Revision Path

I met Nicholas Johnson this year at the AIGA Awards Gala, and after just a few minutes of speaking with him, I knew I had to have him on the podcast. Nicholas is committed to more representation for designers of color, and that's reflected both through his work and in an upcoming book project.

We talked about where Nicholas' desire for representation comes from, and from there we went into a discussion on the notion of a Black design aesthetic, and Nicholas shared the advice that's stuck with him throughout his design journey, as well as what he wants to work on in the next five years. You'll definitely see and hear more from Nicholas in the future!

Kevin White calls himself a "UX strategist", but that title barely scratches the surface of what he does. Aside from his work as a senior experience designer, he's also a talented illustrator, a design educator, and a devoted family man. But according to Kevin, his origin story as a design professional is an example of what not to do. (Naturally, I had to know more about this.)

We started off talking about the ubiquity of UX in today's modern design industry, and from there Kevin goes into the early days of his career, and we take a slight detour to discuss social media, sound design, branding, and even the historical archives of the Internet! We touched on a lot of topics in our conversation, but I think what stands out the most is that there is no one true path to becoming a designer. Learn more about Kevin in this week's interview!

Jarrett Key creates works that transcend multiple boundaries. As a fine artist, Jarrett uses hair -- like, literally painting with their entire head of hair -- to make pieces that are full of life, passion, and tension. Speaking of tension, I just happened to have the chance to talk to Jarrett during a particularly tense time in life right now -- graduate school!

We started off talking about what it's like adjusting to being back in Providence, Rhode Island, and Jarrett spoke about the decision to return and what they hope to gain from this experience. Jarrett also listed their artistic influences, remembered life growing up in the South, explained what people tend to get wrong about art, and more. According to Jarrett, everyone has a story to share if they take the time to dig deep and discover what it is. Hopefully this interview inspires you to do just that!

Leah Gilliam is a force. As an award-winning artist, she uses technology to tell stories, bring awareness to issues, and to ask questions about important topics. And as a design strategist, she lends her expertise with building inclusive spaces to organizations like Out in Tech and Girls Who Code, where she currently serves as VP of strategy and innovation. Did I mention she's also a creator who has made everything from 16mm films to interactive installations to board games?

Like I said, Leah Gilliam is a force.

We sat down to talk about how she first got involved in design strategy, and from there we explored her work as an artist and a teacher, and dove into topics surrounding creativity, finding balance, solving projects, and the notion of a Black queer design aesthetic. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to share Leah's story and her work with you, so make sure you take a listen!

Thanks to engineers like Courtney Wilburn, your favorite sites can stay online even when they're getting slammed with visitors. And as the lead DevOps engineer for the popular product review site Wirecutter, she definitely knows her stuff when it comes to the Web.

During our conversation, we talked about how she first got interested in DevOps, and Courtney shared some of the tools she uses, and how she took a non-traditional path into tech after college. She also discussed some skills that designers can hone to help out DevOps engineers, and she spoke about how bringing your full self to work helps with creative freedom. So the next time you're browsing the web and you think about what it takes to keep websites running smoothly, think of Courtney!

The multitalented Courtney La Prince is a true go-getter! Her focus on delivering the best experiences she can for users goes through all her work, and you'll definitely pick up on that during our conversation.

We started off with Courtney talking about her current work at The Home Depot, and she talked about what brought her back to Atlanta to continue her career. Courtney also runs Inspire. Motiv8. Design. Creative Studio, so we spoke a bit about entrepreneurship in Atlanta and what she hopes to achieve in the next five years. No matter the obstacle, Courtney's drive and passion to succeed will get her through!

I first met Jordan in our Slack community, and ever since then, he's been a part of helping foster Revision Path's community. Currently, Jordan works as a research coordinator for the MyPEEPS project at the University of Washington, and helps use his skills in UX design and research to help social impact organizations and projects.

We talked about his current work at UW, and Jordan shared how he fell into UX design and research by accident after years of work in public health. From there, we talked about our experience meeting at XOXO this year, and had a great discussion about the importance of queer people in design. Jordan is committed to creating great design for social change, so definitely keep an eye out for more of his work in the future!

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the end of this year's HBCU Month on Revision Path (as well as this year's World Interaction Design Day) than with a conversation with Marcus Mosby. Marcus is a senior interaction designer at Fjord in Austin, TX, and his passion lies in designing and creating experiences that help improve the lives of users everywhere.

We started off with an introduction to interaction design, and Marcus talked about the processes and tools he uses, and gave tips for other designers looking to get into the field. From there, we talked about his time at Clark Atlanta University, and he shared what it's like to design for different cultural considerations, and even gave us a peek at his photography work! There are a lot of paths you can take to get into design, and Marcus wants you to know that the sky's the limit!

When I stumbled across Cary Michael Robinson's work, I knew I had to have him on the show. He's got his hands in a lot of different aspects of art and design, and has even turned that into a series of entrepreneurial ventures in the DMV area.

We started off talking about Cary Michael's day job with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and he gave a breakdown as to the importance of patents, trademarks and copyrights for creative makers. From there, Cary Michael shared his story of learning art at FAMU, and even shared some tips for designers on how to nail their own personal brand. Cary Michael is a true testament to living your life's purpose through your passion, and I hope his story helps you pursue your inspirations!

As a working artist, it can be a constant battle between unchallenged freedom of expression and doing what you need to do to survive and put food on the table. Artist and designer Kendrick Daye has successfully found a way to bridge this divide, and I'm glad to have a chance to talk with him about how he manages that balance in the city that never sleeps.

We talked about Kendrick's vibrant mixed media collage style and he shared where his inspiration comes from for his work. We also talked about what his time was like as a student at Morehouse, and how those experiences shaped him into the artist he is today. Kendrick wants his work to inspire others to do their own thing, and at this rate, I think he's well on his way to make that happen!

Help support Revision Path by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon! For just $5 per month, you’ll receive behind-the-scenes access to Revision Path, including special patron-only updates, early access to future episodes, and a lot more! Join today!

We're on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher! Visit https://revisionpath.com/iTunes, https://revisionpath.com/spotify or https://revisionpath.com/stitcher, subscribe, and leave us a 5-star rating and a review! Thanks so much to all of you who have already rated and reviewed us!

Revision Path is brought to you by Facebook Design, Glitch, Google Design, and MailChimp.

Follow Revision Path on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!