The Typecast: Grow Your Art Business

Send us Fan Mail What if your subtitles could whisper or shout, just like the person speaking? That’s exactly what Frederik Merkel (aka Freddi) is building. We met Freddi at South by Southwest and were instantly blown away by his startup, Phont, which is developing expressive caption technology that analyzes audio and translates it into dynamic, emotionally-expressive subtitles. Think kinetic type...

Send us Fan Mail She’s been a fine art major, a print designer, a Barbie packaging designer at Mattel, a surface pattern designer, an art licensing exhibitor, and, for the past 10 years, an artist coach. In this episode, we sit with Jeanetta Gonzales, Ilana’s first art licensing mentor, for a conversation that goes way beyond business strategy. We’re talking about the long, winding road of buildin...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually look like to build a creative business that works for you, not the other way around? In this episode, we’re joined by the incredible Liz Kohler Brown, a surface designer, letterer, and mentor for creatives who want to sell their work and find their style. Liz has built a business that looks like it’s all her, but the secret is a thoughtfully built team that h...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what’s actually running behind the scenes of a creative business? We’re pulling back the curtain. In this episode, we’re breaking down every tool and platform we use to run Goodtype. From our website and course platform to payroll, bookkeeping, email marketing, and everything in between. We’re keeping it real: what we love, what gives us the sweats (hi, Zapier), and ho...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sat down with Tom Foley, Executive Creative Director at Monotype–the biggest type company in the world–for a conversation that went way deeper than we planned (in the best possible way). From his family’s legacy of stonemasons and sign painters to his graduate research on Irish typography, Tom gave us an entirely new lens through which to see typography. We als...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually look like to run a thriving creative business? One with branding projects, murals, fonts, and a coffee company in the mix?! In this episode, we’re joined by the endlessly curious and wildly productive Adam Vicarel, who is proof that creative experimentation paired with smart systems can take you a long way. Whether you’re figuring out how to balance creative...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a journalist from Venezuela becomes a self-taught designer, typeface foundry founder, and curator of one of the most ambitious graphic design exhibitions in recent memory? You get Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz, and our conversation with him does not disappoint.  Lope is a partner and project lead at In-House International, a design studio and typeface foundry. He’s also a...

Send us Fan Mail “Finding your style” is the number one question we get asked, and the one we’ve asked ourselves for years. In this episode, we’re diving into the real question behind it: what if it’s not about finding a single aesthetic… but about uncovering your creative identity?  We’re celebrating the announcement of our new book, Follow Your Art, and sharing why we wrote it, what you’ll find...

Send us Fan Mail Pre-order our book, Follow Your Art! https://goodtype.us/follow-your-art-book In this episode, we’re joined by illustrator, designer, and letterer, Lisa McCormick who is celebrating 10 years of full-time freelancing and doing it her way! Lisa shares how she’s built a career working with major brands without being loud online or glued to every social media platform. We talk about w...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re joined by illustrator, letterer, and YouTuber Chris Piascik for a wide-ranging conversation about building a creative career without a grid master plan and why showing up consistently can change everything.  Chris shares how a daily challenge that started as a way to reconnect with drawing quietly became the foundation of his entire career. We talk about wha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with designer Josh Jevons to discuss what it actually looks like to build a sustainable creative career without burning out, cold-pitching nonstop, or doing everything yourself. We also get into real-world outreach strategies, including walking trade shows, pitching without being salesy, and why face-to-face connections still matter. Along the way, we...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when two brothers decide to stop overthinking it and build a design studio around the kind of work they actually want to make? In this episode, we’re joined by Jordan and Jeremy Coon of Brethren Design Co., a two-person studio built on trust, contrast, and a shared love of making things that are fun, expressive, and a little chaotic (in the best way). We discuss what...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with illustrator, designer, and jill of all trades Marisol Ortega for a conversation that’s equal parts honest, hilarious, and deeply relatable for anyone navigating a creative career. Marisol talks about leaving full-time work (again!) to return to freelance life, why office-centric culture doesn’t support the way many creatives actually think and wor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re joined by a very special guest, Rebecca Shostak, co-founder of Flodesk and lifelong designer-turned-entrepreneur. This conversation is packed with insights into how creativity, design thinking, and intentional decision-making can shape not just a project but an entire company. We also go deep into AI, the fears, the opportunities, and what it looks like to u...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Callum from Callum’s Creative Club to explore the twists and turns of balancing freelance design, social media content, and staying true to your values. From landing dream projects with Nike to navigating the wild ride of building an online following, Callum shares the highs, lows, and lessons that come with straddling two creative worlds. We dig...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like running your own design studio that works with names like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley? In this episode, we sit down with Amber Asay of Nice People to discuss the winding path that led her from scrapbooking experiments and show choirs to launching a successful design agency and a creative podcast. Amber shares the reality of landing big-name projects (and why y...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when two dynamic duos get together to talk about creative business, collaboration, and the messy beauty of figuring it out as you go? In this episode, we sit down with Arabela and Elle of Weekend Creative to explore their journey from meeting in college lighting class to running a thriving commercial photography and education business. We dive into how they naturally...

Send us Fan Mail If LinkedIn isn’t the first place you think of when it comes to growing your creative business... you’re not alone. But in this episode, we’re sharing the surprising results of our 30-day experiment, where we posted on LinkedIn every weekday, and what we learned that blew us away. From analytics and reach to connection requests and actual leads, we’re breaking down what worked (an...

Send us Fan Mail We’re joined by the wonderfully optimistic and multi-talented hand lettering artist & muralist, Lisa Quine, someone who has done everything from lettering murals for pro sports teams to designing custom hairbrushes for celebrities (Fergie included). We talk about her unique creative journey, how optimism fuels her freelance career, and how her Cleveland roots helped shape a dr...

Send us Fan Mail Graphic design for film might be one of the coolest creative jobs you’ve never heard of, and today’s guest, Gina Alessi, is here to break it down. From making Civil War-era bedspreads to designing posters in under two hours, Gina shares what it’s really like to work behind the scenes of film and TV production as a graphic designer. We dive into the surprisingly misunderstood world...

Send us Fan Mail What actually goes on behind the scenes of a 1-million-follower art account?  In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it’s like for us to manage one of the biggest creative communities on Instagram. Joining us this episode is our teammate Emily (who wears many hats, from social media management to content strategist and Notion organization wizard), We’re digging in...

Send us Fan Mail We’re getting real in this episode, talking openly about what it means to be a creative with mental health struggles, from panic attacks and perfectionism to ADHD and burnout. Whether you’ve felt overwhelmed by your to-do list, stuck chasing an impossible standard, or just totally unmotivated and scattered, you’re not alone. And you’re not broken. In this heart-to-heart episode, w...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Typecast, hosts Katie and Ilana sit down with designer and longtime YouTube creator Will Paterson to explore what it really takes to build a sustainable creative career in today’s ever-evolving digital world. If you've searched YouTube for design tips in the past decade, you've likely come across Will’s work. With over 1,000 videos to his name, he...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when two artists post on Instagram every weekday for an entire month? Spoiler: No viral fame, but they did book a DREAM client. 👇🏻 In this episode, Katie and Ilana dive into their recent social media experiment–sharing what it was really like to show up online five days a week for 30 days straight. From burnout and boundary-setting to unexpected wins and data deep-d...

Send us Fan Mail The past few years have been a rollercoaster of hard lessons learned, creativity, and pivots. In this episode, we’re peeling back the curtain with Krissy Mast, sharing her struggles with creative burnout after building a 7-figure design business and how she redefined success by deciding to close the doors and start fresh. From the projects that lit her up to the ones that drained...