Creative Voyage Podcast

In this episode, I talk to Yuri Suzuki, a sound artist, designer, electronic musician, and partner at Pentagram. We cover topics such as the importance of business skills, the value of mentors and being open to asking for advice, career tips for designers in any field, the intersection of art and commerce, the importance and opportunities of sound design in the years to come, how he became a partner at Pentagram and much more.

Biography

Yuri Suzuki is a sound artist, designer and electronic musician. His practice explores the realms of sound through designed pieces that examine the relationship between people and their environments – questioning how both music and sound evolve to create personal experiences.

Central to Suzuki’s practice is collaboration. He has worked with various musicians, including will.i.am and Jeff Mills, and commercial clients such as BBC, Disney, Audi, Facebook, Korg, Teenage Engineering, Moog, Red Bull, and Google, with whom he developed a unique AR Music Kit.

His work can be seen in several international museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He had both solo and group exhibitions at the Tate Britain London, Mudam Luxembourg, MoMA and the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo. In 2016, he received the designer of the Future award at Design Miami.

In 2018 Suzuki was appointed a partner at Pentagram, the world’s largest independently-owned design studio. Based out of their London headquarters, Suzuki and his team continue to work internationally, pushing the boundaries between art, design, technology and sound, crossing the fields of both low and high technology.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Yuri Suzuki’s Website
• Yuri Suzuki’s Instagram
• Pentagram
• Maywa Denki
• Royal College of Art, London
• Ron Arad
• Logic Pro
• Ableton Live
• Pro Tools
• Dr. Robert Moog
• Arturia Microbrute
• Roland Boutique Series
• Counterpoint Studio
• Daniel Weil
• Jesper Kouthoofd
• Teenage Engineer

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00:00]
• The Mindful Creative Year [00:01:02]
• Episode Introduction [00:05:35]
• Career Advice and Tips for Young Designers [00:08:17]
• Work Routines of a Sound Designer at Pentagram [00:26:12]
• On the Importance of Business Skills and Having Mentors [00:33:59]
• The Intersection of Art and Commerce [00:42:07]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [00:47:16]
• On Becoming a Pentagram Partner [00:47:59]
• The Future of Sound Design [00:52:14]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [01:07:35]
• Episode Outro [01:10:51]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Anja Charbonneau, a founder, editor-in-chief and creative director of Broccoli. We cover topics such as creative and art direction, how to start a successful magazine, the importance of professional relationships and the delicate art of providing feedback, her work routines and the way she leads Broccoli, challenges Anja encountered along the way, advice for young creatives, and much more.

Biography

Originally from British Columbia and currently based in Portland, Anja Charbonneau is the founder, editor-in-chief and creative director of Broccoli.

Founded in 2017, Broccoli is a platform that encourages the discovery and intelligent appreciation of cannabis through experimental and engaging explorations of art, culture, and fashion. Created by an all-women team and a wide network of contributors of all genders, Broccoli’s magazine, podcast and industry newsletter connect a global community ready to participate in a new era of weed.

Before Broccoli, Anja was the creative director at Kinfolk, where she was leading the art direction of the quarterly lifestyle magazine, with over 75,000 copies of each issue being sold into over 100 countries, with additional projects including books, notecards, films, and influential social media presence.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Broccoli’s Website
• Broccoli’s Instagram
• Anja Charbonneau’s Instagram
• Kinfolk
• Snail World: Life in the Slimelight Book
• Mushroom People Magazine
• Jennifer James Wright / Citron
• John Clifford Burns
• How to Make a Living As a Freelance Writer With Ellen Freeman (Creative Voyage E03)

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:01:03]
• Early Lessons Learned [00:04:26]
• Career Advice and Tips for Young Creatives [00:19:00]
• Work Routines of an Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director [00:22:12]
• Behind the Scenes of an Independent Publisher and Media Company [00:32:37]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [01:10:39]
• What is Art Direction? [01:11:23]
• Challenges on Anja’s Professional Journey [01:26:19]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [01:38:01]
• Episode Outro [01:43:09]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Mirko Borsche, a creative director, graphic designer, and founder of Bureau Borsche. We cover topics such as his work routines and his studio’s culture, challenges Mirko encountered along the way, advice for young designers, the importance of long-term thinking, art direction, and much more.

Biography

Mirko Borsche’s career has spanned between work in corporate advertising and progressive cultural design. One time art director for the Mini Group in BMW, he also launched the hugely successful youth magazine NEON in Germany in the ’00s and has tenure as creative director at Die Zeit, a German national weekly newspaper. Mirko received numerous national and international awards for his work. Amongst many national exhibitions, his work was exhibited in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Florence, Stockholm, Seoul and Tokyo.

In 2007 he founded his design studio Bureau Borsche in Munich, Germany. Renowned for its creative versatility, they offer design and communication consultancy for clients from all fields of interest and delve deep into the creative process to produce original works within the scope of art, subculture, and design. They’ve worked with clients that include Nike, Bavarian State Opera, Audi, BMW Group, Harper’s Bazaar, Supreme, Apple, Balenciaga, Rimowa and Inter Milano, just to name a few.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Mirko Borsche’s Instagram
• Bureau Borsche’s Instagram
• Bureau Borsche’s Website
• LOOMIT
• Die Zeit
• Bavarian State Opera

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:00:50]
• Career Advice and Tips for Young Designers [00:03:02]
• Work Routines of a Creative Director in a Design Studio [00:12:53]
• Challenges of Running an Independent Design Studio [00:21:49]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [00:33:45]
• What Does an Art Director Do? [00:34:29]
• On Longevity and Long-Term Career Planning [00:42:48]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [00:48:08]
• Episode Outro [00:49:39]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Jermaine Daley, a New York-based fashion stylist. We cover topics such as career tips for beginner stylists, perfectionism, challenges Jermaine encountered along the way, his approach to fashion styling, managing finances, sustainability in fashion, and much more.

Biography

Jermaine Daley is a New York-based fashion stylist. His work focuses on storytelling and creating characters through styling and editing. One of his signature strengths is the use of color, which is inventive, bold and sophisticated, inspired by his childhood in Jamaica. Editorial clients include Interview Magazine, Kinfolk, L’Officiel, Mission, Behind The Blinds, and The Last Magazine, to name a few.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Jermaine Daley's Website
• Jermaine Daley's Instagram
• Micaiah Carter
• Sophisticated Staples Editorial
• Kinfolk’s Waris Editorial
• Zoltan Tombor
• Lorna Simpson

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:00:50]
• Career Tips and Insights for Young Stylists [00:02:36]
• Work Routines and Habits of a Fashion Stylist [00:14:25]
• Making a Living As a Fashion Stylist [00:29:02]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [00:34:05]
• Jermaine’s Professional Challenges in the Fashion Industry [00:34:48]
• On Sustainability in Fashion [00:46:34]
• The Process of Editorial Fashion Styling [00:58:50]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [01:13:45]
• Episode Outro [01:17:16]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Pauline Le Pape, a type designer and art director based in Amsterdam. We cover topics such as Pauline’s advice to young professionals, the importance of meditation and walks in her work routines, managing finances, including critical mindsets and budget negotiation tips, typography and type design, challenges she’s experiencing at the moment, and much more.

Biography

Pauline Le Pape is a type designer and art director that graduated in 2016 with an MA in type design from École Estienne, in Paris. After her studies, her journey took her to Amsterdam, where she is currently based. Over the years, she developed a range of meticulous typefaces and type based identities and worked on other projects in various medium and formats with a focus on typography. Some of her recent work includes a custom typeface for Nike, type design and identity for Stadscuratorium Amsterdam, and an expansion of her ever-evolving type family Till. Her work has been featured in It’s Nice That, Actual Source’s Shoplifters 8: New Type Design, and in the Japanese design magazine Quotation, to name a few. 

Selected Links From the Episode

• Pauline Le Pape's Website
• Pauline Le Pape's Instagram
• École Estienne
• Ramit Sethi on Chase Jarvis Live
• Thinking With Type
• Concept-driven Design and Art Direction With Charlotte Heal (The Creative Voyage Podcast E02)
• Mindfulness Meditation
• Headspace App

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:50]
• Advice for Young Designers [02:18]
• Work Routines and Habits of a Creative Professional [10:21]
• Making a Living As a Designer [20:15]
• Self-Development As a Creative Professional and Freelancer [28:35]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [33:18]
• Challenges on Pauline’s Professional Journey [34:01]
• Contemporary Approach to Typography and Type Design [50:26]
• What is Art Direction [01:00:33]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [01:00:33]
• Episode Outro [01:08:23]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Andreas Martin-Löf, an architect and a founder of Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter, an architectural practice based in Stockholm, Sweden. We cover topics such as Andreas’ approach to architecture, the advice he would give to young architects, challenges he encountered so far—including dealing with job burnout—the importance of embracing opportunities, his work routines, the value of beauty, and being brave, and much more.

Biography

Andreas Martin-Löf is one of Sweden’s most established younger architects. His architecture practice, Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter, with a team of 20, has a portfolio of award-winning projects that span residential, cultural, and commercial sectors, private and public. Their practice is driven by curiosity and a questioning mindset exploring the tension of man and space, past and future, hand and machine, function, and feeling. Their architecture is celebrated for its intelligent and intuitive response, combining rational rigor with the soul of craft to deliver buildings and interiors of compelling quality and character. Their clients include Oscar Properties, Absolut, Monocle Magazine, Kulturhuset, Nordic Property Management, Frama, Svensk Form, and Winkreative, to name a few.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter Website
• Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter Instagram
• Andreas Martin-Löf's Personal Instagram
• Snabba Hus
• AML Stool
• Aspvik, Private Summer House
• John Kandell
• Oscar Properties
• Andreas Martin-Lof Arkitekter / One To One, Book
• Genius Loci
• Ragnar Östberg
• Frank Lloyd Wright
• Monocle Library Lamp

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:52]
• Advice to Young Architects [02:21]
• Work Routines and Habits of a Professional Architect [09:18]
• Challenges of Being an Architect Today [14:34]
• How to Run an Architecture Business [19:45]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [25:00]
• Growing As a Creative Professional [25:44]
• On Embracing the Journey and Taking Opportunities [31:35]
• On Struggles, Making Mistakes, and Professional Burnout [39:48]
• Hands-on Approach to Architecture [52:22]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [01:01:05]
• Episode Outro [01:02:50]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Tony Brook, the co-founder and creative director of a British design studio SPIN and an independent publishing venture Unit Editions. We cover topics such as independent publishing, lessons he learned early in his career, SPIN's organization as a design studio, their process for designing visual identity systems, and much more.

Biography

Tony Brook is the co-founder and creative director of a British design studio SPIN and an independent publishing venture Unit Editions. Founded in 1992, SPIN's small but extremely dedicated team, with Tony as creative director, has received both national and international recognition. They've worked with clients that include Apple, Tate Modern, BBC, Nike, Design Museum, Google, Channel 4, Whitechapel Gallery, and Ministry of Sound, to name a few.

In a feature about SPIN on Lectures in Progress, Will Hudson writes: 'Over the last 20 years SPIN have firmly established themselves as one of London's best design studios. Delivering consistently high-quality work across a huge range of clients that span the arts, communication, broadcast, design, electronics, and entertainment sectors as well as application, their portfolio includes identities, books, marketing campaigns, motion graphics, packaging, and websites'.

In 2009 Tony co-founded Unit Editions, an independent publishing company. In 2011 he was guest curator of 'Wim Crouwel – A graphic odyssey,' a major retrospective at the Design Museum in London. Also, he's a member of the prestigious Alliance Graphique Internationale, lectures regularly, and is knows as an avid collector of graphic design printed matter.

Selected Links From the Episode

• SPIN
• SPIN's Instagram
• Unit Editions
• Wim Crouwel
• Alliance Graphique Internationale
• Josef Müller-Brockmann

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:51]
• Becoming a Creative Professional [02:54]
• Advice for Young Designers [12:49]
• Routines of a Creative Director in a Design Agency [21:15]
• Challenges on Tony’s Professional Journey [31:51]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [42:09]
• Challenges in the Graphic Design Industry [42:52]
• Design Is About Opinion [48:58]
• How to Design a Brand’s Visual Identity [53:41]
• On Independent Publishing and Unit Editions [01:07:18]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [01:12:33]
• Episode Outro [01:16:47]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Tin Kadoić, an experience designer. We cover topics such as his experience of working at Airbnb, different career paths in such organizations, the power of sharing your knowledge, professional lessons he learned so far, and much more.

Biography

Tin Kadoić is a design leader that’s been looking for meaningful ways to create communities, impact how we learn, stay healthy, and create belonging. Throughout his more than fifteen years long career, he’s worked as a Design Lead at Airbnb (which was his title at the time of our conversation), creative director at SYPartners, led an agency in NYC, created the first mobile products for a series of startups and Fortune500 companies, as well as lectured at Zagreb’s School of Design.

When he’s not working, he’s been volunteering with the IxDA (Interaction Design Association) in helping new chapters launch and nurture their local communities. Originally from Croatia, he lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with his life-long partner, designer Matea Bronić.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Tin Kadoić's Website
• Tin Kadoić's Instagram
• Tin Kadoić on Medium
• Airbnb Design, Official Website
• IxDA: Interaction Design Association
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
• Carol Dweck: The Power of Believing That You Can (TEDxNorrkoping)
• Christina Wodtke's OKRs System (Rescuing the Dreaded Weekly Status Email)
• Impostor Syndrome (Wikipedia)

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:51]
• Advice for Young Designers [02:19]
• On Improving and Growing As a Designer [07:49]
• What Is Experience Design? [15:34]
• Working As a Design Lead and Manager at Airbnb [19:18]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [31:51]
• Routines of a Product Designer [32:34]
• The Power of Sharing What You’ve Learned [47:23]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [59:35]
• Episode Outro [01:06:09]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Pip Usher, a freelance writer. We cover topics such as advice for writers who are just starting, tips on how to improve our writing skills, what makes a good interview, challenges of being a freelance journalist, the influence of recent motherhood to her work, and much more.

Biography

Pip Usher is a journalist known for her cultural pieces and long-form profiles. She has written for titles that include The Financial Times, Vogue, Kinfolk, Departures, Wallpaper, and GOOD. Referred to by Kinfolk as their “secret weapon,” Pip has interviewed leading names in the fashion, entertainment, and art world. In addition to her editorial work, Pip crafts high-quality commercial content for Vodafone, &Tradition, and Cathay Pacific. Prior to journalism, she worked in advertising and counted Burberry and Tiffany & Co. amongst her clients. After living in London, New York, Beirut, and Bangkok, Pip has made Jerusalem her home – for now.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Pip Usher's Website
• Pip Usher's Instagram
• Paula Scher
• Seth Godin's Freelancer Course
• David McCullough
• Esther Perel
• The Kinfolk Entrepreneur

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:51]
• How to Become a Freelance Writer [02:04]
• Advice for Aspiring Writers [05:46]
• Routines of a Professional Freelance Journalist [07:53]
• How to Make Money As a Freelance Writer [20:31]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [25:00]
• Challenges of Being a Professional Writer [25:43]
• Self-development As a Creative Professional and Freelancer [30:28]
• How to Improve Writing Skills [38:55]
• What Makes a Good Interview [41:23]
• How to Stay Motivated As a Creative Professional [47:41]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [52:00]
• Episode Outro [53:30]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/

In this episode, I talk to Jonathan Chmelensky, a professional dancer. We cover topics such as the importance of hard work, challenges of being a professional dancer working today, the ways to keep being engaged with our craft, how to tackle the hard moments on our professional path, and much more.

Biography

Jonathan Chmelensky is a Paris-born ballet dancer, currently based in Copenhagen. As a ballet student, Jonathan traveled around the world to compete and to perfect his skills, and that journey took him to train in Paris, NYC, and in Havana at the National Ballet School of Cuba. In 2007, at the age of 19, he was recruited to join the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen and has been with the company ever since. In 2013 he was promoted to soloist and in 2018 to principal dancer, which is also his current title.

Selected Links From the Episode

• Jonathan Chmelensky’s Instagram
• The Royal Danish Ballet
• Cuban National Ballet School
• Neil Strauss
• Wayne McGregor
• La Dame aux Camélias
• John Neumeier, Choreographer
• Open: An Autobiography: Andre Agassi
• Swan Lake
• The Audo
• 3daysofdesign

Show Notes

• Introduction [00:00]
• Episode Introduction [00:52]
• The Importance of Hard Work [02:30]
• Routines of a Professional Ballet Dancer [06:27]
• Challenges in the Dance Industry [12:48]
• How to Develop As a Creative Professional [15:16]
• Short Episode Break – Support the Podcast [17:48]
• Jonathan’s Current Challenges [18:31]
• How to Stay Motivated Through Hard Times [27:39]
• How to Be a Better Creative Professional [30:51]
• Episode Outro [32:42]

Full transcript and more at https://creative.voyage/