E14: Ian Lynam

E14: Ian Lynam

Ian Lynam works at the intersection of graphic design, design education and design research. He is faculty at Temple University Japan, and he operates the Tokyo-based design studio Ian Lynam Design [https://ianlynam.com/] where he works across identity, typography, and interior design. Ian writes for IDEA (JP), Modes of Criticism (PT/UK), Slanted (DE) and he’s published numerous books about design including, most recently, Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975 [https://www.setmargins.press/books/fracture-japanese-graphic-design-1875-1975/] out now from Set Margins’ publications. He is founder of the hybrid foundry Wordshape [https://wordshape.com/], proprietor of the subcultural boutique Sailosaibin [https://sailosaibin.com/], and part-owner of craft beer bar Neighbors. Originally from New York, Ian has a BFA in Graphic Design from Portland State University and an MFA in Graphic Design from CalArts. He is a three-time winner of an STA 100 award [https://100.sta-chicago.org/], in addition to many other accolades. Ian joins Sevy to discuss the zeitgeist or whatever you call it: the role of design labor — and design criticism within the increasingly globally connected, late-stage capitalist world of abstract but life-or-death numbers, including how the history and technology of Japanese graphic design uniquely tells this story. User Journey w/ Sevy is presented by the Society of Typographic Arts [https://typographicarts.org/], Chicago's oldest professional association for design. Learn more at userjourney.show [https://userjourney.show/].

E13: Goodtype

Goodtype [https://goodtype.us/], from Katie Johnson [https://www.katiemadethat.com/] and Ilana Griffo [https://www.ilanagriffo.com/], is a platform for creative education, resources, and inspiration. Katie is a lettering artist who lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and pets. Her clients include Penguin Random House, Trader Joe’s, and Logitech. Ilana is a designer and author who lives in upstate New York with her husband and children; her clients include Lululemon, Microsoft, and Homegoods. Together, Katie and Ilana oversee a community of over 1M+ followers, and they also host The Typecast [https://open.spotify.com/show/4i3HCDF8mjZMr2XRtrz3gS?si=014969a9de8a44eb], a podcast where the dynamic duo talks all things creative business. Goodtype joins Sevy to get practical: the tools and instruments, the hardware and software, and how creative entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a race — especially on social media. Passive income? Have fun with that. User Journey w/ Sevy is presented by the Society of Typographic Arts [typographicarts.org], Chicago's oldest professional association for design. Learn more at userjourney.show [userjourney.show].

E12: James Edmondson

James Edmondson is a San Jose-based type designer who, in 2015, started OH no Type Co. [https://ohnotype.co/], the foundry for the fonts that no one wants; and in 2018, he co-founded Future Fonts [https://www.futurefonts.com/], a platform for experimental type-in-progress. His new book, The OH no Book: A Serious Guide to Irreverent Type Design [https://www.powells.com/book/ohno-book-9781797234199?condition=New], is out now from Princeton Architectural Press. James studied graphic design at California College of the Arts (CCA) before graduating from the Royal Academy of Art's Type Media program in The Hague, Netherlands. He has taught type design at CCA in addition to Type West at the Letterform Archive and Type@Cooper Union. James joins Sevy to talk about his journey from ice cream scooper to typography guru — the luck, the failure, and the lessons in between: from accidental pay-what-you-will success to those fabled corporate licensing deals. User Journey w/ Sevy is presented by the Society of Typographic Arts [https://typographicarts.org/], Chicago's oldest professional association for design. Learn more at userjourney.show [https://userjourney.show/].

E11: Paula Scher

Paula Scher is a designer, painter, and educator. Since 1991, she has been Partner at influential New York City design firm Pentagram [https://www.pentagram.com/], and she’s the creative mind behind some of America’s most iconic brand campaigns. She’s made more than 2,000 album covers for artists like Billy Joel, Leonard Bernstein, and Bob Dylan — while her celebrated map paintings have inspired books, screenprints, and exhibitions. Her work’s been shown worldwide, with a new major exhibition, Type Is Image [https://www.die-neue-sammlung.de/en/ausstellung/paula-scher-type-is-image/], on view through April 2026 at Die Neue Sammlung in Munich. Paula joins Sevy to trace the arc of her groundbreaking career, from doing things in college that you shouldn’t discuss on podcasts to how designer intuition runs the show at Pentagram — and why. Hint: it has something to do with needing a vision. User Journey w/ Sevy is presented by ⁠the Society of Typographic Arts⁠ [https://typographicarts.org/], Chicago's oldest professional association for design. Learn more at ⁠userjourney.show⁠ [https://userjourney.show/].

E10: John Waters

Season 01's finale is made in partnership with The Hopkins Review (THR) [https://hopkinsreview.com/], the award-winning journal of literature and culture from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. Follow along with a selection of images from the conversation, and pre-order Volume 18 now, at hopkinsreview.com/john-waters [https://hopkinsreview.com/john-waters]. Listener discretion is advised. John Waters is a filmmaker, actor, artist, and writer. Crowned the “Pope of Trash” by William S. Burroughs, his cult films include Pink Flamingos [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069089/] (1972), Desperate Living [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075936/?ref_=fn_t_1] (1977), Polyster [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082926/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_6_in_0_q_polyster] (1981), and Hairspray [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095270/?ref_=fn_t_2] (1988). He is the author of eight books, including his recent debut novel Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250867230/liarmouthafeelbadromance/] (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022). For over 30 years, John’s visual art — his photography, sculpture, prints, and installations, have re-contextualized art, pop culture, and life as we generally know it. Dora Malech [https://www.doramalech.net/] is the editor in chief of The Hopkins Review and a professor in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Her poems appear in publications that include The New Yorker, Poetry, and the Best American Poetry. Her fifth book of poetry, Trying × Trying [https://www.doramalech.net/trying-times-trying.html], is forthcoming from the Carnegie Mellon University Press in Fall 2025. To celebrate John as ⁠The Hopkins Review⁠’s next featured cover artist, he joins Sevy and guest host ⁠Dora for a freewheeling conversation through the people and themes that have defined the American iconoclast’s career. From playing “car accident” in junkyards as a child to re-trying LSD in Provincetown at 70, hear John’s stories as told through a selection of his own creations. User Journey w/ Sevy is presented by the Society of Typographic Arts [https://typographicarts.org/], Chicago’s oldest professional association for design. Learn more at userjourney.show [https://userjourney.show/].