Context

We always have fun interviewing one of our own. Araceli “Chely” Martinez talked about how she got started in design, why she’s a part of the AD team, and how she leverages her Industrial and Graphic Design education to her professional work. Please follow Chely’s design work and journey on Instagram, follow her under the handle @chelydesign. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

We had the pleasure of chatting with footwear designer Matt Walters of CODDI, a footwear company that focuses on telling stories through the comfort and longevity of the shoe. Matt was kind enough to tell us his experience as a student, a young professional, the do’s and don'ts, and the process and excitement of creating a brand on his own. We’re super proud, Matt radiates positive vibes, we hope nothing but the best for him! To follow Matt’s design work and journey, be sure to follow him on Instagram @_m.walt and @coddi.footwear. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

We had an amazing interview with Michael Vorel, a Visual Designer at Nike. He talked about his humble beginnings working retail and realizing his worth, provided amazing advice, and inspired us all, a true Chicago native, making a difference in the design world! To follow Michael’s design work and journey, be sure to follow him on Instagram @michaelvorel. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

We had so much fun on CONTEXT, we hope you did too! We wrapped up 2018 by interviewing a couple of the AD designers, answering questions, talking about the future, and getting a bit personal about design and our talents. We have some awesome things in store for 2019, you better be ready! To checkout their work, hit up their Instagram handles at the following - Bethany Chan @bchan.png, Hector Silva @hectorius_, Betuel Benitez @betuelbenitez, and Michael Diaz @mdiazdesign. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

We had an amazing interview with Rotimi Solola, head designer at So Design, who is the Communications Chair on the IDSA Chicago Board of Directors, Instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and all around kind human being! We talked about his journey through school, his humble beginnings at Design Integrity, MNML and Motorola, and now running his own design studio at So Design. Rotimi gave us advice on portfolio building and how to keep pushing forward when things begin to slow down, check out this CONTEXT interview. Rotimi was a SQ1CON Speaker, and was an instructor last summer at our sketching workshop, we’re super grateful to have him be a leader in the design community in Chicago! To checkout Rotimi’s work and follow his journey, follow him on Instagram under the handle @rotimi_solola and @so.dsgn. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” - Albert Pike. This is essentially what our conversation was about with Spencer Nugent, Principal Designer at Vivint Smart Home in Provost, Utah. We’re super grateful to have had Spencer come in and do a Master Class after the live podcast. To checkout Spencer’s work and follow his journey, follow him on Instagram under the handle @sketchadaydotcom. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

It was a pleasure to have Interaction Designer Alex Flores who works at GE Transportation in Chicago. We talk about Alex’s journey from his undergraduate studies - to his professional life, it wasn’t a yellow brick road, and we love that he was open about it. We also discussed diversity, and the things we can do to be fair and inclusive. To checkout Alex’s work and follow his journey, follow him on Instagram under the handle @allxflores. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

Super fun to have our friend and Industrial Designer Ricky Biddle on CONTEXT. Ricky has a rich resume, worked at TEAMS, then Whirlpool, ACCO Brands, Steelcase, Newell Brands, and now at Argenta Park. His knowledge of design is marvelous - and you can see it in his thought process. He shared with us a project he was on, re-designing the classic Sharpie. To checkout Ricky’s work and follow his journey, follow him on Instagram under the handle @riddickuliss. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

It was a pleasure to have three amazing and powerful women designers be part of CONTEXT! Thank you to IDSA Chicago for allowing us to interview Nichole Rouillac, Ti Chang, and Morgan Matt during their Women & Design Summit. We interviewed Nichole first; join us as we discussed her journey from a small town in the southwest suburbs of Chicago to the Bay Area to be part of some of the most prolific designs of our time. Ti Chang who revolutionized the sex toy industry with her innovative designs, and Morgan Matt who is changing decades of tradition at Proctor & Gamble by designing women products for the Gillette brand. Follow these amazing women designers on Instagram under their following Instagram handles: Nichole Rouillac: @nicholerouillac, Ti Chang: @designerti, and Morgan Matt: @missmorganmatt. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!

It was a pleasure to have three amazing and powerful women designers be part of CONTEXT! Thank you to IDSA Chicago for allowing us to interview Nichole Rouillac, Ti Chang, and Morgan Matt during their Women & Design Summit. We interviewed Nichole first; join us as we discussed her journey from a small town in the southwest suburbs of Chicago to the Bay Area to be part of some of the most prolific designs of our time. Ti Chang who revolutionized the sex toy industry with her innovative designs, and Morgan Matt who is changing decades of tradition at Proctor & Gamble by designing women products for the Gillette brand. Follow these amazing women designers on Instagram under their following Instagram handles: Nichole Rouillac: @nicholerouillac, Ti Chang: @designerti, and Morgan Matt: @missmorganmatt. Thank you for tuning into CONTEXT, (formerly known as ADS Live prior to Advanced Design’s rebrand), send us a DM or email at [email protected] to provide us with your thoughts and comments on our dialogue with designers!