The Typecast: Grow Your Art Business

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This week we’re joined by Zachary Winterton, a creative director based in Portland, Oregon, who you’ve probably already seen teaching design on TikTok. Zachary has built a huge following breaking down design history and sharing design case studies in short-form video, all while working full-time as a creative director.

We get into how he taught himself design, how he made the jump from a marketing career into full-time design, and how a genuine friendship led to his first big agency job, eventually designing for brands like Nike and Jordan.

We also dig into the content side of his career: why he started making TikToks back in 2019, how his content format has evolved over the years, why he thinks of content as a “future opportunities machine,” and how he’s worked through the ego and view count pressure that comes with posting consistently. Plus a preview of what he’ll be speaking about at this year’s Kernference. Grab your ticket here: https://thekernference.com

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• How Zachary taught himself design without going to art school
• His path from a marketing career into full-time design
• Why he takes time to mentor designers who reach out to him
• Juggling a full-time creative director role with content creation
• How his TikTok journey started with daily Photoshop tips
• Evolving his content format over the years, from tutorials to design case studies
• Working through ego and view-count pressure
• Why being on camera is his least favorite part of making content

Connect with Zachary Winterton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zacharywinterton/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharywinterton

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharywinterton/

Mentioned in this episode:

• Laundry Service Creative Agency
• The Kernference

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

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This week we’re joined by illustrator, studio owner, and self-described “friendly dad” Brad Woodard of Brave the Woods (and the massively popular kids’ channel Brave Kids Club). We get into how a pandemic side project turned into a YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, what happened when a nature short went unexpectedly viral, and why Brad dropped “art” from the channel name.

Brad also shares his approach to teaching kids to draw, how he balances giving them structure with leaving room for their own creativity, and why so many kids stop calling themselves “artists” somewhere around second or third grade.

We also talk about texture, and why too much texture can sometimes mask a weak drawing. Plus a candid conversation about what it actually takes to keep a creative business afloat when you’re juggling client work, a studio, two YouTube channels, books, and a podcast: including the reality of what a kids’ channel with millions of views actually pays.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• Where the idea for Brave Kids Club came from 
• How one viral short changed the direction of the channel
• Why dropping “art” from the name helped the channel grow
• How Brad teaches kids to draw with structure while protecting their creativity
• Why kids stop identifying as “artists” 
• The difference between running a solo illustration practice and calling it a studio
• What Brad’s dream illustration projects actually look like
• Why teaching and sharing your process can position you as an expert, even before you feel like one
• The “reps, not results” mindset for showing up on social media without burning out

Connect with Brad Woodard

Instagram: https://instagram.com/brave_the_woods

Brave the Woods: bravethewoods.com

Brave Kids Club: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBraveKidsClub

Mentioned in this episode:

• Creative Slash Podcast
• “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman” by Richard Feynman
• Wild Kratts
• Jason Munn
• Mark Kistler / Imagination Station
• The Monster Project 
• Emily Ballsley on the Creative Slash Podcast
• The Ocean Explorer’s Drawing Guide for Kids
• The Dinosaur Explorer’s Drawing Guide for Kids
• The Nature Explorer’s Drawing Guide for Kids

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

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We’re back from a little hiatus, and we’re kicking things off with Christina Kwiek of X and Co., a lettering, illustration, and branding studio based in Brooklyn.

Christina walks us through her path from a childhood spent training as a ballerina to a last-minute pivot into art school, and how she’s found her way back to ballet as an adult, just for the joy of it. We get into the reality of freelancing for the last 8 years: the moment she quit a full-time job for a one-month freelance gig, the ebbs and flows that never fully go away, and how her slow seasons have actually led to some of her biggest projects. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether you have to hustle nonstop or post every day to build a creative business, this episode is a really honest look at another way to do it. 

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• Christina’s jump from ballet to art  school
• Why she quit her job for a one-month freelance contract
• The ebbs and flows of 8 years of freelancing
• How slow seasons have led to her biggest projects
• Inside her business: branding, murals, and licensing
• Where her clients actually find her (Instagram, Pinterest, and cold outreach)
• How cold outreach has changed, and why she still does it
• Why she stepped back from posting and treats Instagram like a portfolio
• Finding cohesive creative style without forcing it

Connect with Christina Kwiek

Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

• X and Co. 
• The Kernference 2026 

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

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Keep the conversation going on Slack

Learn more about Art Licensing with Goodtype

Grow your art licensing portfolio with 5 free prompts!

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

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What if your subtitles could whisper or shout, just like the person speaking? That’s exactly what Frederik Merkel (aka Freddi) is building. We met Freddi at South by Southwest and were instantly blown away by his startup, Phont, which is developing expressive caption technology that analyzes audio and translates it into dynamic, emotionally-expressive subtitles. Think kinetic type but automated, accessible, and built for real content.

In this episode, we dig into the full story: how Freddi went from finishing a master’s thesis in type design to co-founding a startup with no business experience and what it really takes to go from concept to product. We also get deep into the neuroscience side of things: synesthesia, aphantasia, the Ira Glass gap, and how understanding different brains perceive the world shaped Freddi’s research from the very beginning.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• How Freddi’s master’s thesis became a startup idea
• What expressive captions are and why they matter
• The transition from type designer to co-founder
• How Phont navigated public funding in Germany
• Building demos without a parametric font (yet)
• The Phont Adobe plugin that’s coming soon
• Synesthesia research and how it shaped the font design process
• How to support or pilot Phont right now

Connect with Frederik Merkel

Phont: https://phont.ai/ 

Phont on IG: https://www.instagram.com/phont.official/ 

Freddi on IG: https://www.instagram.com/freddimerkuri/ 

Freddi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederik-merkel-design/ 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Phont: https://phont.ai/
• Michael Havakamp - Synesthetic Design
• Melanie Scheer - Aphantasia
• OHno Type Company

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

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Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

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She’s been a fine art major, a print designer, a Barbie packaging designer at Mattel, a surface pattern designer, an art licensing exhibitor, and, for the past 10 years, an artist coach.

In this episode, we sit with Jeanetta Gonzales, Ilana’s first art licensing mentor, for a conversation that goes way beyond business strategy. We’re talking about the long, winding road of building a creative career, what it was actually like to exhibit at art licensing trade shows, and why the seeds you plant at a show might not sprout for years.

Jeanetta also shares all about her brand new book series, Free Pass, four illustrated coupon books published with Chronicle that are essentially permission slips for creatives, workers, resters, and parents. The creativity book was born directly out of her coaching work after she noticed that the moment she gave an artist the green light, everything changed.

If you’ve felt stuck in a creative funk, wondered if your winding career path was “wrong,” or needed someone to just give you permission to rest, this one’s for you.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• How Jeanetta went from UCLA fine art major to Barbie packaging designer at Mattel
• Stumbling into art licensing and what Surtex was (and why it mattered)
• Whether art licensing trade shows are still worth it, and what the long game really looks like
• What it’s actually like to design and work on a trade show booth 
• The story behind her new book series, Free Pass
• How she illustrated 72 pieces in the middle of a cross-country move
• Working with ADHD: procrastination, pressure, and finally getting it done
• Why your environment has more impact on your creativity than you think
• Being honest about being in a creative funk, and not rushing to fix it
• Her plans to rebrand for the first time in 10 years 

Connect with Jeanetta Gonzales
Website: https://www.jeanettagonzales.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nettdesigns 
Free Pass Book Series: https://www.jeanettagonzales.com/freepasscoupons 

Jeanetta select client work: NY Times, Pantone, Target, Michaels, Edible Arrangements, and Brumate.

Mentioned in this episode:
Free Pass, Jeanetta’s 4-book series
Surtex (art licensing trade show)
National Stationery Show
Las Vegas Trade Show
Upper Limit Challenge (concept from The Big Leap)

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the show

Tag us on Instagram @Goodtype

Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

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What does it actually look like to build a creative business that works for you, not the other way around?

In this episode, we’re joined by the incredible Liz Kohler Brown, a surface designer, letterer, and mentor for creatives who want to sell their work and find their style. Liz has built a business that looks like it’s all her, but the secret is a thoughtfully built team that handles everything so she can focus on what she loves most: making art.

We talk about the real strategy behind print on demand, how to hire people you actually like working with, and why front-loading the investment in training pays off in ways you can’t imagine. We also get into the AI conversation, how Liz thinks about it with a level head and why she’s not worried about it replacing her.

If you ever felt like you’re doing all the things but can’t find the time to just make? This episode is for you.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• Liz’s journey from ceramics to print on demand and why the iPad changed everything
• Why print on demand platforms aren’t saturated (but certain search terms are)
• How to use SEO to plan what art you make (before you make it)
• The Venn diagram method for finding your profitable niche
• The real cost of not hiring and the books that will change your mind
• Why you should hire for personality first and train the skills
• The membership breakdown: trend reports, live critiques, and real-time creation sessions
• Liz’s dream greenhouse studio

Connect with Liz Kohler Brown

LizKohlerBrown.com 

https://instagram.com/lizkohlerbrown 

Sell Your Stuff Guide: https://www.lizkohlerbrown.com/sell-your-stuff-field-guide/ 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Spoonflower
• Etsy
• Minted
• Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
• Who Not How by Dan Sullivan
• Insight Timer (free meditation app)
• 10% Happier
• Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

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Tag us on Instagram @Goodtype

Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

Send us Fan Mail

Ever wonder what’s actually running behind the scenes of a creative business? We’re pulling back the curtain. In this episode, we’re breaking down every tool and platform we use to run Goodtype. From our website and course platform to payroll, bookkeeping, email marketing, and everything in between. We’re keeping it real: what we love, what gives us the sweats (hi, Zapier), and how we built a functional system over time without losing our minds.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• Why we use Squarespace for our website 
• How ThriveCart, Stripe, and PayPal all work together for course sales
• What we landed on to host our courses and The Kernference
• How we use Notion to manage everything, and our A/B/C priority system
• Our all-day-every-day communication hub
• The Adobe Acrobat Spaces features we’re genuinely nerding out over
• What we use to automate and communicate between our different apps
• Our banking setup 
• Our email marketing breakdown
• Using DM automations and scheduling tools
• Podcast recording and hosting faves 
• Email inbox management using Shift
• Our honest (and very curious) thoughts on AI workflows

Mentioned in this episode:

• Try Acrobat Spaces! https://goodtype.us/acrobat #ad
• Squarespace 
• Kate Christy at Folk Founded
• Nolan Pelletier 
• ThriveCart
• Circle
• Our Notion Dashboard Template
• Adobe Creative Cloud
• Zapier
• Novo
• Bench
• Gusto
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
• Flodesk
• ManyChat
• Adobe Express
• Metricool
• Riverside
• Buzzsprout
• Shift for Email Management

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the show

Tag us on Instagram @Goodtype

Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

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In this episode, we sat down with Tom Foley, Executive Creative Director at Monotype–the biggest type company in the world–for a conversation that went way deeper than we planned (in the best possible way). From his family’s legacy of stonemasons and sign painters to his graduate research on Irish typography, Tom gave us an entirely new lens through which to see typography.

We also dig into the big questions: what actually makes good type, how type trends work (and why they’re so hard to predict), what Monotype’s research reveals, and where variable fonts are actually landing in the world.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• The fascinating origin story of what we now call Irish type
• What makes good type
• Whether design knowledge and historical context make you better or worse at type design
• What Monotype’s research reveals about purchasing habits across generations
• Whether giving users more font choice in apps is actually what people want (or need)
• Type as a deeply human invention–linked to language, identity, and culture

Connect with Tom Foley

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tom_foley_type/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-foley-75062158/ 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Monotype https://www.monotype.com/ 
• Monotype’s ReVision Report 2025 https://www.monotype.com/resources/ebook/unlock-report-revision-2025 
• Montotype’s Report 2024 https://www.monotype.com/resources/ebook/unlock-report-type-trends-2024 
• What the font https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont 
• Brethren Brothers https://www.brethrendesignco.com/ 

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the show

Tag us on Instagram @Goodtype

Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

Send us Fan Mail

What does it actually look like to run a thriving creative business? One with branding projects, murals, fonts, and a coffee company in the mix?! In this episode, we’re joined by the endlessly curious and wildly productive Adam Vicarel, who is proof that creative experimentation paired with smart systems can take you a long way.

Whether you’re figuring out how to balance creative freedom with financial stability, trying to find the headspace for things that aren’t immediately due, or just wondering if LinkedIn is worth your time, this one’s for you.

All that and more when you listen to this episode:

• How Adam structures his day using the Pomodoro Technique (and why creatives need structure to be creative)
• The “be everywhere, always” approach to marketing and why it’s really just being authentically top of mind
• How to build passive income streams without overthinking them first
• Font sales, SEO, and why Adam’s “little turd fonts” now pay his mortgage 
• Why financial stability is the foundation for creative experimentation
• The $100k conversation: what it actually means and why it looks different for everyone
• Batching content and staying consistent on social media
• Raising rates with confidence: what it signals to clients and why it matters 
• Project management and getting ideas out of your head so they stop taking up space

Connect with Adam Vicarel

Website: https://www.adamvicarel.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicarelstudios/
Coffee Company: https://www.instagram.com/allclevelandcoffee/ 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Follow Your Art Book
• Pomodoro Technique
• Brethren Design Co.
• Asana

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the show

Tag us on Instagram @Goodtype

Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when a journalist from Venezuela becomes a self-taught designer, typeface foundry founder, and curator of one of the most ambitious graphic design exhibitions in recent memory? You get Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz, and our conversation with him does not disappoint. 

Lope is a partner and project lead at In-House International, a design studio and typeface foundry. He’s also a TED Fellow, a Knight Fellow at Stanford, and the curator behind One Hundred Points.

In this episode, we dig into what it actually looks like to build a creative practice rooted in curiosity and systems–not just style. Lope shares his take on design rules (and whether you should bother learning them) and how his journalism background still shapes every creative decision he makes. We also get into the realities of working with nonprofits, font piracy, and how he pulled off a massive exhibition without taking a sabbatical. 

All that and more when you listen to this episode: 

• How Lope went from journalist to publisher to self-taught designer and typeface founder
• Why being self-taught may actually be a creative advantage 
• His philosophy on design rules, systems, and building a practice around curiosity 
• The studio structure at In-House International 
• The truth about font piracy and typeface licensing
• How One Hundred Points came to be and why he thinks every designer should participate in an exhibition
• Tips for funding a creative exhibition through sponsorships
• The “Alphabet of Tomorrow” talk at South by Southwest 

Connect with Lope

• In-House International: weareinhouse.com 
• Instagram: weareinhouse
• One Hundred Points Exhibition: onehundredpoints.org 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Run Studio Run https://nopicnicpress.com/shop/run-studio-run 
• South by Southwest, “Alphabet of Tomorrow” talk, March 18, 2026 https://schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP1150035 
• Follow Your Art by Katie Johnson & Ilana Griffo (book releasing March 17th!) https://goodtype.us/follow-your-art-book 
• Book Launch Event @ Roommate Collective at Springdale General, Austin: March 18th, 5-8pm
• Tactical Guide to Sponsorship PDF

Connect with Katie & Ilana from Goodtype

• Goodtype Website
• Goodtype on Instagram
• Goodtype on Youtube

We wrote a book! Grab a copy and sign up to access the audiobook when we release it!

Love The Typecast and free stuff? Leave a review, and send a screenshot of it to us on Slack. Each month we pick a random reviewer to win a Goodtype Goodie! Goodies include merch, courses and Kernference tickets!

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to the show

Tag us on Instagram @Goodtype

Follow us on Tiktok @lovegoodtype

Learn from Katie and Ilana

Grab your tea, coffee, or drink of choice, kick back, and let's get down to business!