Welcome, today is an exciting day we are kicking off a new series here called 2x4 where I ask 2 different designers the same 4 questions so we can dive into one specific topic, today we dive into the world of branding and illustration and how they can be used together. So let's meet our guests: Adam Danielson is the founder of Ducktail, a branding & design studio based in Portland Maine. Ducktail specializes in creating playful branding, elevated strategy, and packaging design with...

What does it take to make exceptional digital products? How can one product leave us feeling content and keep us on it for hours while others drive us away in just a few clicks? This week on Low-Key Legends we will learn from product veterans Zeke Shore and Ian Lord co-founders of TypeCode. TypeCode designs and builds digital products and experiences, collaborating with ambitious clients like A24, Google, MoMA, Scholastic, Disney, and MIT to bring powerful ideas to life. Finding clever...

The long-awaited interview with the founding team of Smith & Diction is here at last! In this conversation, Mike and Chara Smith discuss their design, copywriting, and branding approach, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and authenticity. They share insights on the role of words in creating effective brands, the benefits of working as a couple, and the value of incorporating outside experiences into the creative process. Smith & Diction Process Doc Social: Medium...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, I interview Nathan Riley, the design director at Unseen Studio to learn how he got started in design and built Unseen Studio with his co-founders. We discuss the early years of the studio, the significance of self-expression and passion projects, and the influence of sharing on Dribbble. We explore Nathan's journey into 3D design and the agency's shift in 2018 towards creating immersive web experiences. Nathan on Social: Unseen Website Nathan's...

Today we're going to be taking a look back at some of my favorite lessons so far from Season 02 of Low-Key Legends; looking at tactics on turning our weaknesses into strengths with Kirk Wallace, lessons on leadership from Emmet Shine, ways power of transparency in our businesses with Self Aware Studio. practical tips on cultivating an audience from Dan Mall This is your audio buffet to sample and try out episodes and hear from guests you may not have known about before. Chapters: 0:50:15...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, I sit down with Alex, Matt, and Jeremy the founders of Study Hall, a collective of curious creatives ready to tinker with norms to build impactful high-craft work for all walks of life, from Fortune 500 companies like Airbnb to small start-ups. We explore how branding has evolved, looking at what elements are timeless and what we can push and explore more of in 2025 and beyond. Our conversation hovers around the business of branding and how it intersects...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, I interview my friend Kirk Wallace to discuss the changing landscape in the creative community. They explore how sharing work in 2024 has evolved and how it has impacted how audiences and clients discover their work. Kirk shares his journey from being an engineer to becoming an illustrator and designer, and how he has grown his audience and built a successful career. We get into the importance of authenticity, the need to adapt to new formats and...

Today on Low-Key Legends, I am joined by Jenny Heintz and Mike Wagz, the founders of Self Aware, a design and technology studio based in Philly and established in 2018. Partners in life and business Jenny and Mike focus their synergistic skills on bringing brands to life online, creating fun and dynamic solutions that are both beautiful and performant. They have worked with a variety of organizations and institutions, big and small—from local businesses like Middle Child to major...

On this episode of Low-Key Legends Dan Mall shares his journey as an entrepreneur and the challenges he faced in building and closing his agency, SuperFriendly. He emphasizes the importance of culture, margin, and taking care of people in building a successful business. Dan discusses the factors that led him to shut down his agency after 10 years, including the desire to spend more time with his family, the lack of a clear goal for the agency, and the changing industry landscape. We dive...

On this episode of Low-Key Legends, Britt sits down with Tim Evans the Co-founder of Malvah Studio to discuss Tim's wild adventure of getting into design and stumbling into starting Malvah with his business partner Ty. Tim discusses the entrepreneurial journey of starting Malvah Studio and the challenges of running a business in South Africa. He shares how the economic and political climate in the country has shaped his role as an entrepreneur. Tim also talks about the importance of...

In this conversation, DJ Javier, the founder of Banyan Surf Club, discusses his career and collaborations with big brands like Billabong, Shake Shack, and the LA Rams. He emphasizes the importance of persistence, checking his ego, and staying humble. DJ shares how working with a manager has allowed him to focus on the creative work while his manager handles the business side. He also talks about the role of social media in attracting clients and the importance of presenting well and...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, we chat with Liz and Gavin founders of Datalands about how they found their unique niche of designing around data for Fortune 500 companies. We learn their unique story and how building their studio wasn't linear and came with its unique challenges and positioning hiccups. If you don't know Datalands is a visual communication and information design studio producing groundbreaking, thrilling projects—shaping the aesthetics and essence of forward-thinking...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, I chat with Emmett Shine, a designer, and entrepreneur. We discuss the importance of passion and creativity in business. Emmett emphasizes the value of infusing personal delight and creativity at scale and its impact on brands and experiences. We talk in-depth about the insights on the success of Gin Lane and Pattern Brands, highlighting the importance of creating a culture that encourages leadership and entrepreneurship and how founding both led him to...

An audio buffet-style sampling of the three Low-Key Legends guests from March. This episode features our top lessons and takeaways from each interview. Focusing on the fundamentals of running a design studio, pricing your work, and pushing past creative block. This episode offers a little taste of a much longer episode that you can dive into whenever you have time. Get a feel and vibe for each of the guests. Chapters: 0:00:42 Pricing Web Design Work with Filippo Cipriani 00:39:20 Creating a...

Mario Šimić is a senior designer at BORNFIGHT STUDIO® a digital design studio in Croatia, crafting masterful websites and user interfaces. Mario went from an engineer to designing masterful websites, paying extreme detail to craft and interactivity. Mario shares his perspective on the power of side projects and how they help you evolve your taste and hard skills. Mario dives deep into how to break through creative block and making meaningful impactful designs, while pushing yourself and...

Sitting down with Rachael Yaeger to chat shop on all things Human and business. We explored what success means to Rachael and how it looks closer to walks in the woods than it does to fat stacks of cash. We discuss the roots of Human and Rachael's profound entrepreneurial spirit. We explore what makes Human's branding, design, and websites so unique, and how Human creates using an Ocean's 11 business model, expanding their capabilities when needed. But who is Rachael? Rachael Yaeger is the...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, we chat with Filippo Cipriani head of studio at Adoratorio, Adoratorio is a digital agency based in Brescia Italy working with clients like Netflix, Guicci, Maserati, and more crafting exquisite brand and digital experiences. We dive into the fundamentals of what makes for a successful design studio and great creative work. How the words you use to tell a story are equally if not more important than the visuals you use. In this epic far-ranging...

Just the tip[s] no fluff, but we love the fluff here. This is a buffet-style tasting of all the episodes aired in February. A beautiful set of interviews that range from entrepreneurship, branding, creating digital experiences, and pricing creative work. Chapters: 00:00:48 The Entrepreneurial Spirit with Erin Hines 00:16:38 Branding 101 with Jowey Roden 0:40:19 Web Experiences & Creating Emotion with Claudio Guglieri 01:04:35 Pricing Work Effectively with Milkshake Studio

We sit down with the studio that brings all the people to the yard - Milkshake; partners Alex and Simon talk all things digital branding, sprint-based pricing, food, dad jokes, and zombie apocalypse strategy. We go deep into the modern world of branding and how you're biggest brand asset is your website. Today all brands are digital and need to be online with a website that showcases their values. Code is a modern design medium, let's use it to make dope things! Milkshake is an upbeat...

In this episode, I sit down with Claudio Guglieri, the designer and creative director. With 20+ years in the creative and design industry. We dive into the power of play, the impact of ideas, craft, creativity, leadership, team building, hiring, and more. Our focus for this podcast is on how to lead a creative life and have creative longevity in the design industry, to stay relevant and in an ever-evolving world. Claudio is the head of design at Opal Cameras, Opal is a product design and...

Sitting down to chat with Jowey Roden was a pure treat, in this episode, Jowey shares his journey of building Koto Studio with his two co-founders through the lens of Optimism, Co-Creation, and Craft. This episode is for everyone interested in learning what it takes to create a world-class #branding and design studio or those who want to hone their craft in branding. Jowey reveals the secrets of how Koto makes the best work possible for brands like Coca-Cola, Activision Uber Eats, and other...

In this episode of Low-Key Legends, I sit down with Erwin Hines an artist, designer, and creative director. He is the founder of Open Gym a hospitality group that focuses on building sustainable ecosystems of change within communities through the power of Space, Food, and Wellbeing. As well as the founder of FUTURE IS COLOR® Erwin’s solo research studio focused on using design to create space for meaningful conversation of change. Social: Website Twitter/ X Erwin's Instagram Future Is...

In this episode, I talk with Sofia Papadopoulou about the world of immersive tech, all things AR and VR. We dive into the possibilities with this technology and what the future might look like. Sofia is an art & creative director working with global teams & clients, crafting impactful brand & immersive activation concepts as a partner to movers & shakers in the digital space. Chapters: [0:03:10] Early Career Path [0:11:25] Leadership Opportunity - Dubai Project [0:28:40]...

In this episode, I sit down with Amy and Jen Hood the founders of Hoodzpah, a brand identity and type design studio based in sunny California. We dive into what makes the Hoodzpah studio special, where their style comes from, the method they used to grow the studio, and more. BREAKING NEWS: Check out Jen Hood's Album Now On Spotify Bad Trifle Chapters: 0:01:51 Breaking News 0:04:30 Dream Jobs as Kids 0:08:05 First Ever Paid Client 0:32:37 The Hoodzpah Style 0:45:00 Finding the...