Revision Path

Our spotlight on Philadelphia continues this week with design strategist and hybrid thinker Natalie Nixon. Natalie has an impressive body of work ranging from fashion to anthropology, and her consulting and research lies at the intersection of creativity and strategy. Aside from her work as associate professor and founding director of the Strategic Design MBA program at Philadelphia University, Natalie is also the editor of "Strategic Design Thinking: Innovation in Products, Services, Experiences and Beyond".

We touched on a lot of different topics: the importance of strategic design, her experience as a Black woman at the Ph.D. level of design, embracing failure, and much, much more. It's an honor to speak with someone at this caliber of design, and I think you'll learn a lot from her words and from her work. Class is in session!

Figure 8 Thinking

Natalie Nixon on LinkedIn

Natalie Nixon on Twitter

Philadelphia's own Ron Tinsley is no stranger to the world of design. As the founder of Prophetik Soul Branding + Design, Ron uses his decades of consulting and design experience for "do-gooders, dreamers and optimists". I think that's something we could all use more of, don't you think?

Ron talked about how a twist of fate prompted him to start his design studio, and he walked me through how he tackles projects and his personal design style. We also discussed design organizations, world travel, what he loves about Philly, and whether or not his kids want to follow in his footsteps. Get ready for a really thoughtful and inspiring conversation!

We're starting off February this year by talking with entrepreneur and visual storyteller Jessica Bellamy. She specializes in creating eye-catching information graphics that are easy to understand and share, which is definitely needed in this current climate of "fake news".

Jessica talked about her exhibit titled The Black Woman Project, the progressive design scene in Louisville, Kentucky, and how she started her grassroots design studio GRIDS, which is currently working on a project about bringing awareness to the incarceration system. If you're trying to find someone that cares about her community and helps give back by using design, then look no further! Thank you for all you do Jessica!

We're back in the Caribbean this week and talking with Djuvane Browne, UI designer and owner of One Great Studio in Kingston, Jamaica. If you're a freelancer and looking to level up in 2017, then you will want to hear what Djuvane has to say!

Djuvane gives me a quick rundown on an average day at his studio, and shares the one secret that transformed his business to where it is today. We also talk about the design scene in Kingston, the notion of a "Caribbean aesthetic", and what he would be doing if he didn't become a designer. Djuvane says that you'll never know what will work until you try, so hopefully his words will inspire you to do bigger things!

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to speak with Chad Brown. Aside from his own studio, Chado Creative, he also owns the nonprofit organization Soul River Inc. and has his own apparel line! On top of all of this, Chad's an adventurer at heart.

We start off talking about how he got started in design, what it means to him to be a designer today, and then Chad shared his backstory of being in the military and how those experiences shaped him and helped him to where he is today. I really want you to listen to what Chad says when he talks about inspiration, because it really gets to the heart of what I think all designers struggle to overcome. Thanks to Chad for opening up and sharing his story, and thanks to Douglas Davis for the introduction!

If you've hung out in our Slack community for any amount of time, chances are you've encountered Paul Anthony Webb. (You might have also seen him rocking some of our merch too!) Paul's curiosity for tech and design, along with his extensive project work, definitely grabbed my attention. Having him come on the show was a no-brainer!

We started off our conversation talking about how Paul first got into design, and from there we talked about his process for coming up with new ideas and creating new projects. And if you're up for a little 80's nostalgia, we go there as well. Paul feels like anything is possible on the web, so I hope this interview inspires you to feel the same way!

Get ready for a great conversation this week as I talk to Anne H. Berry, assistant professor of graphic design at Cleveland State University. I've been familiar with Anne's work for years; her writing at Goshen Commons about diversity and design gave me a lot to think about in the early days of Revision Path. And when she reached out to me to talk about what I was doing, I knew I had to have her on the show!

We start off by talking about her current work teaching at CSU (including a concentration on typography), and from there we discuss the proliferation of Black caricatures throughout the ages and how those inform our current day perceptions and stereotypes. Anne also shares her thoughts on the role that designers should play now, and gives some of her hopes for 2017. I think you're going to get a lot out of this week's episode!

Happy New Year! 2017 is here, and we're back with a new roster of great interviews for January. First up: Boston-based architect and designer Aisha Densmore-Bey.

Architecture is sometimes left out of conversations about design, so Aisha and I spend some time unpacking that notion. She also shared what she'd like to see more of from the design community, gave her thoughts on the controversial #NotMyAIA campaign, and spoke about the work she does with getting kids interested in design careers through her seminar program Future Prep 101. Aisha doesn't limit herself, and I hope you get inspired by what she's doing so you can let go of limits in 2017!

This week's episode picks up a few weeks after Qa'id Jacobs and I first talked. (If you missed Part 1 of this interview, listen to it here.) The presidential election just ended here in the U.S., and I wanted to get Qa'id's feedback on how he was feeling.

What follows is pretty surprising! I ask Qa'id if he and his family are still planning to move back to the United States, and he shares his thoughts on how and what these turbulent times mean for designers and for Black Americans. It's a bit of a departure from the normal Revision Path interview, but I thought it was a fitting way to close out the year.

There won't be a new episode next week, but we will be back in the saddle with new episodes beginning on January 2. See you in 2017!

I don't remember exactly how I first found out about Qa'id Jacobs, but based on our conversation, he's someone that I will never forget. Our conversation was so deep, in fact, that I wanted to make this our first two-part episode!

In part one of our talk, I got to learn more about Qa'id, including what he does as a product and systems designer, how his background in music and business led him to tech and design, the myth of Black creatives fleeing to Europe for greater civility, and what eventually prompted his move overseas to The Netherlands. Stay tuned as our conversation continues next week!