This is the last one ever. Yes it is. Oh, and Steve Gordon is presenting at the HOW Conference again. Go see that. —nv— Right click to download the last ever Be A Design Cast to your computer (36mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes. What are we doing next? Rocking your face off, baby.

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The best Superbowl commercial recap of all Superbowl commercial recaps. Why? Because of this: Does that set the tone for you? Are you not entertained? Featuring the return of Tom Nemitz, Design Princess® Ashley McFeely, Robert “I Can Has Cheeseburger?” Maguire, and Steve RDQlus Gordon, as well as old hats Donovan and I. A full hour of unhinged greatness just for you. Nate Voss podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast LII to your computer (XXXmb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Last December traveled to the fair city of Boise, Idaho to speak to a group of promising young designers who were soon to enter the workforce as recent graduates. They were a good group, and proved to be a lot of fun, whether it was drinking and dancing with their professors, walking home in the freezing rain barefoot, or having their friends take awkward photos of me from a distance making “gestures” in the foreground. Our 24-hours in Boise was one of the most enjoyable trips I’ve ever taken in relation to graphic design. So what to do but plop down in the middle of the Boise State graphic design department and record our follow-up to Season 2: Season 3! We spend about half this show talking with our faculty friends and the other half taking some long-overdue listener mail. Welcome back! Nate Voss podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 51 to your computer (14.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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I met Steven Heller at a party, in a line at the bar. I knew that in a few days time I would conducting this interview, which I spent a great deal of time preparing for (admittedly unusual for us), and yet that still didn’t keep my knees from shaking or my heartbeat at a reasonable level. It wasn’t fear or anxiety or anything like that. It was just a moment. Make that a Moment, with a capital “M.” I’ll ruminate about meeting my design icons at another time, let me just say that a line at a bar at a party is a fine place to meet Steven Heller. I won’t spend time here telling you why you should listen to this show, because it’s Steven Heller, for crying out loud. I can tell you this: Steven Heller requires no editing. Even our most savvy and intelligent guests up to this point have occasionally been stumped by our ridiculous lines of questioning, or the impossible Reflex Blue Round trivia, but not Steven. Not a moment’s hesitation, not a breath between thoughts. The man is like a lightning rod for intelligent discussion, and he delivered was is surely our finest show to date. Hats off. Thank you for listening and please enjoy our 50th show. Sincerely, Nate Voss podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 50 to your computer (14mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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As Season 2 comes to an end we took a look through the Be A Design Cast Archives for all of the little bits and pieces we never go to air. So we grabbed our favorites and made a show! Featuring Steve Gordon and Adam Nielsen, Donovan’s letterhead, Nate’s swearing, and a 5-Minute Portfolio Review for one of our listeners and friends from AI in Chicago, who may or may not have been named after the enemies in Top Gun. I dare you not to have fun listening to this show! Dare you! —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 49.5 to your computer (12.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Listening back to our interview with Brett Wickens of MetaDesign, Donovan and I were struck by a great number of things. One is how we seem to be able to carry on the BADCast format well enough via iChat with someone we’ve never met who is half a country away (this is our third such long-distance show). Two is how awesome Brett Wickens is and the rest of the numbers fall from that. Just now, trying to fit in all the works of note that Brett has accomplished in his long career into the little interview photo directly above this paragraph seemed impossible. I left a lot out, but do you see those CS1 and CS2 boxes? Do you remember how ugly Adobe packaging was before them? Thank Brett. Do you see The Sopranos logo? Well we didn’t even get to talk to him about that because there was so much else to cover. And we went long. How about a story about spelling the client’s name wrong on a comp? And the client is a Beatle? This interview was amazing to conduct and hope it is as much fun for you to listen to as it was for us to make. Special thanks again to Brett for taking the time to talk to us. —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 49 to your computer (18mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Victor Rodriguez has been a friend of the Be A Design Cast for many a year now. He and Donovan go way back and I’ve had the opportunity to hang with him a handful of times as well. Sadly, every time we get to hang out, we’re somehow not in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. So that sucks, but only for us. Victor (of Eurie Creative) was named Ambassador of the Arts by AIGA Nevada in 2004, and his work has appeared in HOW, PRINT ID, and other pubs the world over. He’s made a living designing for the entertainment industry, but recently has taken more a turn to the pro-bono world, which we cover. Special thanks again to AIGA Nebraska for our last three guests, and especially to Victor, Kilndt, and Jenn for being on the show. Enjoy! —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 48 to your computer (XXmb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Klindt Parker is a man. A Man, I tell you, with capital M. Klindt is the Design Manager for a small coffee shop in Seattle (and the rest of the livable Earth) called Starbucks. Now this fact alone put him into my pantheon of design heroes, but as you’ll note while listening, Klindt is a really great, fun-loving guy. Makes you feel like all of that feel-good design you see when you walk into a Starbucks actually comes from someone’s heart, rather than the soulless mega-corporation giant monster they are often played-out to be (which is another topic we cover). So, if you’re a fan of the ‘Bucks, grab your mocha blatte blatte and relax to the show; if not, grab your emo-indie-coffee shop beverage and let your burning hatred of capitalism simmer as you listen to the newest Be A Design Cast. —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 47 to your computer (14.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Welcome back for another exciting episode of the Be A Design Cast! This week we are proud to bring you our interview with Jenn Visocky O’Grady, co-author of A Design’s Research Manual: Succeed in Design by Knowing Your Clients and What They Really Need. Which is an awesome book, no matter what you think of really long subtitles. In addition to the book, we spend a lot of time talking about the finer points of design education (Jenn is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Cleveland State), AIGA student chapters, and plenty more. I’ve known Jenn and her husband Ken (do not call them “Kennifer”) for a number of years now and not only are they both brilliantly talented designers, they are also two of the nicest people in the world. So big thanks again to Jenn for taking time for the show, and we hope you all enjoy it out there! —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 46 to your computer (11mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Every now and then we like to branch out on the Be A Design Cast and interview people who are not designers, per se, but who have made a great deal of impact on the design world. Shaun Inman is one of those men. When we traveled to Nashville to meet Shaun, I must admit I was expecting him to be older. Instead he was just about my age with the computer wisdom of 75 strong men. He has transitioned from designer to developer and is responsible for Mint, Inman Flash Replacement, and Designologue (a way better form of layer tennis), and turned out to be one hell of a nice guy. Also big into Final Fantasy, which long time BADCast listeners know makes me all kinds of happy/nerdy during shows. Big thanks again to Shaun for being on the show, and we look forward to calling you next time our BADG Mint breaks down — —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 45 to your computer (12.6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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This week we continue our Nashville coverage with a return visit from one of our favorite people in the whole, wide world, Debbie Millman. She has a new book coming out, you may have heard, titled How To Think Like a Great Graphic Designer, which is releasing on October 30th and oddly does not include interviews with Donovan or myself. Ahem. In one of the more earnest moments in BADCast history, Donovan shoves all of that to the side because just before we walked into Debbie’s room to record this show I mentioned off-handedly that Debbie had redesigned the Hershey’s bar a few years back. So for the first part of this terrific episode we do something with Debbie that most people seem to never do: we talk about her work. Good times and hugs abound in the BADCast this week, so jaded hearts beware. Everyone else: enjoy. —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 44 to your computer (13.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Holy crap. Marian Bantjes (Bant-geez) is freaking talented. Chances are that if you listen to our show you are a savvy enough designer to know this. You may not know that a few short years ago she was burnt out and living in Canada (she still does that), and was considering leaving design behind her completely. It was a t-shirt contest on SpeakUp, a site to which she contributes as a writer, that brought her back into the fold. Picture this: you enter a design contest, actually win, and are actually discovered by the design gods and made into a superstar. That’s right folks, Marian is the only designer on the planet to have ever had any good come of spec work. Or at least that’s the way Donovan and I see it. This show was recorded very early in the morning following what I would call an “adventurous” night out with the other speakers at Think Thank, the AIGA Nashville Board, and a bevy of people who attended the conference, so if it takes us a few minutes to get rolling, that is why. We discuss much of Marian’s views on typography, design, her early work as a typesetter, and the most devious weapon in Donovan Beery’s arsenal: The Open Question. ps: Marian, dictionary.com lists cavorting as “To have lively or boisterous fun; romp.” So, yeah, that was totally what you were doing. —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 43 to your computer (13mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Now that we are finally back from Nashville we can bring you the first of four Think Tank Be A Design Casts. On this show we interview illustrator extraordinaire Von Glitschka, whose name I can proudly say that I now know how to spell from memory alone. Von has a large presence on the interwebs with Vonster.com, Art Backwash, Illustration Class, Keyboard Characters, and The Illustrative Designer podcast, which updates, like, all the freaking time. (sorry Von! I couldn’t resist!) We did this interview just as we all arrived in Nashville and then got to spend the whole weekend with Von and I can tell you he is a terrifically passionate individual with more creative stamina than you can shake a stick at. It was a lot of fun having him on the show and we hope you enjoy listening! —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 42 to your computer (14mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Some years ago, Milton Glaser wrote a short article for AIGA (later reprinted in Metropolis Magazine in 2002) called the Road to Hell. It reads very much as a moral compass for graphic designers; the more you would answer in the affirmative, the closer you are to burning forever in a firy pit filled with drop shadows and Copperplate Gothic. Click on the link above or in the show to read the article, and follow along as Donovan, Steve, Adam and I tackle the list one-by-one to find out how bad we really are on the BADCast. That is pretty much the entire 36 minute show right there, and as Steve said shortly after; “That really got out of hand quickly.” —nv— podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 41 to your computer (17.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Featuring the Top Ten Things To Do When You Get Back To Design School. Also this week we delve into Halo 3 Mountain Dew because while it is a blatant marketing ploy, it is still a mixture of two things we love. And the can rocks. We do all this with aplomb, and with the Design Princess herself, Ashley McFeely. Finally our intro/outro for BADCast 40 comes from K-Dub so non-design gangstas watch out. There’s some other news I forgot? That’s right. The Be A Design Cast is going to Nashville! We’ll be in town September 15, 2007, for Think Tank (the AIGA event), where Bennett, Donovan and I will drop mind-grapes into the open mouths that are your brains. And we’re cooking up a BADCast goodie for all the listeners who attend, so we’ll see you there! ?nv? podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 40 to your computer (13.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Better late than never we present the Be A Design Cast Guide to Going Green. Well, less of a guide, more of a conversation about how to begin the process. Going green (or as the AIGA folks like to call it, sustainable) is not as hard as it may seem, but it does include an awful lot more consideration than just printing recycled paper and using soy-based ink. The biggest obstacle to going green as a graphic designer, we’ve found, is there there exists no great resource of information on how to do it, or how to know that what you are doing is helping more than hurting. The closest thing is AIGA’s Center for Sustainable Design, but as a practical guide I have found it somewhat lacking. The research for this show was culled from other websites such as the one above, blogs devoted to the green life, as well as articles from our good friends at both STEP Inside Design and HOW Magazine. Joining us once more is our main man David Kadavy coming all the way from the sunny shores of San Francisco, because he has just formed sustainableprint.org, a wiki guide to green, which we all hope will become that long-needed one-stop shop for sustainable how-to’s. Big thanks to David, who lives the green life everyday, for lending some credibility to the show. ?nv? podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 39 to your computer (20mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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And the hits, they say, just keep on coming. Our 38th show comes to you live from the Nomad Lounge, which you no doubt read all about in last month’s STEP magazine. It’s the brainchild of midwest design firm Archrival, who you know from just about every design annual published during the past ten years. Donovan and I have known Clint! and Charles for a number of years and have wanted to get them on the show from the beginning, and they deliver in spades. We cover the history and beginnings of Archrival, which should serve as a case study to any young designer looking to do their own thing, to partnering with clients and branching out into other businesses, like the Nomad. This is a great, great show and anyone who’s ever felt like they can’t do good work because they’re not on the coast must give it a listen. Also this week, another 5 MINUTE REVIEW, this time of thomasjockin.com. Thomas is a senior at Parsons, but even that pedigree doesn’t get him off the hook with us or Clint! and Charles. If you want to take part in the 5-Minute Review, send us a link to your work online at the email address below! ?nv? podcast [at] beadesigngroup [dot] com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 38 to your computer (21mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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A lightning-fast Be A Design Cast coming at you this week produced almost entirely by Steve Gordon while at the HOW Conference in HotLanta. Trials, tribulations, and good times ensued. Special thanks for once again being our man-on-the-street. We’ll be back next week with a full show that, if everyone’s schedules work out, should be a blast. Thanks ? ?nv? podcast [at] beadesigngroup.com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 37.5 to your computer (2.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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It’s summer, so it must be time to kick off the Be A Design Cast interview season. We get things started?and started right?with something I would not have expected in my days: The return of Robert Brunner to the Be A Design Cast. But how could we resist! Not only did Robert give an amazing interview when we visited Pentagram last year (during which you can actually hear me getting smarter), but then he went ahead and left Pentagram to form his own company, Ammunition, where he will take on his own projects such as the phenomenally successful Fuego grill. We had a lot of fun with Robert this time, and discuss everything from sustainability in design to the obligatory Apple question, plus Robert even answers this week’s listener mail. And while over 1,500 miles of distance did alleviate much of my designer-intimidation this time around, I can pass along this tidbit: Do not try to bait Robert into making jokes about the Zune. Not a good idea, right there. So special thanks to Robert Brunner for gracing the BADCast with his presence once again, we were thrilled to him back. More interviews to come! ?nv? podcast [at] beadesigngroup.com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 37 to your computer (14mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Don’t give people seizures! Bad design breaks the world and Europe’s grasp on cutting-edge cool comes to a halt more abrupt than Princess Diana. We cover the shame of of the London 2012 logo. After we wipe our hands clean of that mess, Donovan, Steve and I dig into some listener questions that include how to handle “celeb” designers. Also, a new feature comes to the show: The 5-Minute Review. Basically it works like this: you send us a link to your website (preferably student work) and we will give you tough love in return. Good times! UPDATE: To fix this little “half-a-show” bug we’re experiencing, we have uploaded BADCast 36”B”, a new file that will hopefully clear out whatever is wrong with the old one. Let us know if this doesn’t work, and thanks for letting us know in the first place! Next week: The Return of Robert Brunner to the Be A Design Cast! ?nv? podcast [at] beadesigngroup.com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 36B to your computer (15mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Donovan and I are just beside ourselves this week, as we get to send off one of our boys to the land of HOTlanta for the 2007 HOW Conference. The BADCast’s own (and yes, we’re claiming him ? hands off, ladies) Steve MF’in RDQlus Gordon will be presenting at the Conference next Monday. Next Monday at the 2:00 session, actually. Since we won’t be there to watch him run his wisdom cup over onto yonder conference attendees, we wanted to give him a proper send off on today’s show. Also, Steve MAY be recording a little man-on-the-street action for us while he’s there (just like last year), so keep an eye out and you may wind up right here. HOW Conference attendees take note: Listen in today about the limited edition BADCast poster you can score from Steve, and how to get a hold of yours. More info on that item later this week. ?nv? podcast[at]beadesigngroup.com Right click to download Be A Design Cast 35.5 to your computer (5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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This was originally intended to be show number 34.5, and run at about five minutes, but with our good friend David Kadavy back with us live via satellite, well we just sorta took the ball and ran with it. We like to say we love our listeners but that isn’t really true; we adore them. To the point where we will openly criticize the portfolios they send us on the air (it’s tough love, Oz, but love nonetheless) and answer questions that will determine the courses of their careers?nay! Their very lives! So you should know that we’re now accepting emails directly at podcast[at]beadesigngroup.com (though you’ll want to use an “@”). We do read everything we get, and respond to as much as we can. So again, thanks for listening everyone, and keep those letters coming in! ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 35 to your computer (12.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Holy late podcast, Batman! It’s a few days behind schedule, but we deliver this podcast chock-full of Drew Davies Goodness as we cover a veritable cornucopia of topics ranging from the Delta redesign (and the return of the Extreme Makeover), Design for Democracy, Pro-Bono work, and Superman Posters. I mean it really goes all the way around the world in this one. Thanks for waiting! ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 34 to your computer (17mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Super-dooper-uber-quick follow-up to last week’s show about how we were introduced to design. This one was recorded during a soundcheck with our main main man Steve Gordon, who got a much more interesting introduction to design than the rest of us. Next week join us as we talk about Design for Democracy and pro-bono work in general with our good friend Drew Davies (Superstar®). Sorry no links in the podcast this week! Peace out ? ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 33.5 to your computer (2mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Today we go Blast From The Past style to reminisce about the first time we were introduced to graphic design. Not in the classroom, “this is my major so I guess I will learn something” way, but in the “hey holy geez? wow look at that” kind of way. We welcome back our good friend Adam Nielsen to the show to help us walk down memory lane. The second half of the show is dedicated to some hardcore business tips for new designers working solo. To help get this show off right, I also posed the same question to some of the authors of Be A Design Group. Their stories are after the jump. Enjoy the show! ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 33 to your computer (15mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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A quick six-and-a-halfsie minute show filled with censored profanity and horror stories of bad job interviews to follow-up last week’s How to Hire A Designer podcast. Steve Gordon, Donovan and I reach near unprecidented levels of crazy in a surprisingly short amount of time. Enjoy. ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 32.5 to your computer (3mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Be A Design Group founder Bennett Holzworth is back on the podcast this week as we delve into the seedy underbelly of hiring designers. Specifically, what not to do. Bennett lays out his Ten Rules based on his (and my) very recent experiences finding new employment. While my experience was rather short, Bennett’s was rather long. And although both worked out great in the long run, we learned a few things along the way. You may want to call this podcast “How Not To Be A Douchebag,” but I didn’t think the powers that be would go for that title. Also: lots of singing. Thanks for listening, comments go below! ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 32 to your computer (17mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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It’s been a looooong week and a half on Dream Project Island for Donovan and I, and we’re about ready to take our sun-burnt knees and action-figure designs back home to the real world. But before we go, our main-man Steve Gordon swims out for one last go ‘round. This bite-sized podcast comes in at over seven minutes, and should be just enough show to get you ready for Wednesday. So long! ?nv? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 31.5 to your computer (4mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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The adventure of a lifetime begins on Dream Project Island! Each of us must decide on what our dream project would be from five different categories: Identity, Packaging, Product, Environment, and “Wild Card.” Donovan and I are joined, as advertised, by Design Princess Ashley McFeely on the sun-baked shores of the isle where dream come true. And just to sweeten the deal for our listeners a bit more we got the straight dope (or as Donovan would say, the correct answers) from some of the best minds in the industry, including Debbie Millman (Identity), Joe Duffy (Packaging), Volume, Inc. (Environment), Superstar Designer® Drew Davies (Wild Card), as well as this fellow by the name of Robert Brunner (Product). Say, didn’t Brunner just leave Pentagram to pursue new and exciting projects? Well we have a good idea of exactly what he’d like his next project to be, but you’ll have to listen to find out. (ps: we’re not saying he’s doing it, but we do know it is his dream project) Right click to download Be A Design Cast 31 to your computer (14.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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It’s a little halfsies show this week, just to get you prepared for next week’s adventure-filled journey to the exotic Dream Project Island. Located 25 miles south of last season’s Typography Island, Dream Project Island is where all of your wildest design-job fantasies come true. Or something like that. Big welcome back to Design Princess Ashley McFeely for this week and next week’s show, where we’ll also hear from some of the industry’s heaviest hitters on what their dream projects would be. You will be shocked ? SHOCKED I say ? by their answers. See you next week! Right click to download Be A Design Cast 30.5 to your computer (1.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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On our last show we spent most of our time talking about how to get a job in graphic design, this one we spend talking about what to do once you get there. And no, we don’t mean sitting at a desk and messin’ around in Illustrator or InDesign, we mean designing as a part of a team! It’s tricky, especially when you’re just starting out, so Donovan, Stevie “RDQlus” Gordon and I walk through a few sordid tales of the matter. Also I’m not sure if any of you know? but there’s a new Creative Suite dropping like, any day now, so we dig into the new features of Photoshop CS3, which will make you very happy if you’re A.) on an Intel Mac, B.) have a widescreen monitor, or C.) fond of ‘the filters.’ Maybe all of the above, we’re not quite sure yet. Also, Listener Mail! See you next week ? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 30 to your computer (17mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Weekly content starts NOW on the Be A Design Cast! These shorter, sleeker, sexier nuggets of podcasts will hit on the off-weeks of our until-now biweekly show. Aside from expanding on previous shows, reading listener mail, or covering topics that we would normally overlook, these .5’ers should be what you need to satiate your BADCasting thirst. Today our main man Steve Gordon drops some more portfolio truth bombs to follow-up from last week. See you next Wednesday! Right click to download Be A Design Cast 29.5 to your computer (2mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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We welcome our good friend Rob back to the show to throw down on a topic that has been making the rounds lately: Getting a Job in Graphic Design. For some reason this topic always makes the rounds in late winter/early spring, as near-graduates race to figure out what they’re going to do when the dorms kick them out and their parents stop buying them food. So we touch on everything including portfolio tips and pet-peeves, presentations, web vs. printed portfolios, cold-calling, resumé secrets, and much, much more. Also Rob busts out “visual tofu” on Helvetica’s ass. Not to be missed. This week’s homework: send us photos of your super-designed portfolios and we’ll post them to the blog. The email address is in the show (skip to the chapter called “This Week’s Homework”). We want to see who’s got the best! Also check out last season’s rant/tirade Getting a Job is Like Dating for yet another spectacular view on joining the workforce of design. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 29 to your computer (10mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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We have long wanted to do a show devoted to the business of freelancing. But with my limited experience (re: five stressful months) and Donovan not really being “freelance,” per se, we were not sure we had the right perspective. So we called in four of our friends from Divvy Collective?Adam Nielsen, Ryan Sorensen, “Secret Penguin” Dave Nelson and John Henry “The Steel Drivin’ Man” Müller?who are all freelancers working from the same shared space. Sort of like a design-based season of the Real World, but without the cameras. Among the topics we discuss this week are why they got into freelancing, when it is appropriate to start freelancing, (do you need clients to begin?) and the nuts and bolts of dealing with clients, finances, and kids. And dogs. And swearing. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 28 to your computer (6.5mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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The return of Tom Nemitz! Steve Gordon! Donovan! Nate! And the worst superbowl ads we’ve seen in a decade. Seriously, what went wrong there? We spend a bit longer show than usual pondering those issues and more. And we welcome two new friends to the show, New Guy Rob Maguire and New Girl Ashley McFeely. And sound-o-files rejoice! Renaissance-man Steve MF’ing Gordon fixed our echoing issue from last episode. Welcome to awesometown, Steve. Population you. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 27 to your computer (10mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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RETURN OF THE AWESOME. Now in 3-D! Or stereo, at least, and we apologize for the severe, severe, severe echo you are about to experience while we work out a slight bug in our new recording hotness, I mean process. We welcome Superstar Designer Drew Davies® back to the show as we run for our very lives from the zombie Orville Redenbacher, who is hungry for our delicious, air-popped brains. Then we play kick-the-can with 35 different cans of Pepsi before getting Drew to theorize on the virtues of doing great work for clients who are what we call financially challenged. And of course we bring back the Taboo Typeface and Student Tip. Because really, it just wouldn’t be the BADCast without them. NEW! Designer Homework! Listeners, send us jpegs of other products that would benefit from zombie-pitching, or at least other products Deadenbacher might shill, and we’ll post them right here after the jump! Big thanks to the staff at the Apple Store in Omaha for letting me edit this podcast well past working hours while my computer was freaking out at home! If you’re in the area, stop by and give ‘em a hug Right click to download Be A Design Cast 26 to your computer (15mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Welcome to the Season Finale of the Be A Design Cast! We are head-over-heels to bring you a half-hour conversation with the one-and-only Debbie Millman of Design Matters. If you’re not aware of Design Matters, have been living under a rock, or are not a graphic designer, it is only the premier graphic-design/business talk show and both Donovan and I were terribly humbled to have her in-studio with us. Fly on over to iTunes to download every episode of her show and the first 5 minutes of today’s podcast will make a whole lot more sense to you. Debbie was kind enough to discuss the advent of the millennium swoosh (Nike beat her to it), the Quark/Sterling/SAC logo fiasco, Design Matters and its origins, and much, much more. Plus, for the first time in show history, her student tip actually left me speechless. A big thanks to our good friend Debbie and to all of you who listen. We’ll see you in January! Right click to download Be A Design Cast 25 to your computer (8mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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After a long breather we are happy to return to the Be A Design Cast with none other than Tricia Bateman. Tricia should be one of your favorite designers, whether you know it or not. She is the Senior Art Director at HOW Magazine and I’m guessing about everyone listening to this show pours through her work six times a year just like I do. Donovan and I had a terrific opportunity to spend some time with Tricia as she visited our hometown last month for some AIGA business. During the show we talk about designing a bimonthly publication (for designers, no less), the redesign with DJ’s team at Pentagram, and of course Donovan’s fascination with one Mr. Steven Gordon. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 24 to your computer (6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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I don’t know that we know Kit so well that we can outright call him an “old friend,” but going into our illustrious day of interviews at the Pentagram office in San Francisco we certainly knew him the best. Kit had visited us in Omaha before and gave the show-and-tell to end all show-and-tells. It left a room of over 100 designers collecting their jaws off the ground. My favorite moment was when Kit showed a product catalog deemed to be terrible, and we all looked at this thing thinking “actually, that catalog really isn’t so bad. In fact I wouldn’t feel bad if I had designed it?OOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooh” (That was the point where he showed us what he created to replace it). So please enjoy our finale to the Pentagram triptych. Our apologies for the delay, but I can now assure you the Genius Bar at the newly opened Omaha Apple Store is up to snuff. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 23 to your computer (6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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I have a confession to make. I have scarcely felt more inadequate as a designer than the half-hour we spent with Robert Brunner. A Pentagram Partner, formerly of Lunar Design, and former lead industrial designer for Apple (he hired Jonathan Ive), Robert’s command over the idea of what design is and what is possible through wielding it is commanding to say the least. If Robert Brunner were to judge a design competition, the non-winning entries would simply burst into flames upon his steely gaze. If Hollywood made a movie about Robert Brunner, the only man who could play him would be Steve McQueen, and this is why there is not a movie about Robert Brunner. When I sit down to design now, having met him, I feel the eyes of Robert Brunner on my back, telling me it is not good enough. In short, Robert Brunner is design’s Chuck Norris. This is my impression of Robert while he was both jet-lagged and battling a cold. So you can imagine. But don’t let me give you the wrong idea. Robert was a wonderfully nice, down-to-Earth fellow, and he gave us a great interview. Hats off. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 22 to your computer (7mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Beginning (hopefully) three back-to-back-to-back weeks of Pentagram interviews is our run-in with Lorenzo Apicella. I was most nervous meeting Lorenzo, as he is one of those curious “architects” who design buildings, not brochures. My nervousness was soon lifted because Lorenzo Apicella is a charming, gracious, brilliant man who put us quite at ease. We discussed the idea of multidisciplinary design, as well as his approach to architecture and many other topics that quite frankly changed the way I view design. Unfortunately you’ll get to hear none of that, as I single-handedly failed to capture more than half of the interview with our recording equipment. Lorenzo, proving his good humor, was obliged to join us a second time to rattle off the Reflex Blue Round and Student Tip but sadly much of our terrific interview was lost. It did, however, afford Mr. Apicella with the greatest burn in the history of the Be A Design Cast. Cheers. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 21 to your computer (6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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The first in an epic series on San Fran-based interviews, Donovan and I make the trek to Volume Inc. It was an unusually warm day and of course nobody has air conditioning in San Francisco, so if you hear anything odd its the beads of sweat dripping off Donovan’s dome. Eric and Adam gave us a great interview where we discuss the merits of big versus small clients, trade shows, designers who teach, and of course we give you your Student Tip and Taboo Typeface. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 20 to your computer (8mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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The podcast to end all podcasts. Four authors. One hour. One host? The Be A Design Cast heads west, into the great unknown wilderness, for our enneadecashow. Nate takes Bennett Holzworth, Adrian Hanft, and Paul “the Professor” Berkbigler out into the darkness to hunt the wild beast that is the online world of graphic design. We cover the past, present, and purported future of this strange animal as we attempt to uncover both its secrets and, if possible, its purpose. This show is not to be missed?especially by Donovan, who was tragically lost to a wild deer this week. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 19 to your computer (15mb!), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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I have been trying to get these guys on the show since the beginning. These two fine young gentlemen, Sheraton and Jovaney (not “Giovanni”), were two of my best friends back in design college. We took most of our classes together and played little games of one-ups-manship to see who could either turn in the most kickass project for critique (they usually won), or rip off the other person’s design (that nearly spiraled out of control). These two graduated and headed to work for Charles Anderson, of CSA Archive, CSA Design, and PopInk fame, and have been there for the past 5 years working on a plethora or crazy, crazy things. Rdqlus things, honestly, that are far more fun than the average designer could easily handle. Anyways I love these guys. This show was a blast to record, and I hope you enjoy it?though it does get a bit quiet at times. I’m just sayin’? Right click to download Be A Design Cast 18 to your computer (8mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Continuing our trek through sunny Minneapolis, we spend some quiet time in the new Central Library with Brian Edlefson, Senior Designer and Art Director for Target. Brian’s is the in-house designer’s hero, able to work for major corporations, under major brands, and produce majorly amazing work. He holds a position on the Minneapolis AIGA chapter’s board of directors as the associate programming director for in-house designers. He’s also worked for Herman Miller, MoMA, and holds a MFA in Graphic Design from Yale. So there. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 17 to your computer (8mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Live and super echo-y from Aesthetic Apparatus’ studio in downtown Minneapolis, this is the 16th Be A Design Cast! The BADCast takes a secret vacation to the twin cities and drops in on some old friends. Actually, some dudes we met once before: Mike and Dan from Aesthetic Apparatus! This show is a must listen for any fans of their work or anyone looking to make a living designing (or “creating”) gig posters?hint: they do a lot more than posters. Also on the BADCast this week is our man Steve Gordon doing his Man on the Street thing live-on-tape from the HOW Conference in Las Vegas! Steve did a fantastic job capturing the awe and allure of the Vegas conference, so we’ll be kicking it to him over the next few shows to bring the experience a little closer to you. And don’t forget, Be A Design Casts are now 100% enhancier, for your pleasure! Right click to download Be A Design Cast 16 to your computer (10mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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So this is what it’s like to have an enhanced podcast? This is good. All new rez’s and byte’s and things. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 15 to your computer (9mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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This week we bring some serious cool to the BADCast with guest Steve Gordon. We spend a little time on Steve’s raison d’etre:logo and identity design, then wander the exciting, re-invigorating and slightly alcoholic halls of graphic design conferences, including HOW to convince your company to pick up the tab. Did everyone get the subtle plug there? Eh? There are no words to describe how cool Steve MF’ing Gordon is; so I will use one I wish I invented: Scrumtrelescent. Steve is like Kane, a Kung-Fu master wandering the Earth, solving design problems, and has been described?to me?by HOW magazine editor Bryn Mooth as a “powerhouse.” Right click to download Be A Design Cast 14 to your computer (7mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Today on the unlucky 13th BADCast, Donovan coerces me to talk about Apple’s Boot Camp for six or seven minutes before we get to the real news of today’s show: It’s Spring, and student designers everywhere are graduating! We cover how to get a job as a recently minted student designer from the closest parallel experience: Men (student designers?including female student designers) hitting on Women (companies/agencies/design firms). It’s a surprisingly deep analogy. Here’s a taste: Portfolio = Sexy body A sexy body might get you talking to a lot of girls, but a good personality fit is what it takes to end up in a relationship (freelancing excluded). Conversely, a sloppy, out-of-shape body will make it harder for women to want to talk to you and discover the inner creative genius underneath the flab. Enjoy! And good luck, graduates. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 13 to your computer (7.6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Turn up your speakers, BADCasters, because this week Be A Design Group’s own co-founder Bennett Holzworth joins the show! Right click to download Be A Design Cast 12 to your computer (6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Well, it wouldn’t be a design podcast if we didn’t talk about Quark’s new ways of letting us down? I mean, their new logo. Also, a big thanks to Franz for inspiring Tom on this week’s Taboo Typeface. The man came at it with a vengeance. Now your number one graphic design podcast! At least as far as the search engines go, and really, isn’t that the only way importance is measured anymore? A big thank you to everyone who listens for putting us there; we aim to please. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 11 to your computer (6mb), or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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What would you do if you were stuck on a deserted island with only five typefaces for the rest of your life? Choose one for Serif, Sans Serif, Script, Designed-By-Adrian-Frutiger, and the enigmatic “Misc.” You’ll have to listen in for our picks, but we’re more interested to hear from you! Post your picks in the Comments section and we’ll tally up the top five vote getters for a recap on next week’s show. Thanks to Greg for getting us off the negative tip. Right click to download Be A Design Cast 10 to your computer, (7mb) or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Today on the Almost-Tenth Be A Design Cast we welcome fellow Be A Design Group author and AIGA Nebraska President Drew Davies to the show, filling in mightily for Mr. Nemitz. We dive into the treacherous waters of spec work, Olympic design, and design competitions. Also, Drew shatters my faith in House Industries. (But hey, we all did dumb things when we were younger, right?) Right click to download Be A Design Cast 9 to your computer, (7mb) or subscribe directly from iTunes.

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Download Be A Design Cast 8 now. (8mb) We blow the lid off this podcast with over a half hour of Superbowl ad coverage. We hope you saw the ads during the game, because it’s a podcast, and we can’t really show them to you. But we can tell you all about them! Tom takes us on a whirlwind tour of the best and worst ads of the night, Nate speaks in broad sweeping generalizations without backup, Donovan drinks Peach Fresca and, if you hang in there long enough, we even squeeze in a student tip for you on top of it all.

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Download Be A Design Cast 7 now. (6mb) Coming to you on-location from Des Moines, Iowa! This week we interview none other than AIGA Medalist and good-sport Joe Duffy. We tackle the future of advertising, Duffy’s experiences following his split with Fallon, and much more. Donovan even sneaked in a question about Duffy’s past battle-of-the-minds with Tibor Kalman (get a primer here, courtesy of Design Observer). Also pondered: Has Joe Duffy ever had a Hillary Duff? (answer: no.)

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The Be A Design Cast keeps getting better! (7mb) This week we welcome Ric Grefé, the executive director of AIGA (the professional association for design) to the Design Cast for our very special first interview. Ric talks about the future of AIGA and of our profession, as well as the re-positioning of AIGA in it. Our thanks go out to AIGA Nebraska and president Drew Davies (a Be A Design Group author, in case you were wondering how we swindled this) for allowing us a few moments of Ric’s time. Thanks for listening! NEXT WEEK! The Be A Design Cast continues its march to dominance as we welcome Joe Duffy to the show!

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Welcome to Be A Design Cast 5. Today we discuss the Intel’s rebranding effort and the merits of the millennium swoosh along with the final installment of the 2005 holiday design review ? don’t forget to vote! Also we welcome David Kadavy to the Design Cast all the way from northern California. Download Be A Design Cast 5 now. (6mb)

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Welcome to the Be A Design Cast for the week of December 27th, 2000 and 5. On the Design Cast this week, we bid farewell to Macromedia as they are officially taken over by Adobe Systems. Tom takes a dive into the Dew, and the Holiday Design Review continues. Download Be A Design Cast 4 now. (6mb)

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Be A Design Cast 3 is now ready to download. (7mb) On today’s podcast, AT&T becomes lowercase and drags design down with it; Part One of the Be A Design Cast Holiday Design Review; and your friends the Blog Recap and Student Tip of the Week.

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Be A Design Cast 2 On this week’s episode, Marty Neumier’s The Dictionary of Brand, and Coudal Partner’s Copy Goes Here are reviewed, as is Tom’s junk mail.

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Click here to download the first-ever Be A Design Cast! or you can subscribe to it from iTunes

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