Revision Path
550 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months 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.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Sean Mack
April 26, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBThis week's guest is a real treat for me. Sean Mack is an illustrator and graphic artist in Detroit, and I first ran across his work around a decade or so ago on Tumblr. His work has really taken off since then, so having him on to talk about his journey as an artist was a lot of fun. We started off talking about his recent work on a commemorative comic for the late hip-hop artist MF DOOM, and Sean went into how he and writer Brandon Howard came up with their popular comic The Revolutionary...
Steenz
April 19, 2021 12:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBIf you have been a listener of the show for a while, then you know I love cartoons and animation. So having a chance to sit down with this week's guest, Steenz, was a lot of fun. Steenz is one of the few Black women syndicated cartoonists in mainstream funny pages for her work on "Heart of the City", and her work on previous titles has netted her several coveted awards, including the Eisner Award, in the cartoon industry. We talked about her picking up the torch from Mark Tatulli for "Heart...
John B. Johnson
April 12, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBIf you were a part of last week's State of Black Design conference, then you've already been introduced to this week's guest -- John B. Johnson. As the principal of A Small Studio in Seattle, he leads a team of creative professionals that specialize in authentic digital design. We spoke about how his business has changed through the pandemic, as well as his process with new projects (such as DOSE). He also talked about growing up in Cleveland, studying architecture, and how these experience...
Julian Williams
April 05, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 80.7 MBIt's a new month, and I am beyond excited to share with you my interview with Julian Williams. He may be young in age, but his impressive body of work rivals those of designers with years more experience. We talked a few months after he completed work on the Biden for American campaign as their lead opposition brand designer. Pretty cool! We spoke about how he landed on the campaign, and Julian shared the differences between working with clients in the U.S. versus clients in Europe. From th...
Joseph Carter-Brown
March 29, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 82.6 MBJoseph Carter-Brown is a man of many titles. He's a UX strategist. He's a human-centered designer. And by day, he's the global UX manager at Stanley Black & Decker, a Fortune 500 company that's over 175 years old! Joseph's versatility as a design leader extends far beyond titles, as you'll definitely discover in this week's interview. We start off with a look at his work and his team, and he shares an anecdote from last year that put him on his current path to success. Joseph also talked to...
Kelly Walters
March 22, 2021 12:00 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBWe have had a good number of design educators this year on Revision Path, but how many of them have written a book on designers of color? Meet Kelly Walters, an artist, designer, and educator who is currently the assistant professor and associate director of the BFA Communication Design program in the Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York. Kelly is also the founder of the multidisciplinary design studio Bright Polka Dot. Talk about having a full schedule! Kelly talked about...
Sloan Leo
March 15, 2021 12:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBIf there's one word I would use to describe Sloan Leo, it would be "dynamic". As the CEO of NYC-based FLOX Studio, they bring over 15 years of facilitation and community strategy to bring the power of community design to clients from all over. Sloan is also an accomplished mixed media artist, and their exhibition "A Watermelon for Leo" is a beautiful assemblage of ephemera, rituals and video. We started our conversation off with a quick 2020 review, and Sloan talked about their daily flow a...
Azarra Amoy
March 08, 2021 13:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBWe're back across the pond this week and having a good ol' chat and a spot of tea with one of London's most brilliant artists -- Azarra Amoy. It was a good time to catch up with her since she just got a new studio! Azarra spoke on how art is like her diary, and she walked me through some of her inspirations and talked about growing up in London and even spending time in Bangkok before transitioning into her current artistic career. Azarra's colorful, kinetic designs are a welcome sight duri...
Reggie Black
March 01, 2021 12:52 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBReggie Black is a true Renaissance man. He's combined his talents as a multimedia artist, designer, speaker, and mental health advocate into an experimental playground he calls all things progressive. Whether it's a hand-lettered design project for a client or a public art installation, Reggie is navigating through this time and letting his passions light the way. Reggie and I really had more of a general conversation than an interview, and we touched on a number of issues: staying producti...
Markus Robinson
February 22, 2021 13:00 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBWe're ending February on Revision Path with a little bit of Black web history! Markus Robinson is currently the VP of innovation and creative at Interactive One, but before that, he co-founded one of the Internet's most popular news sources on Black tech -- Black Web 2.0. Who would have thought that it would get him to where he is today? Markus started off talking about the web properties he oversees -- Bossip and BlackPlanet, just to name a couple -- and talked about how his work with Inte...
Lafiya Watson Ramirez
February 15, 2021 13:00 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBIt's still pretty early in 2021, so if the year hasn't quite gotten off to a good start, then let this week's conversation with Lafiya Watson Ramirez be the permission you need to turn things around! Lafiya dabbles in several media -- web, photography, augmented reality, mixed reality -- and creates new projects for herself and for her clients through her company, Bad Chick Studios. We talked about how she started her studio, and from there she shared the resources and programs she used to ...
Danny Shaw
February 08, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBWe're keeping the design educator streak going this week with an interview with Danny Shaw. Along with teaching at NYC College of Technology, Danny is also the director of digital design and branding at Brandshare. He brings a wealth of real world, working knowledge into the classroom, and helps empower the next generation of designers to take over the industry. Danny talked about growing up in New York City, and spoke on how that made an impact on him as he moved throughout his career. He ...
David Jon Walker
February 01, 2021 13:00 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBLet's start off Black History Month with some education, shall we? Meet David Jon Walker, owner of the graphic design studio Rhealistic, and a design professor at Austin Peay State University in Nashville, TN. Our conversation started off with a brief look back at 2020, and from there, David spoke on adapting to teaching design during this socially distant time. He also talked about growing up in Nashville, discovering design during college at Tennessee State University, and shared some ...
Angela Bains
January 25, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBI am absolutely thrilled to share my conversation with Angela Bains with you this week. Along with being the co-founder and strategy director of international branding agency TransformExp, Angela is also a design educator at two prestigious Canadian colleges -- OCAD University in Toronto and BCIT in Vancouver. Wait until you hear her story! We took a trip down memory lane as Angela talked about growing up in the 1970s in London, being exposed to graphic design and typography as a young woma...
Kevin Bethune
January 18, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 66 MBDesign can change your life in unexpected ways, and Kevin Bethune is a testament to that. He is the founder and chief creative officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank that delivers design and innovation services using a human-centered approach. (It sounds lofty, but with over 20 years of experience in mechanical engineering, product creation, strategy, and industrial design, Kevin is a true master of his craft.) We started off talking about how business has shifted over the past yea...
Steven Christian
January 11, 2021 12:39 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBSteven Christian's motto is "create and conquer", and that's exactly what he's managed to do with his career. While he started out as an athlete, a sports injury cause him to discover visual art, and he has reinvented himself as a multitalented cartoonist, podcaster, animator, and AR mobile developer. Oh, and he's studying to apply to medical school. Talk about Black excellence! Steven shared with me how he balances all of this, and talked about how the current times helped kickstart his ca...
Nichelle Pace
January 04, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 74 MBIt's the start of a new year, and I think we could probably all use something to make us feel more resilient and motivated. Well lucky for you, I've got just the thing -- our conversation with the dynamic and talented Nichelle Pace. As the president and founder of Brand Enchanting Media, Nichelle brings over 20 years of experience to the table to help her clients with a variety of creative services. After a brief 2020 recap, Nichelle talked about her process for working with clients, and we...
Kristy Tillman
December 28, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 57 MBI'm closing out this unprecedented year by talking with the one and only Kristy Tillman. Longtime listeners of the show may remember her first appearance back in 2015, but since then, Kristy has become one of the leading design voices in our community. As for what's next for Kristy? Well, let's just say that tomorrow looks bright. Kristy shared how her year has went so far, including departing from Slack, becoming an investor through indie.vc and The Designer Fund, and creating the Made in ...
Donald Burlock, Jr.
December 21, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 76.3 MB2020 has been one hell of a year. What if you could go into 2021 being superhuman? Then you should meet Donald Burlock, Jr.! By day, he serves as the creative technologist lead for the physical experience design team at Capital One. But by night, he's the author of the brand new book Superhuman by Design: Keys to Unlocking Your Creativity for Life-Changing Results. We started off talking about his work at Capital One, and from there Donald talked about his time working as an entrepreneur, g...
Brandon Viney
December 14, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBIf you've seen either the the "Black Girl Magic" video or the Black History Month video this year from Google, then you're already intimately acquainted with the work of Brandon Viney, group creative lead at Google Brand Studio. He heads up the creative agency inside Google that uses data from the search engine to produce powerful ad spots like these (and many more). Brandon gave a peek behind the curtain on his creative process when starting new projects, and talked about the Google Brand ...
Malika Reid
December 07, 2020 12:32 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBAs we slide into the final month of this year, I caught up with the dynamic Malika Reid, art director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners. While her stomping grounds are usually in the Bay Area, Malika was down in Tulum, Mexico for a much-needed respite from the U.S. (I know that's right.) Malika talked about her day-to-day work at GS&P, and shared how her background growing up in south Florida among Caribbean family members and community helped shape her creative approach. She also spoke abou...
Bennie F. Johnson
November 30, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 63 MBFor our 375th episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Bennie F. Johnson, the new executive director of AIGA, the professional organization for design. As the first Black executive director in AIGA's 100+ year history, Bennie is taking on a huge responsibility. When I asked him how he felt about this, he gave me two words: "boldly hopeful!" Bennie talked about what attracted him to this role, and how he's managed to grow into it during this tumultuous year. We also discussed a number...
Mark Smith
November 23, 2020 13:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBThe journey of a creative is never a straightforward path, and Mark Smith knows this well. As the head of design of Studio Mark Smith, he's went from designing t-shirts and textiles in NYC for urban apparel brands like Avirex to studying design at Auburn University to serving as the head of idea and innovation for iconic luxury brand Swarovski. Whoa! Mark and I talked about his current project -- a collection of jewelry -- and he spoke about his time working in Austria and Denmark. We also ...
Dana James Mwangi
November 16, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBDana James Mwangi has really helped put Memphis, TN on the map when it comes to design and the creative community. As a web and branding consultant, Dana helps companies and creative entrepreneurs reach the next level of their business through her agency, Cheers Creative. But as you'll hear in our interview, Dana is all about striving for excellence while also knowing your value and taking care of yourself. We talked about how she started Cheers Creative, and walked me through her process f...
Camille Selvon Abrahams
November 09, 2020 13:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBCamille Selvon Abrahams is a trailblazer in the animation industry. Not only did she co-found the first outsourcing animation studio in the Caribbean — Full Circle Animation Studio — but she also heads up animation studies at the University of Trinidad and Tobago and is the founding director of the Animae Caribe Animation Festival! And she’s still making history! We had a pretty wide ranging conversation, and talked about her creative process, networking with other Black animators in the in...
Darold Pinnock
November 02, 2020 13:00 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MB2020 has been a year full of difficult changes for a lot of people, but Darold Pinnock has managed to navigate this difficult time pretty well! Aside from his work as a brand designer for Georgia-based agency M&R Marketing, he's also interviewed creatives and artists from all over the world through his podcast Passion Behind The Art. We talked about the changes and challenges with working in person in the office during COVID-19, and he shared how his love of architecture led him into creati...
Ray Billingsley
October 26, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBIf you live in the United States and have read the funny pages any time within the past 30 years, then you already know about the work from this week's guest. Ray Billingsley is the creator of Curtis, the daily comic that follows the life and times of a precocious 11-year-old Black boy, his family, and his classmates. I'm so glad to have the opportunity to share this conversation with a cartoon legend. Ray gave an introduction to the Curtis comic universe, and talked about growing up in Nor...
Nici Kelly
October 19, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBTech can be a lucrative career, but how many of us think of it as a way to close the wealth gap in the Black community? Nici Kelly does, and I love that her mission is to show people the different pathways into tech and tech entrepreneurship as a way to build a legacy. We started off talking about Nici's company, Care Covr, and her inspiration behind starting it in the midst of a global health pandemic. Our conversation continued when Nici talked about building Black wealth, her early intro...
Britt Lyle II
October 12, 2020 11:41 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBBritt Lyle II is more than just a designer — he contains multitudes. Currently, he works as a graphics assistant at AMB Sports + Entertainment, where he helps out on visuals used by the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. But outside of work? That’s when you see the different facets of what makes Britt unique. We started our conversation discussing Britt’s work, which led to him talking about growing up in Orlando and attending Florida A&M University and studying through their esteemed desi...
Brandi Davis
October 05, 2020 11:42 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBLately, I have been doing a deep dive into the magazine archives of EBONY and JET. While skimming the masthead of one of the old issues, I stumbled across this week's guest -- Brandi Davis! Brandi served as Johnson Publishing Company's web designer from 2004-2012, and was front and center at the company's shift from print to web. Wait until you hear her anecdotes about working there! While we do spend a good bit of time talking about that portion of her career, we also talked about the impo...
Vernon Lockhart
September 28, 2020 11:45 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBHave you picked up on the connection between this month's guests? It can be easy to look at the advocacy work and projects around diversity in design and think it's a new movement, but the reality is that the work is built on the shoulders and legacy of Black designers like Vernon Lockhart. As an artist, creative therapist, and the executive director of Project Osmosis, Vernon has worked hard to empower the next generation of designers through education for at least the past 20 years. We sp...
Antionette Carroll
September 21, 2020 11:43 - 1 hour - 88 MBI can't tell you how excited I am to share this conversation with Antionette Carroll with you. Longtime listeners of the show may remember her first appearance here back in 2014. In the six years since then, Antionette has risen to become one of the design community's most outspoken advocates, and one of its fiercest critics. As the founder and CEO of Creative Reaction Lab, her advocacy work has been shared around the world. This week's episode is a bit different than usual. You'll learn a...
Shayla Hunter
September 14, 2020 12:00 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBOne thing I love about Shayla Hunter's story is how it's never to late to pivot to a new career. By day, she works as a strategist at Egg Strategy, helping clients with solving problems through interviews, focus groups, and research. Outside of work, Shayla is the creator of The 100 Black Females* Project, a creative look at what it means to be a Black woman or girl today. After starting things off with a quick pandemic/work-from-home update, Shayla shared how she began her career in publis...
Tolu Ajayi
August 31, 2020 10:19 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBIf you're thinking about getting into product design, then this week's interview with Tolu Ajayi is just for you! Tolu has made it her mission to help inspire the next generation of product designers, and her passion and energy are infectious. Our conversation began with Tolu talking about her current work as a product designer, and she told her story about how she transitioned from graphic design to UI/UX, and shared what sparked her to create UI Narrative, a platform and podcast that help...
Hank Washington
August 24, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 59.6 MBMeet Hank Washington, the owner of Hank Design Studios. His studio’s mission is to help brands turn strangers into friends, and Hank does this through the design and illustration. I was glad to catch up with him recently, not too long after his move to Atlanta. We spoke about weathering the pandemic, and Hank shared how the first few months of business has went for his studio. He also talked about growing up in a small Southern town and being exposed to design as a kid, moving to Alabama to...
Arthell Isom
August 17, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 83.4 MBThis week’s episode will be a real treat for anime fans out there! I had the opportunity to talk with Arthell Isom, co-founder of Japanese animation studio D’ART Shtajio. You’ve probably seen his studio’s work on The Weeknd’s video “Snowchild”, or as part of the hip-hop inspired indie anime Tephlon Funk, but how did he come to be the first Black man to own an animation studio in Japan? We talked about his current road to success, and Arthell shared how he runs the studio from day to day. He...
Candace Queen
August 10, 2020 12:00 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBWhen you're walking in your purpose, there's nothing that can stop you from succeeding. Multidisciplinary designer Candace Queen knows this well, and brings energy, drive and passion to her work, whether it's volunteering with ADCOLOR or servicing clients for her company, Tabernacle, Inc. We talked about how her studio has changed with the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shared why she decided to strike out on her own after staking her claim in the advertising world in Chicago. We also t...
Carmela Wilkins
August 03, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 65.6 MBDesign influences everything around us. It's something I've said on this podcast dozens of times, but social impact designer and researcher Carmela Wilkins is the kind of designer who really embodies this tenet in her work. We started our conversation with a look at Carmela's work at NYC-based design communications firm A/B Partners, and she talked about how she got started there and the types of projects she's able to work on. She also shared her globetrotting adventures throughout Europe ...
Fred Noland
July 27, 2020 12:00 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBThis week on Revision Path, I’m sharing my conversation with visual storyteller Fred Noland. You might have seen his recent illustration work in The New Yorker, but he’s been featured in newspapers, magazines and museums throughout his extensive career. We talked about navigating work and creativity during this pandemic, and he spoke on an ongoing project of his — a graphic novel about professional cyclist Major Taylor. We also discussed representation in comics, his artistic influences, an...
Tevin Stuurland
July 20, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBWe’re back in Europe this week (not literally) to talk with interaction designer Tevin Stuurland. He just graduated from college recently, so this was a great time to chat about work and the future, especially during this unprecedented pandemic. Tevin walked me through what he’s doing to keep busy these days, and he discussed growing up Black in The Netherlands, the ups and downs of learning design in college, and shared some of the contributions people of color have made to the Dutch desig...
Ayodele Odubela
July 13, 2020 10:33 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBData rules everything around us, and no one understands this better than Ayodele Odubela. As a data scientist at SambaSafety, she analyzes data to help accomplish a number of different business goals from determining driver risks for ridesharing services to predicting other situational outcomes. And whether you have a tech background or not, Ayodele thinks anyone can get into this field and make a difference. We started off talking about her new role, and how it differs from previous data s...
Johnny Austin
July 06, 2020 12:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MB"While it's important to have mentors and peers in the industry, at the end of the day, your career is in your hands. You have to put in the work." Those wise words are from Johnny Austin, VP of Engineering at Till, a startup that's helping revolutionize rent for residents and landlords. Johnny walked us through his regular day at Till, and shared how his prior experiences at Mapbox and ISL helped shape him for his current role. He also talked about attending the prestigious Tuskegee Univer...
Christian Howard
June 29, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBI first learned about Christian Howard via De Angela Duff, and while it may have taken a few years, I’m glad we finally had a chance to sit down for a conversation because I find his career path extremely fascinating. Christian is a narrative design strategist, and we discussed how he uses storytelling to help guide companies through times of huge transformations. We also talked about his time teaching at NYU, how he found his way into narrative strategy via game design, the difference betw...
William Hill
June 22, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBThe great thing about talking with so many people for Revision Path is discovering just how many things we share in common with our fellow brothers and sisters. That’s why I’m so glad for folks like William Hill who are out here embodying what it means to work with purpose. We started off talking about how we’re both coping at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and William went in depth about his new role at New Relic, as well as his former role as a software engineer and team lead at Law...
Miles Anderson
June 15, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBWhen I first chatted with Miles Anderson, he said that he’s “just a normal guy who works hard.” But then I heard his story and the growth in his career and well…Miles is no normal guy — he’s extraordinary! Miles talked about his recent move to Seattle in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, starting on the Xbox team at Microsoft, and how he’s getting along during this time. He also spoke about his time at IBM and how it helped him grow as a designer, the power of self-education in tech, and ...
Kojo Boateng
June 08, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBIt's Revision Path's 350th episode, and for this special, historic occasion, I'm honored to talk with Kojo Boateng. You might remember our 2016 interview with Kojo (episode 125!), and we get into everything that's changed in his world since then. We started off talking about the transition period in his life that led him to move to the United States, and Kojo goes into his current work as a creative director for PBS News Hour. He also shared some of the community work he's doing in the DC d...
Noble Ackerson
June 01, 2020 11:00 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBWe’re at an interesting crossroads right now because of this pandemic, and a lot of bleeding edge tech concepts are becoming available for consumers quicker than expected. To that end, data has become an important form of currency, and data governance is of paramount concern. Enter Noble Ackerson: a senior product manager for Ventera with a mission to make sure more Black people enter these new fields of emerging tech. Noble shared his journey for getting into technology, including how he w...
Ed Williams
May 25, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBYou might not think of Memphis, Tennessee as a bustling creative city, but folks like Ed Williams are here to show you the truth. By day, he works as a creative manager at the National Civil Rights Museum, helping shape the brand design and strategy for the museum for all its visitors. But by night, he is the founder of Mayke Entertainment, and creates comic stories with culturally-rich superheroes from all walks of life! We started off with some quick talk about Ed’s museum work, and from ...
Randall Parrish
May 18, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBIf your emotions have been up and down for the past few months, trust me…you’re not alone. But I’ve got something to help lift your spirits — this week’s interview with “human glitter bomb” Randall Parrish! We talked at an interesting point in his life too; he’s fresh off of a cross-country move from DC to California and recently started a new job as an art director at Sonos, all during this crazy and unpredictable pandemic. Randall started off with how he’s holding up while getting used to...
Samuel Adaramola
May 11, 2020 11:00 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MB“Blackness is multifaceted.” When Samuel Adaramola told me that before we started recording, I knew we were going to have a great conversation. Samuel is a talented multimedia creative, who most recently used his skills as a media producer on Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. We talked a good bit about what it’s like to work on a political campaign of that magnitude, how he first got involved, and how he worked to get the campaign’s message out during this time of physical/social distan...