Print Design Podcast - Inspiration for In-house Creative Teams

In this episode you are getting the full story and introduction to Dave and Gabby. We share our backgrounds in the design and print fields as well as how we first met. We also talk about our first memories of printed stuff and nostalgic print. Gabby and I also share the origins of Print Design Academy, and what we are building and creating for you over the next few months!

Direct Mail...Sounds boring right? But hang tight, lets get creative with it. In this episode I'm going to share with you some ways that you can get really creative with your design and help your customer make a big impact with direct mail.  I talk about diecutting, awesome papers, foil stamping, coatings that smell like bacon, all things to get the customers attention and create a memorable...

This week we are diving into some offset print! My guest on this episode is Nathaniel Navratil from Studio Foley out of Fargo, North Dakota! @studio.foley During this episode we talk about retro toy packaging, a redesigned and rebranded Easyriders Magazine, and a deep dive into a booklet he designed while working at NDSU.  The NDSU University booklet project was a Dining and Residence Life gu...

I often say this about print, it has staying power. It has the ability to create a very memorable experience for the person who receives it or is looking through it. And the project we are talking about in this episode, definitely accomplished that.  My guest on this episode is Mike Klok, but you might know his as @stuffedbrain on Instagram. We are doing a deep dive into the client gift box t...

This week we are diving into an award-winning annual report. My guest is Chris Duchaine from Ideas by Duchaine.  @ideasbyduchaine This Annual Report is another awesome project that I came across in the Communication Arts Design Annual. Something like an Annual Report could very easily be a boring print project, but not when Chris gets his hands on it.  We do a deep dive into the Sarona A...

This week we are talking about Craft Beer Labels, but with a solid design system! My Guest on this episode is Holly Gallacher from Daughter Creative out of Calgary Alberta.  The project that we are doing a deep dive into is the beer labels for Annex Ale. Another great project that I came across in the Communication Arts Design Annual.  We break down the idea and planning behind this beer...

This week we are diving into an incredible annual report design. My guest is Rob Duncan from Mucho Design. I came across this Annual Report in a recent issue of Communication Arts Annual highlighting incredible design work from around the world, and it's no surprise because the design is beautiful. It is very typographically pleasing and is a great example of what you can do with ju...

This week we are diving into an amazing Annual Report! My guest for this episode is Jason Mannix from Polygraph out of Washington DC. Jason is one of the first guests that I contacted who was recognized for their great design work in a recent issue of Communication Arts Design Annual. The project that Polygraph was recognized for was the Smithsonian Annual Report. With an Institute like the Smiths...

HO HO HO Designer friends! Here is our list of the gifts we think should make it onto your Christmas Wishlist this year! I honestly can't believe it, but the holiday season is upon is! Costco said it was Christmas 2 months ago, Starbucks went Christmas 3 weeks ago, here we are! THE LINKS: Awesome Puzzles - 313 Gifts Gradient Puzzle - CLICK HERE Silly Gifts - FireBox Henry the Desk Vacuum - CLICK H...

Another brilliant craft beer label design, but this time with a custom box! This weeks guest is Michael Burgland @atomicmutant who was a graphic designer with Surly Brewing. We are specifically talking about the Surly 15-anniversary beer label and custom box. The box was printed by the amazing crew over at @studioonfire using @mohawkpaper This project is a great example of why I love craft beer la...

This week we are diving into the unboxing experience printed and designed for Manner Goods - A Modern Man's Subscription Box. I'm lucky enough to have two guests in this episode, Austin Dunbar from Durham and Carlie Simoncelli from Rove Companies. Durham is the talented design team behind the branding for Manner Goods, and Carlie is a marketing pro that hustled to bring it all together. From selec...

This weeks guest is Blake Stevenson, or you might know him from IG as @jetpacksandrollerskates. A fellow Canadian! We are talking all about Craft Beer Labels in this episode. You know I love Craft Beer Label Design. During this chat Blake shares stories behind some design work for Elora Brewing and how the label design system has evolved. We also get into label design work he submitted to Collecti...

This weeks guest is Jaime Evans from Foil Co. @foilcoltd They are the incredible minds the most diverse foil selection and options available in the market. During this episode we do a deep dive into the creative foil piece they created that was motivated by the Japanese concept that refers to the reason for living, Ikigai. Part of the unique looks of this project were created by happy acciden...

This weeks guest is Nick Van Der Walle. He is the Founder and CEO of Astute Graphics. Astute Graphics has been putting out incredibly helpful and time-saving plugins for Adobe Illustrator for more than 20 years! This is not a sponsored episode or a sales episode at all. This is a bit of a selfish episode. I personally wanted to know how Astute Graphics Plugins could help Graphic Designers specific...

This weeks guest is Jay Ferracane. He is the talented graphic designer behind angrybovine and the awesome print project we are talking abou tin this episode. The episode is a deep dive into the Answer MotoCross Catalogue. We talk about how this project came to be, and some of the roadblocks they faced bringing it to life through the pandemic in 2020. It involved a number of different pho...

In this episode, I share 3 reasons print and print design is more and more important. I share with you why people are literally craving printed experiences! It could be direct mail, a great branded lookbook, great packaging, or any other type of tactile brand experience. I share why it is increasingly more important to have print design as a tool in your designer tool box.  Mentioned in the e...

So your customer has approved your label design, amazing! Now you have to send it in for print. Do you know what to check for before sending that file to the printer? In this solo episode, Dave talks about the things you need to check and possibly change in your file to make it print-ready. For a detailed screenshare look at these things, check out our YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/c...

This weeks guest is Simon McGowan. He is the Head of Design with Wolfson Brands and Muscle + Health Magazine based out of Glasgow, Scotland. This episode is a deep dive into editorial and publication design for the creation and first few issues of Muscle + Health Magazine. We talk about how the idea for the magazine actually came from some Instagram carousels they were doing. Simon shares with us...

This week we are talking about Book Design with Jazmin Welch from Fleck Creative out of Toronto ON. During this episode we deep dive into two different book design and print projects that Jazmin helped bring to life, along with the materials and process to make them! Jazmin's approach and work is incredible and it was awesome getting to chat with her about it. Find her on IG at @fleckcreative

This weeks guest is Lou Prestia. he is the Sr. Product Manager of Pantone Graphics. This episode is a dive into the world of Pantone. A bit of history as well as a look inside what it takes to create the Pantone Guides that all designers know and love. How are these colors determined? Mixed? Where are the new colors coming from? How are the books printed? How long does it take? All these questions...

My guest on this episode is Lawrence Azerrad. He is the Found and Principle at LAD Design Studio based out of LA. LAD Design specializes in working with Musicians, Cultural Institutions, and Enterprises looking to visualize the future. @lad_design In this episode, we are diving into his Grammy Award Winning design for the Ode to Joy Album for the band Wilco. This piece is incredible. There are a n...

This weeks guests are Jordan and Jeremy from Brethren Design Co. They have been cranking out awesome design work for NFL Athletes, Cannabis Products, Breweries, and even Guy Fieri! But this episode we are diving into Craft Beer Labels. They have been working with a brewery called Slice Beer Co. for nearly 3 years now and have cranked out well over 50 different label designs for them. They have exp...

This weeks guest is Matt Kump. He is a talented Graphic Designer serving the Craft Beer Industry in Vancouver BC. @itskumpy There are not many projects that can offer the pure creative freedom that comes with designing a Craft Beer label. Sure there are breweries that keep it a bit more mellow and systematic. But the majority just kick down the doors and create some awesome stuff to stand out on t...

This weeks guest is Jackson Robinson. He is the Illustrator and Creative behind Kings Wild Project. Makers of the worlds most luxurious playing cards. This is such a great episode where we get right into where the Kings Wild Project started and the shocking moment that led to a path change for him. We talk about retro lego box designs including one that was such an impactful experience for Jackson...

This weeks guest is Todd Bennett. He is the co-founder of Open Road Ski company who is the publishers of this incredible book. The story goes a little bit like this.... Todd was checking out some ski mountains a few years ago and noticed something. Nearly every ski mountain map he has seen looks very similar, they must be all by the same person. Well, a little bit of digging later and he found out...