Podcast
Podcast Awesome
Hosted by Font Awesome · EN
On Podcast Awesome we talk to members of the Font Awesome team about icons, design, tech, business, and of course, nerdery.
🎙️ Podcast Awesome is your all-access pass into the creative engine behind Font Awesome — the web’s favorite icon toolkit. Join host Matt Johnson and the Font Awesome crew (and friends) for deep dives into icon design, front-end engineering, software development, healthy business culture, and a whole lot of lovingly-rendered nerdery.
From technical explorations of our open-source tooling, chats with web builders, icon designers, and content creators, with the occasional gleeful rants about early internet meme culture, we bring you stories and strategies from the trenches of building modern web software — with a healthy dose of 80s references and tech dad jokes.
🎧 Perfect for:
- Icon design and content-first thinking
- Creative process and collaborative design
- Work-life balance in tech
- Remote team culture and async collaboration
- Internet history, meme archaeology, and other nerd ephemera
🧠 Come for the design wisdom, stay for the deep meme cuts and beautifully crafted icons.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Living the Dream: Dan Cederholm's Creative Journey (Part 1)
Oct 1400:44:58Tap to summarizeSummaryDesigner, author, and co-founder of Dribbble, Dan Cederholm joins Podcast Awesome to chat with Matt Johnson and Jory Raphael about finding joy in creativity later in life, making fonts just for fun, and the art of embracing imperfection. From typefaces and merch to dice games and design detours, Dan shares how side projects, constraints, and a healthy dose of curiosity keep the creative spark alive.This two-part conversation is full of laughter, nostalgia, and lessons about learning new things just because they’re fun. You’ll walk away inspired to make something— anything — awesome.Key TakeawaysCreativity thrives in curiosity: Dan reminds us that learning new things (even outside your job) can reignite your creative energy.Constraints fuel originality: Sometimes not knowing everything — or having limited tools — can sometimes help create the most human, interesting work.Merch can tell a story: From fonts to dice games, playful side projects become part of a designer’s personal brand.Imperfection = personality: The best designs often come with flaws that make them real, memorable, and relatable.Spend time not doing your job: Font Awesome’s team philosophy — creativity grows when you step outside your usual sandbox.Timestamps00:00 — Introduction and catching up with Dan Cederholm02:00 — Typefaces as creative puzzles06:00 — The joy of passion projects10:00 — The first font and lessons from “Chameleon”18:00 — The lineage of icon design and learning from imperfection26:00 — Failures, Field Notes, and finding the next fun thing30:00 — Creative constraints and the beauty of not knowing everything36:00 — Humor, joy, and “making stuff that makes you laugh”38:00 — The icons that exist just because they’re funny42:00 — Hidden glyphs, zombie hands, and bonus icons in fonts44:00 — Wrap-up and where to find Dan onlineRelated LinksSimpleBits.com — Dan’s home for fonts, merch, and creative experimentsDan’s Newsletter — The one Font Awesome staffers never skipDribbble — Co-founded by Dan, still inspiring designers everywhereCreditsProduced and edited by Matt Johnson Video editing by Isaac Chase Theme music by Ronnie Martin Interstitial music by Zach MalmStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
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Demystifying Y Combinator
Mar 12, 2024Tap to summarizeEpisode Summary:In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we dive deep into the story of Font Awesome founders Dave Gandy and Travis Chase, as they reminisce about their remarkable journey through Y Combinator, the prestigious tech accelerator. The conversation offers listeners an exclusive look into the world of startups, challenges, and triumphs that come with being a part of such an intensive program.Dave and Travis recount the rigorous application process, their moment of acceptance, and the invaluable lessons learned during their time at YC. This episode demystifies the accelerator experience and provides real-world advice to aspiring YC entrepreneurs.Their tale is peppered with anecdotes, humor and hard-fought wisdom, drawing parallels from the TV series "Silicon Valley." Listeners will leave with a better understanding of what it takes to step into the ring of tech accelerators and come out with a clear direction.Key Takeaways:Y Combinator's rigorous selection process emphasizes the potential of the founders rather than just the product idea.The importance of preparation for the YC interview, including potential questions and understanding the background and interests of the partners.Building and nurturing relationships is key to both business and personal development.Notable Quotes:"All a startup is is something that's a lie that people believed long enough that it became the truth." - Dave"If you live your life doing what you think is right and working, when you see those chances arise, then there isn't really anything to regret." - Dave"The most recent round of YC just wrapped […] they had 20,000 applications and they accepted 1.4%." - DaveTimestamp0:02:15 | Importance of thinking big in startups0:04:43 | Y Combinator as a business trade school0:05:08 | Focus and community at Y Combinator0:09:37 | Y Combinator's selection process and emphasis on team0:10:41 | Y Combinator believes in betting on the right people, not just the idea.0:11:46 | VCs advise each other to bet on people, but it doesn't always work in practice.0:12:14 | YC focuses on betting on the people, even without a specific idea.0:13:17 | The importance of leaving everything on the table during the YC interview.0:16:07 | Craft a strong answer for how the you can become a billion-dollar company.0:19:44 | YC educates startups on the venture capital business model.0:22:24 | Feeling confident after the second interview0:25:44 | Receiving the call that they got into Y Combinator0:29:20 | Considering fundraising options: Kickstarter or venture capital0:29:48 | Y Combinator provides guidance on raising money and crafting pitches.0:33:43 | Decision to stay self-sufficient and profitable rather than raising series A.0:36:13 | Preparation and research are key for a successful YC application.0:40:27 | Identifying character through sacrifice and hard choices0:41:16 | The extensive interview process at Y Combinator0:42:02 | Building relationships with mentors and colleagues0:42:24 | Advice for entrepreneurs: listen to customers and build something they want0:43:18 | The core value of developing relationships with good peopleShow Notes:The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsY CombinatorStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!
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