Join host, Diana Varma, as she explores the wonderful world of design and printing, typography and branding, books and publishing. In each episode Diana aims to answer many age-old, deep philosophical questions such as: Where the heck did Comic Sans originate? Why do the majority of printed books have blank pages at the end? What is the world's ugliest colour? What does a sassy three-year-old have to say about the visible colour spectrum? Ready to have some fun? Let's talk paper scissors.
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Maybe you're thinking here's another podcast. There's a lot of them out there but for the most part, when they have a guest is usually someone famous or successful. So, I wanted to give a voice to smaller creators, to share their stories, thoughts, and work. I want to sit down with them and talk about their process to get to their dreams and what struggles they are facing.
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XR Possibilities in Publishing with Immersive Technology Specialist, Michael Carter-Arlt
47:39
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This is the sixth episode in a 6-part magazine mini series. Here you’ll meet Immersive Technology Specialist, Michael Carter-Arlt. In this conversation, you’ll hear the ways in which Michael’s print background informs his work in immersive technologies and the bridging of these two worlds. You’ll hear about XR technologies (including the difference…
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Techno, Type, Zines and Chaos with Dominic Ayre
1:09:05
1:09:05
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This is the fifth episode in a 6-part magazine mini series. Here you’ll meet Creative Director and zine designer publisher, Dominic Ayre. The conversation focusses around a single question (“What is Do Not Xray zine?”) and Dom takes us on a wonderfully passionate and techno-filled deep dive about his upbringing, early hip-hop, and graffiti leading …
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Sharing Stories in All Shapes and Sizes (Books, Magazines and Podcasts) with Angela Misri
52:12
52:12
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This is the fourth episode in a 6-part magazine mini series. Here you’ll meet award-winning journalist, author and educator, Angela Misri. You’ll hear about Angela’s career path in different media spaces: in print, in audio and on the web. You’ll hear specific examples related to telling stories in added value ways; the why and the how of telling t…
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Digital Reading Experiences with Alyssa Andino of Rakuten Kobo
41:57
41:57
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This is the third episode in a 6-part magazine mini series. Here you’ll meet digital reading expert, Alyssa Andino. you’ll learn more about what Alyssa’s role entails and more about digital reading experiences, including what works and what doesn’t work. You’ll learn about the ways that Alyssa and her team are thinking of the reading experience bey…
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Designing Long Documents with Graphic Designer, Yas Fakhr
50:24
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This is the second episode in a 6-part magazine mini series. Here you’ll meet graphic designer, Yas Fakhr. You’ll hear Yas’ process for creating long documents and the very best book design and printing geekery between she and Diana. You’ll hear Yas’ advice for what new designers should consider at various stages in the long document design process…
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Setting Magazine Precedent with Daniel Fish, Editor of Precedent Magazine
50:41
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This is the first episode in a 6-part magazine mini series. Here you’ll meet Daniel Fish, Editor of Precedent, a career and lifestyle magazine for lawyers. In this conversation, you’ll learn about Precedent, including the journey that Daniel and his team embark on with each issue, including a discussion of Daniel’s ‘print brain’ and how he’s shifti…
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Today’s guest is Ryan Kough, a neurodivergent artist and design educator who focuses on participatory community-driven design initiatives. She is an avid ungrading advocate and in this discussion, she and Diana share their experiences and reasons why they believe ungrading is an amazing framework for a diverse group of learners. The two discuss the…
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In this episode, Diana shares an exciting new initiative that she’s adding to the Talk Paper Scissors space. Introducing PopUp Workshop: Where creative work meets play! ✨ You’ll hear about 4 workshops that can be facilitated both in-person and virtually, locally and globally. Playful Printing Improv for Innovators Friends with Failure Custom Speaki…
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In this final episode in the series, Diana reflects on 9 different responses to 7 questions about storytelling through art and design, discussing 3 emergent themes. 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades Drag Artist & Professor of Creativity @guy.anabella Visual Note Taker @inkfactorystudio Brand Identity Designer @carla.palette Singer-Songwriter-Produc…
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Q: At the end of your life, what story do you hope others tell about you?🎙️ In this episode, you’ll hear some universal truths about life and living from a book written by experts on death and dying, as well as what story each of the 9 creative minds in this series hopes is told about them: 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades Drag Artist & Professor …
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Q: How do you measure the success of a narrative-driven project, and how has your definition of success evolved over the course of your career? 🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn about Diana’s unlearning of traditional measures of success and hear about measures of success from the 9 creative minds in this series: 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades Dr…
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Q: How has the evolution of your own life experiences impacted the stories you choose to tell through your artistic endeavours? 🎙️ In this episode, we’ll touch on the success of the deeply-moving, Humans of New York, as well as hear from the 9 creative minds in this series about their own moments of transformation: 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades…
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Q: Can you discuss the intersection of technology and storytelling in your field, and how advancements may influence the way you approach narrative in your projects?🎙️ In this episode, we’ll dive into artificial intelligence and creativity, as well as the specific technologies (both low-tech and hi-tech) that help the 9 creative minds in this serie…
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Q: Are there specific themes or motifs that consistently appear in your work, and if so, how do they contribute to the overall narrative you're trying to convey?🎙️ In this episode, we’ll hear about the specific themes and big ideas explored by the 9 creative minds in this series: 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades Drag Artist & Professor of Creativi…
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The Integration of Storytelling into Creative Practice
39:54
39:54
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Q: How do you integrate storytelling into your creative practice, and what role does it play in shaping your vision?🎙️ In this episode, we’ll consider the power of stories, explore ‘hard truths’ about storytelling and hear how the 9 creative minds in this series use storytelling: 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades Drag Artist & Professor of Creativi…
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Q: What is your story?🎙️ In this foundational episode, we’ll define ‘story’, explore the importance of centring one’s audience in the act of storytelling and meet the 9 creative minds in the series: 3D Environment Artist @nanoshades Drag Artist & Professor of Creativity @guy.anabella Visual Note Taker @inkfactorystudio Brand Identity Designer @carl…
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Coming Soon: The Art & Design of Storytelling
2:15
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Once upon a time there were 9 creatives in 8 episodes answering 7 questions who were spread out over 6 geographic locations resulting in many virtual high 5’s because there were 4 hours of conversations with 3 themes emerging released over 2 weeks as 1 large, interconnected story. This is the Art and Design of Storytelling. This series features 9 i…
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Emerging Typeface Designers Max Berardi & Cecilia Ly
32:02
32:02
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Meet emerging typeface designers, Max Berardi and Cecilia Ly! Max designed a typeface called League Gothic and Cecilia designed a typeface called Verre Fondu and in the following conversation, you'll get to hear about each typeface. You'll also hear their perfect type pairings, sensory descriptions of each (sight, smell, touch, sound and even taste…
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Experimentation, Iteration & Democratization in Font Creation with with Franz Hoffman of Fontself
39:30
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Today's guest is Franz Hoffman, designer-turned-entrepreneur and cofounder of Fontself, which brings easy type-making capabilities into the hands of all creatives. In this conversation you’ll learn why Fontself was created and more about Fontself as a tool and its evolution, hearing about some interesting projects from around the globe with the Fon…
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EP#26 Passive Income for YouTube Designers - Angelo Konofaos
1:27:01
1:27:01
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If you've ever wondered how to make your creative skills pay the bills, you're in the right place. In today's episode, we're diving deep with the incredible Angelo Konofaos to uncover the secrets of generating passive income as a YouTube designer. 🎧Podcast: https://www.chrisellinas.com/podcast 🔗All my links: https://www.chrisellinas.com/links…
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Designing Variable Type with That That Harbor Bickmore
41:35
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Today’s guest is the best designer in the world! [Source: his website, TheBestDesignerInTheWorld.com] Harbor Bickmore is a graphic designer and type designer, selling his work under That That Type. In this conversation you’ll hear why Harbor got into typeface design and his process for creating typefaces. You’ll hear about Harbor’s favourite typefa…
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Talk Paper and Exacto Knife with Sarah Nguyen
45:00
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In this episode you’ll hear artist Sarah Nguyen’s multi-hyphenated career and her role as a life-long learner. Sarah shares the deepest and most delicious answer to ‘why paper?’ ever articulated in 188 episodes of this podcast. You’ll hear about the stories woven within Sarah’s paper cut artworks, which can be up to 20 feet long, as well as the det…
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Exceptionally Experimental, Eclectic and Expressive Exercises with Phong Nguyen
29:14
29:14
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In this episode you’ll hear author Phong Nguyen’s playful approach to his work that harnesses ‘beginner mind’. You’ll learn more about Phong’s 4th book, ROUNDABOUT: An Improvisational Fiction that has a clever narrative, fascinating process and incredible constraints… there are no letter e’s found within the 60,000 word book! (More accurately, ther…
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EP#25 Building Creative Confidence - Diana Varma
1:02:00
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Ever wondered how to break free from self-doubt and unleash your full creative potential? Well, Diana Varma, writer, educator, and podcaster extraordinaire, shares her invaluable insights on this very topic. From her humble beginnings in the printing industry to her current role as a lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, Diana's journey is n…
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Typefaces of Toronto with Jeremy Gladstone
30:24
30:24
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There are few things more typographically satisfying than recognizing type in the wild. Gotham over here, Futura over there, Helvetica everywhere! Perhaps the only thing more satisfying is sitting down for a hearty conversation about letterforms with a fellow type geek. Pan to my conversation with Jeremy Gladstone, owner and founder of Gladstone Me…
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Constraint and Consistency with Ben O'Neil
41:05
41:05
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In this episode, you’ll meet designer and illustrator, Ben O’Neil, who worked for 70 days to create a typeface based on visual prompts from images online to create an alphabet of whimsical and wonderful letterforms. You’ll hear Ben discuss this project (called ‘Type Alike’), including his thoughts on creative constraint, as well as creative consist…
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The 96-Layer Screen Print with Heather J.A. Thomson
34:34
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This episode features printmaker, Heather J.A. Thomson, who has created an incredible 96-layer screen printed work that took 1 year with a grand total of 8 (!) copies existing in the world. During this discussion, you’ll learn about Heather, her love of history and printmaking, as well as the specific process for her epic 96-layer screen printing p…
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My Favourite Practice for Living a Connected Creative Life
9:09
9:09
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This episode is all about my favourite practice for living a connected creative life: informational interviewing. This episode will help you better understand what informational interviews are and how they can help creative people find one another to build authentic connections. This episode pairs well with the actionable next steps found within my…
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From the middle ages to the Middle East, From Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before...Welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 4!) This episode is guest hosted by Kennedy Thornton. Name: Arial Release Date: 1982 Designers: Robin Nicholas Classification: Neo Grotesque Sans Ser…
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From the middle ages to the Middle East, From Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before...Welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 4!) This episode is guest hosted by Mandy Lu. Name: Myriad Release Date: 1992 Designers: Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly Classification: Humanist, …
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Baskerville: An Incomplete History of Type
11:05
11:05
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From the middle ages to the Middle East, From Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before...Welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 4!) This episode is guest hosted by Audrey Grandinetti. Name: Baskerville Release Date: 1757 Designer: John Baskerville Classification: Transitional …
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This is the sixth (bonus!) episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Final stop New York, USA! In this episode you’ll hear David Soto discuss his creative process, as well as the way that building time into his practice and cushioning deadlines is critical to produc…
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EP#24 Designing for Impact - Shane Moran
1:03:58
1:03:58
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In this episode, we sit down with Shane Moran, a seasoned expert in brand development, creative strategy, and logo design. But hey, this isn't your typical design chat. Nope, it's a rollercoaster ride of insights, inspiration, and some unexpected laughs along the way!😊 🎧Podcast: https://www.chrisellinas.com/podcast 🔗All my links: https://www.chrise…
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Aligning Type and Aligning Values with Melanie Johnsson
47:51
47:51
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This is the fifth episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop Margate, UK! In this episode you’ll hear illustrator, Melanie Johnsson, discuss her family history of graphic design, as well as her favourite tools including how and why she loves Adobe Photoshop…
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This is the fourth episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 - Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop Toronto, Canada! In this episode you’ll hear designer and artist, Andrea Cataro, share many, many tips and tricks for creating typographic chalk murals, including tools and strategies for trans…
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Nigerian Type Perspectives with Jordan Belonwu
39:00
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This is the third episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop: Lagos, Nigeria! In this episode (No.176: Nigerian Type Perspectives with Jordan Belonwu) you’ll hear designer and creative director, Jordan Belonwu, discuss what differentiates Nigerian typograph…
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Alllllllll the Alphabets with Chris Rouleau
40:55
40:55
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This is the second episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop: Toronto, Canada! In this episode you’ll hear graphic designer, letterer and instructor, Chris Rouleau, discuss his professional lettering journey, hear about his large-scale type mural projects,…
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Designing with Type for the Entertainment Industry with Chris Ellinas
42:41
42:41
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This episode is the first in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 - Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. First stop: Athens, Greece! In this episode, you’ll hear Chris Ellinas (designer for huge brands like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon) discuss what it’s like recreating design assets for the entertainment ind…
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Work and Play and Play and Work with Ryan Kough
42:19
42:19
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Ryan Kough is an assistant professor of Integrated Media Arts at Juniata College who believes in design as a community-building tool creating partnerships between community members and student designers to create sustainable, long-term design solutions. In this conversation, you’ll hear about Ryan’s gallery exhibition called Under Pressure (opening…
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EP#23 Smile, Explore, Design: Art Above All - Laura Michelle Maske
1:01:49
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In this episode, my guest is the incredible Laura Michelle Maske, a designer and model who's breaking boundaries and embracing a life filled with art, travel, and meaningful design concepts. Get ready for a dose of inspiration as we explore the power of art, the freedom of being a digital nomad, and the artful balance between design and modeling. 🎧…
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Stories on Stories on Stories with Raymond Biesinger
39:50
39:50
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This episode features Montréal-based illustrator, artist, and best-selling author, Raymond Biesinger! In this conversation, you’ll hear about the ways that storytelling is baked into Raymond editorial, commercial and personal projects. We do a deep dive into one of Raymond’s poster projects that took him 20 working days to complete through ‘chasing…
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EP#22 The Healing Power of Creativity - Zeina Angel
1:02:36
1:02:36
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Ever wondered how creativity can be a powerful form of therapy? Join me in this episode of Distance to Destination, joined by the incredible Zeina Angel, UGC Creator, Pastry Chef, and Book Lover. 🎧Podcast: https://www.chrisellinas.com/podcast 🔗All my links: https://www.chrisellinas.com/links
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In this final episode of 2024 you’ll hear from type designer, Anna Korash and her newest experimental typeface, Invert; why it started, how it got going and where it is now. You’ll learn how variable fonts work and Anna’s unique technical and creative constraints in this project. Anna shares why platforms like Future Fonts are ideal for experimenta…
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Legibility, Readability and Likeability with Eleni Beveratou, Creative Director Dalton Maag
29:07
29:07
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In this episode you’ll learn how Eleni Beveratou (Creative Director of Dalton Maag) went from hating type in school to realizing its utmost importance, leading her to find her niche and complete a Master’s degree in Typeface Design. Eleni walks us through how experienced readers read and how this informs typeface choice, as well as assessing access…
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Fonts for a Connected World with Typotheque's Peter Bil'ak and Kevin King
57:41
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In this episode you’ll learn about the Netherlands-based type design company, Typotheque, and you’ll hear from two of its team members (Peter Bil’ak and Kevin King) and the way they work with language and give shape to language. You’ll hear a lot about the North American Indigenous Syllabics Project and the book that Typotheque recently published, …
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EP#21 Communication is an Art - Sevastianos (Kner) Ntzokas
1:12:26
1:12:26
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This one's a game-changer! Ready, set, play! 🎮 Explore the story of Sevastianos Ntzokas, aka Kner Born artist, graphic design whiz, and master illustrator. Discover the intriguing connection between his roots in graffiti art and the flourishing career that followed in the realm of graphic design. We'll also delve into Kner's successful NFT collecti…
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Micro + Macro Calendars with Phoebe Todd-Parrish and Ana Rita Morais
39:58
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We are 23 days away from 2024 and with me today are two fantastic Toronto-based makers with calendars for us to enjoy all 366 days of the year ahead. In this episode, you'll hear from Phoebe Todd-Parrish and Ana Rita Morais about their calendar projects, yes, but the conversation is so much more than that. You'll better understand Ana Rita and Phoe…
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EP#20 The Creative Career Blueprint - Julia Lea
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58:45
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In this episode, Julia Lea, the Creative Director with over 30 years of industry experience, unveils the secrets behind her Creative Career Blueprint. From conquering design challenges to the importance of "skilled daydreaming", she covers it all. It's not just a podcast, it's your guide to design excellence and business brilliance. Dive deep into …
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Canada's Home for Graphic Designers with RGD's Hilary Ashworth and Nicola Hamilton
31:36
31:36
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The final stop on our journey hearing from those in industry who make space for others through community-building, we have the Association of Registered Graphic Designers! In this episode, you’ll hear from RGD’s Executive Director, Hilary Ashworth, and RGD’s President, Nicola Hamilton about the organization, including what it is and why to get invo…
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Living the Goodtype with Katie Johnson and Ilana Griffo
44:21
44:21
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This is the fifth of 6 episodes where you’ll hear from movers and shakers in the printing, typography and design spaces who make space for others through their creation of national and global communities. In this episode, you’ll hear from Katie Johnson and Ilana Griffo, the duo behind Goodtype, what it’s all about and the often overlooked world of …
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