Grits X Grids Podcast

The name of this episode is certainly not, “What’s in a name?” No, that would be boring and when two naming experts get together to chat, it’s anything but boring. This week we chat with Eli Altman of A Hundred Monkeys, a naming agency out of Berkley, California. We discuss what makes a great name, […] The post Season 1 / Episode 36: Eli Altman, naming genius appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week I chat with Jon Contino, a guy I have the utmost respect for in many ways. We talk about the New York Hardcore scene, making sure your flowers don’t wilt, and many other ins and outs about his creative life, what’s next, and taking the next steps in his creative journey.   A […] The post Season 1 / Episode 35: Jon Contino appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week Nick Longo and I catch up on this month’s guests, the work his rockstar class has completed, getting into the workforce, and what it takes to maintain relevance as a designer. Nick teaches a design class at California State Universities Northridge campus with the a focus on restaurant design and branding. This semester […] The post Season 1 / Episode 34: Team Talk with Nick Longo appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week I have the honor of chatting with Stephen Jones of Gogo Jones, a design and branding studio in Nashville, Tennessee. We chat about reinvention of self, career, and creativity. From a four month stint with Chen Design to his time in the Navy, up to his current state and next steps, we wax […] The post Season 1 / Episode 33: Stephen Jones of GOGO Jones appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week I chat with good friend John Turner, the man behind the brand Boy Burns Barn. We discuss naming his studio, and the story behind it. He answers questions on how he keeps things fresh at his studio. We also take a few jabs at the state of “creative websites” and how they’re pretty […] The post Season 1 / Episode 32: John Turner of BoyBurnsBarn appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

Bill Gardner is an industry icon. Not only has his namesake studio been creating amazing identity work for decades, he also started the number one resource for logo designs. Bill has been at the forefront of spotting logo trends, and is a pundit on logo design, identity and branding. Our chat on this episode centers […] The post Season 1 / Episode 31: Bill Gardner of LogoLounge appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week I talk to my friend Becca Zavorski, a wonderful copywriter who’s tearing it up at iris Worldwide’s Atlanta office. We chat about April’s theme of Spring Cleaning and Refocusing, what it means to her, to the industry, and some lovely anecdotes along the way. We also talk about April’s lovely lineup of guests. […] The post Season 1 / Episode 30: Team Talk with Becca Zavorski appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

Photographers have to hustle harder than most. Their craft is so overwrought with those who fancy themselves capable just because they have a camera (I may be one of them.) This week I chat with Ladd Forde in the first of a two part series. The reason for this is Ladd traveled to Uganda on […] The post Season 1 / Episode 29: Ladd Forde, Photojournalist appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

It was such an honor and pleasure to chat with my guest this week. I’ve long admired his and his better-half’s handwork in the form of design thought leadership and commentary. Armin Vit (and Byrony of course) both have brought design criticism and curation to the forefront of design lifestyle. They were, and continue to […] The post Season 1 / Episode 28: Armin Vit of Under Consideration appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week we chat with Matt Mulkey and Elijah Richards of In God We Must, a stellar clothing and accessories brand rooted in the Pioneer Spirit. What’s that mean? Well, listen and find out! We chat about how much of success is attributed to luck, and how much is hustle. We talk about the passion […] The post Season 1 / Episode 27: In God We Must appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

  This week’s episode we kick off March’s theme: Luck or Hustle. There’s no better guest to chat about this than my very own friend and colleague, Simon Candy. Simon is Executive Creative Director of iris Worldwide’s Atlanta offices, but this isn’t where he started. Beginning in London, then NYC, Simon is a true embodiment […] The post Season 1 / Episode 26: Team Talk with Simon Candy appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

I’m so pumped to share this week’s episode. Nate is a stellar videographer, cinematographer, director, and inspiring guy. Today we chat about balancing your passion with your day job, melding the two, and living the creative live with a smile on your face. Nate’s passion project is called Long Stories Short. He works as creative […] The post Season 1 / Episode 25: Nate Scronce of Long Stories Short appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

A lot of non-designers overlook typography and the amazing amount of skill that goes into crafting not just one “font” but an entire family of type. Mattox Shuler of Fort Foundry has found a niche doing just that, and has found another passion as well: board games. Mattox helped found Keymaster Games, a company who’s […] The post Season 1 / Episode 24: Mattox Shuler of Fort Foundry appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has produced some excellent talent. Me and Jason Donnelly. Haha. Seriously, though. Jason is a copywriter and author with a twisted sense of humor and awesome personality. Him and I chat about what passion means to him and how he juggles authoring rad books and the grind of every day employment. Jason has […] The post Season 1 / Episode 23: Jason Donnelly – writer, author, funny dude appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

On this week’s episode I chat with Ginger Donel, Associate Creative Director at iris Worldwide’s Atlanta office. We chat about this month’s theme: Passion. What does it mean? How do you evoke it in new talent? and a lot of other fun topics, too. Enjoy! Intern Kory Falls Asleep – Mashable The post Season 1 / Episode 22: Team Talk with Ginger Donel appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week’s episode I chat with Rebecca Kilbreath of Restaurant Development and Design magazine – one of the best publications on the topic. We talk about what’s next in architecture and design for food service, what trends we see coming, and how brand designers and architects can work better together. It’s a great chat. I […] The post Season 1 / Episode 21: Rebecca Kilbreath of Restaurant Development & Design Magazine appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week we chat with Nancy Palmer, the executive director of the Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild. We chat about what it takes to startup a craft beer brand and brewery. The troubles most folks face when doing so, and how to circumnavigate the ins and outs and legalities of your endeavor. We also talk about […] The post Season 1 / Episode 20: Nancy Palmer of Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week we continue the New Year, New Gear promotion where you can win awesome stuff from awesome people just for sharing, tweet, and tagging friends on social media. Keep it up! In this episode I was honored to chat with Allison Seth, a fellow designer of amazing restaurant brands and owner of Seth Design […] The post Season 1 / Episode 19: Allison Seth on Industry Niches appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

This week I chat with Craig Johnson, a brand strategist and the founder of Matchstic, an identity house in Atlanta. I’ve respected Craig and Matchstic’s thought and design leadership for a long time now so it was awesome to get a chance to chat face to face. On this episode, Craig explains the merits of […] The post Season 1 / Episode 18: Craig Johnson of Matchstic on Focusing on a Niche appeared first on Grits & Grids®.

What can I say about Tom? He’s a great designer. Super creative art director, and one of the most genuine people I’ve met and gotten to work with. So, needless to say, it was a lot of fun to chat with him about this month’s theme, and his back story. And chat we did. We […] The post Season 1 / Episode 17: Team Talk with Tom Durante appeared first on Grits & Grids®.