Design Icons

Christian Watson is the founder of the boutique branding agency 1924us and the creator of the mega viral animated character Mr. Skelly. Rooted in the craftsmanship of the 1920s, all his work is entirely hand-drawn, using vintage techniques to create modern brand systems. Through 1924us, Watson has helped brand more than 200 companies — from independent coffee shops to Fortune 500 brands — while al...

In this episode, we speak with Phil Garnham and Damien Collot, both Executive Creative Directors at Monotype, the global leader of fonts including Helvetica, Futura, Ariel, and Gotham. Their collaborative work involves exploring how typography, font, and graphic design reflect our shifting culture and how type serves as a brand’s essential visual voice in real-life contexts. Phil and Damien share...

In this episode, we chat with Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO, a platform that gives photographers the tools, community, and exposure they need to expand creatively and professionally. VSCO offers products to capture, edit, display, and share visual content with a global community of creatives and brands. Eric’s career has centered on building technology products that help people be more creative, and i...

In this episode, we chat with Khyati Trehan, an internationally awarded designer who currently works at Google Creative Lab developing visual systems and experimental tools. Khyati has built a career that illuminates the intersection of design, creativity, and technology. She's worked with major global brands, including Apple, Instagram, Snapchat, Adobe, Samsung, Vogue, and the Oscars. Many creati...

In this episode, we speak with professional illustrator and lettering artist Mary Kate McDevitt on how she's built a fulfilling career stemming from personal design projects that snowballed into dream clients. She’s worked with major brands like Target, Nike, Panera, New York Times, Johnson & Johnson, and AT&T (to name a few). Many creatives feel like they struggle with getting a foot in t...

We’re chatting with Tom Froese, an Award-Winning Illustrator, Top Teacher on Skillshare who has led over 120,000 students, and the host of the podcast Thoughts on Illustration . Tom has illustrated for clients like Yahoo!, Airbnb, GQ, and The Wall Street Journal. He’s best known for his brightly colored maps and illustration work made with expressive shapes and printmaking-inspired textures. In th...

In this episode, we're talking with Evante Daniels about Cultural Physics and how to build resonance that's felt, remembered, and trusted through design and marketing. Evante is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer at SEEQER, a cultural intelligence firm. His professional background spans industrial design, brand strategy, and marketing leadership. For many creatives, the concept of “culture” fe...

Grace Ling is the Founder of Design Buddies - a massive design community hosted both online and in-real-life events. She is a UX designer, product designer, illustrator, community builder, content creator, competitive runner, and a world traveler with visits to over 40 countries stamped on her passport. She’s built a huge personal brand across various social media networks, spoken at over 100 even...

Frank Bach is a Staff Product Designer at Doordash, formerly Instagram and Headspace. He's interested in the relationship between mindfulness and creativity: how meditation can empower you to be a stronger designer and more engaged contributor. His work spans product, growth and brand design – and on the side, he also runs an online store and tours with his punk band, Monk.

Mick Champayne is a designer on the Google Doodles & Delight team, who moonlights as an illustrator. In a nutshell, she loves internet culture, navel-gazing about the future, and connecting people through visual storytelling and concept-driven design. From her roots in experience design agencies like Huge and Critical Mass to her current role as a designer in big tech, Mick has mastered the ar...