Underscore

Our guests are design educators and practitioners Sharon Oiga and Guy Villa. In this episode, Oiga and Villa speak with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about their collaborative dynamic, the story of how they met while studying at UIC in the 90s, the emphasis they place and looking for inspiration outside of design, and so much more. As educators, Oiga and Villa both give us a glimpse into their teaching ethos and the ways in which they foster curiosity in their students through experimentation and play. This conversation centers much around graphic design craft, theory, and practice. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is educator, typographer, photographer, and interdisciplinary designer Nathan Matteson. In this episode, Matteson speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about his approach to graphic design that emphasizes the materiality of what we work with, his focus on typography as a tool of communication, his transition from painting into graphic design, and his skepticism of whether design can ever truly be solution-oriented. He shares with us his thoughts on craft and the consequences of plugins and templates used within the design process and offers us alternative ways through which we can approach our work as graphic designers. Nathan on the web: https://brut.ist/ https://skeptic.ist/ Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guests are Design Director Nermin Moufti and Strategic Director Kristin Lueke of the creative studio Field of Practice. In this episode, Nermin and Kristin speak with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about their studio's ethos, which views the creative process not as a destination but as an ongoing practice. Together, they share the ways in which they are challenging notions of business as usual and their need to stray away from the false sense of urgency. We explore the meaning of a creative obituary as opposed to a creative brief and what it means to leave behind a legacy through the work that we do as creatives. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is a multi-disciplinary writer, educator, consultant, futurist, and lecturer, Heather Snyder Quinn⁠. Her work focuses on the future of design, emerging technology, ethics, fiction, interdisciplinary practices, and theory and has been recognized by Nasa, the World Economic Forum, MIT Press, Yale Law School, and the Washington Post. Heather is often found playing in unexpected places, physical or virtual, and collaborating with people from an array of backgrounds. Her work uses design fiction to empower communities to imagine possible futures and understand technology’s impact on human freedoms. Currently, she is editing Technologies of Deception, a publication bringing together art, design, technology, ethics, futurism, and policymaking.  In this episode, Quinn speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠ about her early love for phonebooks, the future of graphic design, education, AI, interdisciplinary approaches to creative problem-solving, and much more. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is Patrick Smith, designer and founder of C2 Creative Studio. For over two decades, Smith has been working as a designer and calling Chicago his home. Today, in addition to working with clients and running his own studio, he is a contributing committee member of the Chicago Graphic Design Club, where he helps drive our mission and programming. In this episode, Smith speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠ about his introduction to graphic design, his first creative projects, drawing band logos and album covers as a teenager, the evolution of Chicago's design industry over the last two decades, leadership, and much more. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is ⁠⁠⁠⁠iicky⁠, a Chicago-based artist who works with the concept of impermanence and non-traditional materials. His ethos centered around embracing decay, aging, and his father’s advice of “use what you have” and “there are no mistakes.”  Born in Trinidad but raised in the Virgin Islands, today he resides in Chicago. He was one of the featured in the Chicago Graphic Design Club’s art exhibit, ⁠Chicago’s Tomorrow, Today⁠. His piece is titled “floating taxis in hyperspace near Pluto while eating vegan hotdogs.” In this episode, iicky speaks with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠, about his earliest memories of creativity, the value of the imperfect, sustainability, analog media, technology, and much more. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠.

On this episode of Underscore, host ⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano is joined by committee member John Hatherly⁠⁠⁠⁠ to reflect on the last three years of the Chicago Graphic Design Club. They share their favorite moments and vision for the club's future and respond to community comments. Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠.

Our guest is Nicolette Stosur-Bassett, a business strategist and communications professional working primarily in the social impact space. In 2018, she founded Do It Better Design, a Chicago-based branding and communication studio. She graduated with a BA in Social Enterprise and an MA in Social Innovation and Sustainability from Goddard College.  In 2022, she spoke with the Chicago Graphic Design Club about her project, Designing For, an examination of the ways in which the global pandemic shaped the personal practices of designers and their approach to community engagement.  In this episode, Nicolette speaks with host ⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠ ⁠about her approach to learning, the meaning of socially conscious work, graphic design's relationship with communication, and more. Music by the band ⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠.

Our guest is Joseph Michael Essex, someone who has played a pivotal role in the history of Chicago graphic design for the last five decades. Joseph has spent his career asking questions and finding meaning and reason throughout the process. In the 1970s, he started his career as an art director for the station that produced Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and the National Geographic Specials. Today, he leads J.M.Essex, where he consults corporations, institutions, associations, and independent creative offices and agencies — helping others implement plans personalized for their creative leadership goals. In this episode, Essex speaks with host ⁠Christian Solorzano⁠ about his childhood, learning from Paul Rand, Herb Lubalin, and John Massey design competitions, the value of learning, writing, leadership, and more. Music by the band ⁠Eighties Slang⁠.

Our guest is Grace Hamilton, host of the podcast Design Is Not Neutral, a thesis project created during a design master’s program at the University of Notre Dame. Hamilton focuses on challenging perceptions of design, conversations on the meaning of socially conscious work, design education, and history.  In this episode, Hamilton speaks with host Christian Solorzano about her early introduction to graphic design, growing up in South Bend, Indiana, her approach to teaching design to designers and non-designers, equity within our industry, and much more. Music by the band ⁠Eighties Slang⁠.