Underscore

Our guest is educator and graphic designer Sajad Amini.

In this episode, Amini speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠ about ethics, the role and responsibility of the graphic designer, and the variety of ways in which language and semiotics come together to create realities that, more often than not, are unexpected.

Amini shares examples that showcase graphic design as both being complicit in problem-solving and problem-making and the importance of making decisions that are value-driven and equitable. We learn about his teaching philosophy and methods for encouraging critical thinking amongst his students and the reason why he believes authenticity and experimentation are crucial within the design process.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is Will Miller, Senior Director of Design at the Chicago-based creative studio, Firebelly.

In this episode, Miller speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠ about his design process, the importance of drawing inspiration from personal interests, ways to build trust with clients and stakeholders, craft, typography, designing in Chicago for over two decades, and so much more.

We also hear about the lessons he learns in empathy and compassion from dogs and pets and the ways in which he carries those teachings into his work.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is designer and business owner Cheryl Bever.

In this episode, Cheryl speaks with host ⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠ about her transition from fashion design to graphic design, her thoughts on the pressures of social media, confidence, running a business, working independently, and much more.

She shares with us the importance and value that she places on community and belonging, and as a collaborator of the Chicago Graphic Design Club, she dives deep into her approach to our programming.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is designer and partner at the Chicago-based studio Span John Pobojewski.

In this episode, John speaks with host Christian Solorzano about his background and education in music and the ways it influences his approach to his graphic design practice. 

From 2003–2019 John was a designer and later partner at Thirst alongside Rick Valicenti — and he shares with us his experiences and lessons learned from that time. He dives deep into his belief that design is one of the many ways to look at the world as a place of discovery and possibilities, in which designers have an opportunity to respond through their creative disciplines and values. 

We also hear about the power of listening, which serves as an imperative skill that allows us to create thoughtful and purpose-led solutions to problems, and so much more.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guests are design educators and practitioners Sharon Oiga and Guy Villa.

In this episode, Oiga and Villa speak with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about their collaborative dynamic, the story of how they met while studying at UIC in the 90s, the emphasis they place and looking for inspiration outside of design, and so much more. As educators, Oiga and Villa both give us a glimpse into their teaching ethos and the ways in which they foster curiosity in their students through experimentation and play. This conversation centers much around graphic design craft, theory, and practice.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is educator, typographer, photographer, and interdisciplinary designer Nathan Matteson.

In this episode, Matteson speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about his approach to graphic design that emphasizes the materiality of what we work with, his focus on typography as a tool of communication, his transition from painting into graphic design, and his skepticism of whether design can ever truly be solution-oriented. He shares with us his thoughts on craft and the consequences of plugins and templates used within the design process and offers us alternative ways through which we can approach our work as graphic designers.

Nathan on the web:

https://brut.ist/

https://skeptic.ist/

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guests are Design Director Nermin Moufti and Strategic Director Kristin Lueke of the creative studio Field of Practice.

In this episode, Nermin and Kristin speak with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about their studio's ethos, which views the creative process not as a destination but as an ongoing practice. Together, they share the ways in which they are challenging notions of business as usual and their need to stray away from the false sense of urgency. We explore the meaning of a creative obituary as opposed to a creative brief and what it means to leave behind a legacy through the work that we do as creatives.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is a multi-disciplinary writer, educator, consultant, futurist, and lecturer, Heather Snyder Quinn⁠. Her work focuses on the future of design, emerging technology, ethics, fiction, interdisciplinary practices, and theory and has been recognized by Nasa, the World Economic Forum, MIT Press, Yale Law School, and the Washington Post. Heather is often found playing in unexpected places, physical or virtual, and collaborating with people from an array of backgrounds. Her work uses design fiction to empower communities to imagine possible futures and understand technology’s impact on human freedoms.

Currently, she is editing Technologies of Deception, a publication bringing together art, design, technology, ethics, futurism, and policymaking. 

In this episode, Quinn speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠ about her early love for phonebooks, the future of graphic design, education, AI, interdisciplinary approaches to creative problem-solving, and much more.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is Patrick Smith, designer and founder of C2 Creative Studio. For over two decades, Smith has been working as a designer and calling Chicago his home. Today, in addition to working with clients and running his own studio, he is a contributing committee member of the Chicago Graphic Design Club, where he helps drive our mission and programming.

In this episode, Smith speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠ about his introduction to graphic design, his first creative projects, drawing band logos and album covers as a teenager, the evolution of Chicago's design industry over the last two decades, leadership, and much more.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is ⁠⁠⁠⁠iicky⁠, a Chicago-based artist who works with the concept of impermanence and non-traditional materials. His ethos centered around embracing decay, aging, and his father’s advice of “use what you have” and “there are no mistakes.” 

Born in Trinidad but raised in the Virgin Islands, today he resides in Chicago. He was one of the featured in the Chicago Graphic Design Club’s art exhibit, ⁠Chicago’s Tomorrow, Today⁠. His piece is titled “floating taxis in hyperspace near Pluto while eating vegan hotdogs.”

In this episode, iicky speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠, about his earliest memories of creativity, the value of the imperfect, sustainability, analog media, technology, and much more.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠.