Revision Path

As a creative, Delanie West contains multitudes. She has over 20 years of experience in the design industry across product development, packaging, experience design, and creative global sourcing. She's lead creative teams, served on executive committees, and has been influential in mentoring designers and developers from all over.

Delanie is also the brains behind BeSuperCreative, a consultancy that helps people and organizations bring their creative ideas to life. We talked about how she got her start in design from an ad in The New York Times, what she looks for when hiring for creative teams, her time at Hampton University, and a lot more. Delanie's goal is to help designers evolve their career past just delivering on a creative brief, so make sure you pay attention to her advice in this week's episode!

When I first had the idea to do a month dedicated to Atlanta's art scene, Sean Fahie's name immediately came to mind. Sean really does it all -- he's a designer, an artist, an illustrator, an author, a film maker, a podcaster, and more. I knew that this conversation was really going to be a good one, and Sean did not disappoint.

Sean started off talking about the release of his third book, Chocolate Covered Honey Buns, and he spoke about what it's like for him as a working artist. Sean also talked about what drew him to Atlanta, how the city has changed over the years, and we take some questions from the Revision Path audience as well! He even shared some of the Atlanta artists we should all look out for, and talked about his upcoming book tour (coming to a city near you). Thank you Sean for representing Atlanta and for sharing your talents with the world!

Atlanta is a city full of possibilities, and Lisa Babb is the kind of person who not only sees them all, but encourages others to see them as well. As an educator, Lisa teaches the next generation of designers that there is room for the table for them in this industry. And as assistant director at Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), she also helps bring design and art into the local community.

Our conversation started off with a closer look at MODA and talking about how Lisa got her start as a designer and what eventually drew her to Atlanta. From there, we discussed the state of the design community here in the city, as well as how design education has changed over the years. If you're ever in Atlanta, head on down to MODA and say hi!

Fahamu Pecou and his art push boundaries, challenge classic representations, and have solidified his place as one of the most important contemporary artists of the 21st century. His work combines observations on hip-hop, the fine art world, and pop culture, and this is expressed through paintings, performance art, and academic work as well. I was really lucky to get a chance to talk with Fahamu fresh off his most recent accomplishment -- earning his PhD from Emory University!

Our conversation started with Fahamu giving a retrospective on his work, and talked about his multidisciplinary practice and hinted at his next project. Fahamu also talked about his journey to Atlanta, how the city helped shape him as an artist, and how he sees Atlanta as a city for the arts. I also asked how his work has been perceived as his public profile has grown, and I think you'll definitely want to hear Fahamu's answer about that. If you haven't heard of Fahamu Pecou before now, I guarantee you'll come away from this interview with a good idea about who he is and what he represents for the culture!

Atlanta's own Goldi Gold describes himself as a "blue collar" digital illustrator, but his hustle and quality of work are top notch. As a fixture of Atlanta's art scene, Goldi makes sure he's out there making sure people see art in person.

We talked about how he got started as an illustrator, and what inspires his unique style. From there, Goldi talked about what drew him to Atlanta, and what follows is a candid discussion about how the city treats art and artists, and talks about what motivates him to create day after day. Goldi is a true working artist, y'all -- support your local artist!

Creative director Ida Woldemichael is definitely someone to keep your eye on! Currently she's working for Everytown for Gun Safety, but before that, she served as design lead for Hillary for America and even coined the campaign's widely-used catchphrase "I'm With Her"!

Our conversation began by talking about Ida's current role, and from there we went into her work for the Hillary for America campaign and what she learned during that time. Ida also teaches at NYU, so she shared what she's learned from her students and where she design going into the future. Thank you Ida for showing how design has a huge impact on the world around us!

One thing that can be hard for new designers to grasp is that users are the most important part of design. Shaw Strothers is a huge advocate of this, and it's reflected in his work at UX lead at User Insight in Atlanta, GA.

Shaw started off talking about how he got into UX after a start in computer science and an early start as an industrial designer. From there, he talked about Hue Design Summit, an annual event put on by Shaw and the Hue Collective for design professionals of color, and we spoke about the Atlanta design scene and how it's evolved over the years. Thanks to Shaw for not only a great conversation, but for bringing a design event like Hue Design Summit to the city!

So there's a bit of history behind this interview with the mononymous Toronto-based designer Nuff. He was one of the first people I reached out to over five years ago when Revision Path began, and while we've kept in touch since then, it's only until now that I've been able to get an interview with him. And let me tell you...it was worth the wait.

We touch on a lot of different topics during our interview, including the Toronto design scene, his creative process behind his digital and physical works, staying creative in the face of impostor syndrome, and more. It's a pretty comprehensive look at someone who has been forging his own path in this industry while staying true to his ideals.

For our 250th episode, I'm so honored to bring you this conversation with creative director, graphic designer, and entrepreneur Julian Alexander. Julian may be most well known for designing the album cover for 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Trying, and his design work on the Miles Davis box set The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions even earned him a GRAMMY for art direction! Even with those huge accolades under his belt, Julian is a really humble guy, and I think that really comes through in the interview.

We talked about how he got his start in design, his time as a design director for Sony Music, and I asked how his career changed for him after winning the GRAMMY. We also discussed the relationship between design and music, some of his current projects through his studio Slang Inc., and gave some really great advice for designers of all levels. Julian is a true champion for design and designers, and I'm so glad to be able to share his story with you all.

Cheers to 250 episodes of Revision Path!

There's no single way to becoming a designer these days, which I suppose is one of the most interesting things about this industry. Mikell Fine Iles, for example, grew up in San Francisco around art and design, went to Clark-Atlanta University for school, studied more design in Denmark, and worked for agencies Noise and JWT before his current position at Bloomberg as design director. And there's more!

We started our conversation talking about Mikell's day-to-day work at Bloomberg, and from there talked about his time in Atlanta as a student and young professional, discussed what HBCUs can do to prepare the next generation of designers, and he talked about his time studying design in Denmark! Mikell's talent, drive and hustle have really helped propel him to success.