Revision Path

This month kicks off our 3-part “Design Journeys” series — podcast interviews with designers that have been featured on AIGA.org. First up is Steve Jones, graphic designer and design professor at San Francisco State University. We touched on diversity in the design field, education, typography, and the notion of a Black design aesthetic.

Michael Roach is very future-forward when it comes to his work. As we talked, I kept thinking “hey, so-and-so is doing that now…except Michael was doing it years ago”! Aside from being a graphic designer and web designer, Michael is also a jazz pianist, and we talked a bit on how music influences his design work and on the vibrant design scene in upstate New York.

I first ran across Stephen Topsy online years ago when he was doing iOS design work. Now he’s a programmer, but still dabbles in design as well. We spoke about how Aaliyah helped him get his spark for design, how motivation came from one of his high school teachers, and touched on LA’s diverse tech and design scene.

Khalil Bey and I met almost ten years ago, and I’ve followed him from his early days at Stanford up to his current post at Google. We talked about his work with the big G, how he first got involved in programming, how his father was a big influence on his current work, and about diversity in Silicon Valley.

When I interview someone, I usually ask them if there’s anyone else they know who we should reach out to and feature. BUCK! came highly referred by Leon Scott, so I knew I had to contact him. If there’s one thing I can say about Buck!, it’s that the man has two things: passion and patience. The passion is about his work, and he’s done design for Heineken, Scion, Timberland, Adidas, and more...

I first met Crystal Flemister years ago when we were both designers at AT&T. Since then, she's moved on to CNN and has been making a name for herself in the local fashion scene with her company Pistol Whipped Cream. We talk about her time at the Art Institute of Atlanta, her inspirations, and...Kanye West? Yep, a little bit of everything. Check it out!

Brandon Butler was one of the first people to reach out to me about Revision Path through Facebook. We set up the interview and I have to tell you -- it was one of the best interviews I've had to date. We talked about his current work with Edelman, and he shared some great advice for up-and-comers in the tech and design industry and told a personal story about motivation that will stick with you well after the interview ends.

I came across Mokokoma Mokhonoana on Behance while looking up African graphic designers. I really liked his logos — simple, yet bold and uncompromising. But when I visited his website and saw his aphorisms, writings, and cartoons? I knew I had to talk to him. Our interview wasn’t just about design – in fact, we didn’t talk much about design at all! I think you’ll like this departure from the regular shop talk on design and development. I hope you enjoy it!

I love Daphne Larose's intro for her website, Black Female Coders. *"We're out there. We may not see each other in our computer science courses or in our offices at work or while roaming around technology conferences -- but we know we're out there. Here is where we find each other."* Powerful! I had to talk to her about what she's doing with Black Female Coders and get her overall thoughts on blacks in technology...

Aside from being a graphic and web designer, Maurice Wingfield is also a talented illustrator! He contacted me through Facebook and we had a really great conversation on design, diversity in the tech and design fields and conferences, technology in Africa...it really runs the gamut of topics from A to Z. I also get a bit long winded in parts, which is why this interview is pretty lengthy. But it's really good. Very dense. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and soak it all in!