Best Todd Coats And Elliot Strunk Podcasts (2023)

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 62: Ant Farms vs. Sea Monkeys 47:26

7d ago47:26

47:26

In this episode, we discuss two educational products that were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s Sea Monkeys versus the Ant Farm. Buckle up. We’re all about to learn a thing or two… - - - - - Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more! https://www.twodesignersw…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 61: Andy Warhol: When The Factory Meets Studio 54 46:23

21d ago46:23

46:23

Andy Warhol once said, “The key of the success of Studio 54 is that it's a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.” We begin this episode with Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager on the evening of April 26, 1977 as they open the doors to Studio 54, smack-dab in the middle of the glitter and grime in and around Midtown Manhattan. We d…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 60: Andy Warhol: Movies Emerge from the Underground - Part 2 38:40

1M ago38:40

38:40

In this episode we continue with the second half of our conversation about Warhol’s anti-films. We talk about lonesome cowboys, sexploitation, screen tests, and how the Factory scene was ripped off for a much more mainstream Oscar-winning movie — which didn’t make Andy very happy. We then wrap-up discussing films influenced by his approach. - - - -…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 59: Andy Warhol: Movies Emerge from the Underground - Part 1 36:21

2M ago36:21

36:21

The Factory scene produced all sorts of art, including films. We start with Warhol’s anti-film Sleep and dive into underground movies from the period and The Factory’s influence on them. We then shift gears to discuss how that approach popped-up in later “low-fi” movies like John Waters’ Pink Flamingos. - - - - - Visit our full episode page for sho…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 58: Andy Warhol: Album Covers Take a Walk on the Wild Side - Part 2 35:26

2M ago35:26

35:26

Peel-away bananas. Working zippers. Andy Warhol elevated music album art to a new level. Building on our last episode, we talk about Andy’s influence on other "special" treatments of albums that—especially in our era of digital downloads—make having the real thing from bands like Bob Marley and The Pet Shop Boys worth the effort. - - - - - Visit ou…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 57: Andy Warhol: Album Covers Take a Walk on the Wild Side - Part 1 40:29

3M ago40:29

40:29

Beginning with the backstory of one of the most iconic albums of all time, 1967’s “The Velvet Underground and Nico,” we return to The Factory scene as it was becoming commercially successful—but no less of a sideshow—as musicians come calling for new ideas or simply hipster art cred. We also discuss the design work Warhol created for bands like the…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Bonus Episode: Nostalgia and Marketing: A Conversation with Kate Christensen 53:39

3M ago53:39

53:39

Today we have a special guest we’ve welcomed into the bar. We reached out to Kate Christensen after reading an article she wrote for the website Marketing Brew about marketing and nostalgia. We thought “Marketing and nostalgia? Hey, that’s us!” Kate is currently on the faculty at Indiana University. She’s produced movies for Disney, TV shows for So…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 56: Andy Warhol: The Silver Wears Off The Factory - Part 2 30:30

3M ago30:30

30:30

This episode wraps-up the chronicle of The Factory’s downward slide. Drella has made the scene at The Factory and there has been some fallout. A script entitled “Up Your Ass” led to Andy Warhol barely cheating death at the hands of its author, Valarie Solanas. She called the Factory dwellers the “Stupidstars” and Warhol “a vulture and a thief.” The…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 55: Andy Warhol: The Silver Wears Off The Factory - Part 1 24:26

4M ago24:26

24:26

This episode begins the chronicle of The Factory’s downward slide. If you work with and entertain people living on society’s fringes, things happen…some good, some not so good. Add a constant flow of amphetamines and acid and the not so good can take a deadly turn. During this time, Andy Warhol was easily the most famous artist in America and enjoy…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 54: Andy Warhol: New York and Rise of The Silver Factory - Part 2 27:48

4M ago27:48

27:48

We wrap-up the second of our two episodes by talking about just how high (pun intended) the Silver Factory could get. Powered by the social unrest brewing in the mid-1960s, this collection of junkies, drag queens and hangers-on led by the Oddball Oracle made some great work and also caused a lot of irritation in the art world. Andy couldn’t be stop…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 53: Andy Warhol: New York and Rise of The Silver Factory - Part 1 32:02

5M ago32:02

32:02

Episode 53: Andy Warhol: New York and Rise of The Silver Factory - Part 1 We begin with the first of two episodes talking about the rapid and unprecedented success of Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory. It was part studio, part party palace and part crash pad for tripping pop stars, street gurus and suicidal Superstars. It didn’t take long for Andy’s han…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 52: Andy Warhol: Andy Becomes the Center of Pop Life 42:28

5M ago42:28

42:28

Easily New York’s most successful commercial illustrator, Ambitious Andy wanted to be accepted in the hoity-toity fine art world. Unfortunately, he found that would take a little time and the right moment. The explosion of consumerism set him up to be a household name. - - - - - Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we dis…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 51: Andy Warhol: The 1960s Scene and the Emergence of Pop 38:21

5M ago38:21

38:21

We begin our fourth season with an introduction to the cultural chaos of the mid-1960s. As The Beats began to fade and the Hippies take center stage, changes were happening in both the U.S. and overseas that would set the stage for new forms of art and expression. Warhol found himself in the right place at the right time. - - - - - Visit our full e…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 50: The Pepsi (Logo) Challenge 31:14

6M ago31:14

31:14

Pepsi announced it’s moving forward by moving backwards (sort of), returning to more of a traditional look for their logo and cans. (Think black. It's a slimming color.) But as they kick their last logo to the curb, we go back in time to discuss how they became saddled with this burdensome brand look in the first place. We talk ovals, smiles, globe…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 49: Listener Mail 23:39

6M ago23:39

23:39

In this episode we take a step back from our typical subject matter to answer questions submitted by you, our listeners. We discuss meeting sports mascots, paying homage to a creative icon, using big words, MAD Magazine, how we come up with our episode topics and whether or not we’re secretly teachers masquerading as podcast hosts. - - - - - Visit …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 48 1/2: The Beat Era: Frank Sinatra and His Golden…Arm? 45:28

7M ago45:28

45:28

Turns out we’re not quite ready to let The Beats go! Sticking with our topic of separating myth from reality, we wrap-up our dive into mainstream interpretations with a quick conversation about the movie “The Man with the Golden Arm” which centers on a jazz drummer played by none other than Frank Sinatra. The film’s soundtrack from Elmer Bernstein …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 48: The Beat Era: Beats, Beatniks and Myth vs. Reality 1:00:23

7M ago1:00:23

1:00:23

For our final episode about The Beats, we touch on the TV debut of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and the introduction of character Maynard G. Krebs. We jump into berets, bongos, sunglasses, sandals and the slang. Where did this popular notion – The Beatnik – come from? While some of it was rooted in reality, this caricature came from a combination…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 47: The Beat Era: Illustration and Artwork Styles with Jim Flora 27:56

8M ago27:56

27:56

For our final illustration episode, we wrap-up our jazz album conversation by sharing the story and work of Jim Flora. His cartoonish style “betrayed a diabolic humor and uninhibited sense of outrageousness” that evolved over the years to go from borderline obscene to children’s books. We also name names of a couple contemporary artists directly in…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 46: The Beat Era: Illustration and Artwork Styles with S. Neil Fujita 41:45

8M ago41:45

41:45

Building on our last episode, we continue talking illustrators and jazz albums by sharing the story of S. Neil Fujita. Jump in with us as we recap how pop culture arrived at a “look” for artifacts from the era of The Beats through the work of Fujita, another artist whose work influenced our cultural landscape and help explain why those jazz-themed …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 45: The Beat Era: Illustration and Artwork Styles with David Stone Martin 35:10

9M ago35:10

35:10

Records have always featured mood-setting illustrations in addition to more standard photographs. In this episode we share the story of the fun and idiosyncratic illustrator David Stone Martin finding jazz music. We then shift into discussing how pop culture arrived at a “look” for artifacts from the era of The Beats being influenced by the atomic …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 44 1/2: The Beat Era: Andy Warhol and Jazz Albums (Bonus!) 13:45

9M ago13:45

13:45

Any conversation about art will involve Andy Warhol sooner or later. Today we jump in and discuss album illustration from early in his career for Count Basie, a group called Trombone By Three and a duet with Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. We also discuss the phenomenon of different layouts for album issues and reissues, especially in jazz. - - …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 44: The Beat Era: John Hermansader and Two Iconic Jazz Album Designs 36:35

10M ago36:35

36:35

The jazz label Blue Note Records existed before Reid Miles was hired, so we talk about the guy who set the stage for him: John Hermansader. Once we’ve set the scene, we jaw about a couple of our favorite albums from artists Horace Parlan and Jackie McLean. Who was in charge of designing them? Why did they make the creative choices they did? And, pe…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 43: The Beat Era: The Origins of the Blue Note Records “Look” 41:46

10M ago41:46

41:46

This episode begins with the founding of iconic Blue Note Records. Albums from the golden age of jazz—the same ones The Beats listened to—have a distinct look and feel, largely thanks to a single label. We drop into the coffee houses, jazz clubs and record label offices of New York to talk about the late-night, rebellious music people were listenin…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 42: The Beat Era: Pollock’s Drips and How They Changed the Art World 37:00

11M ago37:00

37:00

Our conversation about The Beats continues by revisiting when Jackson Pollock revolutionized art in America and how the media brought that revolution to Middle America. We discuss different spots in the U.S. where The Beats found themselves and name some of their wider influences including the abstract expressionist painters and jazz musicians they…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 41: The Beat Era: Kerouac’s On the Road and the Movement It Started 45:30

11M ago45:30

45:30

We start our collection of episodes about The Beat era with the release of Jack Kerouac’s iconic book On the Road in 1957. We discuss who The Beats were beyond Kerouac (Ginsberg, Burroughs and more), the conformity and consumerism they were questioning and rebelling against, and their impact on pop culture for future generations (including the one …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Season 3 Preview: The Beats, Studio 54, 80s Modern and 90s Grunge 1:31

1y ago1:31

1:31

Hi, it’s Todd and Elliot here with a quick announcement about Season 3. We’re going to be mixing it up a little bit from our first two seasons. Think themes. Think mini-series. We heard streaming services like Netflix make crazy money with these things so we thought, Why not? (We have a rather large bar tab we need to pay.) Anyway… We’re still talk…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 40: Bar Snacks with Kyle Webster - Part 4 (Dire Straits, Super Mario, Street Fighter, Tennis and Alex Gross) 17:04

1+ y ago17:04

17:04

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgement, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is frequent artist, occasional sax player and North Carolina resident Kyle T. Webster. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s your favorite album cover? What video game (arcade or console) is the…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 39: Bar Snacks with Kyle Webster - Part 3 (Mood Lighting, Bourbon, Egg Nog and A Room with a View) 11:34

1+ y ago11:34

11:34

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgement, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is frequent artist, occasional sax player and North Carolina resident Kyle T. Webster. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What was the last thing you bought based on the ad or package? Tell us about…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 38: Bar Snacks with Kyle Webster - Part 2 (Superman II, The Michelin Man, The Kool-Aid Man, Snap, Crackle and Pop, and Hanna-Barbera) 14:06

1+ y ago14:06

14:06

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgement, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is frequent artist, occasional sax player and North Carolina resident Kyle T. Webster. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? Who was (or is) t…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 37: Bar Snacks with Kyle Webster - Part 1 (MAD Magazine, Puma and Bugs Bunny) 12:54

1+ y ago12:54

12:54

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgement, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is frequent artist, occasional sax player and North Carolina resident Kyle T. Webster. Today we ask him some thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s an iconic design from your childhood? What logo brings a smile to your fac…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 36: Bar Snacks with Lenny Terenzi - Part 4 (Sega, Dr. Strange, Italian Sausage, Guitar and Lowbrow Artists) 15:23

1+ y ago15:23

15:23

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is artist, North Carolina resident and all-around nice guy Lenny Terenzi. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What video game (arcade or console) is the best? What’s your favorite sport? What’s the be…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 35: Bar Snacks with Lenny Terenzi - Part 3 (Vodka and Cranberry, The Finger Lakes and Iron Maiden) 11:02

1+ y ago11:02

11:02

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is artist, North Carolina resident and all-around nice guy Lenny Terenzi. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: Tell us about your favorite drink? (We’ll see if the bartender can make it for you.) What’…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 34: Bar Snacks with Lenny Terenzi - Part 2 (Looney Tunes, Superman II, McDonald's Characters and Monster Cereals) 12:06

1+ y ago12:06

12:06

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is artist, North Carolina resident and all-around nice guy Lenny Terenzi. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? Who was (or is) the best advert…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 33: Bar Snacks with Lenny Terenzi - Part 1 (G.I. Joe, Disney Maps, I Love NY and Foghorn Leghorn) 13:03

1+ y ago13:03

13:03

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is artist, North Carolina resident and all-around nice guy Lenny Terenzi. Today we ask him some thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s an iconic design from your childhood? What logo brings a smile to your face? Who is your…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 32: Bar Snacks with Terry Marks - Part 4 (Steve Miller, Blue Note Records, Centipede, Meat Pies, the Fez and the Art of Alex Toth) 21:13

1+ y ago21:13

21:13

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is a designer, autodidact and bon vivant in Seattle and beyond named Terry Marks. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s your favorite album cover? What video game (arcade or console) is the best?…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 31: Bar Snacks with Terry Marks - Part 3 (Wine Labels, The Manhattan and Bali) 12:45

1+ y ago12:45

12:45

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is a designer, autodidact and bon vivant in Seattle and beyond named Terry Marks. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What was the last thing you bought based on the ad or package? Tell us about your …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 30: Bar Snacks with Terry Marks - Part 2 (Clint Eastwood, Big Boy and Space Ghost) 17:08

2y ago17:08

17:08

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is a designer, autodidact and bon vivant in Seattle and beyond named Terry Marks. Today we ask him even more thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? Who was (or is) the bes…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 29: Bar Snacks with Terry Marks - Part 1 (Batman, Sinclair Oil and Calvin and Hobbes) 13:16

2y ago13:16

13:16

Sometimes, in spite of their better judgment, friends choose to join us in the bar. One of our drinking buddies is a designer, autodidact and bon vivant in Seattle and beyond named Terry Marks. Today we ask him some thought-provoking questions over a few drinks: What’s an iconic design from your childhood? What logo brings a smile to your face? Who…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 28: Best of Season 2 (Episodes 21 through 26) 1:00:01

2y ago1:00:01

1:00:01

We’re wrapping-up our second season with one last six pack. Our mix includes books about Batman and from The Onion, iconic images of Bigfoot and a World War II battle, logos for both The Dead Kennedys and The Ramones, a couple of incredible B movie posters from Reynold Brown, two stunning TV show openers for Carnivalé and Six Feet Under, and we fin…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 27: Best of Season 2 (Episodes 15 through 20) 1:12:43

2y ago1:12:43

1:12:43

Today we’re back with a big stack of goodies from our second season. Consider it your Dagwood sandwich of audio deliciousness. Ingredients include product flops from Coca-Cola and Google, movie props including a tiny business card and a giant W, a couple of stories about the Olympics in Denver and Los Angeles (one good, one bad), a return to Saturd…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 26: Hobos, Dollar Bills and Secret Codes Hidden in Plain Sight 1:04:14

2y ago1:04:14

1:04:14

Today, we’re doing our dutiful service by revealing some secrets hidden in plain sight. We begin by talking about the symbols found all over the one dollar bill—think pyramids with eyes—and why they’re part of the bill’s design. We then shift gears to discuss who a hobo was and the alphabet they used to communicate with their fellow travelers. - - …

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Episode 25: Carnivalé, Six Feet Under and the Joy of Title Design 51:58

2y ago51:58

51:58

Nothing sets the stage for a TV show or movie quite like title design. Today we explore two different examples of amazing work that went above and beyond to get viewers excited about each episode of two shows on HBO, Carnivalé and Six Feet Under. We talk about the hints these openers drop, the stories they contain and the talented people who brough…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 24: Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Tarantula and the Amazing Art of Reynold Brown 57:10

2y ago57:10

57:10

For our special Halloween episode, and because of our love of B movies, we wanted to pay homage to one of the best horror poster artists of all time, Reynold Brown. We talk about the movie (and poster for) Tarantula, plus what is arguably one of the most recognizable staples of pop culture: the poster for Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman. (The movie? Not…

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Episode 23: The Dead Kennedys, The Ramones and Punk Rock Logos 49:15

2y ago49:15

49:15

Today’s episode is loud, fast and very DIY. We jump in to talk about two of our favorite logos, one simple and one ornate, from two iconic bands, The Dead Kennedys and The Ramones. We also talk about the artists Winston K. Smith and Arturo Vega, their relationships with the bands, and the sources of inspiration for their artwork. - - - - - Visit ou…

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Episode 22: Bigfoot, Iwo Jima and the Backstories of Two Iconic Images 1:05:21

2y ago1:05:21

1:05:21

Photos or it didn’t happen! In this episode we explain the circumstances that led up to two images most people could sketch from memory: Bigfoot walking across a dry creek bed in the woods of California and a group of American soldiers raising a flag halfway around the world from the United States on the island of Iwo Jima. Are they real? Are they …

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 21: The Onion, Batman and the Joy of Well-Designed Books 41:18

2y ago41:18

41:18

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na…When it comes to iconic superheroes, few if any are bigger than Batman. And when it comes to satirical news parodies, there’s no bigger name than The Onion. Today we jump into 100 years of news with the Onion’s first book, a collection of front pages entitled Our Dumb Century. We then turn the page to highlight designer and aut…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 20: Oranges in Syracuse, Sausages in Milwaukee and the Origin Stories of Sports Mascots 48:49

2+ y ago48:49

48:49

You may consider them funny, bizarre or annoying, but there’s no question they are the biggest fans of their home teams. No, we don’t mean little league parents. Today we’re talking sports mascots. First we drop into Milwaukee and get in a lap or two with The Famous Racing Sausages. Then we head to Central New York to spend time with the Syracuse O…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 19: Switzerland, Panama, Patriotism and the Design of Flags 42:54

2+ y ago42:54

42:54

Flags have existed for thousands of years and are arguably the most well-known symbols for countries, cities and movements. They come in different shapes and sizes with distinctive designs and colors influenced by both patriotism, military association and legend. Today we discuss a couple of our favorites from Switzerland and Panama. - - - - - Visi…

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Episode 18: The Pink Panther, The Three Little Pigs and the Magic of Saturday Morning Cartoons 42:26

2+ y ago42:26

42:26

With this episode, regardless of the time of the week you’re listening, it’s Saturday morning. And for decades nothing was a bigger staple for kids of all ages than morning cartoons. We discuss a couple of our favorites when we start with how The Pink Panther wants to build his dream house, and then we slide into a jazzy update of a famous fable wi…

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Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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Episode 17: Denver, Los Angeles and Stories of Designing for the Olympic Games 56:31

2+ y ago56:31

56:31

Bum-bum-ba-bum-bummm…Nothing brings the world together every couple of years like the Olympic Games. With such a large stage and a chance to influence audiences around the globe, designers jump at the chance to create something great. In this episode we discuss what did (or didn’t) happen in Denver in 1976 and the Technicolor vibrancy of Los Angele…

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