Better: The Brand Designer Podcast
Better: The Brand Designer Podcast, founded by Giselle Field of Wander Design Co. and Jen Davis, was founded on the belief that designers need community. We find that the branding world often feels secretive, competitive, and sometimes just plain old confusing. When we realized that our honest, soul-chat-level convos could potentially help other designers, we realized a podcast was only natural! Better: The Brand Designer Podcast was officially born.
Giselle passed away during a climbing trip in Peru in summer of 2020. We encourage all listeners of our podcast to listen to our two Celebrating Giselle episodes. Giselle's adventurous, kind, funny, and supportive presence is missed every day—each and every episode that we record is dedicated to her legacy and her vision for this podcast. It is our honor to continue recording episodes in Giselle's memory and we know that she is with us every time we sit down to record.
In winter of 2022, we welcomed Esther Knox-Dekoning from Sereth Design as a new co-host. Esther brought an incredible and fresh perspective to the pod—her transition from agency to design studio as well as her love for web design, sustainability, and world change brought new guests, ideas, and amazing episodes to our listeners. She departed the pod in spring 2023 to dedicate more time to her studio's growth, and will be greatly missed!
Now, Jen runs the podcast solo and is beyond excited to continue interviewing guests, having interesting conversations, and sharing the behind-the-scenes of running her design studio.
Better: The Brand Designer Podcast
S12 E10: Diving into Octavo, a Thriller for Designers with Marty Neumeier
*Pre-order Octavo on Amazon*
Episode Description:
In this week’s episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with one of my design icons, Marty Neumeier, who is an accomplished designer and author. We chat about his new design-thriller book, The Scarlett Files/Octavo, his shift from non-fiction to fiction, and how he integrates design and writing within his work. Marty also shares how his early experiences shaped his career and why storytelling plays such an essential role in branding, design, and his writing.
Guest Name: Marty Neumeier
Guest Website: martyneumeier.com
Octavo Book: Pre-order on Amazon
Substacks
- The Scarlett Files: martyneumeier.substack.com
- Level C: levelc.substack.com
00:00: Intro & Minimind Wins From Past Students
07:55: Marty's Journey in Design and Writing
10:50: The Scarlet Files on Substack
11:19: The Origins of Graphic Design
12:58: Leonardo da Vinci's Influence
16:33: Challenges of Writing Fiction
18:49: The Intersection of Branding and Storytelling
26:20: Marketing Strategies for Authors
40:44: The Renaissance and Modern Story
43:36: The Aldine Press and Its Innovations
48:00: The Importance of Mentorship
52:31: Level C: Master Classes for Professionals
57:10: The Role of Testing in Design
Links:
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Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design, brand identity design