Practical Typographic Advice and Building an Education Business Alongside a Design Firm with Michael Stinson
The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Release Date: 11/28/2016
The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
That went quickly! Listen in to our live event where we commemorate 100 episodes of The Busy Creator Podcast and remark on the journey. This event was a crossover with the New York City Podcast Meetup, recorded at Small City Co-working space in Brooklyn.
info_outline There and Back Again, Craig Ward Discusses Joining A Large Agency After Years of Successful Solo PracticeThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Craig Ward (@MrCraigWard) is a designer, art director, typographic artist, and author currently living in Brooklyn, NY. A UK native, he came to New York in 2009 shortly after being selected as an ADC Young Gun.
info_outline Going Hollywood, How Brittany Cormack Thrives as a Costume Designer Amid the Madness of Show BizThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Brittany Cormack is a costume designer for film and television. Following her training in fashion and dance, Brittany arrived in Los Angeles without a clue how to work in the movie business, but has since found her groove. She works primarily on independent films, commercials, and music videos, but every day is an adventure.
info_outline Practical Typographic Advice and Building an Education Business Alongside a Design Firm with Michael StinsonThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Michael Stinson (@MWStinson) is a veteran designer, educator, and business owner. In addition to his work as a professor of graphic design, he also runs Ramp Creative, a branding studio in Los Angeles, as well as Type Ed, a dedicated typographic education business which helps creative pros return to form in the fields of typesetting and layout.
info_outline Becoming a Multi-Faceted Creative, and The Movie-Making Process with Filmmaker & Podcaster David PowerThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
David Power is a multi-purpose creative pro based in Brooklyn, NY. Since moving to New York, he’s worked in music recording & production, written several business books, penned screenplays, and helped write and perform in comedy films. His latest project is a podcast documentary of how a feature film is made.
info_outline Business Lessons for Creative Entrepreneurs & How to Launch an Online Community with Designer, Writer, and Podcaster Kathleen ShannonThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Kathleen Shannon (@AndKathleen) is a graphic designer, brand strategist, and co-founder of Being Boss, a podcast and community for creative entrepreneurs. Kathleen began as a staff art director, but learned entrepreneurial habits working on her side projects and blogging. She's now seeking to become a media mogul and serve the creative community.
info_outline B-SIDE: Planning A Modern WordPress Website, with guest Avery SwartzThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Avery Swartz (@AverySwartz) joins Prescott to discuss the possibilities for the next version of BusyCreator.com. Together, the two discuss the capabilities of WordPress, best practices which Prescott is adopting (and should start), and the shortcomings of WordPress themes and plugins.
info_outline Methods and Mindsets for Successful Web Design Projects with Agency Boss Ben SeigelThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Ben Seigel (@versastudiollc) is a web designer and developer, and head of Versa Studio. In addition to managing projects and writing the necessary code for client sites, Ben has examined and written about the underlaying value of design, how small businesses and design agencies can work together toward successful ends.
info_outline Exploring Business Issues Faced by Creative Pros with Author & Professor Douglas DavisThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Douglas Davis (@DouglasQDavis) is a graphic designer, professor, consultant, and author of the new book Creative Strategy and the Business of Design. The book, which follows his recent talks and workshops, explores business issues that face creative professionals, especially those which may not even seem apparent.
info_outline Balancing a Design Practice and Co-Working Space in New York City, with Jessi Arrington & Creighton MershonThe Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
Jessi Arrington (@JessiArrington) and Creighton Mershon (@Cr8tonMershon) are the founders of Workshop, a Brooklyn-based creative agency, as well as the proprietors of Small City, a new co-working space and home to dozens of independent creative pros.
info_outlineMichael Stinson (@MWStinson) is a veteran designer, educator, and business owner. In addition to his work as a professor of graphic design, he also runs Ramp Creative, a branding studio in Los Angeles, as well as Type Ed, a dedicated typographic education business which helps creative pros return to form in the fields of typesetting and layout.
Together in this conversation we unravel some of today’s worst typographic habits, and how to overcome them, share a few tips that all creatives can use to improve their type usage, and discuss some processes for working with clients.
Catch up with Michael on his website, MichaelStinson.com, or through Type Ed.
Get The Episode
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 97 (MP3, 52:40, 25.4 MB)
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 97 (OGG, 52:40, 22 MB)
Subscribe to Get New Episodes
Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart
Sponsor
Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.
Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com
Show Notes & Links
- Michael is the first person from Los Angeles to join The Busy Creator Podcast
- Ramp Creative handles a lot of variety — digital, print, mobile
- Type Ed is an Education Organization, founded 2012
- UI/UX design has eroded traditional type study
- High School scribbles are largely typography
- Michael was taught both ends of the type spectrum — hand lettering and typesetting (3 words or 300)
"I'm not training you to be designers; I'm training you to be Creative Directors some day."
—Michael Stinson
- Phonetics
- Whiskey Labels, an underrated technical as well as artistic challenge
"Everyone likes to do logos but wordmarks are extremely challenging."
—Michael Stinson
- Chronicle Books
- Typography for Lawyers, great site for anyone, not just lawers
"Designers these days don't like process. They want to jump to making it look good."
—Michael Stinson
"If you get your process in place, you can design anything."
—Michael Stinson
- Michael is a former Aerospace Engineer; Prescott studied Mechanical Engineering
- Prescott — in spite of the hyphen in his last name — doesn’t like to use hyphens in his paragraph text
"Imagine if you're reading War & Peace in all caps — how far would you get?"
—Michael Stinson
- Milton Glaser’s Bob Dylan poster
- Michael was accepted to study Physics at Berkeley, but received scholarships in Art
"The beauty of graphic design is that it works both sides of the brain."
—Michael Stinson
- Additive & Subtractive Colours
- Lithographic printing
- Calculus
- Ramp Creative is 2 principals and 1 designer
"If you follow the right words the path will take you to the promised land of the visuals."
—Michael Stinson
- Different methodologies — layer cake vs. pay-as-you-go
- Lots of Jewish families in New York City worked in the garment industry
"You're an actor, you're a leader, you're an entrepreneur, you're a psychologist, you're a therapist ... all at the same time."
—Michael Stinson
- Building Brands, a Step-By-Step Guide for Creative Pros to Develop Strategy and Design Identity — original eBook by Prescott Perez-Fox
"You're not going to use a crescent wrench for a hammer. Right tool for the right job."
—Michael Stinson
"Never stop noticing design."
—Michael Stinson
- The most stringest morning routine ever described on The Busy Creator Podcast was that of Michael Bierut
- Reading in The Brain by Stanislas Dehaene on Amazon
- The Intellectual Devotional by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim on Amazon and on Audible
"Type isn't all about the characters themselves, it's about the space they take up and the negative space that's left."
—Michael Stinson
- Michael defines himself as an introvert
- Douglas Davis, another educator to appear as a guest
- Cat Rose discussed creative introverts on The Busy Creator Podcast
- Type Ed
- MichaelStinson.com
- RampCreative.com
- Michael Stinson on Twitter
- Michael Stinson on Facebook
- Michael Stinson on Instagram
- Michael Stinson on LinkedIn
- Type Ed on Twitter
- Type Ed on Facebook
Tools
Techniques
- Use Tables in InDesign for grid-based layouts (restaurant menus)
- Build type hierarchy from the body copy up (subheads, etc.)
- If you’re setting more than 35 words, don’t use All Caps, Italics, Centered
- Don’t be afraid to use hyphens, but with discipline. (e.g., don’t use hyphens in the first line)
- Don’t use more than 13 words on a line (left-aligned), or 7 words on a line (centered)
- Aim for 50-70 characters per line (type size in points x 2 = measure width in picas)
- Don’t build websites in Photoshop — it’s not made for layout
Habits
- Keep the reader in your mind. Think of them first.
- Always take clients through a verbal discovery phase first before visuals
- Give your print partners multiple files — flattened, outlined, original files, native links, etc. — make their lives easier
- Constantly observe and comment on design around you
Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days
Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
Get The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim as a free audiobook