Revision Path

Anselmo Pelembe's design style is from a myriad of influences -- his colorful seaside hometown of Maputo in Mozambique, the tropical isle of Saint Helena, and a dash of jolly old England in Stamford.

We talked about his creative journey, the challenges of running his business, and his exhibit of pottery during London Design Festival in 2014. Who says design has limitations? Not Anselmo!

I really had a blast talking with Kristy Tillman, the design director for the Society of Grownups. While she's probably most well-known for The Detroit Water Project, Kristy has also been a designer at big agencies and companies like IDEO, Reebok, and PUMA.

We started off talking about the rigors of the hiring process when it comes to designers, civic design and what that means to her, and then went straight into dissecting diversity in the design industry (particularly as it relates to the workplace). It's a little more candid than most interviews, but it's 100% real talk. I just wish our conversation would have been longer! Maybe a Part 2 of this interview will come in the future...

"Live breathe futbol" might sounds like a simple soccer fan's phrase, but graphic designer and creative director Ebun Olaloye has managed to turn this into a lucrative brand.

We talked about how he created the popular apparel brand, what his plans for the future are with Live Breathe Futbol, and delved into why creativity is a constant journey. Ebun is a great example of someone who not only inspires others, but shows that you can do what you want to do if you set your mind to it.

It's Revision Path's second anniversary! Thanks to your support, I've been able to interview over 100 Black designers and developers from all around the world over these past two years.

This week's episode is just me talking to you. I answer a few questions that people have sent in, and I talk about the results from our audience survey last year.

What's in store for Revision Path in the future? Who knows? All I know is that I need the support of the community to make it happen. Let's do it!

I had the great pleasure to talk with Ashley Nelson-Hornstein, a Syracuse University graduate and an iOS developer for Dropbox. She may be fairly new to the company, but she has cut her teeth as an iOS dev at probably the best place anyone can learn it -- Apple.

We talked about her journey from Apple to Circa to Dropbox, spoke a bit about her accessibility work she's doing (and why it's so important), and talked about her conference talks, such as her talk at Yandex in October 2014. Ashley definitely knows her stuff, and I think she's one to watch out for in Silicon Valley.

I first heard about Xavier Ruffin back in late 2013 during his fundraising campaign for Mad Black Men, a satirical web series inspired by Mad Men about the 1960's ad industry from the eyes of three Black ad workers. We also featured Xavier on our "12 Designers to Follow on Behance" post last year. So imagine my surprise when Xavier contacted me and wanted to be on the show. How could I say no?

Xavier's work is so much more than this one campaign though. We talked about his company, his title sequencing work for several popular artists like T.I., Childish Gambino, and Wiz Khalifa, and many more. Xavier also gave some great advice for people out there trying to increase their profile. Thanks again for the conversation, Xavier!

Joe Blau and his dedication to learning and staying at the top of his game is both inspiring and infectious. His work ranges from mobile apps to front end development to backend systems and security work. Oh, and there's more!

We talked about the hot topic issue of diversity in Silicon Valley, why Silicon Valley is such an interesting place right now, and he gave some really awesome advice for software developers. Grab a pen and pad, because you'll definitely want to take notes for this episode! Enjoy!

I'm starting Black History Month with a really great conversation with Gitamba Saila-Ngita. Gitamba is a multidisciplinary designer and strategist living in New York, and he has collaborated and produced work for brands and agencies such as Carrot, Apple, and Nurun.

Gitamba is what I'd call a "global designer" (word to Ced Funches) -- multilingual, grew up around the world, and travels frequently. All of these experiences influence his approach to projects and his design sensibilities. We also touched on diversity in the design industry, and we talked shop about MF DOOM. Keep an eye on Gitamba -- he's definitely going places. Enjoy!

I had such a delightful conversation with this week's guest -- Brooklyn-based graphic designer and artist Arielle Wilkins.

We spoke about growing up in a creative family, her time at SVA, and the difference in working with a big agency versus a smaller agency. Arielle also talked about her latest project Brothas and Sistas, and how she gained the confidence to keep at it and turn it into something successful! Watch out for Arielle -- I have a feeling you'll be seeing her work in stores soon!

January continues with an interview with Brooklyn-based graphic designer and illustrator Brittany Holloway-Brown.

Brittany's vibrant watercolor works have been seen across the web on sites like StyleBlazer, BuzzFeed, and many more. We talked about how the Internet has helped her gain a larger platform, the motivations behind her pieces, and her "Dark Girls" series that explores the representation of dark-skinned women in the beauty industry.