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On a special bonus episode of the show Ryan sits down with Alex Zahradnik, Design for Good and Legacy Co-Chair of AIGA Philadelphia to talk about the AIGA Philadelphia 35th Anniversary party, Thursday September 22 at WeWork in Philadelphia. AIGA Philadelphia was the first local chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and you are invited to join chapter leaders and members to share stories and highlights from AIGA Philadelphia’s 35 years. You’ll also receive a 35 x 35 commemorative poster for attending as well as have your portrait taken by Philly Egotist photographer Mark Likosky. With all this to celebrate, it only made sense to have Alex on the show to discuss AIGA Philadelphia’s rich history as well as Alex’s own passion of activism and how he incorporates design into the subjects that he champions. Get your tickets for the AIGA Philadelphia anniversary party at philadelphia.aiga.org. We hope to see you there!

On this week’s episode we’re sitting down with Riley Cran to talk about the Lost Type Co-op field trip to Philadelphia, happening this week! Field trips have become a semi-annual thing for Lost Type contributors, and as Riley has described these outings, they are “one part team bonding, one part sourcing inspiration.” Organized by our very own Dan Gneiding, who sits in as co-host on this episode, events with the Lost Type crew include a Drink ‘n’ Draw on September 14 starting at 5:30 pm at Frankford Hall, where you can hang with Lost Type contributors and casually work on your own lettering.  Then, on September 15 there will be a Lost Type Lecture at Philadelphia University at 7 pm. Click here for tickets. Finally, there is an art show on September 17 at 7 pm at  Masthead Print Studio. In anticipation of all this Lost Type goodness, sit down and listen to a chat with Lost Type co-founder Riley Cran about how his role with Lost Type has evolved, the differences between doing typefaces for yourself vs. for a client and Dan and Riley’s first disastrous phone call. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee and AIGA Philadelphia’s 35th Anniversary Party.

On this week’s episode we’ve got some Damn Good Branding. James Viola has dedicated himself to logo design as a craft, and just one look across his social media platforms you’ll see it’s a craft he’s excelling at. He has been growing his freelance career under the moniker of Damn Good! Brand, cultivating a reputation as a freelancer that is wholly invested in his client’s brand. Recently he decided he wanted to move faster with his logo iterations and it was that determination that led him to take on a 26-day letter challenge where he went through the alphabet creating different typefaces for each letter, honing both his technical and creative proficiency. James sits down with Ryan to talk about the distractions of daily life, the existential crisis that made him question whether he wanted to continue doing design and how he came back from it. Visit damngoodbrand.com and follow James on Twitter @jimviola, on Instagram at james_viola86 and find Damn Good! Brand on Dribbble. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Co. and PHLDesign.co.

You’re a fraud and we all know it. Ryan sits down with Amanda Clark and Briana Morgan to talk about Imposter Syndrome. Imposter Syndrome refers to high achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “Fraud.” Amanda and Briana, creatives in both the tech and design communities, struck up a friendship while attending several tech events, (over spreadsheets and burgers) and decided to combine their passions on this subject and speak on it at PANMA (The Philadelphia Area New Media Association) and DjangoCon. Both events were heavily attended and well-received, and they join Ryan for a discussion on the Dunning-Kruger Effect, why “fake it ‘til you make it” is not a good philosophy, and the futility of oil pulling. Plus, Ryan talks with Paul Trani, Senior Worldwide Creative Cloud Evangelist for Adobe, about the upcoming Adobe Creative Jam on August 25. Follow Amanda Clark on Twitter @CaptnPollyanna and visit her website amandajclark.com. Follow Briana Morgan on Twitter @babefromtoyland and visit her website, brianalmorgan.com.

If Elijah’s name sounds familiar to you, there’s a very good reason for that. An award-winning creative director for One Trick Pony for eleven years, his name has come up multiple times on the show with previous guests. It makes sense that people would look up to Elijah as a mentor, as he’s a talented designer and he originally aspired to be a teacher and a baseball coach while in school before being introduced to creating art on a digital platform. As Elijah says during our discussion, “Design is not only something I love but it’s that thing I like doing when I’m not supposed to be doing it.” Now he is starting a new chapter in his career as an Associate Creative Director for T & P.UX at Comcast and he swings by the Submarine for a chat about having grit, the importance of asking questions and what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers color palette has in common with Calvin Klein underwear. Follow Elijah on Twitter @elijahvargas and visit his website elijahvargas.com. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Co. and PHLDesign.co.

It’s no surprise that Mike Smith counts branding projects among his favorites. Just one look at his portfolio shows how good he is at it. Mike has worked on visually-striking and thought-provoking branding and identity design for everything from NFL teams to non-profit organizations. His early design influences are rooted in the iconography and logo design of skateboard culture as well as his favorite bands, and you can feel the echoes of it throughout his work today. He recently founded Smith and Diction — with his fiancee, copywriter Chara Odhner — and he sits down in the Submarine for a chat about some of his favorite projects as well as creating street art, avoiding the pitfalls of “us vs. them” with your clients, and the horror of Quickbooks. Visit Smith-Diction.com and follow Mike on Twitter @miksmith187 and on Instagram @mikesmith. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Co. and PHLDesign.co.

Mark Amadio sits down in the submarine for a conversation about the challenges of remaining positive for your team, treating discomfort as a catalyst and just what age you need to be to realize Goonies is a great movie. Mark is the Design Director at O3 World. A self-described “tinkerer,” from a young age, Mark became interested in designing for the web in college and his interest in design and strategy has evolved into the UX landscape of today But Mark doesn’t see himself as the one who builds experiences anymore, but rather the one who helps build up the people that create those experiences. Mark and Ryan dig deep about what it means to be a good employee and the difficulties in putting yourself out there. Plus, a preview of an upcoming episode on Imposter Syndrome. Follow Mark on Twitter @markamadio. This episode is brought to you by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Co. and PHLDesign.co.

As Kyle Fiedler prepares to make a move to Austin, TX he stops by the Submarine to share his thoughts on design thinking, the importance of iteration and his favorite places to eat in Philly. Kyle is the Chief Design Officer at thoughtbot, a consulting company of designers and developers that work with both startups and Fortune 500 companies to create products for both web and mobile applications. He got his start in web design and development by taking on personal projects when he wasn’t being challenged by his position. From those beginnings he has cultivated a career with thoughtbot, tackling complex problems with simple solutions. Kyle finds satisfaction in helping people be successful with his work and we talk about some of those projects, including his work for EdX, Stattleship, Philly Startup Leaders and more. Plus, a brand new feature to the show: Ad Rage! Follow Kyle on Twitter @kylefiedler and check out his podcast at tentative.fm. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Co. and PHLDesign.co.

A playing card deck with stunning illustrations and cocktail recipes? Deal us in! Sarah Ferone is a freelance illustrator who brings a balance of the tactile and digital to her work. She creates editorial illustrations and has carved out an inspired niche for herself with her work on the subjects of the culinary arts as well as mixology. Sarah recounts her circuitous route to becoming an illustrator through agency and in-house design jobs and we discuss some of her favorite projects, including her Cocktail Hour Kickstarter campaign, which infuses her distinct illustration style with the fun and artisanal quality of cocktails. You can back her Kickstarter at CocktailHourCards.com, and check out the rest of her work at sarahferone.com. Also, follow her on Twitter @sarahferone and Instagram @s.ferone. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Co. and PHLDesign.co.

From poster design for the likes of Wilco and R.E.M. to the fantastical branding of marshmallows, Jason and Dustin bring authenticity to everything they touch. They started collaborating almost right out of college and have been working together for almost fifteen years, creating posters and images for some of their favorite bands and getting national recognition for their craft. Since then, they’ve transitioned into a multi-disciplinary studio, creating award-winning editorial illustration, book covers and branding. They sit down with Ryan at Indy Hall for a conversation about Instagram, the challenges of constraint and Bob Dylan. Visit TheHeadsofState.com and follow them on Twitter and Instagram @theheadsofstate. This episode is sponsored by Old City Coffee, Mighty Bread Company and PHLDesign.co.