Talk Paper Scissors (Diana Varma)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Talk Paper Scissors
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
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| 10 Feb 2022 | Intersection: Erin Sass, Digital Paper Artist | 00:14:36 | |
Intersection is a series exploring the creative practices of 17 diverse female artists and discovering the ways in which their experiences intersect. In this episode, you will meet digital paper artist, Erin Sass, who shares the way she uses the app Procreate to add layers and texture to create realistic digital paper creations, how her future will ideally include a blend of engineering and design, as well as learn the subject matter that fuels her. Erin’s experiences intersect with Kate (creating work that’s meaningful) and Katherine (entering a flow state).
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| 10 Feb 2022 | Intersection: Katherine Klimitas, Watercolour Artist | 00:32:18 | |
Intersection is a series exploring the creative practices of 17 diverse female artists and discovering the ways in which their experiences intersect. In this episode, you will meet watercolour artist, Katherine Klimitas, who shares the unique process she uses to paint, the way she manages her time to pursue both artistic projects and graphic design work, and the great story of how she came to work for Rod Stewart on a project. Katherine’s experiences intersect with Erin (entering a flow state) and Babette (determination in creativity).
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| 10 Feb 2022 | Intersection: Babette the Builder, Woodworker | 00:18:54 | |
Intersection is a series exploring the creative practices of 17 diverse female artists and discovering the ways in which their experiences intersect. In this episode, you will meet woodworker, Babette the Builder, who shares how she fell into woodworking by accident, the way resourcefulness is an important skill in creative work and her belief that sometimes formal education and training dampens creativity. Babette’s experiences intersect with Katherine (determination in creativity) and Diana (spontaneity of her process), coming full circle back to the very first episode, 077: Intersection Primer.
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| 18 Feb 2022 | Olympic Design Systems with Paul Twa | 00:38:33 | |
In this Olympic-themed episode, designer and illustrator, Paul Twa, generously shares his knowledge about the history of the design of the Olympic Games and the ways it mirrors graphic design trends, techniques and tools at-large. Controversial Olympic emblems, incredible pictogram systems and a deconstruction of the Beijing 2022 Olympic design are all discussed. We also look ahead to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games and Paul shares his thoughts on democratization of design.
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| 20 Feb 2022 | Storytelling and Athletics with Micha Powell | 00:54:00 | |
Micha Powell is an Olympian, public speaker, model and producer. In our conversation and through the power of story, Micha helps us understand the emotional rollercoaster of elite-level competition as a track and field athlete. You’ll also hear about Micha’s podcast, People Behind the Performance, and why she felt compelled to create it. You’ll hear Micha talk about her incredible Mom, her thoughts on the link between creativity and athletics, and… you’ll hear Diana cry (in the best way possible).
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| 28 Feb 2022 | ABCs of GCM: A-I | 00:24:03 | |
We learn our ABCs as preschoolers, writing down our alphabet, combining letters into words into sentences and eventually into stories. When entering into a new industry, it can be like learning a whole new language to understand the technical jargon and specific buzzwords thrown around. The graphic communications industry is no different and in this 3-part series, Diana takes a stroll through the alphabet that we all know and love, using it as a framework to explore the ABCs of GCM. In this episode, we explore the letters A - I: Author's Alterations, Bar Codes, Creative Cloud, Descenders, Endpapers, Fifth Colour, Grain, Hickies and Imposition.
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| 01 Mar 2022 | ABCs of GCM: J-R | 00:20:19 | |
We learn our ABCs as preschoolers, writing down our alphabet, combining letters into words into sentences and eventually into stories. When entering into a new industry, it can be like learning a whole new language to understand the technical jargon and specific buzzwords thrown around. The graphic communications industry is no different and in this 3-part series, Diana takes a stroll through the alphabet that we all know and love, using it as a framework to explore the ABCs of GCM. In this episode, we explore the letters J - R: Justified, Kilobyte, Leading, Makeready, Newsprint, Offset, PPI, Quire and Ream.
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| 07 Mar 2022 | ABCs of GCM: S-& | 00:18:45 | |
We learn our ABCs as preschoolers, writing down our alphabet, combining letters into words into sentences and eventually into stories. When entering into a new industry, it can be like learning a whole new language to understand the technical jargon and specific buzzwords thrown around. The graphic communications industry is no different and in this 3-part series, Diana takes a stroll through the alphabet that we all know and love, using it as a framework to explore the ABCs of GCM. In this final episode, we explore the letters S - &: Saddle Stitch, Trim Size, UV Coating, Virgin Paper, Watermark, X-height, Yellow, Zip File and Ampersand.
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| 24 Mar 2022 | Desert Island Typefaces with Mark Simonson | 00:49:41 | |
It’s here! We’ve made it! EPISODE 100! To celebrate, Diana’s looking back at some of her favourite answers to the question: “If you could only choose one typeface to use for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?” Diana’s own ‘desert island typeface’ is Proxima Nova and a very special guest joins us to make all of Diana’s type dreams come true.
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| 12 Apr 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Emad Saedi, Composer | 00:28:42 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? You’ll hear stories and insights from the lived experiences of 11 diverse listeners: a composer, TV morning show producer, improvisational theatre extraordinaire, mediator, jazz vocalist, clinical psychologist, former radio show host who embarked on a 3-month vow of silence, dog trainer, family lawyer, creative strategist and chiropractor. In this first episode, composer Emad Saedi shares his story about quitting his full-time job as a tech journalist to pursue an uncertain (but soul-giving) career composing music. You’ll hear his views on listening across cultures, as well as why he believes silence is beautiful and necessary.
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| 15 Apr 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Kati Mason, TV Producer | 00:41:24 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this episode, senior TV news producer, Kati Mason, describes how she listens as a journalist and producer, understanding the unspoken biases and motivations behind every story. She explains key journalistic foundations and storytelling devices, including how they are impacted by listening. Also, Kati and Diana try to solve world peace… no big deal.
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| 25 Apr 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Tim Miller, Improv Extraordinaire | 00:51:58 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this episode, improv extraordinaire (and Diana’s high school drama teacher!) Tim Miller, describes what we can learn about listening through the world of improvisational theatre and how the key foundations of improv are also excellent guideposts for life. He shares personal and vulnerable anecdotes about how listening to himself and listening to others has made him a better person.
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| 26 Apr 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Oliver Martin, Mediator | 00:41:50 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, mediator Oliver Martin, articulates what active listening looks like, why our brains make it so difficult to actively listen, as well as why listening is hugely important as a means to help others clarify their own thoughts. Oliver reminds us that listening is a superpower in the pursuit of what it means to be human and connect with others, offering strategic approaches to becoming a better listener today. Let’s get compassionately curious.
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| 09 May 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Kalya Ramu, Jazz Vocalist | 00:35:11 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, professional jazz vocalist Kalya Ramu describes how listening is quintessential to performing live music, as well as how making music happens in a virtual environment. Kalya shares how she actively listens to a piece of music as a professional and how we can all benefit from this type of meditative music listening experience too.
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| 10 May 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Clinical Psychologist | 00:36:52 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, Clinical Psychologist Dr. Jennifer Hunter gets into the nitty-gritty about different types of listening exchanges, as well as how to tap into our emotional states as a way to listen on another level. She and Diana explore the imbalance they feel in how communication is taught (speaking vs. listening) in classrooms of all levels, as determined by metrics like participation grades. Dr. Jennifer Hunter also identifies listening’s transformational power, listening’s role as a precursor to creative thinking, the role self-esteem plays in listening and she positions the act of listening as a gift we can offer others.
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| 16 May 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Drew Marshall, 3 Month Vow of Silence | 00:52:11 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, former talk show host and fellow curious human, Drew Marshall, shares his experiences during a three month vow of silence while walking the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James); a nearly 1000 km walk in northwestern Spain. Drew shares what led him to walk 1000 km in silence (what he calls ‘accidental intentionality’), his insights about the importance of asking questions as a precursor to listening and why his vow of silence gave everyone permission to dive below surface level in conversations. Drew shares a powerful story about what happens when we make assumptions, including how listening can open our hearts and minds to receiving new people and new experiences. Finally, Drew explains the way in which life slowed down when he went silent, how silence affected his creativity and his approach to ‘chasing the why’.
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| 17 May 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Jenna Kingston, Dog Trainer | 00:39:44 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, dog trainer Jenna Kingston shares how dogs listen to one another and to the humans in their lives. Jenna explains the power that intuitive energy plays in canine listening, as well as how dogs in a pack communicate with one another. Dogs teach us that calm energy is required in a chaotic environment because you can only control yourself and not the world around you. Lastly, Jenna shares her thoughts on being willing to remain quiet and listen so that we can learn from every situation.
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| 21 May 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Jenna Beaton, Lawyer | 00:32:42 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, family law litigator Jenna Beaton describes the patience and restraint often needed while listening as a lawyer, as well as the directive component to listening (controlling the conversation parameters) often required in law. We explore the importance of asking the right questions, separating emotionality from the content in high stakes listening and the importance of asking ‘why’ to question the status quo.
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| 21 May 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Douglas Davis, Creative Strategist | 00:37:42 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this conversation, creative strategist Douglas Davis, generously shares the way listening is critical to the dynamic of understanding communication gaps that can exist between various stakeholders in the creative process and how listening allows creatives to be more strategic, including the importance of listening for the questions behind the questions. He also shares how learning to control our emotions is necessary within the context of the creative process through listening to our own bodies, as well as his take on imposter syndrome, drawing parallels between today’s creative climate and that of the turn of the new millennium (in the early days of web design). Finally, Douglas reminds us that listening is required to allow creative people everywhere to remain on brand, on strategy and on message.
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| 01 Jun 2022 | Listening x Creativity: Dr. Christine Wozniak, Chiropractor | 00:18:36 | |
Welcome to an 11-part series exploring the intersection of listening and creativity. Why is listening so important? How can we become better listeners? How can listening make us more creative? In this final conversation, chiropractor and acupuncturist Dr. Christine Wozniak explains the intimate relationship between stretching our bodies and improving our ability to listen through a process of attunement. She explains ‘attunement’, how to achieve it through the act of stretching and how it can positively impact our ability to listen. Like our interconnected bodies themselves, this episode helps us understand the links that exist between mind, body and creativity.
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| 03 Jun 2022 | The Little Friends of Printmaking! | 00:32:14 | |
Welcome The Little Friends of Printmaking, JW and Melissa Buchanan! This silkscreening duo of printmakers, illustrators and designers from Pasadena, California produce work for clients like Disney, FX, Nike and Cartoon Network. In this conversation, the pair discuss The Little Friends of Printmaking’s origin story, the way printmaking bridges the gap between technical and creative pursuits, how the medium of print offers a wonderful constraint, the how-to of silk screening, as well as The Little Friends’ creative process. The duo shares the surprising physicality of the silk screen process, interesting techniques they like to explore (marbling, matte vs. gloss, etc.) and tips for getting started. Finally, Melissa and JW share what they’re working on now and what we can expect in the future. Let’s tap into our inner printing nerds!
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| 14 Jun 2022 | Font Futures: Emerging Typeface Designers Nate Evangelista & Sarah Zahavi | 00:24:35 | |
Welcome to the future… FONT FUTURES! In this first of three episodes in the series, you’ll meet emerging typeface designers Nate Evangelista and Sarah Zahavi. You’ll learn about their original typeface designs (Aqua and Negative Space), as well as their process, sources of inspiration and their favourite glyphs. Nate’s original typeface is derived from feeling, while Sarah’s is derived from thinking. Nate’s is organic and natural, while Sarah’s was born on city streets. These two typefaces, their processes and their designers are incredibly different, but each is also incredibly successful in their interpretations of the creative brief.
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| 15 Jun 2022 | Font Futures: Variable Font Technology with Charles Nix of Monotype | 01:08:11 | |
Welcome to the future… FONT FUTURES! Today’s guest is the legendary Charles Nix, Creative Type Director at Monotype. In the following talk, you’ll hear the who, what, why, when, where and how of variable type technology, including some incredible examples of variable type that already exist in the world. You’ll hear about the technology behind variable type, as well as the creative solutions possible for both the digital and physical world when designers are able to play with type as a medium. Variable font technology allows creatives to move beyond the binary to space that’s fluid and dimensional, exploring a spectrum of type. This episode could be called ‘Variable Type 101’ and it’s jam-packed with insight!
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| 16 Jun 2022 | Font Futures: Indigenous Syllabic Type Revitalization with Kevin King | 00:52:05 | |
Welcome to the future… FONT FUTURES! In this episode, we meet Toronto-based type designer, Kevin King, who is working to revitalize and preserve North American Indigenous languages in digital spaces. You’ll hear Kevin’s career origin story, the challenges that exist in digital spaces for minority language support, current barriers to access and the process involved in helping to remove these barriers. You’ll learn the process involved in taking on a project of this magnitude, including a research methodology that helped Kevin reach out to Indigenous communities and work with language keepers directly. Finally, Kevin provides excellent advice for up-and-coming type designers.
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| 17 Jun 2022 | Big Emotions in Creative Living with Nicola Hamilton and LeeAndra Cianci of The Scaries | 00:37:59 | |
In this first episode in a mini series all about big emotions in creative living, you’ll hear what The Scaries is all about, how it evolved and the form it takes today. You’ll hear the voices behind The Scaries: Nicola Hamilton and LeeAndra Cianci. We talk about the emotional realities of creative living (including regular feelings of self doubt) and how the duo overcame burnout through their creative practice. We dive into imposter syndrome, fear and why giving our big feelings a voice is a huge step towards making them work for us and not against us! Finally, Diana announces the big super secret project she’s been working on.
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| 20 Jun 2022 | Big Emotions in Creative Living with Jamie Roberts of Rock That Creative Job | 00:55:46 | |
In this episode about big emotions in creative living, you’ll meet Jamie Roberts of Rock That Creative Job and learn how she helps support creative people in various stages of their journeys. We take a deep dive into imposter syndrome and Jamie shares an assessment she’s created to help individuals align themselves in the right environments that will enable them to thrive. We discuss the magic of low-stakes opportunities, practicing and getting comfortable with failure in the process. She speaks about moving yourself forward — iterating and innovating — and the only way to make that happen is through doing. Jamie provides sound advice for selling oneself in an authentic way even if you loathe self-promotion (hint: know your audience!). Finally, Jamie offers some excellent advice to recent graduates about how to differentiate themselves in a competitive hiring landscape, including doubling down on your personal story so that you’re a memorable candidate for the job.
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| 21 Jun 2022 | Big Emotions in Creative Living with Lisa Anchin, Picture Book Author & Artist | 00:27:43 | |
In this final conversation in the mini series about big emotions in creative living, you will hear from children’s book author and illustrator, Lisa Anchin with her recently released work, The Paper Bird. Lisa sheds light on how book making is a hugely collaborative process and the way she works with her publishing team. She speaks to the role that self-doubt plays in her creative process and her approach to break out of the cycle of self-doubt (hint: make more stuff!). Lisa ends this episode by reading The Paper Bird and purely by coincidence, actual birds arrived as she began reciting her story and offered their sing-song gifts to the recording. Magical!
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| 22 Jun 2022 | Mags 2022: Publishing Magazines with Greg Davis of Melanistic Magazine | 00:45:10 | |
Listen in on TMU’s Magazine Production & Publishing class in Spring 2022… In this conversation, we welcome Greg Davis, Publisher of Melanistic Magazine based in Edmonton, Alberta. He shares his story as “a Jamaican who found himself in Toronto who got lost in Tokyo”. He describes how communicating a consistent and authentic voice that speaks to the nature of the magazine is what’s most important (versus trying to please everyone). Greg explains what a publisher of a magazine is responsible for, describes typical and creative revenue models for both small and large publications, as well as why he believes the magazine industry is stronger now than it was before the pandemic.
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| 23 Jun 2022 | Mags 2022: Designing Magazines with Lonelle Selbo of LIFE AU LAIT | 00:50:40 | |
Listen in on TMU’s Magazine Production & Publishing class in Spring 2022… In this second episode in a 3-part series about magazines, meet Lonelle Selbo, publisher and designer of LIFE AU LAIT Magazine, a digital publication serving Prince Edward County (PEC), Ontario, Canada. In this conversation, Lonelle explains her magazine’s origin story, why digital is the right format for her publication and the way she’s adapted to help local businesses promote themselves during the pandemic. Lonelle defines maximalism and how she embraces it in the design of LIFE AU LAIT Magazine. She also explains how she uses rules in her creative process, specifically focusing on the criteria of intentionality and usefulness. Lonelle shares where she thinks the future of magazine content is headed and shares future plans for her magazine. Also, Diana shares her big idea for the future of the magazine industry… a collaboration is very possible and you’re hearing it here first! Finally, insights about the power of listening emerge and remerge throughout the conversation.
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| 24 Jun 2022 | Mags 2022: Printing Magazines with Steph Beveridge of Hemlock Printers | 00:44:18 | |
Listen in on TMU’s Magazine Production & Publishing class in Spring 2022… In this final episode in a 3-part series about magazines, meet Steph Beveridge, Account Manager at Hemlock Printers in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In this conversation, Steph explains the types of magazines Hemlock prints and the ways in which small, niche publications are growing their audiences. Steph shares a breakdown of typical printing processes for magazines, trends in magazine printing (including size, paper and finish), as well as actionable tips for designing with print in mind. She shares the big challenge for the printing industry right now, unique advertising opportunities for publishers, as well as the economics of niche magazine publications. Finally, Steph describes the reasons she got into this field and her biggest takeaways from having studied at TMU.
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| 30 Jun 2022 | I Didn't Do The Thing Today with Madeleine Dore | 00:53:52 | |
In this perspective-shifting episode, Madeleine Dore (author of I Didn’t Do The Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt) chats about all sorts of important ideas, especially as summer’s restful embrace invites us to slow down and play. Madeleine discusses why ‘perfection’ is a flawed concept (and what’s better than striving for perfection), the importance of taking productivity down off its pedestal, the bright side of not completing your to do list, the importance of being curious to question where our productivity guilt comes from, as well as broadening the measure of a day to celebrate the variances there within (as well as the variances within ourselves). Madeleine provides insight on the daunting nature of ‘space’ that rest affords us, practical tips for living presently in our days, the ways Madeleine chooses to measure her days beyond ‘being productive’, why the very ‘quantifiable’ measure of productivity is actually an imperfect metric too and what the term ‘precrastination’ means. It’s a BIG one! After the conversation, Diana shares her plans for rest this summer and why she’s both nervous and excited about taking some time off.
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| 06 Sep 2022 | Didot: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:11:04 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!). Release Date: Between 1784 and 1811 Designer: Firmin Didot Classification: Modern Serif Owned By: Various type foundries, most notably Hoefler & Co. and Linotype Claim to Fame: The beginning of the Neoclassical typeface movement and recognized fashion icon as Vogue Magazine’s logo
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| 09 Sep 2022 | Bodoni: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:08:33 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!). Name: Bodoni Release Date: 1798 Designers: Giambattista Bodoni Classification: Modern Serif Script Owned By: Linotype Claim to Fame: One of the older typefaces still in use as a font today.
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| 24 Sep 2022 | Gill Sans: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:08:54 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!). Name: Gill Sans Release Date: 1928 Designer: Eric Gill Classification: Humanist Sans-Serif Owned By: Monotype Claim to Fame: Typeface for London North and Eastern Railway
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| 06 Oct 2022 | Times New Roman: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:08:28 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!). Name: Times New Roman
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| 14 Oct 2022 | ITC Benguiat: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:07:36 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!).
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| 24 Oct 2022 | Proxima Nova: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:06:28 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!).
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| 25 Oct 2022 | Geometos: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:07:01 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 2!). Release Date: 2017 Designers: Depak Dogra Classification: Sans Serif Owned By: Graphite Claim to Fame: Futuristic design
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| 27 Oct 2022 | Graphic Design is Fun Meets Talk Paper Scissors | 00:25:39 | |
This is a very special crossover episode between Talk Paper Scissors and the Graphic Design is Fun podcast where Diana and Canadian graphic designer, Dan Alan, chat about the topics of teaching and learning graphic design.
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| 09 Nov 2022 | Inspiration and Digital Media with Reilly Stephens of Pinterest | 00:21:50 | |
The first episode in a 3-part mini series focused on the topic of ‘inspiration’, Diana sits down with Reilly Stephens, Creative Strategist, Pinterest to learn more about what’s at the intersection of inspiration and digital media. In this conversation the pair discuss inspiring spaces online, how Pinterest is approaching inspiration differently than other online platforms and why inspirational spaces are so necessary in 2022 and beyond.
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| 15 Nov 2022 | Inspiration Matters Featuring MDM 11.0 | 00:41:56 | |
The second episode in a 3-part mini series focused on the topic of ‘inspiration’, Diana sits down with a panel of 5 Master of Digital Media Students from Toronto Metropolitan University to learn more about their personal experiences with inspiration; what inspires them, how they seek it out (or don’t seek it out) and a series of other big ideas (self-worth, flow state, rest) that weave in and out of this topic.
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| 12 Dec 2022 | Inspiration Framework: Time to ACE It | 00:22:35 | |
The final episode in a 3-part mini series focused on the topic of ‘inspiration’, Diana dishes up her thoughts on the topic of inspiration, marrying her experiences with others’ research. She will explain the way she thinks about ‘a-ha moments’, as well as share a framework that allows humans to connect to inspiration more easily through ‘ACE-ing’ it: embrace, pace, place, space, interface and chase. So what are you waiting for? Your next great idea? Good, because it’s waiting for you too.
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| 13 Dec 2022 | Pairing Type with Oliver of Pimp My Type | 00:47:09 | |
Welcome Oliver Schöndorfer of Pimp My Type! In this episode you’ll hear Oliver’s approach to pairing type, a helpful framework to think about categorizing type in a different way and rethinking font classification systems for ‘finding’ type versus for ‘filing’ type. You’ll also hear Oliver’s favourite pairing right now, the typeface he would choose if he could only choose one and so much more. Let the type geekery begin!
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| 15 Dec 2022 | Gratitude and Failure | 00:06:30 | |
In this final episode of 2022, Diana reflects on the best parts of producing a podcast and how statistics alone can’t capture the whole story. To continue her work sowing seeds of creative confidence, Diana shares an excerpt — a big idea — about making friends with Failure to boost creative confidence. Here’s to savouring the last of 2022 and looking ahead to 2023!
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| 24 Jan 2023 | Book BIG MAGIC | 00:19:13 | |
In this episode, Diana shares her week of serendipitous BIG MAGIC centered around books while she was filming her Domestika course in New York City. Interwoven throughout the story are excerpts from Elizabeth Gilbert's incredible book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Expect sunshine, rainbows and some serious BIG MAGIC.
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| 15 Feb 2023 | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Education with Gail-Ann Wilson Mitchell | 01:02:59 | |
In this intimate conversation, cultural diversity educator Gail-Ann Wilson Michell shares her reality growing up ‘being the only’; a young Black girl and then woman and educator in Edmonton, including sharing her experiences in school. She describes important parts of her work including her take on what she calls ‘the six letter word’; its historical context and its role in modern life. Gail-Ann shares beautiful, vulnerable and heartbreaking stories about her work as a teacher and her forthcoming role in the Alberta Teachers Association, including describing the single most racist act she’s ever endured. There’s so much more captured in this conversation that ends with a powerful, accessible next step — call to action — for educators everywhere in fostering greater equity, diversity and inclusion in their classrooms. This is the first of a 3-part series, co-hosted by Diana’s friend and colleague, Nat Lumby.
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| 28 Mar 2023 | The Future of Design Education with Dr. Ana Rita Morais | 00:52:55 | |
In this conversation, design education leader, Dr. Ana Rita Morais, shares her vision for the future. She gives us a peek into the ways in which paradigm-shifting tech like AI can be integrated into educational spaces, as well as the evolution of her large-scale calendar project supporting BIPOC students in need. The conversation continues with Ana Rita’s vision of future learning environments and how the traditional classroom continues to expand into new spaces, helping students embrace curiosity, develop critical thinking skills and improve their communication skills. Ana Rita shares what excites her the most – and what scares her the most – about the future of design education, as well as how the myriad of free design resources online is (or isn’t) changing formal means of design education. Lastly, you’ll learn about a big, important project Ana Rita’s embarking on in this space. This is the second episode in a 3-part series, co-hosted by Diana’s friend and colleague, Nat Lumby.
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| 05 Apr 2023 | Heart-Centredness in the Classroom and Beyond with Dr. Robyn Bourgeois | 00:45:26 | |
In this final conversation of the series, academic, author, artist and activist, Dr. Robyn Bourgeois (Laughing Otter Caring Woman) shares what it means to be heart-centred, inside and outside of the university system. She provides examples and actionable takeaways for becoming and remaining heart-centred through difficult situations. Robyn discusses how and why she sets boundaries when helping students navigate difficult situations, as well as her experience calling upon both mental health training and Cree cultural practices to lift the heaviness of others’ stories. Robyn provides a great example of the way heart-centeredness changes outcomes in challenging situations and how we all need community to survive and thrive. This is the third and final episode in a 3-part series, co-hosted by Diana’s friend and colleague, Nat Lumby.
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| 06 Apr 2023 | Put Me In the Zoo (Part 2!) | 00:06:59 | |
In this episode close to Diana’s heart released on what would have been her Dad’s 69th birthday, hear them read a favourite children’s story book together. First recorded in the late 1980s and then in 2021, hear Diana, her Dad and her youngest daughter (who narrowly missed meeting her Grandad) read for the first and last time together, united through the magic of audio.
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| 19 Apr 2023 | Jorge Gomez of The Money Studio | 00:42:50 | |
In this episode, you’ll meet Jorge Gomez, a brand strategist and graffiti writer based out of Inglewood, CA. You’ll hear about Jorge’s work running The Money Studio, helping BIPOC-owned brands preserve their culture, as well as his design origin story that started with graffiti. You’ll hear how he’s doubled down on setbacks in his life and used them as powerful catalysts for growth, including the ways in which he faced prejudice in his ascent through school and into industry. Jorge shares his use of Design Thinking and math (math!) when painting murals, how he said “yes” before he was ready and the ways in which his family plays an integral role in his work. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography in The Creative School at TMU and co-hosted by student, Katrina Javier.
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| 28 Apr 2023 | Aurelie Maron, Lettering Artist | 00:42:17 | |
In this episode, you’ll meet Aurelie Maron, a full-time lettering artist and teacher based out of the Gold Coast, Australia. You’ll hear Aurelie’s story, including why neither agency life nor freelance work was the right fit for her creativity. You’ll hear accessible ways for beginners to get started in their lettering journey, as well as the way Aurelie uses lettering challenges to practice her craft, hone her style and scale her business. You’ll hear about her creative processes in approaching unfamiliar design challenges, as well as for designing an original typeface (and how to move forward if you feel stuck!). Finally you’ll hear about Aurelie’s desert island typeface choices (great minds think alike!), about her new Domestika course and about how she makes money as a lettering artist. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography in The Creative School at TMU and co-hosted by student, Katrina Javier.
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| 10 May 2023 | Brand New: Meg! | 00:59:04 | |
It’s Meg! Meg Lewis is a designer, illustrator, artist and all-around creative. In this conversation, Meg and Diana get delightfully weird!
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| 15 May 2023 | Brand New: Design for Social Good with Loop | 00:53:18 | |
Welcome to the second episode in our Brand New series all about brand identity design. Today’s episode features the passionate and talented team at Loop who designs for social good. Here you’ll meet designers Josh Layton and Emma Steele, learn what Loop does and how they see themselves as different from traditional agencies, as well as how Loop’s process is one of deep listening and unlearning, stemming from a place of curiosity and connection. You’ll learn what human-centred design means to Loop and how they approach their work through this critical lens, as well as all of the ways that equity, diversity and inclusion is baked into to Loop’s people and processes and is constantly evolving. Finally you’ll hear the ways that storytelling is used to build trust through design, helping to weave a common thread for supporters of the cause. The Loop team presented beautiful visuals to accompany their talk so please check them out at https://www.talkpaperscissors.info/! This episode is part of a guest lecture series in Design as Communication, Bachelor of Brand Design Program, George Brown College School of Design.
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| 17 May 2023 | Brand New: Identity Design for Medieval Torture Devices | 00:46:20 | |
This is the final episode in the Brand New series where you’ll hear from Richard Nalli-Petta of Parcel in Toronto chat about his work for the agency, including one very special project he’s been a part of recently. You’ll hear how Parcel defines branding, the ways collaboration happens on large projects and the challenges of handing finished work to a client, who can then shape or change the design in any way they see fit. Finally you’ll hear why Richard believes design jobs are safe from being totally taken over by AI. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in Design as Communication, Bachelor of Brand Design Program, George Brown College School of Design.
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| 30 May 2023 | Emerging Typeface Designers Nicole Galindo & Cameron Mady | 00:34:00 | |
Meet emerging typeface designers, Nicole Galindo and Cameron Mady! You’ll learn about their original typeface designs (Dogggo and Perpetua) created in Advanced Typography class at Toronto Metropolitan University. You’ll hear about their typefaces’ perfect pairings, sensory descriptions of each (sight, smell, touch, sound and even taste), the ways they could be uniquely transformed into variable fonts, as well as where they plan to take their typefaces next. Playful and classic, spirited and rule-bound, these two original creations don’t disappoint.
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| 05 Jun 2023 | Live From Podcamp 2023: Break All the Rules | 00:48:14 | |
Recorded at Podcamp 2023, here’s a talk about breaking all the rules in podcasting: “By day, Diana teaches students within The Creative School at TMU to know their audience and create compelling visual content. By night, Diana does the exact opposite: she creates podcast content for herself more than for her audience — with no set production schedule, no set show format, no set episode length, no less! — in a decidedly non-visual format. And it’s the best thing she’s ever done. Learn the way Diana uses podcasting as a creative outlet (that sometimes interweaves with her day job), allowing her to explore new topics, speak with interesting people and create a body of work that’s opened doors she didn’t know existed. Be inspired to create your own podcast that breaks all the rules and is uniquely you.”
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| 15 Jun 2023 | Micro Trends in Magazine Publishing with Nicola Hamilton of Issues | 00:36:56 | |
This episode is the first in a 6-part series in magazine production and publishing. Here you’ll meet Nicola Hamilton, Toronto-based magazine Art Director and independent magazine shop owner. In this episode you’ll hear trends in magazine publishing and production. Nicola describes her process as an Art Director, including how she collaborates in making magazines among many stakeholders. Nicola also shares her advice for sourcing inexpensive (even free!) visuals for magazine projects. Finally, she describes the importance of setting the technical foundation of a periodical publication, as well as what ‘pacing’ means and how to design with pacing in mind. And here’s the great news for all magazine makers: Nicola believes that the future belongs to niche publications (that YOU could create!). This episode is part of a guest lecture series in GCM 720 Magazine Production & Publishing in The Creative School at TMU and co-hosted by student, Enza Borson.
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| 16 Jun 2023 | Macro Trends in Magazine Publishing with James Hewes of FIPP | 00:28:55 | |
This is the second episode in a 6-part series. Here you’ll meet James Hewes, CEO of FIPP, a global magazine industry organization. You’ll learn how James went from working in banking to making magazines, eventually running the BBC’s international magazine business. James shares macro trends in magazines, including the shift in the advertising model and the ways that magazine publishing mirrors the music industry (including how we can see our future in the music industry’s present). Finally, James shares his thoughts on the future of AI in the media industry and why making magazines is (still) the greatest job in the world. James’ visuals he discussed in the episode can be found in the show notes at talkpaperscissors.info. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in GCM 720 Magazine Production & Publishing in The Creative School at TMU and co-hosted by student, Samantha Benezra.
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| 13 Jun 2023 | Art Meets Science for Better Tomorrows with Camilo Saenz and Kristin Lewis | 00:55:30 | |
In this episode you'll meet Camilo Saenz and Kristin Lewis who are using their talents for graphic design, videography and photography to communicate and accelerate this important organization doing important work. These two excitingly talented creatives who work in a STEM organization (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) called Visions of Science here in Toronto. Visions of Science is transforming lives and advancing equity through STEM; providing access, increasing representation and fostering meaningful inclusion. They reach 1000+ youth in 30 communities each year through in-school programming, after-school tutoring, camps and partnerships with major organizations like Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) and IBM. This conversation about creative thinking and creative outputs is framed around the four pillars of STEM.
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| 19 Jun 2023 | Digital Publishing Possibilities with Audrey Vandenbroeck of Issuu | 00:24:46 | |
This is the third episode in a 6-part series. Here you’ll meet Audrey Vandenbroeck, Vice President of Customer Success at Issuu. If you’ve ever wondered why and how to publish using Issuu’s platform, this episode is for you. Audrey shares the ways in which Issuu can help students (in their presentations, portfolios and student work), as well as students who are transitioning into professional spaces. She describes the variety of ways to share and circulate publications uploaded to Issuu, as well as statistics features to help drive a digital strategy. Finally, you’ll hear how to connect InDesign and Issuu to integrate into your current production workflow. Check out Issuu.com to explore a number of the publications that Audrey mentions throughout the episode. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in GCM 720 Magazine Production & Publishing in The Creative School at TMU.
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| 21 Jun 2023 | Pushing the Limits of Magazine Printing with Rich Pauptit of Flash Reproductions | 00:48:35 | |
This is the fifth episode in a 6-part series. Here you’ll meet Rich Pauptit, President of Flash Reproductions, who brings beautiful ideas to life. Rich shares how passion-project-turned-experimental-magazine, Wayward Arts, got started, how it’s evolved and the issue that Rich considers his greatest achievement EVER (including the story behind it). You’ll hear about the “lost issue” of Wayward Arts, interesting tech Flash Reproductions has integrated into magazines, as well as the trajectory that the business has tooled up to support. Finally, you’ll hear Rich’s ideas about the future of the industry including his take on AI, as well as his open invitation to listeners to see Flash in the flesh. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in CGCM 720 Magazine Production & Publishing through The Chang School at TMU.
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| 20 Jun 2023 | Print Publishing Possibilities with Chris Fraser of Moveable Inc. | 00:37:59 | |
This is the fourth episode in a 6-part series. Here you’ll meet Chris Fraser, Chief Finder - Business Development for Toronto-based Printing Company, Moveable Inc. In this episode you’ll hear actionable takeaways for printing magazines, including how to get started. Chris shares his ‘bankable’ insights including specifics info about magazine size, paper choices, the importance of proofing, delivery, alterations and scheduling, all starting with the end in mind. Chris details why and how Print on Demand (POD) magazines may or may not be a feasible solution for the future of magazine production, as well as ideas for funding your magazine with so many incredible examples along the way. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in GCM 720 Magazine Production & Publishing in The Creative School at TMU.
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| 22 Jun 2023 | An Inclusive Vision for Magazine Publishing with Justine Abigail Yu of Living Hyphen | 00:48:29 | |
This is the sixth and final episode in a 6-part series. Here you’ll meet Justine Abigail Yu, Founder of Living Hyphen Magazine, which explores the experiences of hyphenated Canadians and what it means to live in between cultures. You’ll learn about the origins of Living Hyphen, the spark that started this journey and ultimately why Justine Abigail created this community. You’ll also hear how the community’s varied submissions organically shaped the final magazine and amplified its diversity. Justine Abigail shares the political and symbolic reasons she decided to produce Living Hyphen as a printed-only magazine, what collaboration in making the magazine looks like and what forms Living Hyphen takes today, beyond the printed page. Finally, you’ll hear about Justine Abigail’s experience telling her own story and her big vision for the future of Living Hyphen. This episode is part of a guest lecture series in CGCM 720 Magazine Production & Publishing through The Chang School at TMU.
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| 21 Sep 2023 | Showing Up & Growing Up a Commercial Illustrator with Mr. Tom Froese | 00:54:01 | |
Mr. Tom Froese is an award-winning illustrator, teacher, and speaker, having worked for brands and businesses all over the world, including Yahoo!, Airbnb, GQ France, and The Wall Street Journal. Tom is a Top Teacher on Skillshare, where over 120,000 students (and counting!) have learned his unique and accessible approach to commercial illustration. In this conversation, Tom shares his professional origin story and early influences, what it means to ask the right questions of your creative work, how he uses constraints, as well as handling criticism of one’s creative work. Tom and I share teaching lessons we’ve each learned over the course of the last decade and you’ll hear what’s next for Tom’s work.
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| 03 Oct 2023 | Untapped Typographic Potential with Oliver of Pimp My Type | 00:38:57 | |
Oliver of Pimp My Type is back and he’s here to talk untapped typographic potential! In this conversation, Oliver explains what ‘typographic colour’ means, tried and true techniques for emphasis, prioritizing optical distance in typesetting (using one’s gut and not just math!), as well as the role intentionality plays in the process. Oliver also demystifies the characteristics of display type that make it different from text type, the advantages of variable fonts for both digital and print design, as well as use cases for baseline grid. The conversation even strolls into Comic Sans and books featuring Disney Princesses. Above all else, prepare for lots of actionable strategies to harness type’s power! The design work on which this episode is centred can be found in the show notes at talkpaperscissors.info.
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| 11 Oct 2023 | Impact: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:09:17 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 3!). Release Date: 1965 Designers: Geoffrey Lee Classification: Transitional Sans Serif Display Owned By: Monotype Imagining Holdings Inc. Claim to Fame: The typeface synonymous with the Internet and meme culture
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| 12 Oct 2023 | Lo-Res: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:10:47 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 3!). This episode is guest hosted by Rebecca Karton. Name: Lo-Res Release Date: 1985 Designer: Zuzana Licko Classification: Modular Sans-Serif Pixel Typeface Owned By: Emigre, Inc. Claim to Fame: Licko was one of the first designers to use a Macintosh 128K to create fonts for the computer as an art form, starting a revolution in digital type and layouts.
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| 13 Oct 2023 | Barlow: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:06:18 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, from Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before… welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 3!). This episode is guest hosted by Vittoria Casale. Name: Barlow Release Date: 2007 Designer: Jeremy Tribby Classification: San-Serif Owned By: Google Font free licensed font Claim to Fame: The typeface that was named in honour of internet pioneer and activist, John Perry Barlow
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| 26 Oct 2023 | Celebrated Book Design with Coralie Bickford-Smith | 00:32:02 | |
In this very special conversation you’ll hear from celebrated illustrator, author, designer and without-a-doubt Book Worm, Coralie Bickford-Smith, including her creative process for book cover design and a discussion about creativity more broadly. She demystifies her experience designing for other authors’ book covers versus working on her own books. You’ll hear about the way that she uses constraints in her work, the printing press in her kitchen and the typeface she’d use for the rest of her life if she could only choose one.
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| 07 Nov 2023 | Inspiration 2.0 Featuring MDM 13.0 | 00:58:56 | |
In this episode, you’ll meet 6 Master of Digital Media students at Toronto Metropolitan University who share diverse perspectives on the topic of inspiration: where it comes from, what it feels like and how to channel it.
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| 20 Nov 2023 | Print Isn't Dead with People of Print's Marcroy Smith | 00:44:15 | |
This is the first of 6 episodes where you’ll hear from movers and shakers in the printing, typography and design spaces who make space for others through their creation of national and global communities. You’ll hear from Marcroy Smith, founder of People of Print, who will explain the origin story of People of Print, why print isn’t dead (as well as where this phrase originated), as well as the way that print and digital have a synergistic relationship. You’ll learn about the innovative ‘Posterzine’, the way in which Marcroy loves making new things as evidenced by his depth and breadth of work, and we dive into failure in creativity.
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| 22 Nov 2023 | Podcasting in Printmaking with Hello, Print Friend's Miranda Metcalf | 00:59:25 | |
This is the second of 6 episodes where you’ll hear from movers and shakers in the printing, typography and design spaces who make space for others through their creation of national and global communities. You’ll hear from Hello, Print Friend’s Miranda Metcalf (my newly-found print twin!), her historical pathway to printmaking and her hugely thoughtful answer to why the printed medium intrigues her so much. You'll learn how the podcast got started and how it’s evolved over time, including why and how it exists as a bilingual podcast. Learn about Miranda’s favourite recent guests, including a deep dive into Miranda’s conversation with a famous political activist. Finally, you'll be guided down a winding path to hear Miranda’s favourite question to ask her printmaking guests, a discussion about the science of readability and even a typographic connection to Thai letterforms!
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| 24 Nov 2023 | Preserving Canada's Type History with the Canadian Typography Archives and Sam Archibald | 00:50:09 | |
This is the third of 6 episodes where you’ll hear from movers and shakers in the printing, typography and design spaces who make space for others through their creation of national and global communities. In this episode, you’ll hear from board member, Sam Archibald, about the newly-launched Canadian Typography Archives, the impetus that lead to the project, as well as the driving force behind it. You'll hear about the uniquely Canadian perspective missing from type history books and how the archive plans to fill in the gaps now and in the future, including the goal to include diverse representation. You can find lots of links in the show notes at talkpaperscissors.info. This episode was recorded as part of a guest lecture series in GCM 230 - Typography in fall 2023 at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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| 27 Nov 2023 | Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and The Pile of Bricks | 00:48:26 | |
This is the fourth of 6 episodes where you’ll hear from movers and shakers in the printing, typography and design spaces who make space for others through their creation of national and global communities. In this episode, we have living print legend, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.! Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. is an American printer, book artist and papermaker who has been puttin’ ink on paper since 1949. You’ll hear how Amos describes himself and his work, his entry point into printing and his counter-cultural (wise!) advice of setting low-expectations. You’ll also hear Amos’ experimental approach to making multiples, the way in which his signature printing process was born, and how systemic injustices can negatively impact creative living and making. Finally, you’ll hear about Amos’ labour-of-love community printing space in Detroit, Michigan: The Pile of Bricks.
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| 01 Dec 2023 | Living the Goodtype with Katie Johnson and Ilana Griffo | 00:44:21 | |
This is the fifth of 6 episodes where you’ll hear from movers and shakers in the printing, typography and design spaces who make space for others through their creation of national and global communities. In this episode, you’ll hear from Katie Johnson and Ilana Griffo, the duo behind Goodtype, what it’s all about and the often overlooked world of 'art licensing'. You'll learn about their take on group work and the key ingredients they believe are necessary to engage in a successful partnership. Katie and Ilana also give advice to students about careers in graphic design, as well as specific and actionable advice for portfolio-building and curating. Finally, the duo discuss their new book project with info they’re sharing here first!
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| 05 Dec 2023 | Canada's Home for Graphic Designers with RGD's Hilary Ashworth and Nicola Hamilton | 00:31:36 | |
The final stop on our journey hearing from those in industry who make space for others through community-building, we have the Association of Registered Graphic Designers! In this episode, you’ll hear from RGD’s Executive Director, Hilary Ashworth, and RGD’s President, Nicola Hamilton about the organization, including what it is and why to get involved. You'll learn about different membership levels, different professional opportunities and more about the amazing community of design folks from coast-to-coast who make the organization such a valuable one to be part of. Finally, you'll hear some exciting new initiatives for 2024 and beyond!
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| 08 Dec 2023 | Micro + Macro Calendars with Phoebe Todd-Parrish and Ana Rita Morais | 00:39:58 | |
We are 23 days away from 2024 and with me today are two fantastic Toronto-based makers with calendars for us to enjoy all 366 days of the year ahead. In this episode, you'll hear from Phoebe Todd-Parrish and Ana Rita Morais about their calendar projects, yes, but the conversation is so much more than that. You'll better understand Ana Rita and Phoebe's unique creative processes and sources of inspiration, when they know when they've reached the finish line in their creative work, and you'll hear really great advice for creatives who look back on their old work with dread (aka most everyone). Links to six other incredible calendar projects can be found in the show notes at talkpaperscissors.info.
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| 12 Dec 2023 | Fonts for a Connected World with Typotheque's Peter Bil'ak and Kevin King | 00:57:41 | |
In this episode you’ll learn about the Netherlands-based type design company, Typotheque, and you’ll hear from two of its team members (Peter Bil’ak and Kevin King) and the way they work with language and give shape to language. You’ll hear a lot about the North American Indigenous Syllabics Project and the book that Typotheque recently published, celebrating the rich linguistic and typographic diversity of Indigenous languages in North America. You’ll hear a high level overview of the syllabic writing system used by many First Nations and Inuit communities, as well as the way that type is an important part of the visual culture. You’ll better understand the ways that traditional tools influence shapes of letterforms and how Kevin got started drawing syllabic forms for his work with Indigenous type revitalization and perseveration. Finally, you’ll learn how cognitive psychologists work on the Typotheque team to inform typeface design, including a recent typeface release from Typotheque (called ‘Dash’) and its scientific origins. I gained so much from this conversation and I hope you will too. This episode was recorded live at DesignThinkers Toronto 2023 as part of a guest lecture series in GCM 230 - Typography in Fall 2023 at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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| 13 Dec 2023 | Legibility, Readability and Likeability with Eleni Beveratou, Creative Director Dalton Maag | 00:29:07 | |
In this episode you’ll learn how Eleni Beveratou (Creative Director of Dalton Maag) went from hating type in school to realizing its utmost importance, leading her to find her niche and complete a Master’s degree in Typeface Design. Eleni walks us through how experienced readers read and how this informs typeface choice, as well as assessing accessible type through the helpful metrics of legibility, readability, likeability. Eleni explains why choosing simpler characters over more complex shapes are not always better for accessibility, as well as how using type in digital environments must be carefully considered, particularly the differences in light mode versus dark mode. Finally, you’ll learn the ‘basics’ that Eleni wishes she knew early in her career. This episode was recorded live at DesignThinkers Toronto 2023 as part of a guest lecture series in GCM 230 - Typography in Fall 2023 at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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| 15 Dec 2023 | Constructing Invert with Anna Khorash | 00:34:37 | |
In this final episode of 2024 you’ll hear from type designer, Anna Korash and her newest experimental typeface, Invert; why it started, how it got going and where it is now. You’ll learn how variable fonts work and Anna’s unique technical and creative constraints in this project. Anna shares why platforms like Future Fonts are ideal for experimental projects like this, Invert’s future expansion plans into other writing systems, as well as which typeface she’d use for the rest of her life if she had to choose. Head over to futurefonts.xyz and download a free trial version of Invert to play along with as you listen. Also, check out the show notes for this episode to see Anna’s generous sharing of her process in designing this typeface at talkpaperscissors.info.
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| 01 Feb 2024 | Stories on Stories on Stories with Raymond Biesinger | 00:39:50 | |
This episode features Montréal-based illustrator, artist, and best-selling author, Raymond Biesinger! In this conversation, you’ll hear about the ways that storytelling is baked into Raymond editorial, commercial and personal projects. We do a deep dive into one of Raymond’s poster projects that took him 20 working days to complete through ‘chasing the density dragon’. You’ll also hear Raymond’s creative process and the tools he uses, the way imperfections play a vital role in the spirit of his work, and ultimately how layers of narrative make Raymond’s work clever, complex and consistently exciting.
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| 14 Feb 2024 | Work and Play and Play and Work with Ryan Kough | 00:42:19 | |
Ryan Kough is an assistant professor of Integrated Media Arts at Juniata College who believes in design as a community-building tool creating partnerships between community members and student designers to create sustainable, long-term design solutions. In this conversation, you’ll hear about Ryan’s gallery exhibition called Under Pressure (opening reception happens this week!) and how she uses experimentation in the classroom, specifically revealing the transformative power of the ‘Problems Exercise’.
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| 21 Feb 2024 | Designing with Type for the Entertainment Industry with Chris Ellinas | 00:42:41 | |
This episode is the first in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 - Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. First stop: Athens, Greece! In this episode, you’ll hear Chris Ellinas (designer for huge brands like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon) discuss what it’s like recreating design assets for the entertainment industry, including the tools he relies on across multiple languages (4000 assets and counting!). You’ll also learn about Chris’ digitally nomadic lifestyle, the favourite places he’s lived and worked, as well as a rapid fire Q&A from students. The episode ends with a beautiful story and important lesson that all creatives should hear about passion projects turning into something bigger than themselves.
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| 24 Feb 2024 | Alllllllll the Alphabets with Chris Rouleau | 00:40:55 | |
This is the second episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop: Toronto, Canada!
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| 28 Feb 2024 | Nigerian Type Perspectives with Jordan Belonwu | 00:39:00 | |
This is the third episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop: Lagos, Nigeria! In this episode (No.176: Nigerian Type Perspectives with Jordan Belonwu) you’ll hear designer and creative director, Jordan Belonwu, discuss what differentiates Nigerian typography from Eurocentric typographic standards, including its tendency to focus on expressiveness. Jordan highlights a project that takes type from the archives and makes it functional, which can introduce new opportunities and meaning in art and design. You’ll also hear the process for creating a typeface for Sporting Lagos, as well as Jordan’s great advice for taking on projects that help you learn and grow as a creative.
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| 05 Mar 2024 | Chalk Paper Scissors with Andrea Cataro | 00:31:55 | |
This is the fourth episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 - Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop Toronto, Canada! In this episode you’ll hear designer and artist, Andrea Cataro, share many, many tips and tricks for creating typographic chalk murals, including tools and strategies for transferring your design to the wall. If you’ve ever considered dabbling in chalk mural creation, this episode is for you!
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| 08 Mar 2024 | Aligning Type and Aligning Values with Melanie Johnsson | 00:47:51 | |
This is the fifth episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Next stop Margate, UK! In this episode you’ll hear illustrator, Melanie Johnsson, discuss her family history of graphic design, as well as her favourite tools including how and why she loves Adobe Photoshop. Mel describes how personal branding plays a huge role in today’s world of graphic design and the ways that making your core values known to the world can be critically important to working with your dream clients.
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| 11 Mar 2024 | Luxurious Letterforms with David Soto | 00:28:56 | |
This is the sixth (bonus!) episode in a 5-part guest lecture series in GCM 806 Advanced Typography, speaking with type professionals all over the world. Final stop New York, USA! In this episode you’ll hear David Soto discuss his creative process, as well as the way that building time into his practice and cushioning deadlines is critical to produce his best work. You’ll learn about David’s creative rituals, the Dope Type Society, as well as his future art and design aspirations.
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| 13 Mar 2024 | Baskerville: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:11:05 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, From Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before...Welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 4!) This episode is guest hosted by Audrey Grandinetti. Name: Baskerville Release Date: 1757 Designer: John Baskerville Classification: Transitional Serif Owned By: Well...it’s a bit complicated. The original Baskerville punches are now owned by Cambridge University Press, but the design itself is in the public domain. Many digital adaptations of Baskerville have been introduced over the years, and are owned by the specific type foundries (or individuals) who designed them. Claim to Fame: Baskerville was praised by U.S. founding father Benjamin Franklin.
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| 14 Mar 2024 | Myriad: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:07:12 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, From Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before...Welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 4!) This episode is guest hosted by Mandy Lu. Name: Myriad Release Date: 1992 Designers: Robert Slimbach and Carol Twombly Classification: Humanist, Sans Serif Owned by: Adobe Systems Claim to Fame: This was Apple’s primary marketing typeface for over a decade, from 2002 to 2017 for its modern and simple appearance.
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| 15 Mar 2024 | Arial: An Incomplete History of Type | 00:07:25 | |
From the middle ages to the Middle East, From Futura to Freight, join us on a journey across the type universe and go where no designer has gone before...Welcome to An Incomplete History of Type (Part 4!) This episode is guest hosted by Kennedy Thornton. Name: Arial Release Date: 1982 Designers: Robin Nicholas Classification: Neo Grotesque Sans Serif Owned by: Monotype Corporation Claim to Fame: The Helvetica copycat
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| 26 Mar 2024 | My Favourite Practice for Living a Connected Creative Life | 00:09:09 | |
This episode is all about my favourite practice for living a connected creative life: informational interviewing. This episode will help you better understand what informational interviews are and how they can help creative people find one another to build authentic connections.
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| 27 Mar 2024 | The 96-Layer Screen Print with Heather J.A. Thomson | 00:34:34 | |
This episode features printmaker, Heather J.A. Thomson, who has created an incredible 96-layer screen printed work that took 1 year with a grand total of 8 (!) copies existing in the world. During this discussion, you’ll learn about Heather, her love of history and printmaking, as well as the specific process for her epic 96-layer screen printing project of banknotes from the Weimar Republic. You’ll hear about the technical set up required for this project, as well as the unexpected hiccups that presented themselves and how Heather handled them (including the harrowing thing that happened when printing layer 96!). You’ll also hear more about Open Studio in Toronto, as well as Heather’s work as a photo lithography instructor in the space.
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| 03 Apr 2024 | Constraint and Consistency with Ben O'Neil | 00:41:05 | |
In this episode, you’ll meet designer and illustrator, Ben O’Neil, who worked for 70 days to create a typeface based on visual prompts from images online to create an alphabet of whimsical and wonderful letterforms. You’ll hear Ben discuss this project (called ‘Type Alike’), including his thoughts on creative constraint, as well as creative consistency.
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| 04 Apr 2024 | Typefaces of Toronto with Jeremy Gladstone | 00:30:24 | |
There are few things more typographically satisfying than recognizing type in the wild. Gotham over here, Futura over there, Helvetica everywhere! Perhaps the only thing more satisfying is sitting down for a hearty conversation about letterforms with a fellow type geek. Pan to my conversation with Jeremy Gladstone, owner and founder of Gladstone Media in Toronto. In this conversation, Jeremy shares more about Gladstone Media and how they do what they do, digging into the step-by-step process behind their creative work. He shares a helpful strategy for starting simple, constructing and then deconstructing creative work until it works. We then dive into Gladstone Media’s Typefaces of Toronto project (currently in episode 9), including where it started and where it’s going. And we meet Oscar the dog!
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| 09 Apr 2024 | Exceptionally Experimental, Eclectic and Expressive Exercises with Phong Nguyen | 00:29:14 | |
In this episode you’ll hear author Phong Nguyen’s playful approach to his work that harnesses ‘beginner mind’. You’ll learn more about Phong’s 4th book, ROUNDABOUT: An Improvisational Fiction that has a clever narrative, fascinating process and incredible constraints… there are no letter e’s found within the 60,000 word book! (More accurately, there’s a single e, which you’ll hear about in the episode.) This book project is all about constraints, as well as yes-anding; applying the foundations of improvisational theatre to writing. We talk subconscious, we talk speed and we talk space in the act of creative making. You’ll also learn about his next book project that’s almost complete. Phong is delightful and I trust you’ll enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.
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| 11 Apr 2024 | Talk Paper and Exacto Knife with Sarah Nguyen | 00:45:00 | |
In this episode you’ll hear artist Sarah Nguyen’s multi-hyphenated career and her role as a life-long learner. Sarah shares the deepest and most delicious answer to ‘why paper?’ ever articulated in 188 episodes of this podcast. You’ll hear about the stories woven within Sarah’s paper cut artworks, which can be up to 20 feet long, as well as the details of working with Tyvek as a medium and the ways in which ‘drawing with a knife’ means that there’s no eraser. We dig into the concept of failure and the way Sarah views ‘failed’ cuts into her artwork. Sarah and I embark on a little inspired improv, revealing the magic of storytelling, following your intuition and what can happen when art is treated a community act. Equally as delightful as her partner, Phong, I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation between Sarah and I as much as I enjoyed having it.
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| 17 Apr 2024 | Designing Variable Type with That That Harbor Bickmore | 00:41:35 | |
Today’s guest is the best designer in the world! [Source: his website, TheBestDesignerInTheWorld.com] Harbor Bickmore is a graphic designer and type designer, selling his work under That That Type. In this conversation you’ll hear why Harbor got into typeface design and his process for creating typefaces. You’ll hear about Harbor’s favourite typeface he’s released to date, as well as what hasn’t worked in his type design experimentation (the juicy failures!). You’ll also hear about Harbor’s new offering: That That Font Box, a font-of-the-month club for type enthusiasts. It’s a creative solution to the problem of selling type in a time that’s proving difficult for type designers.
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| 30 Apr 2024 | Experimentation, Iteration & Democratization in Font Creation with with Franz Hoffman of Fontself | 00:39:30 | |
Today's guest is Franz Hoffman, designer-turned-entrepreneur and cofounder of Fontself, which brings easy type-making capabilities into the hands of all creatives. In this conversation you’ll learn why Fontself was created and more about Fontself as a tool and its evolution, hearing about some interesting projects from around the globe with the Fontself toolset at their centre. Experimentation, iteration and democratization are all themes explored throughout the following 40 minutes. This episode is not sponsored by Fontself; I believe that it’s just a really great tool that I was excited to learn more about from Franz directly. This episode is co-hosted by Graphic Designer, Michael Young.
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| 03 May 2024 | Emerging Typeface Designers Max Berardi & Cecilia Ly | 00:32:02 | |
Meet emerging typeface designers, Max Berardi and Cecilia Ly! Max designed a typeface called League Gothic and Cecilia designed a typeface called Verre Fondu and in the following conversation, you'll get to hear about each typeface. You'll also hear their perfect type pairings, sensory descriptions of each (sight, smell, touch, sound and even taste), what was easy and difficult about the process, including what they’d do differently next time. Let the type geekery begin!
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