Revision Path

July has been such an amazing month, and I'm so excited to celebrate our 150th episode with a conversation with the incomparable Ashleigh Axios. She's an international speaker, a strategic creative, a member of the national board of directors for AIGA, president emeritus for AIGA DC, and is the former creative director for the White House under President Obama's administration. Whoa!

We talked about the work Ashleigh's done during her tenure at the White House, and she shared which project challenged her the most as well as what it's like actually working in such close proximity with some of the nation's top officials. Ashleigh also gave her thoughts on whether the administration's current focus on tech and design would continue into the future, and we went into her current work with AIGA. Ashleigh is a huge advocate for design's ability to break barriers and create positive social change, and I think we will definitely see more from her in the future!

Here's to 150 episodes!

When I first asked De Nichols what title she would give herself, she said "I'm a curator of creative connections. A civic matchmaker. A creator." Pretty nice, right? De is more than just a title though -- her work helps changemakers nationwide actualize creative solutions to issues that matter most to them and their communities.

We started off talking about her current work, including her activism work in Ferguson. We also talked about her organization Civic Creatives, and she gave some great advice on what designers can do to get involved in their communities to make change. De is such an upbeat and powerful force, and her enthusiasm for making the world a better place is infectious!

Our Slack community is filled with talented designers and technologists, and that's where I first met Amélie Lamont. Amélie is a product designer in New York City who is one-third of the team behind Good for PoC, a directory of tech companies which are inclusive and safe for people of color.

Our conversation began with Amélie talking about the inspiration behind Good for PoC, and how the site has been received by the community. From there we talked about "Not a Black Chair", her account of discrimination, sexism and racism at Squarespace. We also discussed Amélie's past work as a certified health and wellness coach, and she shared what she does for self care, what attracts her to mentorship, and how she's pursuing her career goal of being a design anthropologist. I love that Amélie is so outspoken, so I hope her work inspires you to speak up as well!

It's Independence Day here in the U.S., and what better way to celebrate that than by talking with a self-made business owner? Meet Jon Lewis: designer, co-founder and chief product officer of Circa Victor, a political technology firm currently based in Washington D.C. Jon and his team infuse design thinking and technology into our nation's political system by empowering journalists, the public, and decision makers at every level of government.

We started off talking about how Circa Victor got started, and Jon shed some light on what tech can learn from the government (and vice versa). From there, we talked about his upbringing overseas, his time spent in Hawai'i honing his craft, and what he feels it means to be a designer today. Jon's unique style and outlook on the design world are what sets him apart, and I'm glad for the opportunity to have him tell his story. Aloha!

Andrea Pippins claims many titles -- educator, designer, author -- but above all, she's an artist first. Andrea just finished her latest book Becoming Me, so this interview came right on time!

We began by talking about Andrea's journey as an author from her first book I ♥ My Hair to today. Andrea also shared what first got her involved in design, spoke about her time at art school at Temple University, touched on her work as a design educator (including her current position at MICA), and a whole lot more. This is an interview you'll definitely want to listen to again and again!

Comic book fans, you're in for a treat this week! I'm talking with Sanford Greene, illustrator for Marvel Comics and half of the team behind the new Power Man and Iron Fist. Sanford's style is unmistakeable, and his work has also graced other Marvel titles like Deadpool and Spider-Man.

We talked about how he got his start with Marvel, his feelings on the new Luke Cage series on Netflix (and his rising popularity), as well as his own title Rotten Apple on Dark Horse Comics. Sanford's motto of creating from life is one I think we can all get behind!

It's not often that you meet someone like Amy Lee Walton. As a cartographer, Amy Lee helps Mapbox create maps that combine technology and aesthetics.

I started off by asking her what makes a good map, and from there we went more into how she got first interested in technology, using design for social good, and her advice for designers and developers alike. Our world is changing every day, and it's talented people like Amy Lee that are helping to navigate it one map at a time!

If you've been listening to the show for the past few months, you've heard me doing short interviews with designers at Facebook. This week, I'm really glad to have the chance to interview one at length -- Kingsley Harris.

Our conversation started off with Kingsley talking about what he does at Facebook, and then we spoke about how he got into design, his early days at social networking pioneer BlackPlanet, and talked about how we can get the next generation interested in design. Kingsley might not be the typical product designer, but it's his mix of experiences and perspectives that make him stand out!

Denise Jacobs is a woman who needs no introduction. Her work as a speaker, author, and creativity evangelist has her spreading the gospel of creativity at conferences and tech companies around the world, and has definitely made her a household name in the industry.

We started off talking about how Denise first got started in the industry and later broke into the speaker circuit, as well as her career transition from CSS to creativity. Denise also shared some great information about how to find your strengths, as well as what gives her purpose to continue doing this important work. According to Denise, everyone is creative; they just need to figure out how. That's the kind of wisdom that's made her such a sought after expert!

Rich Hollant's body of work is just...amazing. As the principal, strategist, and design director at CO:LAB (a firm he started in 1988), he has done work with everyone from Fortune 500 corporations to cities and municipalities with enriching social value projects. He's won awards from AIGA, CADC, Print, HOW, and many other organizations. Rich is also going to be a new national board member for AIGA...and there's even more!

While we did spend a good bit of time on the work that Rich and his firm does, our conversation touched on a lot of other points. Listen as Rich shares the secret to his business' success and longevity, his philosophy on work and life, and learn how he says designers can get involved in social value projects. You'll definitely want to take notes for this interview! Enjoy!