Art School Graduate | Design & Creative Careers

What happens when design becomes a tool for preserving culture instead of simply making things look beautiful?

In this episode of the Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with Zimbabwean designer, typographer, and art director Osmond Tshuma.

From designing visual systems for the Obama Foundation to developing entirely new African writing systems, Osmond shares how African visual language can reshape modern design.

Topics include:

• African typography
• Graphic design history
• RISD experience
• Branding with cultural meaning
• Research-driven design
• Identity systems
• Creative process
• Design education
• Visual storytelling
• Preserving culture through design

If you’re a graphic designer, creative director, typography enthusiast, branding professional, educator, or design student, this conversation will completely change how you think about visual communication.

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Every book begins with a story—but readers see the cover first.

In this episode of the Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with Dominique Jones, Senior Designer at Penguin Random House and founder of Blk + Brwn Book Designers, to explore the hidden craft behind book cover design.

Dominique shares how she entered publishing, what goes into creating covers that connect emotionally, working with bestselling authors, balancing creativity with client feedback, and why increasing diversity in publishing design matters more than ever.

Whether you’re a designer, illustrator, creative professional, student, or simply someone who loves books, this conversation offers an inside look at one of the most overlooked creative careers.

Topics include:

• Book cover design process
• Graphic design careers
• Penguin Random House
• Publishing industry
• Typography and visual storytelling
• Creativity and design thinking
• Blk + Brwn Book Designers
• Diversity in publishing
• Graphic design education
• Building a creative career

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How does someone go from social work to designing footwear at Vans?

In this episode of the Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with Shawn Williams, a footwear designer at Vans whose journey into the design industry was anything but traditional. After spending years helping people find employment as an employment specialist, Shawn rediscovered his passion for drawing during COVID, leading him to the Pensole Design Academy, a VF Corporation apprenticeship, and ultimately a career designing footwear for one of the most iconic sneaker brands in the world.

Shawn shares his experience overcoming imposter syndrome, entering the design industry without a formal design degree, learning footwear design, building confidence in creative spaces, and using design as a tool for community impact. The conversation explores mentorship, representation in design, Black creatives in the footwear industry, and why exposure matters for the next generation of designers.

Topics Covered:
• How Shawn Williams became a footwear designer at Vans
• Career changes and transitioning into design
• Pensole Design Academy experience
• Sneaker and footwear design process
• Overcoming imposter syndrome in creative careers
• Representation and diversity in design
• Mentorship and creative leadership
• Building a career in product design
• Using design to create community impact

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#FootwearDesign #Vans #CreativeCareers #CareerPivot #PensoleAcademy

What happens when you build a successful 50-person design agency, sell it, become a Chief Creative Officer, and then decide to start over from scratch?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with designer, strategist, entrepreneur, and creative leader Gus Granger to discuss the realities of building a creative career that stays aligned with who you are.

Gus shares his journey from founding and growing 70KFT into a nationally recognized agency, navigating leadership roles, and ultimately returning to the hands-on creative work that first made him fall in love with design. Along the way, he breaks down the importance of typography, brand strategy, storytelling, entrepreneurship, creative identity, and how designers can remain relevant in the age of AI.

This conversation explores what it means to create work with significance, why authenticity matters more than ever, and how creative professionals can navigate career pivots without losing themselves in the process.

Whether you’re a graphic designer, creative entrepreneur, design student, brand strategist, agency owner, or someone trying to build a meaningful creative career, this episode is packed with practical insights and hard-earned wisdom.  

• Building a design agency from a spare bedroom
• Growing and selling a 50-person creative firm
• The difference between success and fulfillment
• Why typography remains a designer’s superpower
• Brand strategy and meaningful storytelling
• Creating work that has cultural impact
• Black designers and representation in design
• Entrepreneurship and creative leadership
• The future of AI in graphic design
• Why designers should master fundamentals before tools

If you enjoy conversations about creativity, design, branding, entrepreneurship, and the future of creative work, be sure to subscribe and join us for future episodes.

#GraphicDesign #BrandStrategy #Typography #CreativeLeadership #DesignPodcast #AIForDesigners #Entrepreneurship #CreativeCareer #Branding #DesignThinking #AgencyLife #DesignEducation #ArtSchoolGraduatePodcast #GusGranger #JustinRobinson

What do stand-up comedy, product design, and artificial intelligence have in common?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with product designer, UX strategist, and comedian O’mar Finley to explore the unexpected overlap between creativity, technology, and human connection.  

O’mar shares his journey from growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, to building a career in product design while simultaneously developing a reputation as a stand-up comedian and creator of the Group Therapy Comedy Show.

Together they discuss:

• How UX design and comedy both rely on understanding people
• Why simplicity is one of the hardest goals in design
• The future of AI in product design and creative work
• What comedians can teach designers about empathy and communication
• Navigating feedback, criticism, and creative risk
• Building digital products that people actually want to use
• The realities of pursuing multiple creative careers at once
• Why audience psychology matters in both design and entertainment

Whether you’re a designer, creative entrepreneur, comedian, student, or someone interested in the future of creativity, this conversation offers practical insights and honest reflections on building a meaningful creative life.

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#design #uxdesign #productdesign #standupcomedy #artschoolgraduatepodcast #creativity #artificialintelligence #designthinking #userexperience #creativecareers

What happens when a designer leaves a successful advertising career to explore the deeper meaning of design?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with graphic designer, educator, filmmaker, and creative director Shantanu Suman for a powerful conversation about design, culture, identity, and visual storytelling.

Born and raised in India, Shantanu worked at some of the world’s leading advertising agencies before moving to the United States to pursue his MFA at the University of Florida. His journey transformed the way he thought about design—from simply creating visual solutions to asking deeper questions about culture, communication, and human experience.

Together, Justin and Shantanu discuss:

• Growing up as a creative in India• The differences between Indian and American design culture
• Why design is more than problem solving
• The importance of documenting overlooked visual cultures
• His award-winning documentary Horn Please and Indian truck art
• Hindi typography and cultural identity in design
• Building Studio 165+, a student-run design studio at Ball State University
• Mentorship, collaboration, and preparing the next generation of designers
• The responsibility designers carry when their work enters the world

This conversation is packed with insights for graphic designers, creative directors, design students, educators, and anyone interested in the intersection of culture and creativity.

If you’ve ever wondered how design shapes the way we see ourselves and the world around us, this episode is for you. Based on the interview transcript.

🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations with artists, designers, educators, and creative leaders from around the world.

#GraphicDesign #DesignPodcast #DesignEducation #VisualCommunication #CreativeCareers #Typography #DesignThinking #CreativeLeadership #ArtSchoolGraduatePodcast #ShantanuSuman

How do you build a design career when the path doesn’t exist?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with Nigerian brand designer, type designer, and founder of Udi Foundry, Chisaokwu Joboson, to discuss his journey from studying civil engineering to becoming one of the leading voices in African typography.

Chisaokwu shares how he taught himself graphic design, discovered type design, and ultimately created Ojuju, the groundbreaking Google Fonts typeface that supports hundreds of languages and helps bring African stories, culture, and identity into the global design conversation.

Together, they explore the challenges of building a creative career without formal design education, the lack of documentation surrounding African design history, and why typography is much more than letters—it is the voice of a culture.

This conversation is a must-watch for graphic designers, brand designers, typography enthusiasts, creative entrepreneurs, students, and anyone interested in the future of African design.

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💡 In This Episode:

• How Chisaokwu transitioned from civil engineering to graphic design

• Teaching yourself design without a traditional design school

• Why African typography matters

• The story behind Ojuju and Google Fonts

• Building Udi Foundry and TypeAfrica

• The relationship between brand design and type design

• Why typography is the voice of a brand

• Preserving African languages through design

• Creating opportunities when no roadmap exists

• The future of African typography and design education

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🎙 About Chisaokwu Joboson

Chisaokwu Joboson is a Nigerian brand designer, type designer, and founder of Udi Foundry. His work focuses on creating culturally relevant typefaces that support African languages and storytelling. He is the creator of Ojuju, a typeface featured on Google Fonts, and an advocate for making type design education more accessible across Africa.

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📌 Topics Covered

African Design

African Typography

Type Design

Graphic Design

Brand Identity Design

Google Fonts

Creative Careers

Design Education

Visual Identity

Typography Design

African Creatives

Design Culture

Brand Strategy

Self-Taught Designer

Creative Entrepreneurship

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Subscribe for more conversations with designers, artists, illustrators, creative directors, educators, and cultural leaders shaping the future of creativity.

#AfricanDesign #Typography #GraphicDesign #TypeDesign #BrandIdentity #GoogleFonts #CreativeCareers #DesignPodcast #AfricanCreatives #DesignEducation

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with designer, educator, and founder Maurice Woods for a powerful conversation about creativity, identity, representation, and building purpose through design.

Maurice Woods is a Principal Designer at Microsoft, a former professional basketball player, and the founder of Inneract Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating access and opportunities for underrepresented youth in design and tech.

From growing up in Richmond, California, to playing professional basketball overseas, to becoming a leader in the design industry, Maurice shares the real story behind his journey and the lessons he’s learned navigating sports, creativity, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and representation in corporate America.

This conversation dives deep into:

• The transition from basketball to graphic design
• What it means to be a Black designer in tech
• Building Inneract Project from the ground up
• Why representation in design matters
• The importance of mentorship and community
• Creativity, purpose, and identity
• How design shapes culture and society
• AI, the future of design, and staying relevant
• Entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for others

If you’re a creative, designer, student, educator, entrepreneur, or someone trying to find purpose in your work, this episode is filled with wisdom, honesty, and inspiration.

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🔗 Learn more about Inneract Project:
https://www.inneractproject.org

🎙️ Subscribe to The Art School Graduate Podcast for more conversations with artists, designers, educators, and creative leaders shaping culture and the future of creativity.

#MauriceWoods #GraphicDesign #DesignPodcast #BlackDesigners #MicrosoftDesign #UXDesign #CreativeCareers #InneractProject #DesignEducation #ArtSchoolGraduate #ProductDesign #CreativeJourney #DesignLeadership #RepresentationMatters #PodcastInterview

How do you go from making things in PowerPoint as a teenager… to building creative worlds for brands like Netflix, ESPN, and MasterClass?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin sits down with creative director and director Jaye Thompson to discuss his journey through design, advertising, storytelling, and creative identity.

From growing up outside Philadelphia to navigating the competitive world of visual communication, Jaye shares how curiosity, experimentation, and relentless creative growth shaped his path into the industry. This conversation explores the realities of agency life, the pressure to prove yourself, the transition into directing music videos, and what it truly means to create work that people feel.

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Jaye opens up about the early struggles of breaking into the industry, couch surfing while chasing opportunities in New York, learning how to balance creativity with sustainability in Los Angeles, and why collaboration is essential to building meaningful work.

The episode also dives deep into world-building, creative philosophy, cultural impact, and the future of storytelling across design, film, and music.

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In This Episode:

• Discovering graphic design through PowerPoint and visual experimentation
• Transitioning from athletics into a creative career
• The realities of agency life and creative burnout
• Building campaigns rooted in emotion and cultural insight
• Why storytelling matters more than aesthetics
• Creative direction, music videos, and world-building
• The importance of collaboration in modern creativity
• Developing confidence and finding your creative voice
• How design can move beyond advertising into culture
• What creative longevity actually requires

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About Jaye Thompson

Jaye Thompson is a Creative Director and Director whose work lives at the intersection of design, film, and culture. His projects span advertising, motion design, music videos, photography, and visual storytelling, with work connected to brands including Netflix, ESPN, MasterClass, The North Face, and more. Through his creative collective Wish You Well, Jaye is focused on experimentation, collaboration, and building emotionally driven creative experiences.

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Subscribe for More

The Art School Graduate Podcast features conversations with artists, designers, filmmakers, and creative leaders sharing real stories about building careers in art, design, culture, and creative industries.

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Follow Jaye Thompson

Website:  Jaye Thompson Official Website
Instagram: @jayethompson

What does it really take to walk away from a “safe” career and build a creative life?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin sits down with artist, designer, and hand lettering specialist Dan Lee, also known as DanDrawnWords. From earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering to leaving it all behind, Dan shares the honest story of choosing creativity over stability.

They talk about the tension between security and passion, the mindset required to pursue a creative career without a traditional path, and how Dan built his voice through lettering, storytelling, and community.

This conversation also dives into the deeper side of creativity—why human-made work still matters in the age of AI, how craft connects us to meaning, and why the most impactful work is often slow, intentional, and imperfect.

If you’ve ever questioned your path or felt pulled toward something more creative, this episode is for you.

💡 In This Episode:🎙️ About The Podcast

• Transitioning from engineering to a creative career
• Choosing creativity over stability
• Building a design career without art school
• The power of hand lettering and storytelling
• Creativity vs algorithms and AI
• Finding meaning through craft and community

🎙️ About The Podcast

The Art School Graduate Podcast explores the real journeys of creatives—sharing the wins, struggles, and breakthroughs behind building a life in art and design.