The Creative Boom Podcast

Creative Boom

The Creative Boom Podcast is a weekly interview show for designers, illustrators, animators, and creative professionals. Host Katy Cowan talks to artists, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers about the realities of building a creative career – confidence, burnout, money, failure, reinvention, and imposter syndrome – in honest, warm conversations that don't dress anything up.

Part of Creative Boom, the independent magazine for the creative community established in 2009.

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217 episodes
Updated June 17
Explicit

Episodes217

Newest first

Feb 1, 2021 · 1 hr 5 min
The magic of designing film props for Wes Anderson, with Annie Atkins
Annie Atkins is the much-loved graphic props designer who has the dream job we all want and is most famous for her work on Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs. Here, we talk about Annie's journey so far, about death warrants, her love of typography and the curiosity of Jeff Goldblum. We discover what it was like to work with Wes Anderson and Steven Spielberg – and why it's perfectly ok to sometimes make mistakes.
Jan 25, 2021 · 1 hr 5 min
Why designers must not stay silent, with Harrison Wheeler
Harrison Wheeler is a UX Design Manager at LinkedIn in Silicon Valley. For the last 15 years, his diverse career has taken him from freelancing and later scaling a startup to working at one of the largest social media platforms in the world. Here, we talk about how the Internet has changed the world. We discuss Black Lives Matter and inclusivity in design. There’s even a story about how an Apple Watch saved Harrison's life – something that reveals his true strength and resolve.
Jan 25, 2021 · 1 hr 9 min
How to find your creative superpower, with Meg Lewis
On a mission to make the world a happier place, Meg Lewis is a designer, comedian, performer and educator who will put a smile on your face. With clients including Google, Dropbox and Barbie, and her own hit podcast that combines mindfulness and comedy, Meg has enjoyed a fantastic career to date. She puts her success down to discovering her superpowers and finding a purpose. Here, we'll get to uncover those secrets on building a personal brand while enjoying a giggle over "wet cheese" and poops.
Jan 25, 2021 · 59 min
Why courage, not confidence, is the key to success, with Debbie Millman
One of today's most influential designers, Debbie Millman is also the host of Design Matters with previous guests including Milton Glaser and Barbara Kruger. For 20 years, she was president of Sterling Brands and in 2009 she co-founded the world’s first graduate programme in branding at New York's School of Visual Arts. Join us, as we talk about rocky career paths, the beauty (and sadness) of getting older, and why having courage is so empowering. There's even some insight into where Debbie might be heading next.
Jan 25, 2021 · 53 min
Twenty years of DixonBaxi and all its lessons, with Simon Dixon
Simon Dixon is the co-founder of DixonBaxi, one of the world's most respected brand and design consultancies, boasting clients as big as Netflix, AC Milan and the Premier League. The London firm, which has achieved god-like status amongst the design community, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. In this episode, we get a fascinating, no-nonsense insight into the brains behind DixonBaxi, and learn more about what it takes to be a great designer.
Jan 25, 2021 · 1 hr 9 min
Diversity in publishing and turning Disney down twice, with Dapo Adeola
Dapo Adeola is an award-winning designer and illustrator who creates fun and upbeat characters and images that challenge expectations around gender and race. He's also the co-creator of the best-selling children's picture book, Look Up. Here, we talk about carving a career out of art and design, the importance of representation and why kindness and compassion will keep you sane. We also discover why Dapo had to turn down Disney twice.
Jan 25, 2021 · 1 hr 7 min
Pivoting work to focus on graphic art, with Sarah Boris
Sarah Boris is an award-winning graphic designer, creative director and artist based in London who's worked with some of the world's leading publishing houses and art organisations, including Phaidon Press, The Photographers' Gallery, Tate and Barbican. Here, we chat about the events of 2020, and how the year transformed her perspective and practice. We'll also discover what makes her happy.
Jul 26, 2020 · 43 min
Graduating as a creative during a global pandemic, with Kofi Nelson
Manchester-based multidisciplinary artist Kofi Nelson has just graduated in graphic design from the University of Salford and is also a music producer, collaborating with musicians around the world. Here, we talk about entering the working world under the shadow of Covid-19 and an uncertain economy. We also talk about music and its accessibility, overcoming self-doubt, and finding ways to stay creative during difficult times.
Jul 19, 2020 · 1 hr 3 min
Aardman, creative passions, and taking time to learn, with Gavin Strange
By day, Gavin Strange is a director and designer for Aardman Animations in Bristol, the people behind Wallace and Grommit, and Shaun the Sheep. By night, he's a "passion project pursuer" where he indulges in everything from filmmaking and toy design to illustration and photography. In this episode, we chat about his boundless energy, his love of giving back, why he avoids the "heavy stuff" and why you can only rely on yourself to improve your skills.
Jul 12, 2020 · 51 min
Finding a love of design through data at ustwo, with Neef Rehman
Neef Rehman is a web developer and designer, working at ustwo in London, the digital agency famous for its award-winning Monument Valley game. He's also behind the company's new scheme to help first-time founders through mentorship and support. Recorded pre-lockdown, we discuss how he fell in love of design after dealing with data at one of his first jobs, and why he's now proud to be giving back to the industry. He also shares his thoughts on mental health, the danger of facades and why honesty is better for everyone.
Jul 5, 2020 · 1 hr 11 min
Discovering your creative calling, with Danielle Rhoda
Describing herself as a "maker of things", Danielle Rhoda is a freelance illustrator and animator based in Manchester, UK. Originally from Poland and "partly raised" in Nottingham, she calls herself a northerner at heart after graduating from the Manchester School of Art in 2018 and deciding to settle in the city. We talk about how she's finding self-employment so far, especially during lockdown. We also talk about dystopian fiction, zombies, cycling, and surviving a creative career as introverts.
Jun 28, 2020 · 1 hr 6 min
How to survive your first year of freelancing, with Robert Lomas
Known for producing bold and colourful work full of optimism, Robert Lomas is an independent designer working across animation, illustration and branding. Based in Manchester but originally from Blackpool, Robert has just gone freelance after being the lead designer and animator at Design By Day. Passionate about supporting others, spreading positivity and giving back wherever possible, Robert shares plenty of honest insight and reassuring wisdom to help all of us be happier creatives.
Jun 21, 2020 · 1 hr 22 min
Switching to motion design and doing what you love, with Dan Silverstone
Dan Silverstone started out as a graphic designer at a "safe" council job before he found the courage to leave and join GRIN, a creative studio in Birmingham. It was there that he developed his creative skills, becoming senior designer and later, art director. Today, he specialises in motion and loves to indulge in lots of side projects via his venture, Pica. In this episode, we chat about growing up in Birmingham, switching careers to do more of what you love, and his love of video games and cyberpunk.
Jun 14, 2020 · 1 hr 7 min
Redefining success and building your own table, with Sophie Amono
Sophie Amono is a qualified journalist, marketing specialist, and founder of social media agency, Stuffs. Originally from London, she began her career working at Dazed & Confused and The Times, before moving to Glasgow in 2015. In this episode we chat about her journey, the struggles she's faced, about Covid-19 and the lockdown, feminism, and finding her voice. We talk about Black Lives Matter and how we hope the world is changing for the better. Sophie also shares her views on success and how we need to change its meaning, perhaps learning to slow down, too.
Jun 7, 2020 · 53 min
Overcoming burnout and moving north for a better life, with Michael C Place
Michael C Place is a Yorkshire-born graphic designer, creative director and founder of the successful design studio, Build. Prior to setting up his own business, he famously worked for Trevor Jackson at Bite It! and with Ian Anderson at The Designers Republic in the 1990s. We chat about those early days, the design industry in general and some of his most memorable projects. He also shares lots of wisdom on running a small studio outside of London. This is an honest and humble chat with one of the biggest names in design.
May 31, 2020 · 58 min
Tackling a lack of diversity in design, with Eve Warren & Anna Wanczyk
Graphic designers and friends Eve Warren and Anna Wanczyk have recently joined forces to launch the first chapter in Yorkshire of Kerning the Gap, a community founded in 2015 to get more women into leadership roles in the design industry. Eve is currently working at Robot Food in Leeds while Anna has recently set up her own studio. It was great to hear about their different career paths and see how they navigate the usual roller coaster of being a creative professional. We also talk about being women in the creative industries, share stories of what we've encountered, and what we hope to see change.
May 24, 2020 · 1 hr 8 min
How to market yourself as a designer, with Craig Black
Known for his bold and innovative typographic artworks, Craig Black is a Scottish-born designer, lettering artist and typographer whose worked tirelessly over the last five years to build his own design studio near Glasgow. Here, he shares some of the secrets to his success, including some helpful ideas to boost productivity, improve mental wellbeing and achieve your goals. This is an eye-opening, utterly honest treat that will leave you feeling energised and ready to take on anything.
May 17, 2020 · 1 hr 2 min
The highs and lows of freelance illustration, with Ana Jaks
Illustrator Ana Jaks creates work that is full of shape, colour, pattern and inclusivity. Originally from the Isle of Man, she went to Falmouth University to study Illustration and then did a Masters in Visual Communications at Bath Spa before graduating in 2015. She's always worked for herself and has so far picked up clients such as Facebook and Nike. I headed down to Bristol in March to meet Ana and chat about freelancing, work/life balance, and why she's spending more time on her hobbies these days.
May 10, 2020 · 1 hr 15 min
Why graphic designers should break the mould, with Craig Oldham
Award-winning British designer Craig Oldham is behind Office of Craig, the creative studio based in Manchester. He's also written a few books, notably Oh Shit, What Now to support emerging designers. More recently, he's published They Live, a book that celebrates the sci-fi cult movie by John Carpenter. There was much to discuss when I met Craig in Manchester pre-lockdown, including the state of the creative industries, favourite movies, and where he gets his no-nonsense attitude from.
May 3, 2020 · 1 hr 13 min
How to find your creative voice, with Lisa Congdon
Lisa Congdon is an artist of many talents. Based in Portland, Oregon, she does everything from fine art to illustration, but is best known for her colourful graphic drawings and hand lettering. With an amazing career so far, Lisa has so much advice to share on building a successful creative business. Here, she talks about getting started, surviving the ups and downs, and reveals helpful marketing tips.