkful (formerly Bloc) UX/UI BootcampFigmaCupcake recipeHealthlineHealthline Design SystemA Comprehensive Guide to Design SystemsThe College of Saint RoseDesign SprintsMinimum Viable ProductThe Great Wall of ChinaThe Intro Music
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In this second episode of Season 3, Boston-based art director, Nelson Couto, talks about balancing a design consulting business with family life and moving rocks in his front yard. One of his strategies is meditating each morning after bringing the kids to school. We also put our memories to the test and try to remember how we met at MassArt over 20 years ago. Nelson also shares his struggles with learning to airbrush, falling asleep on the commute to Boston from Rhode Island, and his love of MotoGP. Hold off on that afternoon nap, it’s time for a conversation about dads and design.
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Nelson’s PortfolioTwitter ProfileLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileDribbble ProfileDaily Calm VideoChiat/Day Virtual Office ArticleAzores, PortugalAirbrushing for BeginnersMassachusetts College of Art & DesignAutism SocietyMotoGPBoston’s South EndThe Intro Music
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In this first episode of season 3 we’re going to space. That’s right, I talk to NASA designer and 2016 Saint Rose graduate, Morgan Denman, about designing for space. She shares her story about how she got into the space industry and why she wouldn’t ever leave. She also talks about being a cancer survivor and how that experience put into perspective what she really wanted to focus on in her design career. And of course we talk about her time at Saint Rose — the healthy competition of her classmates, the support of the faculty, and the crying in the Drawing 1 course. Buckle up crew, it’s time to blast off into the unknown blackness of season 3.
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Morgan’s PortfolioTwitter ProfileLinkedIn ProfileInstagram ProfileNASAArtemis 1Kennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexOrbital MechanicsThe College of Saint RoseTangThe Intro Music
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