Our guest is Tanner Woodford, Executive Director and Founder of the Design Museum of Chicago. Woodford has been a key figure in Chicago’s design community for over a decade, creating spaces for critical dialogue, connection, and inspiration. He’s an optimist by nature and a believer that design has the capacity to improve the human condition. In addition, he’s an educator, artist, muralist, and coin collector.

In this episode, Woodford speaks with host Christian Solorzano and shares stories about his early introduction to graphic design, the beginning of the Design Museum of Chicago, his influences, and ways to strengthen design's role throughout the city.

Music by the band Eighties Slang.

The designer Francis has deep Chicago roots. Although they are no longer in Chicago, their work continues to be heavily inspired by their relationship to Chicago's 90s design community and culture. Francis is a designer who prioritizes graphic design before anything else. They're unapologetic in their criticism of the design industry. Still, they make an effort to push the boundaries of what is possible and inspire the next generation to do good work.

In this episode, Francis speaks with host Christian Solorzano and discusses their education and upbringing in Chicago during the 90s, their influences, approach to working with clients, philosophy, and more.

Music by the band Eighties Slang.

Over the past two decades, graphic designer, Nick Adam has been shaping and contributing to Chicago’s visual culture through collaborations with institutions, studios, and leaders. He describes himself as strategic and values-driven, focusing on and exploring identities and stories while producing work that leads to rich conversation and experiences by merging craft, theory, and optimism.

In 2018, he graduated with an MFA in Graphic Design from RISD. Currently, he is a Design Principal at the design studio Span. Before that, he was an Associate Principal at Rick Valicenti’s studio, Thirst, and before that, Strategic Director at Firebelly.

In this episode, Nick Adam speaks with host Christian Solorzano and Jaime Cisneros and, discusses his upbringing, early design influences, approach to design, the Chicago design community, and more.

Music by the band Eighties Slang.

Since 1991 Carlos Segura has been running his studio, Segura Inc. In 1994 he founded T26 type foundry, and today, he continues to create beautiful work with purpose, meaning, and immense attention to detail.

In this episode, Segura speaks with host Christian Solorzano and discusses his design philosophy, approach to working with clients, and shares stories about the Chicago design community. Music by the band Eighties Slang.

Bob Zeni is no stranger to the design community. In the past, year after year, Zeni contributed his time to fostering the celebration of craft and excellence in design. Zeni graduated in 1974 with a degree in journalism, and 1988, he began his design agency, Bob Zeni & Associates, where he worked on visual identity systems, editorial design, and digital and print design. 

In this episode, Zeni speaks with host Christian Solorzano and discusses his journey, experience, and stories about the Chicago design community. Music by the band Eighties Slang.

Mx. Studio was founded by designers Jonathan Sangster and KT Duffy. Together they focus on projects that involve branding, identity development, front-end web development, VR and AR environments, design, print, social media, concept development, video, and digital fabrication. In this episode, Sangster and KT speak with host Christian Solorzano and discuss their approach to design, breaking conventions, sharing their solutions to building an equitable industry that champions diversity of thought, and more. Episode edited by Irina Goldman. Music by the band Eighties Slang.

Patric King is a graphic designer and typographer based in Chicago. In this episode, King speaks with host, Christian Solorzano and discusses coming to Chicago in the mid-1990s to work alongside Rick Valicenti at the design studio Thirst and the work that he did while there. King also shares how he founded House of Pretty, his design studio, and speaks about some of the early influences that shaped his career.

King is also the designer and typographer responsible for Big Shoulders, the official typeface for the City of Chicago, released in 2020.

In this episode, host, Christian Solorzano, speaks with Nick Haas, a Chicago-based designer, creative director, and artist. Originally from Cleveland Ohio, Nick has been calling Chicago his home for over 20 years. In 2002 he graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Graphic Design.

Today, his roles are Director of Design in the Products and Technology group at PwC — which is a large consulting firm, and Founder of Haastyle — his creative outlet where he produces artwork and photography for public companies and private collectors.

His work has been recognized by GD USA, Communicator Awards, W3 Awards, the Chicago Suntimes, and the Chicago Tribune, amongst others.

In this episode, we explore the evolution of the design discipline, ways to balance professional and personal creative practices, places in the city from which he draws inspiration, and general life advice.

In this episode, host, Christian Solorzano, speaks with Chicago-based designer, Brooke Kravitz, about a wide range of topics, from emotions, vulnerability, creativity, business, and more. She shares with us the story of how she was introduced to graphic design, how being a Girl Scout shaped her perspective of the world and her perspective on design.