AS WE CREATE

Graeme Swank's path to the creative world was anything but straight, but now he knows he’s where he's supposed to be. We talk about his time at Cooper Union - both as a student and faculty - as well as current projects he’s working on with Typetr and Hoodzpah Design.

kHyal's diverse background encompasses experiences rooted in fine art, high end audio, graphic design, marketing, and fashion design. As the founder of Fizz Agency and MegaGlam, the lifestyle brand combining fashion, design and street art, kHyal is far from slowing down. 

Jeremy Brazeal is the Executive Creative Director for Reality. Although Jeremy’s roots started in illustration - he always had his heart set on becoming a creative director. Though there were a few detours along the way, Jeremy eventually led creative teams for both Lego and Coca-Cola. We talk design, leadership, and how cycling keeps him in balance. Enjoy this conversation!

Kelly Walters is an artist, designer, educator, researcher and the founder of Bright Polka Dot. Ever since Kelly was a student at University of Connecticut, many of her creative efforts have focused on race and representation in design. In addition to her studio, Kelly is also the Director of the Communication Design BFA program at Parsons School of Design. We also discuss how continuing her own education is vital to the success of her students. 

Nate Solberg's creative curiosity started at a very young age and he shares how a massive college project shaped his work ethic. He talks about some influential internships and his current role at North American Entertainment Group. We are also very grateful for Nate as he created the logo and brand of this very podcast.

Cassandra Hamer's love of design started very early in her childhood with her classmates being some of her first "clients". Currently, she is on the in house design team of Ace Hardware and talks about how she got there. She shares with us how the lack of design education in public schools contributed to her eagerness to learn and was the motivation to write ABC's of Design. 

Bob Vitale is one of the founding members of the design studio, SVP Partners. He shares how a supportive family allowed him to pursue graphic design and how that sparked the beginning of his career. We also discuss a charity organization near and dear to Bob’s heart called Sticks for Soldiers, which provides support to wounded military veterans.  

For the past 10 years, designer Chuck Brooks has been at the award-winning design studio, Box 8 Creative in New Haven.  Chuck shares some insight into the creative team’s process that has helped steer many successful brands such as Mecha Noodle Bar, Alvarium Brewing and Roasting, and Doro Restaurant Group.

Butch Quick is an illustrator and designer who’s interest in comic books at a young age set him on his creative path. We discuss his experience as a concept artist and his love of package design. Having been in the business for over 40 years, Butch is still evolving, and his more recent interest in portrait photography has allowed him a whole new way to connect. 

Dan Taylor talks about his early days at RIT and then moving to New York City and interning at Pushpin Studios. He talks about how Taylor Design came to be and how he and his team stay focused in an ever-changing world.   

After graduating from the University of Bridgeport, Karl found himself working in commercial art sales to supplement his freelance work. Without knowing it at the time, this led him on the path to start Creative Placement. We talk about the current state of the creative world, his love of photography, and how Designer Journals came to be.  

Today we sit down with CADC Hall of Fame recipient, Richard Hollant. Richard's creativity started at a very young age growing up in Haiti and he shares the common theads that connect everything he does. He has influenced many communities and organizations with his agency Co:Lab and discusses the mindset behind Freecenter.

Today's conversation is with designer and the current CADC president, Carissa Decelles. Her love for design was heavily influenced by her time at Uconn studying with Edvin Yegir. Carissa is currently the art director and brand development lead at Miranda Creative and also involved in many advocacy efforts here in Connecticut.       

Chris Piascik "accidentally" became an illustrator after years as a graphic designer. His style and humor has allowed him to work with many brands including Coca-Cola, Nickelodean, and Google. Chris has a large following on YouTube and has hosted many classes on Skillshare. In this conversation we talk about how this all came to be.

Designer Bonnie Siegler is the founder of Eight and a Half design studio. She shares stories of working for MTV in the early years and getting hand written notes from Prince. Since going off on her own, she has worked with VH1, Air America Radio, and Saturday Night Live.  We also chat about two books she's published: Dear Client: This Book Will Teach You How to Get What You Want from Creative People and and The American Way. A great conversation!    

Jack Tom is a designer and illustrator with decades of experience. He grew up on the west coast but made his way to New York to meet Milton Glaser. He shares that story and how that led him to work under Chris Blum at Honig-Cooper & Harrington and later to develop his love for magazines working for McCall's. We get into an lot in this episode, enjoy!    

We sit down with the founder of Map Agency, John Rudolph. John's roots are in upstate New York, though after attending Syracuse, he made his way to Connecticut where he worked as a designer at numerous small agencies. Great conversation!

Emily Larned is a designer, educator, and publisher. Her path started in grassroots publishing and everything she does today is still influenced by those early years. We visited her studio in Bridgeport to talk about the way people connect today and empowering the next generation of designers.  As We Create is a production of the Connecticut Art Directors Club, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. This podcast is produced with listener support. If you like what you are hearing, please donate.

We sit down with legendary designer and CADC Hall of Famer, Alexander Isley. It all started growing up in North Carolina and attending NC State, then off to NYC to attend Cooper Union. Alex spent his early career under the guidance of Tibor Kalman and then moved on to serve as Art Director of Spy Magazine. Alex eventually started his own studio that has quite the client list.  https://alexanderisley.com/   As We Create is a production of the Connecticut Art Directors Club, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. This podcast is produced with listener support. If you like what you are hearing, please donate.

Carla Gonzalez is an Associate Creative Director at Mintz + Hoke in Avon, CT. How did her creative path begin? Perhaps wanting to be a designer or illustrator, but no…she was a math teacher. The is a wonderful conversation with someone that always thinks outside the box. She will make you smile! To find out more about Carla: Instagram Linkedin