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Born and raised in Mexico City, Armin Vit is a graphic designer and writer now living in Bloomington, IN. He is co-founder of UnderConsideration, a graphic design firm generating its own projects, initiatives, and content while taking on limited client work. Although he has written for most well-known design publications he is most recognized for his writing on the blogs that make up the UnderConsideration online network—particularly Brand New, the popular blog that for nearly 20 years has provided opinions on corporate and brand identity work. Along with his wife and partner, Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Armin has co-authored various books for publishers and for UnderConsideration and has organized multiple design events, including the annual Brand New Conference and First Round. Previously, Armin worked at the New York office of Pentagram and his professional experience stretches back to 1999. Since then he has become a regular speaker and juror in events and competitions around the world. When not working, he is either out for a run or washing the dishes.
Today’s guest is Armin Vit, co-founder of UnderConsideration, a graphic design firm, and editor and writer for Brand New, the leading site for reviews of corporate and brand identity design work. Born and raised in Mexico City, Armin—along with his wife and partner, Bryony Gomez-Palacio—have created multiple other design blogs, co-authored books, and organized events like the annual Brand New Conference. I was excited to talk to Armin about design trends, blogging, and the pros and cons of being a professional critic. The conversation started with some ancient history, going back to a blog called “Speak Up,” and FutureBrand’s 2003 redesign of Paul Rand’s UPS logo, which gave rise to Brand New. I asked Armin how he selects which work to review on Brand New, and he said he has a "little grid" in his mind. The more people are likely to be familiar with the client, the more likely he is to write about the work. If the client is small and unknown, the work has to be groundbreaking. Much of the work he sees is "fine"—but work that's just fine is actually less interesting than work that's terrible. I meet other designers [that] will joke that they are always wondering ... what I might say. They're always thinking about, 'Oh shit, I hope this doesn't make it on Brand New. Or if it does, I hope it goes fine.' It just increases that level of stress ... but in a positive way that I have to make sure that what I'm saying is valuable to as many people as possible and doesn't put down anyone just for the sake of it. Armin Vit Armin and I went on to talk about a design trend he's seen lately: a stampede of wordmarks featuring geometric sans fonts, like Airbnb and Google, and the backlash against them, epitomized by the Chobani logotype. Next, we discussed how design and branding can make a positive impact on the world, his experience as a Mexican-American immigrant and how it influences his thinking as a designer—especially given some of the Trump administration's rhetoric and policies toward immigrants and Mexico in particular. I asked Armin for an example of some work he's seen that's making a positive impact, and he mentioned IBM's "Be Equal" campaign, which repurposes a bee designed for IBM by Paul Rand, highlighting an equals sign in its stripes. To close out, I asked for Armin's book recommendations (he likes Branding: In Five and a Half Steps, by Michael Johnson) and his advice for young designers and people in the branding industry: "Look at a lot of brand design ... It's really about building your palate for identity design, how colors work, how typefaces work. It's not about copying anything, but taking bits of pieces from different places, and how you will apply that to your own lens, to your clients, or to your work. It's consuming a lot of identity design and letting it simmer in your subconscious." But honestly, he says, that's not just a pitch for Brand New. To learn more about Armin, visit UnderConsideration, from which you can find Brand New as well as design work by Armin and Bryony, books they've written, like Flaunt, and events like the Brand New Conference.
Bryony Gomez-Palacio, born and raised in Mexico City, is a graphic designer and writer now living in Bloomington, IN. She is co-founder of UnderConsideration—a graphic design firm and publishing enterprise all rolled into one—where she manages the behind-the-scenes of the online network comprised of Brand New, FPO, Quipsologies and The Art of the Menu. Bryony…
Bryony Gomez-Palacio, born and raised in Mexico City, is a graphic designer and writer now living in Bloomington, IN. She is co-founder of UnderConsideration—a graphic design firm and publishing enterprise all rolled into one—where she manages the behind-the-scenes of the online network comprised of Brand New, FPO, Quipsologies and The Art of the Menu. Bryony…
with—Armin Vit—and—Bryony Gomez-Palacio, UnderConsideration
Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio, founders of Brand New, on the benefits of being married to your partner, creating to survive, and what it’s like to publicly critique your mentor’s work.
Jason Snell talks to Bryony Gomez-Palacio of Brand New Conference following her talk at Admission.
Today’s guests are world renowned in the field of Graphic Design. They’ve worked for some of the biggest design agencies, advised some of the best companies, studied under legends in their field, spoken in front of huge audiences, and built a following of other graphic designers. They themselves have now become a powerhouse couple in their field. Armin Vit & Bryony Gomez-Palacio, owners of the graphic design firm Under Consideration, share their story. We’re glad you joined us. Here's an overview: What makes good graphic design? (3:15) It depends on the business, the ideal client, and ultimately what someone is trying to say. There’s no magically answer and, at the same time, there is a magic to the result. A good graphic designer can use the tools they have to create that visual story and connect the ideal client with the brand. It’s a collaboration How did their childhood affect who they became? (10:15) Bryony grew up in a family of artists and achitects so she was surrounded by creative folks and that fostered her interest. Armin really could have cared less. He loved video games, wrestling, and basketball. Beyond that, everything was boring. How did Bryony & Armin Meet? (14:05) They were both Graphic Design students in Mexico City. They met each other at a bar and grew their relationship from there. So how did they end up in the United States? (16:35) Bryony wasn’t feeling motivated by the Graphic Design community in Mexico City. Her professors and peers lacked seriousness and she was becoming frustrated. Bryony moved to Atlanta in search of a community motivated at the highest level. When Armin graduated from college in Mexico City, he followed. They ended up loving the design world north of the border and the design world loved them too. From Atlanta, they took jobs in Chicago and ultimately ended up in New York City with some of the best jobs in the graphic design industry. How did they start Under Consideration? (19:35) Bryony left her job to start Under Consideration and to start a family. She was working from home and building the client base. When the baby was born Armin to paternity leave. When he went back to work he was miserable. So he left and they put all of their energy into growing their own business. What does Under Consideration do? (22:10) They do limited client work but the primary work they do is for other graphic designers. They work as blog and put on an annual conference. They’ve built a business creating initiatives for their audience of their peers. The conference has been a great success as they’ve simply put on a great show for a very specific niche of graphic designers. How do they handle failure? (31:32) Bryony & Armin are always taking things to the next level. The badges and bags for their conference are beautiful handmade works of art that they make each year. Every year they try and wow their attendees. That has also meant huge failures. They simply have to try and try again until the final product is to their liking. Special thanks to Armin Vit & Bryony Gomez-Palacio for taking the time to share the Under Consideration story with us. If you enjoyed this podcast, there’s a couple of things we need you to do right now. First subscribe to Scratch Entrepreneur on itunes, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you listen to podcasts so you can hear future episodes as soon as we release them. While you’re there, please give the show a review. We’d love to know what you liked, what you didn’t, and what you want to hear next. Until the next time, We truly appreciate you listening. Mentioned in the episode: Under Consideration Brand New Pentagram Brand & Design Jay Baer Music by Mark Vinten
Locutora, Maria Auxi, entrevista a Armin Vit y Bryony Gomez-Palacio los co-fundadores de UNDERCONSIDERATION. Escucha y enterate de lo que se trata! Host, Maria Auxi, Interviews Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio co-founders of UNDERCONSIDERATION. Listen and find out what is it about!
Armin Vit is the co-founder of Under Consideration with his wife Bryony Gomez-Palacio, the site behind popular blogs like Brand New, FPO, and SpeakUp. In this conversation, I talk to Armin about how he started writing, why he shut down SpeakUp in 2009, why everyone is critiquing logos now, and how social media is changing the design discourse. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.
Kathleen Shannon (@AndKathleen) is a graphic designer and brand strategist, and co-founder of Being Boss, a podcast and community for creative entrepreneurs. Kathleen began as a staff art director, but learned entrepreneurial habits working on her side projects and blogging. She's now seeking to become a media mogul and serve the creative community. In this conversation, we discuss the origins of Being Boss, how Kathleen learned systematic behaviour and stays organised, and the common mindsets of creative entrepreneurs. Catch up with Kathleen on the Being Boss website or that of her agency, Braid Creative. Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 95 (MP3, 52:24, 25.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 95 (OGG, 52:24, 24.4 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android | on iHeart Sponsor Freedcamp, the best free online project management software Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless. Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com Show Notes & Links Prescott had a classmate named Kathleen, who went by Kate. Her mother, also Kathleen, went by Cassie. Kathleen was almost named “Cinco”, born May 5 Prescott is born May 6, making the two both Tauruses Kathleen describes herself as a “truth seeker & dream (job) chaser. Tea drinker & good food eater. Risk taker, magic maker & booty shaker.” AndKathleen.com, Kathleen's personal site and retired blog “Creative Horcruxes”, websites and projects where we divide our passions, time, and attention Kathleen co-owns Braid Creative with her sister Tara Braid Creative is “Branding and business visioning agency for creative entrepreneurs” The Being Boss podcast started in 2014 as a way for Kathleen to “grow the top of her funnel” Emily Thompson (@EmilyM_Thompson), Kathleen's partner in Being Boss Prescott kept hearing about “your audience”, which sparked him to start The Busy Creator Prescott admits that Being Boss is “ahead” of The Busy Creator in terms of spawning multiple forms (books, events, community classes, etc.) "Show notes are a great way to increase search engine optimization." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This The aim is transform Being Boss from a podcast into “multimedia conglomerate” Chelsea Handler, Kathleen's hero for hosting a tv show Kathleen & Emily recently submitted a book for publishing (due out Spring 2018) FreshBooks was a sponsor of Being Boss almost since the beginning, because they align Being Boss Facebook Group, 17,000+ members strong, has grown almost beyond control "How you feel at work affects how you feel at home, and vice versa." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This "We didn't want to sully the waters with money." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This The Being Boss Clubhouse is a year-long community learning course with coaching, and more. Will Hudson, early guest on The Busy Creator, ep. 12 It's Nice That and its sister agency, Anyways Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio have both been on TBC, separately, eps. 3 & 84 Brand New Conference, Brand New Blog Kathleen started writing on LiveJournal in 1999 Kathleen worked as an Art Director for advertising while blogging at home The Etsy–Pinterest Boom Kathleen attracted freelance design projects from posting her wedding invitations "First, you have to be dedicated to your craft." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This 10,000 hours “Fit of Entrepreneurial Passion”, as described by Michael Gerber "Nothing kills creativity like desperation." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This Kathleen learned Project Management skills at her ad agency job Charlotte Hornets "You can only connect the dots looking backwards." —Steve Jobs Tweet This Steve Jobs addresses Standford class of 2004 2005 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo on Amazon and on Audible Prescott's grandfather collected his lifetime's worth of business cards 9 Habits of Highly Creative People (free eBook) Kathleen & Emily met as internet blogging pals Emily pitched the idea of a podcast, along with responsibilities Kathleen is the editorial lead; Emily handles web and tech "I didn't know this thing would need its own bank account one day!" —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This 7 People are involved with the production of Being Boss, including an editorial assistant and an audio editor The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber on Amazon and on Audible "Most people are still in their struggle. There's never a 'there'." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This "Your goals mean shit if you feel like shit along the way." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This Emily only uses list view in Asana; Kathleen only uses calendar Prescott prefers Kanban view, where that's available Ramit Sethi Kaizen, continual gradual improvements over time Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott on Amazon and on Audible Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson on Amazon and on Audible Daring Greatly by Brene Brown on Amazon and on Audible Martha Beck BeingBoss.club Kathleen Shannon on Twitter Kathleen Shannon on Facebook Kathleen Shannon on Instagram Braid Creative on Facebook Braid Creative on Pinterest Being Boss on Twitter Being Boss on Facebook Being Boss on Instagram Being Boss on iTunes Tools Being Boss Podcast Facebook Live FreshBooks Acuity Scheduling Asana CoSchedule Notebooks, Post-Its Evernote Google Docs Slack Techniques Ask your audience what they want, to create new content Put in your 10,000 hours before becoming an entrepreneur; become a “confident expert” Build a bridge before leaving your full-time job Aim to replace your income before taking that last leap Ask to be in client meetings; see the process up close Share your process as you're in it — publish along the way Codify your methods, translate them to an e-course Find a “business bestie” and have “Skype dates” Use your existing resources to bolster your side projects Create an org. chart to plan future expansion, duties Know every element of your business, and only outsource as needed When overwhelmed, write top 3 items on a Post-It Be a little more casual with your team when chatting on Slack Habits Drink Coffee and Tea every morning Broadcast on Facebook Live a few times a week Make decisions, whether they're right or wrong Respect your future self (through systems) Have empathy for others and what they struggle with — it may be different from you Put everything in Google Calendar Work out first thing in the morning Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Daring Greatly by Brene Brown as a free audiobook
Bryony Gomez-Palacio (@BryonyGP) is a co-founder of UnderConsideration, an all-purpose publishing and design business based in Austin, TX. Along with husband Armin Vit, Bryony publishes several blogs including Brand New, Quipsologies, and FPO, in addition to publishing several books, and hosting the annual Brand New Conference. Armin was a guest on episode 3 of The Busy Creator Podcast back in Februrary 2014, making this chat an unofficial sequel. In the intervening years, Bryony and Armin have refined their workflow, taken new risks such as planning a version of the BNConf in Amsterdam, and still manage to balance family life with new creative endeavors. In this conversation, Bryony discusses the origins of UnderConsideration and how she and Armin transitioned out of their New York design roles, moved to Austin, and managed to create a viable business in spite of a few close calls financially. Show Notes & Links Bryony is one half of UnderConsideration Armin Vit, the other half, was an early guest on The Busy Creator Podcast Bryony describes herself as a "content generator" for graphic designers Bryony & Armit work from home, in the converted master bedroom Armin wakes up early to write his blog posts; Bryony wakes up early to get things done and kids ready for school The first Brand Nieuwe Conference in Amsterdam is taking place in June 2016 VAT It's still a hassle to sell internationally, even selling books to Canada Bryony had to pay customs fees for a baby's onesie The BNConf is UnderConsideration's main source of income, but only occurs once per year HOW Live, FUSE, AIGA ... other design conferences Eventbrite Bryony and Armin were living in Brooklyn, working at Addison and Pentagram, respectively For about two years, they worked in their basement, taking care of the baby "Mommy brain" makes it tough for new mothers to focus or to rapid-switch between modes "We were living in a city that had a lot to offer, but living within a 10-block radius." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This Bryony was home-schooled on a farm without electricity for two years "It took me two years to be able to say 'I live in Austin, TEXAS'." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This Byrony & Armin visited Austin and within 3 days had made an offer on a house Professional couples in Brooklyn can have a household income of $150,000 ... and still be struggling The cost-of-living between New York and Austin You would need around $7,320.33 in New York, NY to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with $4,400.00 in Austin, TX (assuming you rent in both cities) Hand-stitching covers for the BNConf Bryony can shoe a horse [av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdiqQTKGoUI&t=20s' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Another couple, John & Kate, on The Busy Creator Podcast episode 50 "We need to be very, very efficient. We don't have time to procrastinate and explore." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This Dyslexia, and its link to coding "We spend a lot of time at design school in order to make pretty spreadsheets." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This "One thing we always fear is stability & stagnation." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This AIforGA The highly-controversial UnderConsideration website Bryony Gomez-Palacio on Twitter Bryony Gomez-Palacio on Facebook Bryony Gomez-Palacio on Instagram UnderConsideration on Twitter BrandNew by UCllc on Facebook UnderConsideration on Instagram Tools Standing desks with stools Google Sheets iCal/Calendar Endicia AccountEdge Techniques Integrate your workouts with other errands (e.g. biking the kids to school) Find someone "on the ground" if you're doing business in a foreign country Plan, perhaps using a spreadsheet that spans 20 years Split your household income between one full-time and one freelance salary Plan your move based on where winter can reach you Divide business duties based on who can handle interruptions (admin/finance vs. creative) Keep it real when providing design feedback, especially to your partner! Collaborate on a spreadsheet or document, concurrently even Stagger which marathons/half-marathons you run as a couple; two partners training can be overwhelming Use running time to work through problems Habits Keep a structured daily schedule (down to the minute) Explore where you can multi-task to be more efficient Work at opposing standing desks for easy collaboration Don't get attached to designs or ideas; move away quickly if something is not working Integreate your home and work calendars; keep it sacred Don't work on weekends TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Long Run by Matthew Long & Charles Butler as a free audiobook JOIN THE DISCUSSION Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.
This week on the show, we got a chance to talk to Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio of UnderConsideration. We talked to them about their own history in design, their move from New York to Texas, design criticism in the professional field, and the ever-changing world of logo design. Next week on the show we’ll be having Invisible Creature on, so if you’d like to ask them a question please email us at readbetweentheleading@gmail.com, reply to us on twitter @rtblshow, or leave us a voicemail at 646-402-5686 ext 20248. For more detailed show notes, visit http://readbetweentheleading.com/post/97359902
Rick Poynor, Armin Vit, Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Jen Beckman, Adrian Hanft and Bennett Holzworth discuss the finer points of design blogging.
Rick Poynor, Armin Vit, Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Jen Beckman, Adrian Hanft and Bennett Holzworth discuss the finer points of design blogging.