Graphic Support Group Podcast

After much delay we are here with a new episode of Graphic Support Group. Spring has sprung, and we are back in motion!

We apologize for the inconsistency in our output of late, as even support groups could use support groups, and we’ve both been overwhelmed with life changes, work changes, and all sorts of general anxiety-inducing contexts on our ends. But fear not! We are doing great and we are here! Times are exciting even when lots is going on, and we have wrangled our collected energy and pushed through to bring you a lovely conversation with Rotterdam based Design Duo, Team Thursday. And what better day to bring you this episode than its titular day of the week.

Team Thursday is the collaborative practice of Loes van Esch and Simone Trum. They create whimsical, exuberant formal experiments rooted in rigorous classic Graphic Design practices with many twists. Their particular style is at once familiar and completely their own.

We had a great time dissecting what led them to this method of working, how they find themselves in the particular rhythms that yield these positive outcomes, and how life changes, from motherhood to time away from client work to fellowships all over the world have afforded them lots of shifting perspectives which add to the depth and appreciation for their special practice.

Thank you so much for speaking with us, Loes and Simone! You rule.

As a side note, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you like the podcast. Your support makes all the difference to us, and the knowledge that our audience appreciates the work we do makes us very happy to continue bringing you more! We may not respond right away, but we listen and read every message and will incorporate any calls or messages you would like addressed into our next shows.

Thank you so much to each and every one of you! We love you.

<3James and Drew

We are more than delighted to share our lovely conversation with the one and only Richard Turley, a sentence that feels like a dream to type. Over the course of 90 minutes, we talk with the former Bloomberg Businessweek, MTV, and W+K Creative Director about a career spent poking holes in the mythos of Graphic Design, touching on themes of self-esteem and collaboration, privilege, and extreme self-seriousness within the industry. Turley’s insight and wisdom from a long, winding career making lots of amazing work with lots of incredible people, was a bright spark for us, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Don’t forget to call the hotline (202) 507-9158 for any needs or questions!

EMERGENCY AID - PLEASE READ:

We are devastated by the recent Earthquakes affecting our friends in Turkey and Syria. Please take a moment and donate to one of the following organizations to support these countries during this horrible catastrophe, as government disorganization and slow response has left thousands in dire conditions: https://syriaturkey.carrd.co/

Additionally, this week, all proceeds from shirt sales will go to Earthquake Relief Funds in Turkey and Syria.

We were so honored to chat with the Hey Sis World founder Kristel Brinshot about navigating burnout, owning your worth in a fraught industry, meditation, empowerment, and her hybrid creative coaching program, Big World NRG, designed for the BIPOC Artist & Creativepreneur.

From the BWNRG site:

Big World NRG™️ is the first program of its kind designed to heal your Burnout & Imposter Syndrome &⚡️jump-start your Big Visions.

Kristel’s generosity, positivity, and compelling personal journey give us a lot to look forward to, shining a light on some of the more hopeful and empathetic voices leading our industry towards a brighter horizon. Thank you Kristel! Don’t lose hope and let us know what you think in our insta comments! Also, take her program, already!

<3

psssst….we still have shirts.

!! FULL TRANSPARENCY MODE ACHIEVED !!

The indelible creative career consultant and life coach behind Poetic-State, Bryan Collins (not that Brian Collins), takes James and Drew through a Discovery Session to help unlock the their full POD-tential. We go deep into the insecurities, fears, and pitfalls of DIY Podcasting & remote creative partnership, as we try to unpack some of the sticking points that keep us up at night as we continue to grow the pod and continue to make strides towards a more supportive and inspiring Graphic Support Group!

From Bryan’s site, his coaching practice, “helps people gain clarity and purpose by transforming limiting beliefs into strategies and actions. He also provides an empathetic and creative space for you to reimagine what’s possible, and where we co-create actionable tasks; designed to help you reach your goals, fast.”

To book a Discovery call of your own and begin your own coaching program, visit Bryan’s Poetic-State site. We hope you enjoy this amazing conversation!

Thanks for sticking with us through the highs and lows of running a Support Group!

And as the holidays near, don’t forget we still have a few shirts left!

We are so thrilled and honored to have sat down with Chloe Scheffe to discuss her impressive and inventive design career. We chat with her about the highs and lows, and inner struggles developing her sense of self and self-worth, from Community College to RISD to Metahaven to Pentagram to NY Times Magazine to HERE, and now, to a budding individual design practice. Chloe digs deep into the complex reality of being on the inside of a string of highly-coveted design positions, and the trials and tribulations of centering herself along the way. We can’t thank Chloe enough for her time, honesty, and generosity. It was a real treat.

PSA: Please don’t forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast. All the support we receive is very dear to us. We still have a few t-shirts available for purchase, but supplies are running low! Thanks for listening!

We sat down with Phillip Kim, the LA-based Korean designer who's confident, effortless typography and form-making defies rules for both small and large clients alike. We talked to him about his recent struggles with anxiety and stress, and how he's struck a balance with his life through a recent move to LA. Kim actively engages clients and takes bold risks on all of his projects, so we were pleased to learn the methodologies behind his work, and how he strives to bring clients along for a wild but collaborative creative ride.

It’s finally here! Long in the works, here is our episode with the one and only Eric Hu. We talked to the designer extraordinaire about his dynamic and illustrious career, designing while neurodivergent, the industry’s obsession with age, his own forms of generational trauma, the early 2010s Design Twitter wars, adopting an ethos of excellence, and working like…a lion! It was an incredible conversation and we can’t thank Eric enough for spending his time with us. We hope you enjoy, too. A great way to recontextualize modes of working while we take in the summer breeze.

Now residing and working in New York City, Amy Fortunato grew up and spent most of her life in Southern California, after she was adopted from Korea as a young child. Amy sat down with us to patiently recount her personal story, dissect her relationship to her identity, talk about her career working with Lorraine Wild’s Green Dragon Studio, and to discuss her evolving relationship with Korea—where she eventually went on to pursue masters studies in Design. We shared a lovely, intimate conversation about how it all informs her design practice, teaching career, and approach to life. Perpetually humble and insightful, Fortunato’s calm strength emerges as a unique force of nature. Please enjoy this special episode and thank you, Amy for your time and generosity.

Stephanie Specht runs her own unique design practice, which embraces bold colors, elegant typographic hodgepodges, and formal intuition. We talk with the delightfully adventurous Belgian designer about mindfulness, health scares, the great outdoors, and the importance of work-life balance. In the past, she has struggled with stress management through physical manifestations of her relationship to her mental well-being. Stephanie opens up about the effects of a life-halting health-scare and how she successfully re-framed her approach to work and let her experience of the natural world influence her life in unimaginable ways. Please enjoy responsibly. And, quite literally, take a hike!

And do not forget to purchase your GSG T SHIRTS, just in time for summer time

We chat with Montreal based Designer and Activist about his forthcoming book of essays, Design Against Design (out soon through Onomatopee), ideas of trust in design practice, and how his traumas inform his design work and his activism. Kevin’s generosity and positive spirit lead us through a warm and open conversation about what it means to create work for both profit and protest, the responsibilities of the avant-garde, Kanye, and illegibility as a tool. Trigger Warning: Childhood Sexual Abuse discussed.

[Please excuse slight buzzing throughout, as we had some technical difficulties during the recording.]

And Don’t forget to grab your GSG T Shirt!