1-800-SAD-DZGN

After a few months of radio silence, we figured it was time for a quick check-in. This isn’t the official return of the podcast—think of it more like us dusting off the mic and letting you know what’s been going on. In this episode, we talk about where we’ve been, what we’ve been up to since December, and what the future of the pod looks like. We’re not fully back just yet—but we wanted to let you...

Yes... we know. It's been quiet. In this episode, I’m just checking in. No big production, no crazy segments. Just me talking about where I've been, what’s been going on, and why things have been a little… nonexistent since December. I'm hoping for more soon, but at the same time, I don't know what's next.

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 27, "DZGN-ing Alone," Ayden does a mini solo episode while Ty is out of town. She discusses the current job market for designers and her experience with the toll that it can take on one’s creative mind -good and bad. After the serious talk, she takes some time to do something creative for herself....

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 26, "The Design of Fear," Ayden and Ty dive into the aesthetics of horror — how fear takes shape through design. From vintage slasher posters to minimal modern nightmares, we explore how visuals, typography, and mood turn terror into an art form. No SAD to RAD this week, we ran out of time. We als...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 25, "Between the Lines with Ryan Donahue," Ayden and Ty welcome a special guest from their design school — professor, friend, and supporter of the show, Ryan Donahue. Together, they do a little Q&A where Ryan shares his background, insights, and stories from his design journey. He also offers...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 24, "Judging Menus Like It’s Our Jobs," Ayden and Ty catch up on current projects, dive into a round of design talk, and put themselves through a rapid-fire Q&A. From serif vs. sans-serif debates to judging menus and billboards, happy accidents, and even imagining which Adobe app would be the...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In the first episode of Season 2, Episode 23, "Ctrl + Alt + Return," Ayden and Ty are officially back after a summer of much-needed rest and adventure. They catch up on everything from summer activities to new creative projects and even new jobs, sharing how those experiences have shaped their outlook going...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto Episode 22, "Designers Off the Clock"   With Ayden out of town, Ty brings in friends Isabel and Emily for a laid-back bonus episode. The three dive into upcoming freelance projects, swap tips, and let the conversation wander into the random design-life tangents that always come up when creatives get together...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto Episode 21, "FIN." In this last episode of the season, Ayden and Ty catch up after a brief summer vacation and have an end of season discussion about the podcast. They went over challenges, goals, and the valuable things that they have gained from this experience.  We also reviewed last week’s Font of the We...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 20, "Listen Closely, They’re on a Tangent" Ayden and Ty talk aimlessly without a plan. They discuss current projects, rebrands that they’ve noticed, and any design news that has caught their eye. We also reviewed last week’s Font of the Week, Alta California, and announced our next font pick, Etna...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 19, "This Video Has a Message (Maybe)," Ayden and Ty discuss all things video. Visual storytelling in this form requires a different kind of design lens. They went over what they think makes a video truly effective—and the creative choices that make certain clips stick with us long after we’ve wat...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 18, "Track 18," Ayden and Ty talk about album covers and some of their secret meanings behind them. They also discuss some of their own personal favorites and popular picks that stand out from the rest of them. We also reviewed last week’s Font of the Week, Puffin Arcade, and announced our next fo...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 17, "Graphicians," Ayden and Ty do some live research to uncover the roots of 8-bit design and pixel art—naturally getting sidetracked by plenty of fun tangents along the way. We also reviewed last week’s Font of the Week, Zapfino Extra, and announced our next font pick, Puffin Arcade, available o...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 15, "Instant Gratification," Ayden and Ty discuss modern day marketing strategies, focusing on the role of social media. With its quick impact and strong attention-grabbing power, short-form content has become a go-to tool for today’s marketers. We also reviewed last week’s Font of the Week, Prehi...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 15, "Prehistoric Design," Ayden and Ty do some research to figure out what exactly designers did before computers and Adobe. Designers of the past had to be true artists, having to pay attention to many fine details and to do everything by hand. We also reviewed last week’s Font of the Week, Monts...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 14, "Out of Our FUNK," Ayden and Ty are feeling a little out of sync. In this laid-back episode, they catch up on life, current projects, and finally dive into a textbook that was mentioned back in Episode 11—a true design fail. And, of course, they can’t help but go completely off track along the...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 13, 'Can’t Ctrl+Z That!' , we dive into the magic of handmade elements in design. With AI taking over everything (seriously, it’s getting a little creepy), some designers are bringing back that ‘human touch’—whether it’s with actual hand-drawn stuff or just a messy, perfectly imperfect brushstroke. Because...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 12, "“Breathtaking” Design Universe," talk about the world of brand guides —from the meticulously detailed to the downright bizarre. Brand guides are an essential resource for shaping a visual identity and the effective communication of a brand. Some of these brand guides are brilliant, some are o...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 11, "1-800-BAD-DZGN," Ayden and Ty discuss design fails—those awkward, confusing, or downright hilarious mistakes that make you wonder, "How did this get approved?" They share real-life examples, internet gems, and their thoughts on what went wrong (and how it could’ve been saved).  For...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 10, "Serial Taco Killer," we took a moment to reflect on reaching double digits in episode count, and from there talked about the fun and interactive experience of package design. Ayden and Ty discussed key considerations when designing packaging and shared insights into their own creative project...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 9, "The Great Parking Lot War," Ayden and Ty in their Design Talk explored the world of environmental design, highlighting some standout examples in downtown Boise and humorously critiquing common design pitfalls, like those notoriously cramped Trader Joe’s parking lots. For our "SAD to RAD" segment we shar...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 8, "Trending: We’re Back!," Ayden and Ty catch up after the holidays, randomly discuss cars, and take a reflective look back at the design trends that they noticed in 2024. For our "SAD to RAD" segment Ayden mentioned wanting to tackle a car rebrand for next episode, inspired by an earlier conversation, and...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 7, "The Christmas Special I," Ayden and Ty went into their Christmas traditions and, unsurprisingly, lost complete track of time (and topic). After some spirited tangents, they steer back to discuss the nostalgia embedded in classic Christmas campaigns and explore some modern trends in holiday design. We al...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 6, "Comfy, Cozy, Catching Up," Ayden and Ty are back after the break, catching up on their Thanksgivings and diving into their latest projects. This episode also explores the design of environments and their creative goals for 2025. We also reviewed last week’s Font of the Week, Contempora, and announced ou...

This is 1-800-SAD-DZGN. Your creative hotline with Ayden Lindsay and Ty Yamamoto In Episode 5, "Low Battery," Ayden and Ty take a more laid-back approach, chatting about their current projects and sharing their own vent line confessions. They dive into this week’s design talk by unpacking the balance between functionality and aesthetics, discussing when they harmonize and when one can be used over...