Revision Path
550 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 155 ratingsThis is Revision Path — an award-winning weekly showcase of Black designers, developers, and digital creatives from all over the world. Each week, host Maurice Cherry interviews these creators about their work, their goals, what inspires them, and much more. First podcast in the Smithsonian NMAAHC.
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Episodes
Goodbye
March 11, 2024 10:08 - 1 hour - 86.8 MBWell, it’s the end of the road. Or rather, the end of the path. In the final episode of Revision Path, I’m interviewed by design educator and long-time friend Lisa Babb. We reflected on the remarkable milestones achieved by the show, discussed the dynamic shifts and trends that have shaped the design landscape over the years, and I talked about the legacy and influence of this platform, from the guests who have shared their stories to the listeners who have made this community so vibrant an...
Monique Wray
March 04, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBI had such a fantastic time speaking with artist, animator, and illustrator Monique Wray. Her bold, colorful, and lively art has been used by Google, Disney, Nickelodeon, Apple, and Microsoft (just to name a few places). We caught up recently to talk about her career and the evolution of her craft over the years. Throughout our conversation, Monique offered insights into her creative process. She talked about the impact of a pivotal year of self-discovery, the importance of emphasizing huma...
Mike Nicholls
February 26, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBAs we wind down this year’s Black History Month (and our anniversary month — 11 years!), we’ve got a super-sized episode with someone I’ve wanted to have on the podcast for a long time — the one and only Mike Nicholls. Mike is an award-winning storyteller with deep roots in hip-hop culture and design, and is probably most well-known for creating Umber — the design and culture magazine that highlights the global perspectives of Black people and POC from around the world. Mike talked about ho...
Katrina Lenzly
February 19, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBI had such a blast chopping it up with the extremely talented Katrina Lenzly. Not only is she an award-winning art director who has done incredible creative work for big brands such as HBO, the NBA, and The Coca-Cola Company, but she’s also a public speaker, and a neo-soul hip-hop artist known as King Cooley. (And I thought I did a lot!) We had an incredibly deep and candid conversation about Black cultural expression, being a working designer, and a lot more. Katrina talked about growing u...
Mitzi Okou
February 05, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBWhen it comes to Mitzi Okou, there’s a lot more than meets the eye. She’s a visual and interaction designer, yes, but in addition to that, she’s the founder of Where Are The Black Designers? — a conference that started in 2020 and since then has evolved into an international, volunteer-run, nonprofit design advocacy organization. Our conversation began with a bit of catching up, then we spent a lot of time talking about what’s happened with WATBD (and the world) since the summer of 2020. Mi...
A Special Announcement
January 29, 2024 13:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBToday’s episode features an update from our 2023 fundraising campaign, as well as news on the future of Revision Path. Once again, thanks to everyone who has helped support Revision Path over the years — the guests, the sponsors, the supports, and the listeners. Links 28 Days of the Web Inside Design: InVision Presents RECOGNIZE A List Apart: Keeping Your Design Mind New and Fresh Revision Path in the NMAAHC Revision Path on SoundCloud Revision Path on YouTube For a video of this in...
Kyra Wells
January 22, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBI’ve been a huge proponent of the Cleveland creative community since starting this podcast — seriously, go back to the early early episodes — and Kyra Wells is continuing the legacy of hard work, perseverance, and great design that only comes from the 216. Kyra is a true creative professional, whether it’s through her own studio Seven Pillars Design Co., teaching at Cuyahoga Community College, leading campaigns as a creative marketing designer at American Greetings, or through her community ...
Sam Bass
January 15, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBIf you’ve been thinking about striking out on our own as a new year’s resolution, then this week’s episode might be a good one to check out as I speak with freelance animator and art director Sam Bass. Sam is a creative problem solver at heart, and for the past ten years, he’s worked on illustrative images and animating unique graphics with silky smooth results. Sam talked about his work and delved deep into his creative process, including some of the unique challenges of sustaining a freel...
Anne H. Berry
January 08, 2024 13:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MB“The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection” is one of the most important contributions to the corpus of design history, and I’m so glad this week to have the book’s managing editor, Anne H. Berry, on Revision Path to talk about it. I caught up with her while she’s on sabbatical from Cleveland State University, where she’s an associate professor in the department of art and design. Our conversation began with a discussion about the state of education and teaching over...
Matai Parr
January 01, 2024 13:00 - 53 minutes - 49.6 MBHappy new year! We’re kicking off 2024 with Matai Parr, a designer with a unique approach to his work and his career. Matai just finished the Masters program in interaction design from ArtCenter College of Design, and our conversation was full of fresh insights into the evolving nature of human connections in the digital age, particularly with freelancing, gaming, and social media. Matai talked about his love for computer science in high school which eventually led him to ArtCenter, and he ...
Salih Abdul-Karim
December 25, 2023 13:00 - 57 minutes - 53 MBFor our final episode of Revision Path for 2023, I talked with the amazingly brilliant Salih Abdul-Karim. If you’re a motion designer, then there’s a good chance you’ve used Lottie, which Salih co-created during his time at Airbnb and is the new industry standard when it comes to animation on mobile apps and the Web. Salih talked about his current work at Cōlab, exploring their non-traditional approach which eschews agency hierarchies to maintain a hands-on, skill-diverse team that seamless...
Jonathan Patterson
December 18, 2023 13:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBIf you’re a product designer that’s been thinking about striking out on your own in 2024, then Jonathan Patterson is a name that you need to know. As a freelance senior product design generalist, he knows all about rolling with the changes in the industry, and about what it takes to stay competitive. Jonathan and I spoke not too long after his presentation at AIGA Detroit’s IXD2 event, and he talked about the various projects he’s worked on in the fields of healthcare, education, and AI. He...
Jonathan Robinson
December 11, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBDecember is a good time to reflect and take stock of the year, and that’s the basis of my conversation with this week’s guest Jonathan Robinson. Jonathan is a creative powerhouse — a writer, a filmmaker, and a director, just to start — who’s currently on a personal journey of self-discovery. We started off doing a bit of a recap of the past year, and Jonathan shed some light on what creative and experiential producers do and how he came into those titles through his work in the advertising ...
Sam Viotty
December 04, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBWe’re exploring the intersections of design, music, and social impact with this week’s guest, Sam Viotty. Not only is Sam an extremely knowledgeable program and experience designer, but she’s also the co-owner of a record label and she’s an adjunct professor at Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business. And that’s just scratching the surface! We started off by defining program design and experience design, and from there Sam talked about her label, Rosedale Collective, and her dedication to showc...
Phillip J. Clayton (Part 2 of 2)
November 27, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBWe’re ending out the month of November with the second part of my conversation with the one and only Phillip J. Clayton. (If you missed the first part of this interview, check it out here.) After sharing his thoughts on brand purpose, we started discussing our experiences with art and education, and he spoke about facing limitations in school due to dyslexia and feeling misunderstood by teachers and other authority figures. Phillip also talked about his experiences working with renowned bra...
Phillip J. Clayton (Part 1 of 2)
November 20, 2023 13:00 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MBPhillip J. Clayton is a design voice that you need to know. The Kingston-based creative is a strategic advisor, an international design judge, and an expert on branding. We talked for hours about his career and his philosophies on branding and life, so I split this episode into two parts just to make sure nothing got lost. If you’re interested in branding, then get ready for a masterclass! Our conversation started off with a check-in on this year, and then Phillip shared his goals about bei...
Tj Hughes
November 13, 2023 13:00 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBYou may have been scolded as a kid for playing with your food, but with Tj Hughes’ new game Nour: Play With Your Food, that’s the primary objective! I had a chance to speak with Tj, the creative lead behind Nour, fresh off of the game’s release on PlayStation, Steam, and Epic Games. We spoke a lot about the intersection of art and game development, and Tj shared how teaching himself and gaining knowledge working with a studio helped shape his perspective as a creative. Tj also talked about ...
André Foster
November 06, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBIf you’ve been listening to the podcast over the past year or two, you know that the use of AI has been a constant thread through nearly every episode. And this week’s guest, André Foster, has embraced this new tech as part of his creative practice while still producing top notch motion design and animation work through his studio, First Fight. André gave a rundown on some of the client work and the day-to-day happenings at First Fight, and discussed the importance of perseverance and conti...
Manny Ikomi
October 30, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 83.5 MBI love that Manny Ikomi has adopted a philosophy of “lift as you climb” as it relates to his career. Manny works as a UX design consultant for IBM iX, but he’s also a design educator and even streams some of his personal web development and UX projects on Twitch. It was great chatting it up and learning about how he balances his work with community outreach. We started off diving into Manny’s journey from discovering interactive design and UX, to hitting a career ceiling and pursuing furthe...
David Perrin
October 23, 2023 12:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBHow are you using your creative talents to create a more equitable world. For David Perrin, his focus is on the world of nonprofit design. By day, David is the design lead at The Ford Foundation, and he works with an in-house team of editors, copywriters, strategists, designers, and developers. Outside of work, he’s an instructor with Social Movement Technologies, a nonprofit organization that provides strategy, training and campaign support to build people power and win in the digital age. ...
Ethan Baldwin
October 16, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBIt’s no surprise that designers like working on projects that allow them to fully display their creativity and talent. For Ethan Baldwin, those projects just happen to revolve around what might not be considered that exciting by others — banking and finance. That outlook is one of the foundations behind Slash and Structure, his new brand strategy and visual identity design firm. Ethan spoke about his passion for “making boring stuff less boring”, and how it’s been important for him to balan...
Anjuan Simmons
October 09, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 64.2 MBIf you want to know what it takes to have a long career in this industry, then this conversation with Anjuan Simmons is just what you need to hear. As a staff engineering manager at GitHub, Anjuan has over 25 years of combined experience across consulting, startups, and big tech. We talked about his work at GitHub, and he gave some insight into their AI tool Copilot, as well as the GitHub Sponsors program. Anjuan also spoke with me about the value of representation, and how it led to him at...
Branden Collins
October 02, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 66.5 MBBranden Collins, founder of the design studio The Young Never Sleep, is a deep thinker. I had such a blast during our conversation about the complex and thought-provoking world of tech, creativity, and the endless possibilities they hold. As an interdisciplinary designer, Branden has worked at Cartoon Network and Snap, but he’s also been heads down in the Atlanta creative community as well, which he’s just returning to after a stint in Los Angeles. We talked about the ever-evolving landscap...
Shanae Chapman
September 25, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBSometimes in life, you’ve got to do what you can to make the best out of a bad situation. For Shanae Chapman, that meant using a bad post-graduation job market to launch her own agency, Nerdy Diva. Now she’s setting her sights on bigger goals and doing what she can to help others achieve success in tech and design. We began by talking about how Shanae started her agency, and we discussed the current state of AI tools and the changing landscape of UX research and design. She also spoke about...
Tolu Adegbite
September 18, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBWhat does accessibility design look like at the largest social media company in the world? According to this week’s guest, Tolu Adegbite, it’s a lot more than you may think! Between websites, apps, and devices, there are a lot of considerations to factor in, and Tolu’s unique background makes her well-equipped to solve these problems. Tolu gave us a peek into the mood at Meta fresh off the launch of Threads, and she spoke about her day-to-day routine being on the company’s app design system...
Chad Brown
September 11, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBWhen Chad Brown contacted me a couple of months ago about coming back on the podcast, I had no idea that he was about to take me on such an adventure! Of course, if you’re a long time listener of the show, then you know Chad for his work as a creative director and photographer. Now, he’s fresh off an incredible journey in the Arctic Circle, and he’s chronicled the trip in a new documentary — Blackwaters: Brotherhood in the Wild. We went right into talking about the film, and Chad shared how...
Vasheena Brisbane
September 04, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 64.2 MBVasheena Brisbane’s star is on the rise! New Yorkers are no doubt familiar with her work as the associate director of visual design and communications at one of the city’s most prominent places of worship — Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. And now, Vasheena’s just been honored with a coveted spot on GDUSA Magazine‘s “People to Watch” list for 2023. I had to reach out and have her on the podcast so I could learn more about her story! Our conversation began with a glimpse into the intricacie...
Carmelle Kendall
August 28, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBCarmelle Kendall is a true Atlanta business success story! Not only is she a talented creative director and the co-founder of popular paper goods company Neighborly, but now there’s another title she can add to her list of accolades — children’s book illustrator for “Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid’s Guide to the First Amendment”! We talked about how she got involved with the book, and she spoke about getting her start in the advertising industry in NYC, and later in Atlanta with rebranding...
Maya Gold Patterson
August 21, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBWhat a difference a few years makes! When we first had Maya Gold Patterson on the podcast back in 2016, she was a product designer in Chicago. Since then, she’s moved out west and has held down design leadership positions at two of the most well-known tech companies on the planet — Twitter (now X) and Facebook (now Meta). And after a recent stint as VP of Design at Riverside.fm, Maya’s facing one of her biggest challenges yet: quitting her job and embarking on a journey of self-discovery and...
Eric Thompson
August 14, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 66.3 MBYou’re in for a great conversation this week with creative technologist Eric Thompson. Eric staked his claim in the Atlanta tech space through his entrepreneurial work through Georgia Tech, and is now helping support the next generation of makers and creators through his work at Spelman College. We talked a lot about the Spelman Innovation Lab and how it functions as a third place, and Eric shared his journey from construction and mechanical engineering in New Jersey to studying user experi...
Carl Bogan
August 07, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBArtificial intelligence has been a running theme on the podcast this year, and I couldn’t think of a better person to talk shop about this with than the one and only Carl Bogan. Through his studio, Myster Giraffe, he’s created viral mashups that have racked up millions of views across social media. Carl spoke a bit about his experiences as a visual effects artist, and then we went into a deep discussion about all things synthetic media — generative AI, deepfakes, media literacy, government ...
Kristina Turner
July 31, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBKristina Turner is really putting Montgomery on the map when it comes to design and creativity! With over a decade of experience working for in-house agencies around Alabama, her focus on rethinking legacy brands, overseeing digital experiences, and delivering award-winning visual storytelling means she’s definitely someone we need to keep an eye on. We talked a lot about her work as senior director of marketing and storytelling at Jeremiah Program, as well as her involvement as regional di...
Ashley Fletcher
July 24, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 61 MBRevision Path is all about inspiring Black designers, and my conversation with Ashley Fletcher is a brilliant example of why that inspiration matters. Ashley drops some serious knowledge on finding your creative community, pushing boundaries, but also the importance of taking care of your well-being. Ashley talked about her current work, including her business Goods Made By Digitrillnana, and she shared how her educational journey helped her growth in understanding design. We also talked sh...
Kevin Tufts
July 17, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBKevin Tufts is the real deal when it comes to tech and design. With over two decades of experience working across a number of companies in the Bay Area — Lyft, SendGrid, and Twilio, to name a few — he’s now a product designer at Meta working on their Creation team. So believe me, we had a LOT to talk about. Our conversation begin with a look at the current climate inside Meta (pre-Threads, FYI), and he gave some thoughts on where the company is going as it approaches its 20th anniversary. F...
Chris Dudley
July 10, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBChris Dudley is an artistic powerhouse. He’s been a working artist for over 25 years, creating everything from children’s books to commissioned drawings (and he teaches art as well). His latest book, Lil’ Boogaloo Shrimp and the Clean Sweep is inspired by the iconic 80’s movie Breakin’, and features the OG Boogaloo Shrimp himself, Michael Chambers! Chris gave me the rundown on the new book, and we talked about his creative process and what draws him to illustrating portraits and children’s ...
David Tann
July 03, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 64.8 MBIf you live here in Atlanta, or you’re a fan of our hometown basketball team, then there’s a good chance you’ve already seen David Tann’s work. As the former VP, Creative Director for the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena, he helped establish the team’s bold visual identity…one of the best in the NBA, if you ask me. Now, David heads up his own company, Tantrum Agency, where he uses his career experience with global brands to help companies find their own unique voice. We started off talking a...
Natalie Marie Dunbar
June 26, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 68.9 MBWe’re keeping the content strategy train rolling this week and chatting it up with Natalie Marie Dunbar, a UX-focused content strategist with a unique blend of skills as a journalist, writer, and researcher. She’s also the author of From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice. Very impressive! We started off discussing the inspiration behind the book, and Natalie shared her thoughts on the changing meaning of “content creation,” and on what it takes to maintain a s...
David Dylan Thomas
June 19, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBThis week’s guest is a true legend in the game — the one and only David Dylan Thomas. He’s the author of Design for Cognitive Bias, has over twenty years of content strategy and UX experience, and he’s presented talks and workshops worldwide on topics at the intersection of bias, design, and social justice. We had a pretty broad conversation, touching on everything from his latest talk in Copenhagen to how he started The Cognitive Bias Podcast. David also shared his story of growing up in M...
Reggie Perry Jr.
June 12, 2023 12:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBWhile the current creative industry tends to favor specialists, multidisciplinary creators like Reggie Perry Jr. know that being a generalist is what truly helps you stand out. He does it all — graphic design, photography, video and audio production, motion graphics and 3D, and a whole lot more! Reggie told me about his work as a media experience designer at The Home Depot, and from there we talked about showcasing his skills through his own agency (Phox and Phoe) along with NYC-based creat...
Isiah Xavier Bradley
June 05, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 64 MBIsiah Xavier Bradley was born to be an artist, and you can really feel his love for the craft just from spending a few minutes chatting with him. The Seattle-based illustrator loves all things comics related, and his body of work is filled with superheroes, aliens, mages, and all kinds of other fantasy figures. We talked about some of his creative projects, and we spoke for a bit about diversity in the fantasy illustration space, as well as how he approaches storytelling through his art. Is...
Tasheka Arceneaux-Sutton
May 29, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 72.4 MBI first learned about Tasheka Arceneaux-Sutton way back in 2015 when I interviewed Silas Munro. Since then, Tasheka has gone on to become one of the leading voices behind discovering Black people omitted from the graphic design history canon. Even design legend Dr. Cheryl D. Miller has sung her praises, so I knew I had to sit down with Tasheka and learn more about her remarkable journey. Tasheka spoke to me about her experience as an educator and researcher, including an examination of her ...
Morgan Bissant
May 22, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBI had to connect with Morgan Bissant after seeing a few of her images of 90s sitcoms make the rounds on Twitter. Her work definitely captures to the richness of the Black experience, and she’s done everything from editorial work for Comcast to children’s illustrations and book covers. But that’s not all! Morgan and I talked about some of her big freelance projects, and she spoke on how Black pop culture, especially animation, is a big source of inspiration and her creative process. We also ...
Akeem Roberts
May 15, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBIt takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice to make it on your own as an artist, and Akeem Roberts knows this well. This illustrator and animator juggles being an associate director at Holler Studios with freelancing for The New Yorker. Even though Akeem’s been in the game for nearly a decade, I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing his work for many years to come. We talked about Akeem’s new gig at Holler, and from there he went into sharing his unique approach to storytelling. Ak...
Victor Ware
May 08, 2023 12:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBWhat does it take to be an art director? For Victor Ware, it’s a combination of three things: talent, hard work, and maybe…never sleeping. Victor has over a decade of experience and has done everything from working on legacy media brands to doing full-scale brand overhauls. Our conversation began with a look at Victor’s current gig at Wide Eye, and he talked a bit about how future tech like AI and machine learning play into the work he does. He also talked about growing up in the DMV area, ...
Brandon Campbell-Kearns
May 01, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBThere are so many options these days when it comes to learning how to code, but which is the best one for you? We all learn in different ways, and software engineer and educator Brandon Campbell-Kearns is just the person to help unlock what you need to succeed! We spent the first part of our conversation on his business Quarterly Learnings, including his current web development course through Atlanta nonprofit City of Refuge. Brandon also talked to me about how first got into tech, and abou...
Dr. Cheryl D. Miller
April 24, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBWhat can I say about Dr. Cheryl D. Miller that hasn’t already been said? Her groundbreaking work as a designer in the 1980s and 1990s has paved the way for Black designers in this industry. Her first-hand knowledge and experience is sought after by colleges and universities all over the country. And now, in this season of her life, she is being celebrated and awarded as a pioneering figure in the field of contemporary graphic design by AIGA, The One Club, Cooper Hewitt, IBM, and many others....
Rudy Manning
April 17, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 75 MBAgencies play a critical role in ensuring that the next generation of creatives reflects the world we live in, and Rudy Manning takes that responsibility very seriously. As the co-founder and chief creative officer of Pastilla Inc., he is dedicated to not only providing services for a diverse range of clients, but also for making opportunities to get more people of color working in the design. Rudy starts off talking more about Pastilla, and showing the ins and outs of what it takes to oper...
Breon Waters II
April 10, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBThe past few years has been a testing ground for a lot of creatives. For Breon Waters II, he’s used this time to dive deeper into design across the digital world and the real world. And the results have been paying off! Our conversation began with a look at his line of letterpress greeting cards, which are a fun mix of old-world printing techniques and cutting-edge technology. We also talked about his work at DEPT, and Breon shared how he came into product design throughs his earlier explor...
Fungi Dube
April 03, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBIt was a real joy to connect with Fungi Dube for this week’s episode of the podcast. She’s a skilled brand, web, and Webflow designer in Harare, Zimbabwe, and I love how she leverages her culture in her designs to create stunning visual and digital experiences for clients around the world. We covered a range of topics related to design and creativity. Fungi shared the importance of understanding a client’s needs and goals, spoke about the creative community in Zimbabwe, and talked about how...
Ube Urban
March 27, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 75.9 MBMaintaining authenticity is an important part of every creative’s journey, especially as you move up the ranks and gain more experience. But does it come at a cost? That certainly came up during my conversation with the highly acclaimed designer Ube Urban. Ube defines a space that is unclear — the innovation space — but he’s learned to wield that in his favor and now he’s on the lookout for his next opportunity. Ube explained more about what he does, going in-depth with how he first got inv...