Inspiration is on tap as Teresa Au speaks to graphic designer, entrepreneur, and author Aaron Draplin. Known as much for his warm and direct personality as for his signature thick lines design style and ample use of Pantone Orange 21, Aaron is beloved by designers everywhere. Aaron shares lessons gleaned from his midwestern upbringing, nearly 20 years in business on his own, and creating his Field Notes and DDC branded merchandise.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
Aaron Draplin is founder of the Draplin Design Co. a shop specializing in Print, Identity and Illustration. His clients include Coal Headwear, Union Binding Co., Richmond Fontaine, Esquire, Nike, Wired, Dinosaur Jr, Timberline, Chunklet, Eaux Claires Music Festival, Poler, Incase, Sub Pop Records, Fender, Marc Maron, Cobra Dogs, Jill Soloway, Thing Festival, Jack White, Old 97s, Jason Isbell, Nixon Watches, Bernie Sanders, Patagonia, Target, Chris Stapleton, NASA/JPL, John Hodgman, Timex, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich and even the Obama Administration. He co-created Field Notes brand with Jim Coudal, and their memo books are sold the world over, with limited-edition special editions shipped quarterly to a booming subscriber list. He is the author of eight Skillshare classes, and his first book, Pretty Much Everything is in its twelfth printing. His DDC Merch line is a cult favorite, featuring 300+ products. You’ll find Aaron in his backyard studio in Portland, Oregon, or crossing the US in his orange van, putting on “speaking fiascos” for audiences ranging from Adobe MAX to vocational school students.
Teresa Au (@tautastic) is an executive for community engagement and driving customer empathy at Adobe. Her career spans diverse creative fields, primarily in New York’s fashion industry, as well as architecture firms, and now Silicon Valley tech companies. She has always prized working with distinctive design and the interesting people behind it–from designer Elie Tahari to start-up CEOs.
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