Creative Characters

Latest Episodes:

Women of Type: Crafting Community with Jess Goldsmith. Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Hold onto your sketchpads! This week, Livia Halltari sits down with Jess Goldsmith, the one-woman-show behind Women of Type. Jess talks about her creative journey — from doodling graffiti-inspired letters as a kid to building a global community that amplifies lettering work from women and non-binary creatives around the world. As a self-taught designer, lettering artist, and author, Jess also shares her advice for aspiring creatives.

Check out Jess's work on Instagram at @chickofalltrade, and see what Women of Type is up to at @womenoftype.

Buy Jess's book, "Women of Type," here.

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

Trevor Jackson: How to remix your career and stay independent. Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode, host Graham Sturt joins British designer and music producer Trevor Jackson in his Shoreditch studio. Surrounded by an impressive collection of music ephemera, they discuss Trevor's creative approach, how he got into designing record sleeves for early house and hip-hop artists, and why he doesn't believe in having a "house style."

Check out Trevor's work at trevor-jackson.com

Listen to Trevor's monthly show on NTS Radio

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

How Kris Andrew Small found his groove: movement, color, and making art that matters. Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

On this week's episode, Sydney-based artist Kris Andrew Small shares his journey from frustrated graphic designer to global creative powerhouse. He spills on how he transformed personal passion into bold, high-energy artwork that breaks rules and speaks volumes. From collaborating with icons like artist M.I.A., to creating campaigns for Nike and Reebok, Kris dives into his process, his love for color and movement, and why staying true to yourself is everything. Packed with thought-provoking moments and refreshing honesty, this episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration to break the mold and trust their creative instincts.

Check out Kris' work at krisandrewsmall.com.

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

From Biden to Harris: rebranding at lightning speed with Shar Biggers. Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Creative Characters, we dive into the whirlwind world of political design with Shar Biggers, the creative mind behind some of the most memorable campaign visuals in recent US politics.

Join us as we chat about Shar's unexpected journey into political campaign branding, from designing Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run to her most recent role as Deputy Creative Director for the Harris-Walz campaign. Shar takes us inside last-minute logo sprints, the art of balancing bold typography with the complexities of a major presidential campaign, and how these experiences have changed her as a creative.

Check out the case study for Shar's work on the Harris-Walz campaign at saleah.agency/harris-walz/

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

Re:Vision 2025: Shaping the future through design. Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

Typography 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

Nerding out on 3D type and creativity with Taekyeom Lee. Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

Ever wondered what happens when you combine ceramics with typography and throw in a DIY 3D printer for good measure? Join us for a delightful chat with Taekyeom Lee, the graphic designer and educator who takes typography off the page and into the third dimension.

Host Doug Wilson dives deep into Taekyeom's inventive world where letters become slinkies, and business cards are embossed on demand. From his adventurous journey from South Korea to the cornfields of Illinois — to his experiments with clay letterforms — Taekyeom shares his love for typography and how he turns ideas into tangible art.

If you're into design, creativity, or just curious about how technology can transform art, this episode's a must-listen.

Check out Taekyeom's work at instagram.com/taekyeom

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

You're going to need a passport: Simon Waterfall on sharpening and expanding your design practice. Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

Creative Director Simon Waterfall is a creative character in every sense. Simon's built multiple creative agencies and has worked for global brands, like Intel, Airbnb, and Vevo.

Now he's about to launch a new product: a sustainable cocktail in a can, developed with James Beard Award-winning spirts expert, Thad Vogler.

Simon chats with host Bill Connolly about why not to repeat what you're good at, his advice for designers starting out, and Waste — his new sustainable canned cocktail.

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

Cat How on building a branding agency that stands out. Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Cat How launched How&How in May 2020, during the height of the pandemic, with her husband, Roger. Four years later, they're an agency of about 20 people, with studios in London and Los Angeles.

In this episode, host Tom Foley chats with Cat about building an ethical branding agency, tackling big projects, and having fun at work.

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

Kelli Anderson on the art and power of papercraft. Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Kelli Anderson makes objects out of paper that explore design and the world around us. Her popular books — "This Book is a Camera" and "This Book is a Planetarium" — both include pop-up stripped down paper contraptions designed to teach how common objects — like cameras, speakers, and stringed instruments — work.

Luckily for us type nerds, Kelli is in the process of making "Alphabet in Motion" — a pop-up book about how letters get their shape. The book dives deep into the history of letterforms and includes hundreds of color images mined from the archives of type design.

Creative Characters host, Doug Wilson, catches up with Kelli about her forthcoming book, her passion for teaching design with tactile objects, and her love of all things paper.

If you'd like to learn more about "Alphabet in Motion" or back Kelli's Kickstarter, visit kellianderson.com/kickstarter

You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast.

Searching for our inner child at Adobe MAX 2024. Nov 04, 2024

Show notes

This year, Adobe MAX migrated to Miami Beach, attracting thousands of creatives for three days of inspiring talks, playful brand activations, and a "total creative nerd fest," as one guest told us. Throughout the week, we brought people inside a universe of type, had heartfelt conversations about the power of creative intuition, and nurtured our creative inner children. Adobe MAX always leaves us feeling refreshed, inspired, and amazed at the creative community.

In this episode, you'll hear from twenty or so voices, including screen printers, creative evangelists, students, and educators, all of whom were kind enough to share their time and their stories with us on the mic. Thanks for tuning in!

A special thanks to all our amazing guests. Check out their work below:

Ben Vanderberg – benvanderberg.medium.com

Dale Zine – instagram.com/dale_zine

Eunsan Huh – behance.net/eunsan

Good Type – goodtype.us

Just Okay Company – justokay.co

Karin Fong – imaginaryforces.com

Kerry Squires – kerry-squires.com

Marie Boulanger – marie-boulanger.com

Spike Spondike – instagram.com/spike_spondike

Little Friends Of – instagram.com/littlefriendsof

Meg Lewis – meglewis.com