logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
1h 2m

039 • BUD RODECKER

The Chicago Graphic Design Club
About this episode

Our guest is Bud Rodecker, Design Director and Partner at the Chicago-based studio Span.

In this episode, Bud shares with host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Christian Solorzano⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ his approach to finding inspiration in unexpected places and dives deep into his approach to the creative process and the importance that he places on research through the method of keeping ongoing archives of experiments and references. He also tells us the story of how a pirated copy of Photoshop given to him by his brother was the catalyst that kicked off his graphic design passion as a teenager.

Bud shares his definition of what excellence in graphic design looks like, going into detail and breaking down typography, color, and effective visual communication.

He speaks about what makes Chicago unique in contrast to other major cities and shares his perspective on Span’s commitment to being environmentally conscious and the ways in which, through their work, they are engaged with organizations and clients that are agents of change, not just locally but globally.

Music by the band ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Eighties Slang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Up next
Aug 18
087 • SUN SEGURA
Our guest is Sun Segura, Managing Director of design studio Segura and the digital type foundry T26. She is also the founder and curator of AHA Time, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting essential core values.In this episode, Sun speaks with host Christian Solorzano abou ... Show More
1 h
Aug 4
086 • SUZIE SHIN
Our guest is ⁠Suzie Shin⁠, a designer, educator, and artist who moved to Chicago after studying at RISD, drawn by the city's community of small design studios and creative collaboration.In this episode, Suzie speaks with host ⁠Christian Solorzano⁠ about her journey from aspiring ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 21
085 • BETSY SCHUSTER
Our guest is Betsy Schuster, a type designer and founder of Queer Type, an independent type design studio based in the Detroit area. Originally from suburban Michigan, Betsy discovered his calling in typography after studying graphic design and darkroom photography.In this episod ... Show More
51m 51s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
How can designers support the fight for racial justice?
The Black Lives Matter movement has mobilized countless people all over the world in the urgent fight for true racial justice and equality, one of the most important issues of our time. In this episode, host Khoi Vinh and producers Dominic Girard and Pippa Johnstone examine the i ... Show More
28m 11s
May 2022
From the Archive: Beyond the Word: Designing Type
This episode originally aired on October 14, 2021. How does type affect the brand identity? In this week’s episode, we learn about the power of typography to transform the voice of a brand. Sam is joined by Blake Goodwin, the Founder and President of Proportion Design, a Boston-b ... Show More
47m 37s
Mar 2019
Talking Practice: Gary Hilderbrand
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La interviews Gary Hilderbrand, founding principal and partner at Reed Hilderbrand, and Peter Louis Hornbeck Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture at the GSD. Discussing his deep engagement with living systems, Gary descri ... Show More
42m 32s
Mar 2022
Talking Practice: Kersten Geers
In this episode, host Grace La interviews Kersten Geers, who is a founding partner together with David Van Severen of OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen and the Kenzo Tange Design Critics in architecture at the GSD. Kersten recounts his early encounters with David in Belgium ... Show More
45m 46s
Mar 2022
Creating a Space and Opportunity for Artists
How did Liz Powers and her team connect artists who are homeless or disabled with corporate buyers? On this week’s episode, we are learning about an organization that is designing a new marketplace for artists. Sam is joined by Liz Powers, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer a ... Show More
44m 56s
Mar 2021
Talking Practice: Practice in an Uncertain World
In this episode of Talking Practice, host Grace La moderates a special roundtable, Practice in an Uncertain World. This informal event was recorded over zoom in May 2020, after the Harvard GSD evacuated its campus due to the COVID pandemic. The occasion gathered thirteen prominen ... Show More
1h 27m
Apr 2022
Friendly design, forensic architecture, and Australia's Vietnamese garment outworkers
UX, or user experience, design has given us an era of near-frictionless design, where incredibly complex pieces of technology — like the smartphone — rarely require an instruction manual. Cliff Kuang is someone who's spent a lot of time thinking about the history and ethics of th ... Show More
53m 56s
Sep 2018
Talking Practice: Reinier de Graaf
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Reinier de Graaf, the longest non-founding partner at the Office of Metropolitan Architects and co-founder of AMO, the think tank of OMA. He describes in detail the role of AMO and its relationship with OMA, the desire fo ... Show More
39m 22s
May 2022
From the Archive: The Shared Mindsets of Designers and Musicians
This episode originally aired on May 20, 2021. How do design and music influence one another? In this episode, Sam learns more about music’s impact on design and the shared mindsets of the creative process. He chats with R. Michael Hendrix, Partner and Global Director of Design a ... Show More
45m 53s
Jul 2019
Talking Practice: Preston Scott Cohen
In this episode, Talking Practice host Grace La interviews Preston Scott Cohen, founder and principal of Preston Scott Cohen Inc, and Gerald M. McCue Professor in Architecture at the GSD. A teacher at the GSD since 1989, Cohen reflects upon his distinguished career as an educator ... Show More
40m 49s