Shaping Thai type and design with Cadson Demak.
Creative Characters
This week, we travel to Thailand to hear the story behind Cadson Demak, the Bangkok-based type foundry and design studio that has been shaping the landscape of Thai typography and design for 25 years. Host Dan Rhatigan chats with Founding Partner Anuthin Wongsunkakon and Senior Type Designer Nalat Jaturapattarapong about how their foundry and studio have influenced Thai type culture, moving from a time when fonts were undervalued to building a thriving industry. They discuss the complexities of the Thai script, the evolution of the design industry in Thailand, and their pivotal role in...
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Designing the future with Malcolm Garrett.
Creative Characters
Step into the world of Malcolm Garrett, an iconic British graphic designer whose career is grounded in punk rock and new technology.In this episode, Malcolm talks about designing record sleeves for bands like Buzzcocks, Duran Duran, and Simple Minds, as well as his enthusiasm for adopting new digital design tools. From the DIY spirit of London’s Shoreditch neighborhood in the ’80s to learning how to design on Apple IIe computers and early iterations of Adobe Illustrator, Malcolm’s reflections offer a glimpse into the evolution of graphic design over the past five decades. You can find...
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Tackling climate change with creativity, with Bruce Mau Design.
Creative Characters
Toronto-based Bruce Mau Design is known for tackling environmental, social, and economic problems with design. Kar Yan Cheung, Director of Design Strategy at Bruce Mau, and Laura Stein, Bruce Mau's Chief Creative Officer, joined us to talk about optimism, the realistic potential for design to influence behavior, and our Re:Vision project with the agency. Also joining us are Monotype's Terrance Weinzierl and Phil Garnham, and Phil's puppy, Otto. You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at .
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The fun of finding fonts at Adobe MAX 2025.
Creative Characters
Tune in for an inside scoop on Adobe Max 2025, a hub for creativity and design. In this episode, hosts Carl Unger, Kadley Gosselin, and Livia Halltari guide participants through an interactive Find the Font game and reveal which font they'd send in their place to a job interview. We also trade notes about MAX's vibrant artist marketplace; talk to Monotype Executive Creative Director, Sara Soskolne, about her work expanding the iconic Gotham typeface for the Obama Foundation; and catch up with John Roshell of Comicraft. You can find blog posts for this and past episodes at
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Balancing expressiveness and readability with Cyla Costa.
Creative Characters
work feels alive. Hailing from Curitiba, Brazil, she’s an award-winning graphic artist and type designer known for expressive lettering and vibrant color palettes. Feminism, strength, inclusivity, and culture are a few of the themes her work explores. This week, Cyla chats with host Molly Doane about building a creative career and studio in Brazil, her approach to type design, and why letters are not only meant to be read. You can find blog posts for this and past episodes at
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Connecting people to places with Joy Nazzari.
Creative Characters
In this episode, Joy Nazzari chats about her corner of the design world—place branding—with host Marie Boulanger. Joy is the Founder and Executive Chair of , an agency that’s done branding for neighborhoods in London, New York, and Vancouver as well as the city of San Francisco. From her early days in finance and tech to building an agency that centers both creativity and business strategy, Joy shares her perspective on design leadership, the power of discomfort, and how to connect people to places in meaningful ways. To see Joy’s work, visit . You can...
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Type, travel, and togetherness with Veronika Burian.
Creative Characters
What does it take to build an international type foundry from scratch — and keep it thriving for nearly two decades? In this episode, host Doug Wilson talks with Veronika Burian, co-founder of the independent type foundry . From her background in industrial design to discovering a love for typography while working in Milan, Veronika shares how global experiences shaped her perspective and inspired her to build a remote global team. You’ll hear about the delicate craft of designing multi-script typefaces that respect multiple cultures, honest reflections on growing a collaborative...
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Designing community and culture with Cihan Tamti.
Creative Characters
Host Livia Halltari chats with , a graphic designer based in Bochum, Germany. Cihan designs for clients like Nike, Calvin Klein, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. Yet he’s passionate about designing in his community, spending time each year on the identity for a local film festival called and on pro bono work for local coffee shops and restaurants. In this episode, Livia talks to Cihan about his creative process, his early interest in graffiti, the magic of having an art teacher who encouraged him, and designing the identity for the world’s largest sailing event. You can find blog posts for...
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Reprint: Getting into the 'heavy stuff' with Aaron Draplin.
Creative Characters
likely needs little introduction. He's one of the most beloved and best-known graphic designers working today. People fill auditoriums for his talks and workshops, wait in long lines to take selfies and buy Draplin Design Company merch, and fill his DMs with requests for advice. In this episode, originally published in 2023, Draplin shares his perspective on design education, staying inspired and motivated, the “surreal” experience of becoming a mentor figure, and the “weird little spot” he’s in as he approaches 50. He's a fixture at Adobe Max, coming up next month, so we thought it...
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From passion to Pink Pony with Kristy Campbell.
Creative Characters
This week we sit down with Kristy Campbell, the founder of , a New Zealand-based design agency known for its bold style: think hot pink, variable fonts, and playful patterns. We originally met Kristy at Adobe Max, where she’s spoken about crafting sticky brand identities and the power of personal branding. In this episode, Kristy shares how she turned her passion for personality-driven design into a thriving agency that's known for pushing boundaries. And she doesn’t hold back. Kristy opens up about the highs and lows of owning an agency — handling failures, navigating imposter...
info_outlineTypography is more than just choosing cool fonts — it gives designers and brands the power to take action and spark change. This episode of Creative Characters is all about shaking things up in the design world with Monotype’s Re:Vision, a transformative approach to our annual Type Trends report.
Host Carl Unger joins report creators, Phil Garnham and Charles Nix, along with design leader and futurist, Lisa Gralnek, to discuss how typography can impact big cultural topics like AI, climate change, and aging. Get insights on how brands can step up and stand out, and learn about our bimonthly activations (kicking off at SXSW!) that'll explore these ideas throughout the year.
Read the full report and sign up for the exclusive webinar at monotype.com/type-trends
You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast