Typeradio Podcast

Icelandic designer/illustrator Siggi Eggertsson speaks about getting started as a designer and his first job for an art community in his hometown. Reflecting on illustration versus graphic design, he discusses the idea of categories in a professional field. He talks about the influence that moving around to many different cities has had on his work and life. Lastly he talks about his approach to type design in his work as well as his interest in pop stars and idols. Recorded at 33pt conference 2009, Dortmund.

Henning Brehm (aka Design Tourist) is a graphic designer that specializes in work for the film industry. Under the label Schein Berlin he creates fake labels, packaging, logos, signs and documents for German tv productions and international block buster movies. Brehm tells of the start of his career, his early education and his interest in many fields of design. How he got started in designing fake products, newspapers, magazines and various props for film and television. He discusses the process of working on films, conceptualizing the sets and creating the props. He talks about working on the science fiction films Speed Racer and Pandorum and the typeface made for an imagined future. Recorded at the ImagineIt 2008 conference in Bologna, Italy.

Brian Lucid is the Associate Professor and Graphic Design Program coordinator at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Brian highlights what can be learnt from game design, what role narrative plays in game design and the subsequent relation to interactive design practices. He speaks about do-it-yourself Wii modification, game graphic engines and repurposing hardware. The discussion moves towards how the design software environments influence the process and methodology of design and about the Open Source movement and the drive to create these tools for others. Recorded at the ImagineIt 2008 conference in Bologna, Italy.

Brian Lucid is the Associate Professor and Graphic Design Program coordinator at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, Massachusetts. He speaks about his inability to relax; his early forays in art school and his brief stint as a type designer. He regards the influence of W.A. Dwiggins’ process of type design on his own work and the realization that type design is much like designing software. He talks about his later move into teaching (as a natural extension) and his teaching methodology in teaching students information design, print design and interactive design. He moves on to discuss the challenges in teaching students to deal with complexity, context and graphic design history. And talks about the relation between his professional work and his educational work. Recorded at the ImagineIt 2008 conference in Bologna, Italy.

Italian graphic design collective MEAT talk about their favourite designers as well as Italian designer Bruno Munari. MEAT often give workshops and they speak specifically about their workshop at the Imagine iT conference in Bologna. They round up the interview musing about the future of MEAT. Recorded at the ImagineIt 2008 conference in Bologna, Italy.

The Italian graphic design collective MEAT give insight into the gestation of MEAT and give a brief history of the collective. They speak of their past graffiti writing, their clients and the types of projects that come through their studio. Being the designers of the printed matter for the Imagine It conference in Bologna, they speak about the design for the identity and ephemera.

Cinzia Ferrara is an architect and graphic designer. She is professor of the Master course in design at the Laboratory of Visual Communication in Palermo. Ferrara speaks about the mafia in Palermo and the use of graphic design and propaganda to fight mafia activities. She describes the reactions of the public to the anti-mafia design work, organization and campaigns. Ferrara indicates some directions for future advertising, promotional projects and educational programs in schools. She addresses the damaging ‘myth’ and portrayal of the mafia in the media and entertainment industry and extent of the deeply rooted problems of mafia activities in Palermo. Simone Wolf of Typevents translates. Recorded at the ImagineIt 2008 conference in Bologna, Italy.

Heather Shaw is a graphic design and digital media lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Heather speaks about her teaching philosophy and the importance of teaching interactive and information design in graphic design programs today. She presses for the need to integrate new technologies and trends into contemporary design teaching. Recorded at the ImagineIt 2008 conference in Bologna, Italy.

An impression of the Robothon 2009 conference on type design and type technology, held in March at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. You’ll hear Paul van der Laan, Frank Griesshammer, Tal Lemming, Kai Bernau, James Grieshaber, Andy Clymer and Erik van Blokland.

Bruce Connew continues with the importance of travel in his work, especially in Burma, and the process of constructing books. He concludes by explaining his project I Must Behave, exhibited at the same time as TypeSHED11, at Mary Newton Gallery.

Bruce Connew is a photographer based in New Zealand. He tells us about differences and similitudes between photography and design, about objectiveness in photography. He describes the social and political aspect of his work, as well as the role of publishing books.

Masayoshi Kodaira discusses music and his evolving tastes, his start as a graphic designer, his dislike of design school and his early career. He discusses his dreams of directing a movie, his current work with Kenya Hara and his inspirations.

Kris Sowersby, a New Zealand base type designer, talks about Kenny, an Australian movie, type design as one big ritual, and the gestation of his interest in type. the world of type design in New Zealand (and the lack of a graphic design community). The history of type in New Zealand, his heroes, boxing and clicking a mouse, and what he hates about type design.

Noel Waite, a graphic design historian, talks about his education and activities in graphic design field. He defines what is specific to “New Zealandish” design in a historical perspective. He explains the influence of Maori culture, as well as current graphic design trends in New Zealand.

Karen Larsen explains the process and making of her typographic installation specifically for Typeshed11, made as part of a workshop project in Wellington.