Typeradio Podcast

Finland born illustrator Kustaa Saksi is nowadays living and working in Amsterdam. He has been working with various clients in the world of fashion, music and entertainment. His world of imagination illustrates wonderful surrealistic landscapes, strange characters and strong atmospheres. We ask Kustaa if there is a certain trend within European illustration and the differences between the three countries were he lived up till now. Since Kustaa mostly works on his own, we wonder how he experienced working in a group. For example on projects such as Nike and Adobe. And does he enjoy this commercial work as much as the free illustration? Recorded at the European Design Awards 2010 in Rotterdam.

Veronika Burian received her first degree in industrial design, but her interests shifted more and more towards typography. Discovering her true passion for type, she graduated with distinction from the master’s programme in typeface design in Reading, UK. In 2006 she founded, together with José Scaglione, the independent type foundry TypeTogether. As Veronika started off as a product designer, we ask her why and how she’d become a type designer. We ask her about the similarities between product design and type design. And she also explains to us how she chooses the names for her fonts and which letters are her favorite to design. Recorded at the European Design Awards 2010 in Rotterdam.

In 1998 James Bull founded, together with Ben Wolstenholme and Joe Sharpe, the branding agency Moving Brands, after they graduated in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins. Moving Brands is an independent brand and digital agency with offices in London, Tokyo, Zurich and San Francisco, and has a lot of clients outside the UK. James explains that a lot of their clients come to London to get the best of design. So you get a lot of global stuff. And therefore London feels less local to him. We talk about how you could define British Design. A melting pot of an extremely diverse and mixed up culture. ‘Britishness’ is probably the best word for it. James also talks to us about the difference between advertising, branding and design. About their Weare project, and on how Moving Brands approaches this vision. Recorded at the European Design Awards 2010 in Rotterdam.

Erwin K. Bauer is a trained agriculturist and graphic designer. His interdisciplinary design studio Bauer Konzept & Gestaltung was founded in 1996 and is located in the Alpenmichzentrale building in Vienna. Since we’re at the European Design Awards, we ask Erwin if there is such a thing as European Design. We discuss the current position of Austria within design and how this was in the past, and the advantages of the geographical location of Austria in Central Europe. We also ask him how important design awards are for his studio and what’s his point of view on these design competitions. We end the interview with the story behind the typeface the Reklame. Erwin explains how the typeface was developed for the Wien Museum and used for the exhibition Kampf um die Stadt. Recorded at the European Design Awards 2010 in Rotterdam.

Barry de Bruin is one of the partners of Rotterdam based graphic design studio ping-pong. According to this selfmade man the world will explode if he doesn’t skip every other step of this one specific ‘stairs of doom’. Since Barry likes to cook we ask him what’s his best dish. He also talks about the current leaving of some employees and how that is new for him. You know it’s gonna happen but knowing and realizing is a different thing, he explains. We ask him what projects he likes working on the most. The view of playing ping pong by yourself (which is no fun), is also reflected in their business. They like to work together as a team with their clients and bounce ideas around. And last but not least about his two heroes. Recorded at the European Design Awards 2010 in Rotterdam.

Live recording of Typeradio’s presentation at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp by international typographic quartet Defundo. Performed songs are ‘Lorem Ipsum’, ‘Typeradio’s 5th’, ‘Typeradio’ and ‘Finale’.

Our first interview for Typeradio was with Stefan Sagmeister in 2004. Now five years later we look back and ask him what changed in the last years. Did he acquire new rituals in the meantime? We talk about his second sabbatical year in Bali. And just six weeks after coming back to New York, we discuss the impact of the crisis and elections in the United States. He talks to us about whether he likes being famous, how to handle it and the advantages along with it. We also look forward and talk about future projects and how he’s not quite sure yet if he would like to be remembered… Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

In this second part of the interview with Will Brown and Douglas Haddow of Adbusters magazine we talk about the actual achievements of Adbusters. Trying to inspire people to think differently and live more independently. Is it a lost cause? We also talk about the hate mail they receive, as well about the followers of Adbusters. For instance the article ‘Hipsters: The Dead End of Western Civilization’, that caused a huge fuss a few years ago. Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Adbusters magazine is a nonprofit, reader supported magazine which concerns itself with the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces. We talk to Will Brown and Douglas Haddow, Art Director and Creative Consultant at Adbusters magazine. We ask them how they got involved with Adbusters in the first place and what they exactly do and contribute to the magazine. The past 20 years Adbusters are constantly fighting for the voice of independent media in legal battles. The end goal is to reform broadcast law. Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

‘Is there such a thing as an autonomous designer?’ After reading Jeroen Boomgaard’s text ‘Radical Autonomy’, we felt the need to have a discussion about the theme of autonomy and how important it is to use the term and define yourself as a designer or artist. We asked ourselves and the participants the following questions: + Are you an artist or a designer and can you be both? + Have you ever made autonomous work, or could you make autonomous work? + Is there something like non autonomous work of art? + Is there something like an autonomous designer? Here you can listen to the discussion that followed. Attending were Sandberg students Anja Groten, Michele Champagne and Lauren Grusenmeyer, Typeradio’s Donald Beekman, Liza Enebeis and Akiem Helmling, philosopher and applied ethicist Nikki Brörmann and Annelys de Vet, head of the design department of the Sandberg Institute. Moderated by Sandberg students Brigiet van den Berg and Maartje Smits. Recorded September 27, 2010 at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam.

In the second part of the interview Erik Kessels talks to us about the other side of advertising, and ‘In almost every picture’, a series of books on found photography, published by KesselsKramer themselves. Number 8 in the series is one about Oolong the rabbit, that can balance almost anything on his head. ‘In almost every picture #7’ is a lifelong document of the Dutch woman Ria van Dijk (89) situated in a fairground shooting gallery. Because of all these projects related to photography we ask him if he also photographs himself. He talks about what kind of images he likes to shoot and how the common family photo album is purely propaganda. Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

Erik Kessels is co-founder and creative director of advertising agency KesselsKramer. KesselsKramer, founded in 1996, is based in a church in Amsterdam. In 2007 KesselsKramer set up an office in London named KK Outlet. We talk with Erik about why they started an office in London. Also about the possibility to cross-over between various disciplines, which he thinks is very interesting. And the story behind mobile phone company ‘Ben’, which was reintroduced recently. Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

Is technology our next-nature? The 2010 Dutch royal christmas message, given by Queen Beatrix, inspired us to initiate a talk on the influence of technology on our daily lives. The Queens states that we alienate ourselves from our fellow men and our direct nature through the rise of social media. But how virtual is virtual life? How alienating is technology actually? Slavoj Zizek gives us an inspiring insight on these questions and directly challenges the Queen’s statement! A round-table discussion with first years students of the Sandberg Institute Design Departement about technology vs. ecology and ecology as an ideology. With Anja Groten, Michele Champagne, Brigiet van den Berg, Maartje Smits, Donald Beekman, Liza Enebeis and Janneke de Rooij and Lauren Grusenmeyer as moderators. Recorded March 3, 2010 at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam.

Initially Jan Hespeel and Randoald Sabbe started their careers separately. Ever since they both taught at Sint-Lucas art college in Ghent, a certain synergy appeared and they began to collaborate. They have been working together as Janenrandoald for over five years now. We asked them what they think is typical Belgian design and we also hear everything about their collections. From the collection of their feet to the various stuffed animals like the penguin, the deer, the lamb and the ‘grote trap’ (great bustard). Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

Armand Mevis is one half of design studio Mevis & Van Deursen. He talks to us about the people he admires and what he would like to do if he would win the lottery. Also the understanding as a Graphic Designer what kind of work you make. ‘What is actually your work in the work?’ We end the interview with the question how he would liked to be remembered. Recorded at the Integrated 2009 conference in Antwerp, Belgium.