Creative Characters

Cat How launched How&How in May 2020, during the height of the pandemic, with her husband, Roger. Four years later, they’re an agency of about 20 people, with studios in London and Los Angeles. In this episode, host Tom Foley chats with Cat about building an ethical branding agency, tackling big projects, and having fun at work. You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast

Kelli Anderson makes objects out of paper that explore design and the world around us. Her popular books — “This Book is a Camera” and “This Book is a Planetarium” — both include pop-up stripped down paper contraptions designed to teach how common objects — like cameras, speakers, and stringed instruments — work. Luckily for us type nerds, Kelli is in the process of making “Alphabet in Motion” — a pop-up book about how letters get their shape. The book dives deep into the history of letterforms and includes hundreds of color images mined from the archives of type design. Creative Characters host, Doug Wilson, catches up with Kelli about her forthcoming book, her passion for teaching design with tactile objects, and her love of all things paper. If you'd like to learn more about "Alphabet in Motion" or back Kelli's Kickstarter, visit kellianderson.com/kickstarter You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast.

This year, Adobe MAX migrated to Miami Beach, attracting thousands of creatives for three days of inspiring talks, playful brand activations, and a “total creative nerd fest,” as one guest told us. Throughout the week, we brought people inside a universe of type, had heartfelt conversations about the power of creative intuition, and nurtured our creative inner children. Adobe MAX always leaves us feeling refreshed, inspired, and amazed at the creative community.   In this episode, you’ll hear from twenty or so voices, including screen printers, creative evangelists, students, and educators, all of whom were kind enough to share their time and their stories with us on the mic. Thanks for tuning in!  A special thanks to all our amazing guests. Check out their work below:  Ben Vanderberg – benvanderberg.medium.com     Dale Zine – instagram.com/dale_zine  Eunsan Huh – behance.net/eunsan  Good Type – goodtype.us  Just Okay Company – justokay.co  Karin Fong – imaginaryforces.com  Kerry Squires – kerry-squires.com  Marie Boulanger – marie-boulanger.com Spike Spondike – instagram.com/spike_spondike  Little Friends Of – instagram.com/littlefriendsof  Meg Lewis – meglewis.com  Nigel French – nigelfrench.com    You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast.   

Field Notes notebooks are a staple in many creative lives. Aaron Draplin started the brand back in 2000-somethin', inspired by the old, frayed agricultural company memo books he'd find while out junking around Midwestern farm country. These promotional notebooks were giveaways — a throwback to the days of handshake deals and business relationships forged in a corn field or around a dinner table. Aaron quickly partnered with today's guest, Jim Coudal, and together they turned Field Notes into a living, breathing brand that honors this heritage while leaning into all corners of American design. And of course, the blank pages of these pocket-sized notebooks create space for our own stories, from the mundane to the profound. Here's the story of Field Notes, in all of its 3½ × 5½-inch glory, plus an inside look at the latest limited edition, “The Birds and Trees of North America." You can find blog posts for this and all our past episodes at monotype.com/podcast.