Design Futures – Details, episodes & analysis

In episode 10, the last episode of season four, I talk with Jonny Ouellette, the co-founder and creative director of the motion design firm, Kill 2 Birds and 2002 graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art & Design. We talk about our interactions in the graphic design program at MassArt and our passion for making type move on screen. Jonny shares stories of his client work that involve some of the most watched series and movies in recent years and I dig into our design collaboration on some DVD intros for Aspect Magazine. He also discusses taking that entrepreneurial leap of faith with a friend to start Kill 2 Birds. Additionally, Jonny educates me on some of the industry-specific terminology, like key art, upfonts, MOGRTs, and lower thirds. This episode is full of amazing motion graphics, so be sure to check out the video on Youtube. Let’s do this one more time. Enjoy the show.

Show Links

• Jonny’s Portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
• After Effects
• Boston
• Massachusetts College of Art & Design

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

In episode nine of season four I interview Ringling College of Art & Design graduate and Director of Product Design at BILL, Greg Tariff. We discuss his appreciation for design’s role in the business world and how to navigate a career in Silicon Valley. Greg talks about how his interest in cars led to an internship at General Motors, how networking in New York City led to an agency job in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and how a side project with some agency friends led to a career in product design. Greg also shares insights about working on start-up projects, advising start-up companies, and mentoring young designers. We also discuss collecting 1990s pop culture (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Shepard Fairey art. And of course we talk about the dogs — Shelby, Sookie, and Salem. If you are at all interested in design, business, networking, and dogs you’ll want to have a listen. Time to download episode nine and get to work.

Show Links

• Greg’s Portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Bill
• Toyota Supra
• Shepard Fairey
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Ringling College of Art & Design

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

Hey future & current designers it’s time for Season 4 of Design Futures. Starting the first week of October you’ll hear all new stories from former students.

Season 4 is unofficially titled the international season because in this season I talk to a designer who went on to earn her Masters degree in Northern Ireland, a designer who returned to Pakistan to work in the gaming industry, and two designers who live and work in England.

And you’ll hear from other designers living in the states of Massachusetts, Florida, California, New York, and North Carolina.

They all having thriving careers in the areas of Branding, Packaging Design, UI/UX Design, Social Media, and Motion Design.

In order to get ready for this trip make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you can catch up on the first three seasons of Design Futures.

As always, Thanks for listening.

See ya.

For all those foodies and a designers out there, this is for you. In this last episode of Season 3, Ashley Tucker, 2006 graduate of the University of Denver (DU) and Associate Design Director at Penguin Random House, joins me for a conversation about food, design, and book publishing. She talks about her transition from a pre-med course of study at Northwestern University to studying graphic design at DU. Ashley also shares her enthusiasm for typography, printed books, cooking, baking, and reading; the challenges of reviewing color proofs with only natural sunlight; and enjoying some amazing meals in New York City. And finally, she gives a whole lot of credit to her parents, mom for being an inspiring interior designer and architect and crediting her dad with her drive for precision and craftsmanship. Bon Appétit.

Show Links

• Ashley’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Penguin Random House
• The Chef’s Garden
• Dirt Candy
• Loring Place
• Lasagna Recipe
• Dateline Podcast
• Esquire Magazine
• University of Denver

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

Wake up listeners. It’s time for episode 8 of season 3. In this episode my guest, 2019 graduate of the College of Saint Rose and Death Wish Coffee Merchandise Coordinator, Sadie Kenyon talks about her journey from designer to working with designers on the non-coffee products for the coffee company. She connects the design skills of paying attention to the details as well as giving feedback to the merchandise coordination of sourcing products and working with vendors to find the right solutions for the Death Wish customer. We also talk about her background in welding, her love for dogs (she has five), and creating a sustainable farm that includes cows and way too many chickens. And finally, Sadie discusses her hustle energy that kept her working in college and always growing. So, grab your favorite cup of coffee and have a listen.

Show Links

• Sadie’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Death Wish Coffee
• Bestpass
• PDP
• The Capital District Humane Society
• Welding at BOCES
• The College of Saint Rose

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

In episode seven, 2018 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Kim Lê joins me for a discussion about all things Boston, such as what it’s like working for Opus Design, a small design studio, enjoying the T, and finding four-leaf clovers in her neighborhood park — a hobby that started as a college experiment during one summer break. We also talk about her family expectations of career and how those didn’t include graphic design. Kim acknowledges that science was not her strength, as she quickly learned at Clarkson University, and that she was truly an art kid. Finally, we talk about life at Saint Rose, including Kim’s confession that she was her own worst enemy when it came to redesigning her projects at the last minute. Stop wasting time and listen now.

Show Links

• Kim’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Behance
• Opus Design
• Kombucha
• The Boston T
• The College of Saint Rose
• Luck of Four-Leaf Clovers

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

In episode six, the first of 2023, 2014 graduate of The Sage Colleges, Jared Schafer joins me for a conversation about 3D motion graphics, water-cooled computers, and creating animated videos for virtual reality. He talks about instead of watching TV he enjoyed a healthy drawing competition with his brother when they were kids that developed his illustration passion and skills. We also discuss the challenges of InDesign, hating web design, and having side projects to fuel your creativity as well as the 20 dudes that would buy what results from those side projects. And Jared talks about finding design after he tried a few other things in his 20s, like playing guitar, video games, and tending bar. If you’re ready for the honest truth, press play now.

Show Links

• Jared’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Art on Lark
• Upside Collective
• Learn After Effects
• Onewheel
• The Sage Colleges
• Ira Glass talks about the gap between taste and falling short

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

In episode five of this season, I talk with 2017 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Moira Gilligan about her career as a designer and art director in the fashion world. We discuss big budgets, location scouting, and hiring models for fashion shoots. And she educates me in such fashion trends as dressing a goat in a cashmere sweater, chunky white dad sneakers, and high-waisted mom jeans. Speaking of moms and dads, Moira credits her parents with unquestioning support to pursue a creative career. She also tells me about the time she and some college friends went looking for a place to use the Ouija board in the basement of an old residence hall that also happened to have the drawing studios in it. After seeing the drawings in the studio she knew she had to change majors to earn her B.F.A. It’s time to put on that cozy boyfriend sweater, grab a hot beverage, and press play, because this episode is on-trend.

Show Links

• Moira’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Koio
• Naadam
• Harper’s Bazaar
• Ouija
• Klaviyo
• The College of Saint Rose
• Washington Park (Albany, NY)

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

Ringling College of Art & Design and Accenture alumus (he currently works for Brunswick Creative), Yuri Priamo Canales joins me to talk about high level brand strategy in experiential design, running disruption sessions in the Mural whiteboard space, questioning what the client thinks they want for design deliverables, and trying to understand the Metaverse. He also retells the story of organizing his own New York City apartment viewing before anybody else had a chance to look at it, thus ensuring he got the apartment and upsetting at least one real estate agent in the process. We also discuss getting into graphic design through is father’s vinyl record collection and learning a lot about his Ringling faculty by packing up their offices to move into new building. Pass the box cutter, it’s time to unpack episode 04.

Show Links

• Yuri’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Accenture
• Brunswick Creative
• Storm Thorgerson
• Alex Steinweiss
• Mural
• Ringling College of Art & Design

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)

In this episode, 2014 graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Taira Perrault, schools me in digital product design jargon like M.V.P.s, D.S.M.s, and sprints as we view her portfolio and nerd-out about components and templates for editorial design experiences. She also talks about her experience with a UX/UI bootcamp where she mentioned to the teachers that some of their exercises about visual design were wrong (hey, she does have BFA in graphic design) and despite that feedback she created a product design portfolio that redirected her career. Taira shares fond memories of trips to New York City and drawing on one of the eight wonders of the world during her time in college. For all you high school students listening, Taira discusses  getting college credits during her senior year that gave her a head start in higher ed. And of course we talk about baking for fun and for interviews. Bon appétit!

Show Links

• Taira’s portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile
• Instagram Profile
• Thinkful (formerly Bloc) UX/UI Bootcamp
• Figma
• Cupcake recipe
• Healthline
• Healthline Design System
• A Comprehensive Guide to Design Systems
• The College of Saint Rose
• Design Sprints
• Minimum Viable Product
• The Great Wall of China

The Intro Music

• Synergistic Effect by morgantj (copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.)