Revision Path

I had the great pleasure to talk with Ashley Nelson-Hornstein, a Syracuse University graduate and an iOS developer for Dropbox. She may be fairly new to the company, but she has cut her teeth as an iOS dev at probably the best place anyone can learn it -- Apple. We talked about her journey from Apple to Circa to Dropbox, spoke a bit about her accessibility work she's doing (and why it's so important), and talked about her conference talks, such as her talk at Yandex in October 2014. Ashley definitely knows her stuff, and I think she's one to watch out for in Silicon Valley.

I first heard about Xavier Ruffin back in late 2013 during his fundraising campaign for Mad Black Men, a satirical web series inspired by Mad Men about the 1960's ad industry from the eyes of three Black ad workers. We also featured Xavier on our "12 Designers to Follow on Behance" post last year. So imagine my surprise when Xavier contacted me and wanted to be on the show. How could I say no? Xavier's work is so much more than this one campaign though. We talked about his company, his title sequencing work for several popular artists like T.I., Childish Gambino, and Wiz Khalifa, and many more. Xavier also gave some great advice for people out there trying to increase their profile. Thanks again for the conversation, Xavier!

Joe Blau and his dedication to learning and staying at the top of his game is both inspiring and infectious. His work ranges from mobile apps to front end development to backend systems and security work. Oh, and there's more! We talked about the hot topic issue of diversity in Silicon Valley, why Silicon Valley is such an interesting place right now, and he gave some really awesome advice for software developers. Grab a pen and pad, because you'll definitely want to take notes for this episode! Enjoy!

I'm starting Black History Month with a really great conversation with Gitamba Saila-Ngita. Gitamba is a multidisciplinary designer and strategist living in New York, and he has collaborated and produced work for brands and agencies such as Carrot, Apple, and Nurun. Gitamba is what I'd call a "global designer" (word to Ced Funches) -- multilingual, grew up around the world, and travels frequently. All of these experiences influence his approach to projects and his design sensibilities. We also touched on diversity in the design industry, and we talked shop about MF DOOM. Keep an eye on Gitamba -- he's definitely going places. Enjoy!

I had such a delightful conversation with this week's guest -- Brooklyn-based graphic designer and artist Arielle Wilkins. We spoke about growing up in a creative family, her time at SVA, and the difference in working with a big agency versus a smaller agency. Arielle also talked about her latest project Brothas and Sistas, and how she gained the confidence to keep at it and turn it into something successful! Watch out for Arielle -- I have a feeling you'll be seeing her work in stores soon!

January continues with an interview with Brooklyn-based graphic designer and illustrator Brittany Holloway-Brown. Brittany's vibrant watercolor works have been seen across the web on sites like StyleBlazer, BuzzFeed, and many more. We talked about how the Internet has helped her gain a larger platform, the motivations behind her pieces, and her "Dark Girls" series that explores the representation of dark-skinned women in the beauty industry.

I was really excited to talk with Kishau Rogers, founder and CEO of Websmith Group. She has nearly twenty years of experience in the computer science and IT industry, specializing in web and enterprise data system development. Her company just turned 10 years old, which is quite an accomplishment! We talked mostly about her company -- how she started it, built her team, and what's in store in the future. Kishau also shared some killer advice for future developers and entrepreneurs. Definitely a must-listen!

Happy new year! Start off 2015 on a positive note by listening to this conversation with graphic designer and letterist Marcus Williamson. Marcus is creating some really amazing work as a freelance designer, as well as through his role as graphic designer for Midtown Fellowship , a family of churches in Columbia, South Carolina. We talked about how he got started with design and lettering, how his faith impacts his work, and some of his design inspirations.

Can you believe we're at the last interview of the year? I'm ending 2014 with a conversation with Ariana Farquharson. Ariana splits her time between freelance design and her new company curativ, a digital media startup that feeds news stories regarding diversity and innovation in creative culture. We talked about her design background, as well as what made her take the plunge into entrepreneurship. Big thanks to Britt Davis for recommending Ariana!

If you've read USA Weekend magazine in your Sunday paper, there's a pretty good chance you've seen Leon Lawrence III's amazing work. As USA Weekend's design director, he's worked with photographers, copywriters, and other fellow creatives to design the magazine from top to bottom for almost 15 years. We talked about Leon's everyday work with the magazine, along with his beginnings as art director of Emerge magazine, his stint as former vice-president of the Organization of Black Designers, and his book "Career Diary of a Publication Design Director". Leon has an incredible back story and loads and loads of knowledge for current and up and coming design students. All these gifts just in time for Christmas! Enjoy!

James and I first crossed paths back in August at Weapons of Mass Creation Fest, and I was so glad to talk at length with him! A self-proclaimed "designer by trade and artist by practice", James has managed to skillfully balance his digital design work with his artistic practice to create really meaningful work. Along with this, we discussed his work with a few Chicago-area artistic collectives as well as his current t-shirt campaign that helps raise money for organizations supporting the Ferguson community. Powerful stuff!

If there's a phrase that I would use to describe graphic designer Britt Davis, it would be "hometown hero". You can tell that Britt is all about giving back to the community that helped push her to success. On top of her work at UNC Charlotte, Britt also has her own creative agency and is pursuing her MFA at Savannah College of Art and Design. Whew! We talked about her college years at North Carolina State University as well as her philosophy of community service through design. Thanks for a great interview Britt!

Allan Cole is a true polymath. Whether it's graphic design, web development, or music, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the table and produces mind-blowing results. You may know him as one of the co-authors of Build Your Own Wicked WordPress Themes, but he's also done websites and designs for big names like Nike, Okayplayer, Kanye West, Jay Electronica, and Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Arts Society! (And speaking of music, he's one half of the music duo The Stuyvesants. Highly, highly recommended!) We talked about his current path to success through WordPress, creative collaboration, and of course...the music. According to Allan, there are ways to do what you love and make a living, and he's a prime example of that!

What a great month of interviews! I'm ending November with the amazing De Angela Duff. I heard about De Angela through Rashida White, and her bio truly speaks for itself. She's designed websites for some of the biggest music artists in the 90s, like Alicia Keys, David Bowie, and Britney Spears. De Angela currently serves as the Co-Director of Integrated Digital Media at NYU, working on next-level technologies like augmented reality and brainwaves. Did I mention she's a diehard Prince fan too? Afrofuturistic! Press play and learn more about De Angela's inspiring journey and her current work!

I'm so excited to bring you this conversation with web strategist Ron Bronson! Ron oversees web strategy for the largest postsecondary institution in Kentucky serving over 90,000 students at sixteen colleges statewide. Ron's also a prolific public speaker, runs his own conference series (Aggregate Web Conference), and has even created his own sport! We talked about a little bit of everything: design and content strategy at higher ed institutions, web governance, diversity in speaker panels, networking and mentorship...seriously, you'll have to listen to this one twice to pick up on all the gems Ron dropped!