Podcast

Every company has a name for the week everybody flies in. The offsite. The summit. The all-hands. At Font Awesome, it's called the Snuggle. For real.

Recorded from a hotel room at the October 2026 Snuggle, this episode digs into the Podcast Awesome vault to tell the story behind the most ridiculous name in company meetups. Matt stitches together clips from Dave Gandy, Travis Chase, Rob Madole, Jory Raphael, Cory LaViska, Ed Emanuel, and Frances Botsford. Along the way you'll hear how four guys and a beach house on Cape Cod turned into a fully remote company that still flies everyone in, and what keeps coming out of that week together. 

What We Cover

• How the "Cape Cuddles" became the Snuggle, and why the name stuck 
• Rob Madole on the real tradeoff of remote work: focus is great, but coworkers can start to feel like a resource
• The Icon Wizard, a feature that got its start at a Snuggle
• Cory LaViska's whirlwind trip from a Twitter follow to a porch phone call to Arkansas, plus the "Snuggle Is Real" shirt
• How the Icon Wizard grew into something bigger, with Ed and Frances
• Snacktivities: bite-size projects you can only really build in person (and a feature name that, thankfully, got changed)
• What it felt like when COVID canceled the Snuggles
• Rob's change of heart, and why he stopped being annoyed
• Dave Gandy at the 2024 Snuggle, somewhere between karaoke and game night, on how loyalty gets built
• Why the ridiculous name has one great side effect

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Welcome to the Snuggle (yes, really)
• 01:10 – Cape Cuddles and the origin of the name
• 02:30 – Rob Madole on what remote work gives and what it costs
• 04:10 – The Icon Wizard's Snuggle roots
• 05:00 – Cory LaViska joins the crew
• 06:15 – "The Snuggle Is Real"
• 07:30 – Ed and Frances on pushing the Icon Wizard further
• 08:15 – Snacktivities explained
• 09:50 – When the Snuggles stopped
• 11:40 – Rob comes around
• 13:40 – The 2024 Snuggle with Dave Gandy
• 15:00 – How loyalty is built
• 15:20 – Back to the name
• 16:10 – Telling the story from the 2026 Snuggle
• 16:50 – Credits

Episodes Featured

• Remote Work: How We Snuggle Our Way to a Healthy Company Culture
• Font Awesome's 2022 Year in Review with Matt and Jory
• The Snuggle Is Real: How Font Awesome and Shoelace Are on a Mission to Make Dev Work Easier 
• New Font Awesome Features: PNG Downloads, Color Picker, and User Blender
• Character First: The Font Awesome Key to Hiring Success

Links

• Try the Icon Wizard
• More episodes of Podcast Awesome

Credits

• Hosted, produced, and edited by Matt Johnson
• Theme song by Ronnie Martin

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt  sits down with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy to unpack what it really means to be a great employee and a great manager — without the “rockstar ninja unicorn” nonsense, micromanaging, or performative perks. Dave reframes the idea of a “lifestyle business” as a badge of honor (not a slight), explains why leadership matters more than the role you’re hired for, and shares practical ways to spot healthy management during interviews — plus what autonomy should actually look like inside a team that trusts each other.

Watch this episode on YouTube

🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode

💸 Why “lifestyle business” is often used as manipulation (and why it’s actually a badge of honor)
 🧭 The #1 thing to evaluate in a job interview: leadership (not the role)
 🧠 How to flip the interview script by asking better questions
 ⏱️ What micromanagement (“butt in seat” culture) really signals
 🚩 Why “rockstar / ninja / unicorn” language can be a culture red flag
 🔍 How to read “small signals” with inductive reasoning (not just deductive logic)
 📸 The photo wall story: how tiny rules reveal big cultural problems
 🧰 Why managing people is a craft (and how to learn it like one)
 📚 Books + frameworks Dave recommends (Lencioni, Working Genius, Shape Up)
 🧩 What healthy autonomy looks like in practice (and why “execute with excellence” is rare)

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 - Cold Open: What Loyalty Really Costs
 0:23 - Welcome + What This Episode Covers
 0:53 - Lifestyle Business as a “Slight” (and the Trade-Offs)
 2:00 - Lifestyle Business Myth: Manipulation vs. Real Bottom Lines
 4:00 - Interview for Leadership: Why Your Boss Matters More Than the Role
 6:00 - Managers & Autonomy: Hiring Adults and Treating Them Like Adults
 8:00 - A “Butt in Seat” Culture (and Why It’s a Technical Leadership Smell)
 10:00 - Sussing Out Culture: How to Ask the Unaskable Questions
 12:00 - Lifestyle Business = Sanity (and Why Retention Is the Real Metric)
 14:00 - Hard Interview Questions That Reveal Leadership
 16:00 - Retention Without Perks: The Real “Perks” That Matter
 18:00 - When Life Happens: The Loyalty Moment That Costs Something
 22:00 - Rockstar / Ninja / Unicorn Language (and Flattery as a Red Flag)
 24:00 - Bad Interviewer Psychology: “Gotcha” Certainty vs. Real Confidence
 26:00 - Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning (and Why Nerds Miss the Signals)
 28:00 - The Photo Wall Story: Tiny Rules, Big Control Problems
 32:00 - Rockstar Culture Warning: Accountability and the “Rockstar Exception”
 34:00 - Interview Like Dating: Standards, Curiosity, and Connection
 36:00 - Botching Interviews When You Want It Too Much
 37:00 - Management Is a Craft (Not Just a Promotion)
 38:00 - Books & Frameworks: Lencioni + Working Genius + More
 42:00 - Organizational Health Signals (Trust, Conflict, Clarity)
 44:00 - Autonomy with Shape Up: Freedom Inside the Box
 46:00 - Wrap-Up + Closing Thoughts

🔗 Links & Resources

Patrick Lencioni / The Table Group
 Shape Up
 Font Awesome: 

🎶 The Font Awesome Theme Song – Composed by Ronnie Martin
🎸 Music Interstitials by Zach Malm 
🎬 Produced and edited by Matt Johnson with some extra video editing help from Isaac Chase

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Look Awesome: Solving Color Once and for All

Locking in the color palette for your project is one of those things that seems simple until you're actually doing it. Pick the wrong shade and your text is unreadable. Pick the right shade and it only works in Figma, not in your codebase, not in Tailwind, not anywhere that matters.

Dave Gandy — Font Awesome founder, Kickstarter legend, self-described Nantucket color enthusiast — has been quietly building a tool to fix this mess. It's called Look Awesome, and it tackles color from three angles at once: the technical side (WCAG contrast math), the artistic side (palettes that actually look good), and yes, the genetic side (turns out not everyone sees color the same way, and there's a 100-dot test to prove it).

This episode is an audio cut of a live demo Dave gave during the Build Awesome Kickstarter stream. He walks through how Look Awesome works, why he built it in under three weeks using modern AI tooling, and why he thinks this might be the most fun thing he's ever made. You'll also hear about NASA's brand guidelines, the color laws of Nantucket, and a binary search algorithm that finds the exact one shade of blue that satisfies both dark and light text contrast requirements.

Fair warning: this is a color tool, so if you want to actually see the thing, head over to the YouTube channel. The link is in the show notes.

What We Cover

• What Look Awesome is and why it exists
• The three challenges of color: technical, artistic, and genetic
• The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test and what it means for working with color
• How the palette-building math actually works (including that binary search)
• Theming once and getting it everywhere — Tailwind, Web Awesome, Claude's design.md, wherever
• How Look Awesome fits into the Build Awesome workflow
• Why Dave built this in under three weeks and what AI-assisted Build Week looked like
• The Nantucket color palette demo (10 seconds, one URL)

Try It Look Awesome is live now at look.awesome.me. Dave wants to hear what's working — not just the bugs. Drop him a note at dave@awesome.me.

Want to support the broader project? The Build Awesome Kickstarter is still running at build.awesome.me.

Watch the full demo from the livestream! youtube.com/live/XBMSvupE7Bc?si=3Ow2B1I4pOAYnsb 

Credits

• Hosted, produced and edited by Matt Johnson
• Featuring Dave Gandy and Zach (from the Build Awesome livestream)
• Theme song by Ronnie Martin
• Music interstitials by Zach Malm
• Video editing by Isaac Chase

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AI makes it easier to build almost anything. So why does that make the job harder?

In this episode, Matt sits down with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy and engineer Travis Chase to get past the hype and into the real day-to-day of building with AI. The conversation covers what's actually changing on the team, where AI falls short, and what human skills matter more now than they did before.

If you're a designer, developer, or anyone trying to figure out where you fit in a world where your output can suddenly go 10x — this one's worth your time. Dave and Travis don't pretend the answers are simple. They also don't pretend the concerns aren't real.

Fair warning: Dave also makes a case for revisiting waterfall development. It's more convincing than it has any right to be.

**
What We Cover**

• Why producing more means your quality bar has to get sharper, not looser
• The discernment problem — when you can build anything, how do you decide what's worth building?
• Why saying no is now a more important skill than ever
• The strongest AI concerns Dave and Travis actually take seriously (energy, training data ethics, governance)
• Why AI seems to help people become more of who they already are
• How to stay curious and useful during a major technology transition without chasing every squirrel

**
Timestamps**

• 0:00 Cold open — from low-level to strategy
• 0:38 Intro
• 1:30 Where AI falls short right now
• 2:00 Quality control when output explodes
• 2:30 Taste, responsibility, and Jory's point at the snuggle
• 3:00 The discernment problem and snacktivities
• 4:20 Simplicity means saying no more than yes
• 5:30 Chasing waterfalls — does waterfall development make a comeback?
• 6:00 The strongest anti-AI arguments worth taking seriously
• 6:45 Energy, ethics, and training data consent
• 8:00 Technology's evolution and the genie that's out of the bottle
• 9:00 The Industrial Revolution farmer analogy
• 9:45 Superheroes, supervillains, and hiring for character first
• 10:20 Two ditches: navigating between idealism and cynicism
• 11:10 Rev share and what the world should look like
• 11:45 Governance, compromise, and garbage design
• 13:30 Washing machines and making more clean water
• 14:00 Guiding principles for using AI internally
• 15:00 Company behaviors as an AI framework: curious, humble, adventurous
• 16:00 AI helps people become more of who they are
• 16:45 AI will ask people to operate at a higher level
• 18:00 Refusing to engage is the riskiest move of all
• 19:00 We need critical voices — and we need them in the room
• 20:00 Echo chambers, bad data, and the water story
• 21:30 The world is hopeful — spend your life in wonder
• 22:30 Home prices, colonizing planets, and the leap to the real world
• 23:00 Outro

**
Credits**

• Hosted by Matt Johnson
• Featuring Dave Gandy and Travis Chase
• Produced and edited by Matt Johnson
• Theme song by Ronnie Martin
• Music interstitials by Zach Malm
• Video editing by Isaac Chase

🔗 Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com 

🔗 Check out episode one of the conversation! https://www.podcastawesome.com/2092855/episodes/19065993-build-week-what-we-made-part-1-with-dave-travis

🔗 Podcast Awesome: https://podcastawesome.com

#PodcastAwesome #FontAwesome #AI #DesignAndDevelopment #TechEthics #SoftwareDevelopment

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💻 AI side quests, but make it Snuggle. 🤖✨

In this episode, we’re fresh off the Snuggle (our company retreat) and talking about what happens when you give a curious team some time, space… and a bunch of AI tools. Travis and Dave join us to share how experimenting with tools like G-Stack, Spec-Kit, and Claude helped us explore ideas, prototype faster, and take on projects we normally wouldn’t have time for.

We get into the practical side of it all—what worked, what didn’t, and where AI actually fits into a creative workflow (without the hype). It’s part experiment recap, part philosophy, and part “what if we just tried it?”

Whether you're building products, designing systems, or just curious how AI can fit into your process, this one’s for you.

🎙️ What we cover in this episode:

• 🧑‍🚀 Why we dedicated Snuggle time to AI exploration
• 🧩 How tools like G-Stack, Spec-Kit, and Claude fit into real workflows
• 💻 Using AI to prototype and pressure-test ideas quickly
• ⚖️ The balance between human creativity and machine assistance
• 🧠 What surprised us (and what didn’t)

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Welcome & Intro
00:01:59 – What are Snacktivites?
00:02:57 – Company Behaviors Framework
00:04:16 – Build Week Explained
00:05:00 – Travis's Thoughts on AI Shift
00:08:05 – Ethics Over Slop
00:08:31 – Education and Intent
00:11:47 – Using AI as a Force Multiplier
00:14:50 – Skills Files and Standards
00:21:10 – Tooling Roundup: G-Stack, Spec-Kit, and more
00:25:46 – Color Awesome Finale
00:27:45 – Wrap Up ... To Be Continued in Part 2

🔗 Links & resources:
Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
Browse icons: https://fontawesome.com/icons
Kits: https://fontawesome.com/kits
Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/

Credits:
🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎶 Interstitials by Zach Malm

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Job interviews aren’t just about proving you’re a fit — they’re about figuring out whether the company deserves you, too. 👀

In this episode, Matt chats with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy about why hiring is a two-way street. They unpack the red flags candidates should watch for, what healthy companies actually look like, and how the interview process can reveal way more than a polished mission statement ever will.

Dave shares practical advice for job seekers on asking better questions, spotting dysfunctional hiring practices, and approaching the search with intention instead of desperation. They also dig into trust, team health, and why the best workplaces tend to value character just as much as capability.

Whether you’re job hunting, hiring, or just trying to avoid ending up in a workplace that feels like a corporate escape room, this episode has plenty to chew on. 😅

What we cover:
Why hiring should be a two-way evaluation
The biggest red flags in interview processes
What healthy organizations prioritize
Why trust matters more than pure talent
How to ask smarter interview questions
Why job seekers need a strategy, not just a stack of resumes
How to identify companies that are actually worth your time

Timestamps:
00:00 – Why hiring is a two-way street
02:00 – HR screenings, weird assessments, and early red flags
05:10 – Desperation in job hunting and why standards still matter
07:00 – What healthy companies really look like
09:20 – How to flip the script and interview the company
12:00 – Big companies, bad filters, and missing great candidates
16:00 – Why knowing yourself matters before you start looking
19:00 – Why spray-and-pray applications usually fall flat
21:00 – The value of being “double T-shaped” in your career
24:00 – Why the best opportunities often come through side doors
25:00 – Building relationships before you need a job
27:00 – How companies communicate values in the hiring process
29:00 – The one thing a company needs to do differently
30:00 – Wrap-up and outro

Credits:
Hosted by Matt Johnson
Featuring Dave Gandy
Produced and edited by Matt Johnson
Theme song by Ronnie Martin
Music interstitials by Zach Malm
Video editing by Isaac Chase

Watch this episode on YouTube

#Hiring #InterviewTips #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #Leadership #CompanyCulture #WorkplaceCulture #TechCareers #PodcastAwesome #FontAwesome 🚀

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In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Ed and Francis to talk through three newly shipped Font Awesome features that are small, practical, and just the right amount of fun. They dig into individual PNG downloads, a new global color picker for previewing icons in brand colors, and the wonderfully playful User Blender, which lets you mix and match heads, bodies, and styles to create custom user icons for your kit.

Along the way, they unpack the thinking behind each feature, how these updates connect to Icon Wizard and the broader Font Awesome 7.2 release, and why shaving off a few annoying workflow steps can make life noticeably better for designers and developers. There’s also an unexpected side quest into Ed’s cameo in his son’s YouTube channel, because apparently every product update deserves a B-plot. 🎬

If you want to actually see these features in action, there’s also an extended video version on YouTube with demos. But this audio-only episode still gives you the full behind-the-scenes story, the practical use cases, and all the delightful nerdery you’d expect from the Awesomeverse.

What We Cover in This Episode

• 🎨 How the new global color picker makes previewing icon colors much easier
• 🖼️ Why individual PNG downloads are a handy addition for quick icon grabs
• 🧑‍🚀 How User Blender lets you create custom user icons with random and manual combinations
• 🧩 How these features build on ideas from Icon Wizard
• 💻 Why small workflow improvements can have a big impact for teams
• 🧪 How playful side projects sometimes turn into genuinely useful features
• 🎬 Ed’s surprise side quest into low-budget cinematic glory

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Podcast Awesome
 00:20 Introducing the episode and today’s guests
 00:45 The three new features: PNG downloads, color picker, and User Blender
 01:10 Francis makes a Podcast Awesome debut
 01:40 Looking back at Ed’s previous appearances and Icon Wizard history
 02:10 Why individual PNG downloads were added
 03:00 When and why someone might want PNG instead of SVG
 04:10 The idea behind the new global color picker
 05:00 Previewing brand colors across icon search results
 05:40 Using the color picker on category pages and kits
 06:10 Duotone controls, secondary colors, opacity, reset, and swatches
 07:10 Reusing Web Awesome tools inside Font Awesome
 07:50 How color settings carry over across different areas
 08:20 How the color picker affects code snippets and icon styling
 08:55 Meet User Blender
 09:20 How randomizing and mixing custom user icons works
 10:00 Available styles and future expansion plans
 10:40 Why User Blender is both useful and toy-like in the best possible way
 11:15 How the feature grew out of a snuggle and Icon Wizard success
 12:00 A call for community creations and creative icon mashups
 12:40 How these features fit into the Font Awesome 7.2 release
 13:10 Ed’s unexpected acting career and his son’s YouTube side quest
 14:00 Wrap-up and where to share your creations

YouTube episode with visual examples: https://youtu.be/NDsqZozkn3A 

Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
Browse Font Awesome Icons: https://fontawesome.com/icons
Learn about Kits: https://fontawesome.com/kits
Explore Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/
Contact the team: hello@fontawesome.com
Theme music by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
Interstitial music by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/

BowziTV: https://www.youtube.com/@BowziTV

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Eleventy is becoming Build Awesome — and Zach Leatherman is here to explain what that actually means.

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt has a chat with Zach about the Build Awesome Kickstarter, why this rebrand is part of building a sustainable future for the open source project, and what changes (and what doesn’t) for people already running Eleventy sites.

You’ll hear Zach break down the backwards compatibility promise, the Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4 upgrade path, and what Build Awesome Pro adds—especially for teams who want an easier publishing workflow and a smoother way for non-technical collaborators to edit content.

Plus: behind-the-scenes stories from filming the Kickstarter video in LA, including the cast/crew magic, a hot dog cake, and the origin story of the Awesome 'Possum.

🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode

🚀 Eleventy is becoming Build Awesome (and why Zach says this is the sustainable future of the project)
🧩 What changes vs. what stays the same (and the “no panic” promise)
🔁 Backwards compatibility: your existing Eleventy sites still work
⬆️ Upgrade path: what moving from Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4 looks like
🧰 What Build Awesome is (website generation that can be simple or powerful)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Build Awesome Pro: one-stop publishing + collab for non-technical editors
✍️ In-browser editing: fixing content directly on page w/o a separate CMS feel)
💸 Funding open source without burnout (+ why the “Font Awesome formula” works)
🎬 Kickstarter fun: filming in LA, cast/crew magic, and the cake/hot dog metaphor
🦝 Meet the Awesome 'Possum (mascot origins + brand homage)
🎁 How to support: tiers, swag, and where to go next

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 - Cold Open: Build Awesome Kickstarter Announcement
 0:08 - Eleventy → Build Awesome (What This Episode Covers)
 0:40 - The Big News (Zach’s Announcement)
 1:25 - Joining the Awesomeverse (and why it matters)
 2:50 - Funding Open Source Without Burnout
 4:20 - What Build Awesome Is (and who it’s for)
 6:05 - Build Awesome Pro: Publishing + Collaboration Tools
 7:20 - Backwards Compatibility: Your Eleventy Sites Still Work
 8:10 - Upgrade Path: Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4
 10:05 - Why Pro Features Make the Free Core Better
 12:10 - In-Browser Editing: The “edit right on the site” experience
 13:25 - Kickstarter Fun: Shooting the Launch Video in LA
 15:40 - Cast, Crew, and the Cake/Hot Dog Metaphor
 18:55 - Meet the Awesome Possum (Mascot Origins + Brand Homage)
 20:40 - How to Support: Where to Go + Tiers + Swag
 22:40 - Wrap-Up + What to Watch Next

Links & Resources

• Build Awesome Kickstarter
• Eleventy / Build Awesome
• Font Awesome
• Web Awesome

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In this episode, Matt and Jory sit down with UK-based icon designer + illustrator Vic Bell to talk about the brand-new Font Awesome icon pack, Graphite — a loose, hand-drawn set that brings texture, depth, and a whole lot of human personality to iconography.

If you’ve ever tried to balance clarity vs. creativity, or wondered how icons can feel more like typefaces with different “voices”, this one’s for you. 🎧

🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode

👋 How Vic and Jory connected
✏️ Designing Font Awesome Pro Plus packs and how “Small Batch” became a thing
🧠 Vic’s creative journey: trends, taste, and identity
🏠 Why icons are storytelling at micro-scale
⚖️ The tension between clarity and creativity
🧰 Illustrator vs. Figma for icon design
📲 Custom brushes and iPad sidecar workflows

🕒 Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction and Welcome
0:46 - How Vic and Jory Connected
2:48 - Font Awesome Icon Packs Overview
5:42 - Vic's Creative Journey and Evolution
7:45 - The Hand-Drawn "Graphite" Icon Style
10:17 - Reflections on Icon Design as a Career
13:41 - Childhood Influences and the Magic of Small Things
17:18 - Creative Process and Personalization
22:19 - Trusting the Creative Process
23:32 - Project Validation and Creative Freedom
25:15 - Technical Challenges and Implementation
26:23 - Future of Font Awesome Icon Packs
30:52 - Illustrator vs. Figma for Icon Design
31:28 - Creating Custom Brushes and Using iPad
38:38 - Balancing Clarity and Creativity in Icon Design
47:37 - Releasing Icon Packs and Delayed Gratification

🔗 Links & Resources

Vic Bell: / vic_bell
Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/
Theme music by Ronnie Martin
Interstitial music by Zach Malm

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Eleventy started as a side project. Now it’s a critical infrastructure for thousands of websites.

TL;DR: Open source isn’t broken. But the way we fund it often is. Let’s talk about what actually works.

In this episode, we sit down with Zach Leatherman, creator of Eleventy (11ty), to talk honestly about what happens after open source succeeds. From nap-time coding and nights-and-weekends maintenance to venture capital pressure, burnout risk, and the reality of funding long-lived developer tools, this conversation digs into the cultural and financial tradeoffs behind modern open source.

We cover sustainability, community expectations, funding models that don’t rely on hockey-stick growth, and why “free forever” only works if the people behind the project can stay whole humans.
**
🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode**

• 🧠 How Eleventy grew from a side project into a widely depended-on tool
• ⚖️ The maintainer’s dilemma: growth, responsibility, and personal sustainability
• 💸 Why venture capital and hockey-stick growth often fail dev tools
• 🔥 Burnout, boundaries, and being accountable to a global user base
• 🏡 Balancing family life with open source maintenance
• 🔁 Different funding models: donations, sponsorships, Pro tools, and tradeoffs
• 🌱 What sustainable open source can look like long-term
• 🔮 What’s ahead for Eleventy and its next chapter

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Introductions and why open source sustainability matters
01:47 – Eleventy’s early days and unexpected adoption
04:32 – When a “side project” becomes critical infrastructure
06:42 – Corporate usage, expectations, and hidden pressure
10:08 – Family life, burnout risk, and personal boundaries
14:17 – Funding models: donations vs. sustainability
18:45 – Venture capital, acquisitions, and hockey-stick growth myths
23:33 – Lessons from Gatsby, Astro, and the dev tools ecosystem
26:25 – Why sustainable open source must tie to real value
30:26 – A healthier path forward for maintainers and communities
33:20 – What’s next for Eleventy

🔗 Links & Resources

• Eleventy (11ty)
• Font Awesome
• Web Awesome

🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Happy New Year from the Awesomeverse! In this episode, Matt and Jory kick off 2026 by recapping all the wild, weird, and wonderful things that happened across Font Awesome and Web Awesome in 2025. From the launch of FA7 and small-batch icon packs to a possum puppet mascot (yes, really), they reflect on the big (and small batch) wins, behind-the-scenes hilarity, and creative experiments that made the year unforgettable. Oh, and if you're wondering what it's like to direct a hot dog-eating scene at a Kickstarter video shoot? We’ve got that covered too.

TL;DR: New icons, big upgrades, hilarious videos, brainy guests, possum puppets, and one heck of a year. 

🧠 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🎉 Reflecting on FA7 upgrades
• 🧪 The rise of Pro Plus and its small batch icon packs (Etch! Jelly! Not Dog!)
• 🎥 Behind-the-scenes on the F.A.C.U. cinematic universe and the FA7 shoot (hot dog suit included)
• 🧩 How the newsletter icon puzzle took on a life of its own
• 🧰 The official Web Awesome launch and what’s next
• 🧠 Brainy takes on icon cognition from Dr. Brian Glenny
• 🐾 The birth of Awesome Possum, our unofficial but fully fabulous mascot
• 📦 Teasers for what’s coming in 2026: More icons, more components, and more fun

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Post-holiday haze & back in the podcast saddle
02:00 – FA7 highlights: Pro Plus packs + icon design overhaul
04:30 – Icon Pack breakdown: Etch, Jelly, Not Dog, and beyond
06:00 – Behind-the-scenes filming stories from the FA7 Kickstarter video
10:00 – Web Awesome officially launches!
12:30 – How the Awesome Possum was born
16:00 – The rise of the icon puzzle & newsletter hijinks
24:00 – Standout guests from the past season + the philosophy of icon design
28:00 – Accessibility icons, graffiti activism, and symbol cognition
30:00 – What’s coming in 2026: New icon packs, new components, and new surprises
32:00 – The Awesome Possum signs us off (kinda)

🔗 Links & Resources

• Check out the FA7 Launch Video
• Learn more about Pro Plus
• Build with Web Awesome
• Subscribe to our Newsletter (get the puzzle!)
• Jory’s Puzzle Book: “Goes Without Saying”
• Behind-the-scenes of the FA7 Shoot
• The Accessibility Icon Project 

🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

What is nerdery, really? 🤓 In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we dig into the heart of Font Awesome’s culture — inclusive nerdery. It's not about lone geniuses or command line gatekeepers. It’s about heart, curiosity, humility, and building awesome things with other people. 💛

👾 You'll hear from FA team members Dave and Travis, plus a few snippets from topics we've covered on our blog and internal convos, all woven together to show how we:

🎯 Hire for character over cleverness
🔍 Celebrate deep curiosity (hello, nutrition nerds and D&D geeks!)
🎉 Create space for serious play through our legendary team "Snuggles"
🧠 Foster creativity through snack-sized projects like the Icon Wizard and Space Awesome game

This episode is for anyone building company culture, or just trying to figure out how to lead with humanity in a techy world.

✨ Icons may not change the world, but good people just might.

🔍 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
00:00 – Welcome to Nerdery™
02:00 – Defining what "nerd" means to us
04:00 – Why we hire adults, not rockstars
06:00 – Our 3-step hiring philosophy
08:00 – Why we host company “Snuggles” (not summits!)
10:00 – FARTS, the Icon Wizard & how fun leads to innovation
12:00 – Space Awesome: building games on company time (and learning VueJS to boot!)
14:00 – Why forced culture doesn’t work
16:00 – A culture that’s built to last

🔗 Mentioned in the Episode:
🧙‍♂️ Space Awesome – FA dev project
https://spaceawesome.io/
🛠 Our Hiring Philosophy
https://blog.fontawesome.com/company-...
✨ The Icon Wizard
https://blog.fontawesome.com/icon-wiz...
💼 More About FA Company Culture
https://blog.fontawesome.com/nerdery/

🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase

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🎬 What do Star Wars, oil painting, and storytelling have in common?
 
Turns out: everything. In this curiosity-fueled episode, filmmaker and multi-hyphenate creative Andy Maier (Soon Agency) joins host Matt Johnson to talk about building a life powered by relentless learning, visual storytelling, and the kind of curiosity that launches careers 🚀.

From working with Apple, SpaceX, and Microsoft to touring in his metal band Opponent and picking up oil painting during a creative pivot — Andy is the living embodiment of “just figure it out.” 💥🎨🧠
If you've ever felt like the underdog creative, this one’s for you. Andy drops storytelling gems faster than Yoda lifts an X-Wing.

🎸 Fun fact: Andy composed the metal version of the Font Awesome theme song in a single day. That’s some serious Jedi speed 🤘.

🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode
🤖 Why being curious is better than being talented
🎥 How oil painting made Andy a better compositor
🧱 The concept of “armature” and why your story collapses without one
🌱 Why telling the truth is the best brand strategy
🤝 The power of surrounding yourself with curious people
✨ Building "wells, not fences" in your creative career
⚔️ Star Wars, Iron Giant, and the real meaning of “The Force”

⏱️ Timestamps
 00:00 – Welcome to Podcast Awesome
 01:00 – Meet Andy Maier: Creative Jedi & Founder of Soon
 02:30 – Early creative career and figuring it out on the fly
 05:15 – The underestimated power of curiosity
 08:20 – From DIY music videos to working with Apple and SpaceX
 10:45 – Why storytelling is better than trends
 13:30 – Building a creative life around community and friendships
 16:00 – How oil painting made Andy better at... everything
 19:00 – The merch moment: painting turned t-shirt design
 22:00 – What’s real? How to build grounded storytelling
 26:30 – Invisible Ink, Brian McDonald, and story armature 101
 32:00 – Why Marvel’s Phase 4 struggles (and what X-Men got right)
 34:00 – Star Wars, Joseph Campbell, and unlocking “the Force”
 37:45 – Where to find Andy and his work
 38:30 – Bonus: The origin of the metal FA theme song 🤘

🔗 Links & Resources
 🔥 Andy’s work – https://www.soon.agency
 🎶 Andy’s band Opponent – https://www.solidstaterecords.com/opponent
 📖 Invisible Ink by Brian McDonald – https://shorturl.at/E9101
 🖖 Font Awesome’s Heavy Metal Icon Episode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FlsrtKCI1Y
 🎧 More Podcast Awesome episodes – https://podcastawesome.com

 #PodcastAwesome #StorytellingMatters #CreativeJedi #VisualStorytelling #FilmmakerLife #MotionGraphicsArtist #DesignNerds #FontAwesome #CuriosityWins #InvisibleInk #CreativeProcess #OilPaintingForDesigners #BuildWellsNotFences #NerdCulture #MetalVibesOnly #StarWarsStorytelling #MakeSomethingAwesome

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**Episode Summary
**
What does it really take to ship something as powerful, polished, and downright magical as Web Awesome? In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Lindsay and Cory, the dynamic duo behind the official launch of Web Awesome. Together, they peel back the curtain on how the team brought a customizable design system to life (without summoning any cursed CSS incantations).

From the slick Theme Builder to the deeply thoughtful Figma integration, from production-ready patterns to future-forward prototyping dreams, this convo is packed with insights for devs, designers, and nerds of all kinds. Get the scoop on stretch goals, community feedback, and why starting with a “sh*tty first draft” is actually a power move.

Oh! And they may or may not be plotting a future where we don’t even need Figma anymore. Gasp!

What We Cover in This Episode:

🛠 The design magic behind the Theme Builder
🎨 Patterns and why you shouldn’t reinvent the checkout form
🧩 The current state of Figma files — and where they’re headed
🧪 Bridging the gap between prototyping and real code
🔮 A sneak peek at future stretch goal components (hello, toasts and video!)
⚡ How Web Awesome + Eleventy = your new dream dev stack
🗣 Why your newbie feedback matters more than you think

**Timestamps
**
00:00 – Welcome & introductions
01:45 – Life after launch: relief or revving up?
03:30 – Making the Theme Builder powerful and friendly
05:40 – Patterns that just work (and why that's a good thing)
07:30 – Balancing usability and delightful surprises
08:15 – Figma files, MVP vibes, and real feedback
10:20 – The future of theming via Figma plugins
12:00 – Stretch goal components: what’s shipped and what’s next
14:30 – Why prototyping with code might replace Figma
16:45 – Web Awesome meets Eleventy: the ultimate team-up
19:00 – Templates, page builders, and lowering the barrier to entry
20:30 – Why new users’ feedback is gold
22:00 – How to connect with the team & share your experience

**Links & Resources
**
🌐 [Web Awesome](https://webawesome.com)
📣 [Join the Community](https://webawesome.com/community)
🧵 [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/webawesome/webawesome/discussions)
📬 Email: [help@webawesome.com](mailto:help@webawesome.com) / [hello@webawesome.com](mailto:hello@webawesome.com)
💬 Join us on Discord – link on the community page!
🧠 Learn more about [Jacob’s Law](https://lawsofux.com/jakobs-law/)
🎁 Don’t forget: 20% off Web Awesome Pro until Nov 19th!

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Episode Summary:

We're heading back to the basement — (sort of). In this episode, Matt catches up with Mike Wilkerson, the OG guest of Podcast Awesome, to unveil the biggest update yet to the official Font Awesome WordPress plugin. From block editor visual support to full-on SVG injection wizardry (yes, that’s a thing), this version is all about giving developers and designers more power, more precision, and fewer plugin conflicts.

Whether you’re a WordPress purist or a page builder rebel, you’ll walk away knowing how to get your icons looking sharp, staying pro, and loading like a dream.

🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:

• 🔌 The origin story of the plugin (and the furnace that helped launch it)
• 🧱 Full block editor visual editing support (finally WYSIWYG!)
• 🛠️ SVG injection + self-hosting benefits
• 🛡️ How to squash plugin conflicts like a pro
• 🔍 Page builder struggles—and what might be coming next
• 🤝 How to send feedback to actual humans™ at Font Awesome

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Basement beginnings & podcast nostalgia
 02:00 – WordPress + Font Awesome: how widespread is it?
 04:00 – Why Version 5 is a game-changer
 06:00 – How inline SVGs improve performance and reduce conflict
 08:00 – Self-hosting benefits & advanced options
 10:00 – When to load (or not load) your kit
 12:00 – Compatibility tips for older content
 14:00 – What’s next for FA + WordPress
 16:00 – How to give feedback to actual humans™

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Official Font Awesome WordPress Plugin
• Using Kits with WordPress
• Conflict Detection & Troubleshooting
• Email us: hello@fontawesome.com

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🧠 What do LEGO logos, hand-puppet dreams, citrus gadgets, and naming things "Turbo" have in common? They're all part of Dan Cederholm’s design universe — and part of this wide-ranging, joy-filled second half of our conversation.

In this episode, Dan returns to talk about:
 • Embracing constraints as a creative fuel source
• Naming fonts after misspelled words (because ... domains)
• The delightful hellscape of naming anything in tech
• Why imposter syndrome might actually be useful
• And how a puppet changed everything at Font Awesome 🧡

🎧 It’s a show-and-tell episode full of unexpected design wisdom, warm fuzzies, and orange peelers.

What We Cover in This Episode:
• 🧠 Dan’s creative process: one font at a time
• 🚫 Naming things is still the hardest problem in tech
• 🐀 The birth of the Font Possum Puppet
• 🧃 The power of a really good citrus squeezer
• 🤖 Why AI can’t fake taste (yet)
• 💌 Why Dan's newsletter works (and yours could too)
• 😵‍💫 Making peace with imposter syndrome
• 🧩 Why being weird is a superpower

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:15 – The creative process of typeface design
04:04 – Naming fonts is a nightmare
06:05 – The importance of naming & branding
12:25 – Imposter syndrome in the creative industry
18:15 – A puppet changed everything
22:31 – Why a newsletter is like old-school blogging
29:03 – Orange peelers, joy, and the power of small specificity
37:17 – The impact of creativity
38:14 – Building community through creativity
41:16 – Wrap up with Dan Cederholm
42:24 – Final Thoughts & Credits

📌 Links & Resources
• Dan Cederholm → https://simplebits.com
• Dan's newsletter → https://simplebits.com/newsletter
• Turbo Typeface → https://simplebits.com/fonts
• Font Possum cameo → [FontAwesome YouTube Channel]
• BrickLink Studio (Lego design app) → https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio

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Summary

Designer, 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 Takeaways

• Creativity 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.

Timestamps

• 00:00 — Introduction and catching up with Dan Cederholm
• 02:00 — Typefaces as creative puzzles
• 06:00 — The joy of passion projects
• 10:00 — The first font and lessons from “Chameleon”
• 18:00 — The lineage of icon design and learning from imperfection
• 26:00 — Failures, Field Notes, and finding the next fun thing
• 30:00 — Creative constraints and the beauty of not knowing everything
• 36:00 — Humor, joy, and “making stuff that makes you laugh”
• 38:00 — The icons that exist just because they’re funny
• 42:00 — Hidden glyphs, zombie hands, and bonus icons in fonts
• 44:00 — Wrap-up and where to find Dan online

Related Links

• SimpleBits.com
  — Dan’s home for fonts, merch, and creative experiments
• Dan’s Newsletter
  — The one Font Awesome staffers never skip
• Dribbble
  — Co-founded by Dan, still inspiring designers everywhere

Credits

Produced and edited by Matt Johnson
Video editing by Isaac Chase
Theme music by Ronnie Martin
Interstitial music by Zach Malm

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Build once, run everywhere.
In this full-nerd, front-end-leaning episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Zach Leatherman (creator of Eleventy) and Konnor Rogers (Web Awesome developer) to chat about how a static site generator just might be the key to building some of the most powerful, performant documentation on the web.

We dig deep into Eleventy’s evolution, Web Awesome’s hybrid architecture, and how a team of devs found a way to keep docs fast, flexible, and secure — without rewriting everything from scratch or giving up on open source values. Spoiler: they didn’t go full ExpressJS for fun.

Whether you’re a seasoned dev or a newb, this one's packed with insight, edge-case explorations, and some seriously satisfying build-time nerdery.

In this episode, we explore:

⚡️ Why Eleventy’s simplicity still scales
 🧠 Making static sites feel dynamic (without a heavy JS framework)
 🔐 How Web Awesome handles auth + private docs with minimal friction
 🚫 Avoiding vendor lock-in and runtime gotchas
 📦 The future of Eleventy in browsers, edge runtimes, and beyond

Pull up your terminal. This one’s for you.

🔗 Links & Credits

• 🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
• 🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns (Lemon Productions)
• 🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
• 🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase
• 🔗 Eleventy
• 🔗 Web Awesome

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Inside the UX lessons, internet lore, and surprising comeback of Clippy

Love him or loathe him, you remember him. Clippy — the googly-eyed paperclip that lived inside Microsoft Word — has become a permanent fixture in internet culture. But how did a productivity tool become the patron saint of annoying-yet-adorable UI? In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we’re digging into the cult of Clippy with behind-the-scenes insights from Clippy's original creator Kevan Atteberry and Microsoft designer Sam Cundall. From meme fame to Microsoft Teams emoji, Clippy's legacy is more layered than you think.

📝 What We Cover in This Episode:

• 📎 Why Clippy was loved and hated
• 🧠 The psychology of nostalgic design
• 🔁 When Microsoft secretly brought Clippy back
• 🤖 What Clippy might teach us about the future of AI assistants
• ✍️ thoughts on reviving legacy designs the right way

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome to the Cult of Clippy
02:00 – The origin story: from helpful to hated
04:30 – Nostalgia and annoyance: why we love to hate him
06:00 – Microsoft’s secret Clippy emoji comeback
08:00 – What makes emoji design "work"?
10:00 – Fun at work: why weirdness builds culture
14:00 – The creator's take: Kevan Atteberry on designing Clippy
20:00 – From embarrassment to pride: Clippy's redemption arc
24:00 – Clippy vs. Siri: The rise of personality-driven UI
26:00 – Final thoughts: where personality fits in UX

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Sam Kundal on LinkedIn
• Kevan Atteberry's books
• How to add a paperclip emoji to your UI
• Vote a favorite icon up the leaderboard
• 🎥 Podcast Awesome on YouTube
  🎶 The Font Awesome Theme Song – Composed by Ronnie Martin
  🎸 Music Interstitials by Zach Malm
  🎬 Produced and edited by Matt Johnson with some extra help from Isaac Chase 

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Have you ever rage-coded your way into building a developer tool that actually fixes things? Burton Smith has. And we’re here for it.

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt and Web Awesome's boss, Cory Laviska chat with Burton Smith. Burton is an open source wizard and creator of the Web Components Toolkit, and he tells us about the gap between the promise of Web Components and the messy reality devs often face.

💻 Burton’s toolkit bridges that gap like Gandalf on a DX bender.

In this episode we dive into:
⚙️ Developer experience pain points
🧩 Custom Elements Manifests (CEMs) and real-world tooling
🎯 Form-associated custom elements, declarative shadow DOM, and why they still have rough edges
🚀 Why frameworks finally (mostly) play nice with Web Components
📦 How open source tools can fix the stuff we all silently suffer through
🧠 And why making components “just work” should be table stakes

This one’s for devs who are tired of wiring up wrappers, fighting with VS Code autocomplete, or wondering why their component still doesn’t show up right in Storybook.

✨ Bonus: We get a little spicy about SSR, headless UI, and whether a global design system is even a thing we want.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Podcast Awesome
 02:00 – Meet Burton Smith: The Stuff Breaker
 04:00 – Why Web Components Tooling is (Still) a Pain
 06:00 – Closing the Gap Between DX and Dev Reality
 12:00 – CEMs, ASTs, and Metadata Magic
 20:00 – Form-associated Custom Elements (and the Weird Gaps)
 24:00 – Declarative Shadow DOM: Blessing or Band-Aid?
 28:00 – SSR, Frameworks, and the Next Frontier
 34:00 – Global Design Systems, Gatekeeping, and Interop
 42:00 – Headless UI vs. Useless DX
 44:00 – How to Support Burton + Where to Find the Toolkit

🔗 Links & Resources

🌐 Burton’s Toolkit: https://wc-toolkit.com
🧙‍♂️ Follow Burton on GitHub: https://github.com/Breakstuff
🐦 Burton on Social: @StuffBreaker
📄 Learn more about Custom Elements Manifest: https://github.com/webcomponents/custom-elements-manifest
🛠️ Web Awesome: https://webawesome.dev
🧡 Shoutout to all you open sourcers building magic after hours

🎥 Podcast Awesome on YouTube 

🎶 The Font Awesome Theme Song – Composed by Ronnie Martin
🎸 Music Interstitials by Zach Malm
🎬 Produced and edited by Matt Johnson with some extra help from Isaac Chase 

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🔴 “Excuse me … I believe you have my stapler?”

One line. Infinite memes. A red-hot icon.

In this episode of The Story Behind the Icon, we dive deep into the surprisingly rich lore behind the humble office stapler — and how a cult classic film, a soft-spoken cubicle dweller, and a spray-painted prop turned it into a cultural artifact.

🎧 Whether you’ve got 37 pieces of flair or just enough sarcasm to survive corporate life, this one’s for the design nerds, Office Space devotees, and UI jokesters looking for the perfect button metaphor.

🔍 What We Cover in This Episode

🔴 The origin story of Milton’s beloved red stapler
 🎞️ Mike Judge’s animated roots and early Office Space shorts
 💻 Remote work, legacy office gear, and the evolution of workplace design
 🧑‍💼 Font Awesome’s very own “Milton” and the logic behind the madness
 🎨 How to recreate Milton’s soul in HTML with our duotone icon
 🎬 The real reason Swingline started making red staplers

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Podcast Awesome
 01:25 – A new take on the old office
 02:40 – Meet Milton: The patron saint of passive resistance
 04:20 – Mike Judge: From Beavis and Butthead to box office satire
 05:55 – The stapler becomes an icon
 06:35 – Meet FA’s own Milton (Hi, Steve 👋)
 07:20 – Grumpiness as UI insight
 08:05 – Milton’s stapler wasn’t red... until it was
 09:00 – Design challenge: Where will you use the stapler icon?
09:50 – Commission your own icon or vote one into existence
10:30 – Credits and a final plea: Return. The. Stapler.

🔗 Links & Resources

🖇️ Stapler Icon on Font Awesome
📽️ Office Space (1999)
🎨 Vote for an icon on the leaderboard
📝 FA Blog: The Story Behind the Icon Series

🎥 Podcast Awesome on YouTube – Full uncut convo with extra music nerdiness
🎶 The Font Awesome Theme Song – Composed by Ronnie Martin
🎸 Music Interstitials by Zach Malm
🎬 Produced and edited by Matt Johnson

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Designing Joy: Don Clark of Invisible Creature on Creativity, Collectibles & Culture

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt hangs out with legendary designer Don Clark of Invisible Creature to dive into the analog soul of digital design. From their punk rock roots and Grammy-nominated album covers to art directing for Seattle’s swankiest restaurant, Don and his brother Ryan have created work you’ve seen —whether you know it or not.

They discuss growing up with a NASA illustrator grandpa, how nostalgia fuels creativity, the value of physical objects in a swipe-and-scroll world, and how a sibling-run design studio rides the waves of industry change. It’s a masterclass in storytelling, aesthetics, and sneaky inspiration.

Plus, Don once designed a 7-story mural for Newark Airport that one construction worker told him no one would ever notice. Art, meet irony.

✨ What We Cover in This Episode

• 🚀 Grandpa drew spaceships for NASA — no big deal
• 🎸 From hardcore zines to Grammy-nominated album art
• 🧸 Why physical objects still matter (even in a scroll-y, swipey world)
• 😊 Nostalgia, and the purposeful creation of joy 
• 🏠 Turning a love of toys and typography into brand work for Target, Canlis, and more
• 🏄🏻‍♂️ Creating a career by riding the wave (not controlling it)
• 👾 How Invisible Creature got its name — and why most people don’t realize they’ve seen their work
• 🍽️ Art direction in fine dining, and designing for iconic spaces

⏱️ Timestamps

[00:01:00] – Don’s creative upbringing & grandpa's NASA work
 [00:04:00] – From punk flyers to full-time design
 [00:08:00] – Physical design in a digital world
 [00:12:00] – Object design, collectibles, and vintage influence
 [00:16:00] – Tapping nostalgia the right way
[00:20:00] – Album covers, influence, and desktop publishing
[00:24:00] – The decline of CDs & the rise of gig posters
[00:28:00] – The challenges (and joys) of working with family
[00:32:00] – Canlis restaurant and entering the fine dining space
[00:36:00] – Creating inspiring physical spaces
[00:38:00] – Why “Invisible Creature” is the perfect name
[00:42:00] – Good design as invisible, objective experience
[00:44:00] – Designing stamps, murals, and children’s Bibles
[00:46:00] – Streamlining creativity after 25 years in the biz
[00:48:00] – Wrapping up and why riding the wave matters

🔗 Links & Resources

• Invisible Creature
• Mind Reader Music – Album packaging by Ryan Clark & Kevin Moore
• Canlis – Seattle fine dining where Don is art director
• Art of the Incredibles Book – Don’s favorite Pixar art book
• Podcast Awesome on YouTube – Full uncut convo with extra music nerdiness
• The Font Awesome Theme Song – Composed by Ronnie Martin
• Music Interstitials by Zach Malm
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions
• Produced and edited by Matt Johnson

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💥 A Podcast Awesome Deep Cut

Episode Description:

🛎️ Guess what? We got a fever … and the only prescription is … well, you know. In this very special episode of Podcast Awesome, we hit pause on our usual tech-and-icon-nerdery to unleash a full-throttle ode to one of the wackiest icons in our set: Cowbell Circle Plus.

What starts as a nod to the legendary SNL sketch featuring Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken (The Bruce Dickinson, thank you very much), quickly turns into a globetrotting, time-hopping, cultural deep dive through the unexpected history of the humble cowbell. From medieval Irish cow raids 🐄⚔️ to German cowbell zoning laws 📏🔔 to the altars of rock and roll 🥁🎸, we unpack how this sonic sidekick moo-ved (hehe) from pasture to punchline.

Plus: Icon Designer extraordinaire Jory Rafael stops by to share how we brought the Cowbell icon to life (spoiler: it did not involve raiding any farms).

🧀 What We Cover in This Episode:

🐄 Cowbell as medieval emergency alert system

🏴‍☠️ Cattle raids and why your cow needed anti-theft bells in 12th century Ireland

🛠️ The surprising craftsmanship behind cowbells (hello, zoning laws!)

🌍 How cowbells show up in global rituals

🎶 The greatest cowbell moments in music — from Foghat to KISS to the Beastie Boys

😂 The SNL sketch that made “More Cowbell” the rallying cry for comedy nerds everywhere

🔤 Behind-the-scenes with the FA team: how we turned “More Cowbell” into an icon

🤘 A lightning round of underappreciated cowbell bangers

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to the Weird World of Cowbell
 01:15 – SNL Meets SVG: The Inspiration Behind the Icon
 02:30 – History Lesson: Cowbells as Analog GPS
 04:20 – Cattle Raids, Irish Wars, and Why Your Cow Needed Protection
 06:10 – Cowbell Zoning Laws? Yep, That Was a Thing
 07:00 – Superstition, Spirit-Banishing & Ceremonial Bells
 08:15 – Enter: The Iconic More Cowbell Sketch (2000, SNL)
 09:00 – Icon Deep Dive with Jory Rafael
 10:20 – Musical Cowbell Moments You Didn’t Know You Needed
 11:30 – Wrap-up & Credits Roll Like a Cow in a Parade

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Cowbell Circle Plus Icon on Font Awesome
• More Cowbell SNL Sketch (NBC)
• Cattle Raid of Cooley (Wikipedia)
• Alex Poiry makes an appearance as the medieval town council. 
• Music shoutouts: Foghat, Beastie Boys, KISS, Judas Priest, Queen, Thin Lizzy, and more
• Credits: Matt Johnson (host + producer), Ronnie Martin (theme song), Zach Malm (music interstitials), Chris Enns @ Lemon Productions (mastering), Isaac Chase (video edit magic)

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Pork chop sandwiches!! 🫡 🏃‍♂️‍➡️

Gather round the interwebs young Gen Xers and Elder Millennials ... 

In this oddball solo episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt rewinds to the early 2000s and dives deep into the glitchy, glorious chaos of Fensler Film’s GI Joe PSA remixes — a series of bootleg web videos that helped shape meme culture as we know it.

These gloriously low-res VHS-rip remixes mashed up 1980s GI Joe cartoon PSAs with absurdist humor, surreal voice dubbing, and non sequiturs that burned themselves into our collective consciousness.

Before TikTok. Before YouTube. Before broadband was normal … we had burned DVDs, word-of-mouth weirdness, and lines like:

• “Pork chop sandwiches!”
• “Hey kid, I’m a computer!”
• “Stop all the downloading!”
• "It's the body message machine-GO!" 

In this episode, we explore:

• 🧠 The origin story of the GI Joe PSAs
• 📼 Why they were viral gold in a pre-social internet
• 💥 The art of deliberate absurdity and proto-memes
• 📺 Their influence on shows like Robot Chicken and Tim & Eric
• 🌀 Why chaotic creative energy still beats algorithmic content

So gather 'round, old-school internet nerds. This one’s for you. And knowing? Well… you know the rest.

🔗 Links & Credits

🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns (Lemon Productions)
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase

#PodcastAwesome #GIJoePSAs #InternetHistory #MemeCulture #FenslerFilm #DesignNerdery #TimAndEric #PorkChopSandwiches #AbsurdistComedy

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Where did the “All Your Base Are Belong to Us” meme come from — and why did it break the early internet?

In this nostalgic deep dive, Matt explores the wackadoodle origin of one of the internet’s most gloriously awkward memes. Before “going viral” was even a phrase, this phrase from the 1992 Sega Genesis game Zero Wing somehow made its way from mistranslation to mass internet hysteria — with techno remixes, Flash videos, Photoshopped street signs, and even a nod from AOC herself.

Yes, this was real. And it was spectacular.

Whether you're an old-school web nerd or just want to understand why your coworker keeps saying “Set up us the bomb,” this one's for you.

**🔹 What We Cover in This Episode:
**🕹️ A breakdown of Zero Wing’s hilariously mistranslated intro
🎶 The techno remix and Flash video that made the meme explode
🧠 Why “All Your Base” became the blueprint for internet weird
📡 How meme culture has evolved from delightful chaos to... whatever’s happening now
🧑‍🚀 AOC’s legendary tweet that brought it all full circle

⏱️ Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro + Barry White podcast voice
 1:31 – What is the Ballmer Peak of memes?
 3:00 – The original Zero Wing translation trainwreck
4:32 – “Set up us the bomb”: the remix and Flash frenzy
6:15 – AOC, memes in politics, and nostalgia rebooted
8:00 – Final thoughts on the beauty of shared digital nonsense

**🔗 Links & Resources:
**🕹️ Original Zero Wing meme history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us#:~:text=%22All%20your%20base%20are%20belong,the%201989%20Japanese%20arcade%20game.

👾 The remix that started it all: Invasion of the GABA Robots: https://archive.org/details/invasion_of_the_gabber_rob

🧠 AOC’s legendary tweet: https://x.com/aoc/status/1086483485668319233

**🛠️ Credits:
**🎙️ Hosted, produced, and edited by Matt Johnson
🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎧 Music interstitials by Zach Malm
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

📣 Like the show?

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode!
• Rate + review to help more nerds discover us.
• Or just shout “ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US” in public. (We’ll know what it means.)

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“Layouts are sexy but, you know, words still matter.”
 

In this solo rant-style episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt takes a silly, unhinged dive into the world of Lorem Ipsum — the gibberish placeholder text that’s haunted designers and writers alike since the 1500s. From Cicero’s scrambled Latin to zombie-themed mockups, we trace the wild history and the weird world of filler text.

So ... why do we still treat real content as an afterthought? And what happens when a layout only works with nonsense words?

You’ll laugh. You’ll cringe. You’ll maybe rethink that next wireframe.

🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:

• 🤬 The grammar quirks that make writers lose their minds (yes, we see you, Oxford comma debate)
• 🏛️ The bizarre origin of Lorem Ipsum (hi Cicero!)
• 🥓 Bacon Ipsum, Hipster Ipsum, Cat Ipsum
• 😤 A friendly/spicy rant on why Lorem Ipsum might kill your content strategy
• 👻 Live sites with placeholder text 

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to the Fake Latin Fight Club
 01:00 – Oxford Commas, Passive Voice, and Writers with Rage
 03:00 – Sarcastic Quotation Marks and Melty “Cheese”
 04:00 – What Even Is Lorem Ipsum, Anyway?
 05:30 – From Ancient Rome to Adobe Default Settings
 06:45 – The Rise of Bacon, Hipster, and Zombie Ipsum
 08:00 – THE RANT: “If Your Layout Only Works With Nonsense…”
 09:30 – Final Thoughts: Fonts Are Cool. Content Is King.

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Generate your own Bacon Ipsum 🥓
• Cat Ipsum for feline-forward mockups 🐱
• Zombie Ipsum, because... why not 🧟
• Theme by Ronnie Martin 🎹
• 8-bit interstitial music by Zach Moom
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions 🍋

🎙️ Subscribe + Listen:

📱 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 💻 YouTube | 🌐 podcastawesome.com

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Design meets activism. Philosophy meets iconography. Wheelchairs meet graffiti.

In this philosophy-packed episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt chats with professor, artist, and co-founder of the Accessible Icon Project, Brian Glenny. Together with colleague Sara Hendron, they took a bold journey to make a tweak to the accessibility symbol — which led to a humble street art sticker to statewide legislation.

Brian’s story unpacks how a wheelchair icon went from stiff and static to dynamic and full of agency — and how that tweak sparked a global conversation about representation, identity, and inclusion.

Along the way, we hit:

• 🧠 The neuroscience of symbol recognition
• 🎨 Graffiti roots and punk rock influence
• 📜 Ethics and accessibility in visual design
• ♿ The making of a movement: from sticker campaign to state law
• 🤯 How even tiny geometry tweaks carry political power

If you’ve ever wondered how symbols shape culture — or why an icon isn’t “just an icon” — this one’s for you.

And knowing? Yep. That’s half the battle.

🔗 Links & Credits

🚧🎨🏙️Brian's Wiki Page

👀 Learn more about Sara Hendren

🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns (Lemon Productions)
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase

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#PodcastAwesome #AccessibleIconProject #BrianGlenny #DesignActivism #InclusiveDesign #IconographyMatters #DisabilityRepresentation #GraffitiArt #DesignEthics #Semiotics #ContentIsCulture #DesignPhilosophy

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In this very special episode of The Nerd Show and Tell, we finally cornered the elusive co-founder of Font Awesome — Travis Chase! 🧢✨ From dialing into the web back in the modem days, to co-founding a company that powers millions of websites, Travis shares his unique journey from almost-accountant to accidental icon-company-boss. Or something. You’ll hear tales of telephony code, Star Wars devotion, and how building a company that doesn’t burn people out might be the most radical idea of all.

He’s part artist 🎨, part developer 💻, full-on space western nerd — and yes, he’s that guy you want on your trivia team.

🧠 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🖼️ How an “uncreative” art student became a designer-turned-developer
• 📞 Building answering machines from scratch — with homemade programming languages!
• 👨‍👦 Juggling startups, Y Combinator, and parenting like a boss
• 🎯 The philosophy behind not grinding yourself to dust
• 🌟 Going full lightspeed into Star Wars Unlimited (Vegas tourney? Yep.)
• 🧙‍♂️ Favorite icons, D&D vibes, and space westerns galore
• ☕ How coffee and coding dreams brewed into a global icon toolkit

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: We Finally Wrangled Travis
 01:00 – Side Hustles, Modems, and Making the Web Happen
 03:00 – From Art School to Programming Wizardry
 06:00 – Answering Machine Nerdvana (Travis’ Favorite Dev Story!)
 09:00 – College Friends → Startup Squad
 12:00 – That Time They Got Into YC
 15:00 – Building Font Awesome the Fun Way
18:00 – Culture that Actually Cares About People
21:00 – What Travis is Nerding Out About (👀 Star Wars Unlimited!)
24:00 – AI, Card Games, and Cross-Pollinating Passions
25:00 – Favorite Icons + Wishlist Packs (Laser swords, anyone?)
27:00 – A Chill Goodbye and More Nerd Show and Tell to Come

🔗 Links & Resources

• 🌐 Font Awesome — Icons that just work™
• 🪐 Star Wars: Unlimited TCG — The game Travis is totally (and deeply) nerding out about
• 🏢 37signals & Rework — Inspiration for FA's work/life philosophy
• 🎵 Podcast Theme by Ronnie Martin
• 🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns @ Lemon Productions

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Summary

What does it take to shoot a high-energy, humor-packed, visually delicious Font Awesome marketing video? A 12-hour day, a diner full of chaos, and a guy in a hot dog suit. In this episode, Matt chats with Jory and Isaac, two key players behind the Font Awesome 7 video, about the hilarious mishaps, creative choices, and ridiculous amounts of pancakes that went into bringing the video to life.

They cover everything from why FA videos always feature food-themed settings to the art of keeping a cast of recurring characters (aka the Font Awesome Cinematic Universe). And yes, Easter eggs abound — including a cameo from FA co-founder Dave Gandy, cheers-ing a Stormtrooper, blue milk in hand. Plus, Isaac documented the whole process, creating FA’s first behind-the-scenes mini-documentary.

Key Takeaways

🔥 FA videos don’t follow the “no comedy in tech” rule — and that’s exactly why they work.

🎬 From coffee shops to candy stores to diners, FA videos always have a warm, real-world setting (because a lab full of beakers? Snooze).

🤝 The same cast keeps coming back — because the FA Cinematic Universe is a thing now.

📹 The behind-the-scenes doc captures the chaos of shooting in one day —including an entire subplot about pancakes raining from the sky.

🌭 A guy in a hot dog suit wore it all day. No, really. All day.

👀 Hidden Easter eggs in the video include an inside joke about “changing the recipe” and a blue milk cheers from FA’s co-founder.

Timestamps

🎤 0:00:09 - Welcome to Podcast Awesome! Matt sets the stage for this episode, talking about the Font Awesome 7 video shoot, the team behind it, and why humor is baked into FA’s DNA.

🎞️ 0:04:06 - The evolution of FA videos: From Kickstarter promos to a full-blown recurring cast — how FA has built a Cinematic Universe of its own.

🍪 0:10:45 - The FA video playbook: Coffee shops, candy stores, and diners—why FA videos always happen in warm, real-world food settings instead of cold tech labs.

🎭 0:18:05 - Bringing the band back together: How the same actors, crew, and production team keep the FA vibe consistent (and keep the jokes landing).

📹 0:26:11 - Lights, camera, pancakes! Improv moments, VFX wizardry, and an actor in a hot dog suit — who refused to take it off all day.

🎬 0:32:16 - The behind-the-scenes doc: For the first time ever, FA captured a full BTS look at a marketing shoot — outtakes, problem-solving, and late-day delirium included.

🐣 0:35:31 - Easter eggs and inside jokes: Dave Gandy’s blue milk toast, a deep-cut Star Wars reference, and a menu full of hidden Font Awesome-specific gems.

Links & Credits

🎥 Watch the Font Awesome 7 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmYXJGEyBXI

🎬 Check out the Behind-the-Scenes Mini Doc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3pTha-tT3c

🎵 Theme song by Ronnie Martin
 🎛 Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions
 🎤 Podcast production by Matt Johnson
 🎥 Video production and behind-the-scenes doc by Isaac Chase

Got thoughts on the episode? Hit us up on social and let us know what your favorite moment was!

Now go make something awesome. 🚀🎨

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Learn why accessible web design matters for everyone — not just users with disabilities. Lindsay Miller joins Podcast Awesome to discuss WCAG, ADA, design best practices, and tools for accessible development.

🚨 In this insightful episode of Podcast Awesome, host Matt Johnson is joined by Lindsay Miller, accessibility advocate and member of the Web Awesome team, for a deep dive into the principles, practices, and purpose of accessible web design.

Together, they explore what web accessibility really means, debunk common misconceptions, and offer practical insights for developers, designers, and digital creators. From ADA compliance and WCAG standards to UI/UX challenges, you'll learn how small choices—like proper contrast ratios or semantic HTML—can have a big impact.

🔍 Key Topics Covered:

• What accessibility means on the web (hint: it’s about inclusion, not just disability)
• Designing and coding with empathy: serving users with temporary, situational, or permanent impairments
• Why legal compliance matters: WCAG, ADA, Section 508, and how lawsuits are shaping the web
• Real-world design challenges: from color contrast to font sizes
• How Web Awesome components are accessibility-first
• Tools, resources, and guidelines used by accessibility professionals

🛠️ Mentioned Resources:

• WebAIM.org
• WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices
• The A11Y Project
• Nielsen Norman Group’s accessibility guides

Whether you're building for clients, open-source, or your own product, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone who believes in a more usable, equitable internet.

🎧 Produced and edited by Matt Johnson
🎵 Theme song: By Ronnie Martin | interstitials by Zach Malm
🔊 Mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions
📹 Video editing help from Isaac Chase / @theisaacchase

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Font Awesome 7 Here We Come! 

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we’re serving up a heaping helping of new icons, fresh features, and ProPlus goodness with Font Awesome 7! Host Matt Johnson is joined by icon designers Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus to break down what’s new — like seven all-new icon packs, a smoother-than-butter upgrade path, and under-the-hood improvements that make your icons sharper, faster, and slicker than ever.

Is it too many icons? Maybe. Are we going to stop? Absolutely not.

🎙️ Listen in as we talk about the design tweaks, ProPlus perks, and the iconic (heh) collabs that made Font Awesome 7 a reality. Plus, we drop some exclusive details on the biggest sale of the year!

💥 Don’t miss out — hit play and then ... Go make something awesome.

Timestamp Summary

🌟 0:00 | Font Awesome 7 Launch: New Icons and Features Unveiled
🚀 3:37 | Font Awesome 7 Enhancements and New Pro Plus Icon Packs
🎨 9:24 | Icon Designers Unleash Creativity with Font Awesome Pro Packs
🌌 17:18 | Creative Icon Design Inspired by Silicon Valley and Cosmic Events
🧠 21:09 | Innovative Icon Design and Preparation for Launch
✏️ 24:00 | Creating Art with Thumbprint Drawings and Icon Packs
🧭 24:48 | Creative Exploration and Unique Icon Design Inspirations
🔍 29:17 | Exploring Icon Packs and Their Creative Development
📦 32:05 | Font Awesome 7 Launches With New Plans and Icon Packs
📣 34:57 | Font Awesome 7 Pro Plus Icon Packs and Marketing Ideas

Resources & Links

• 🎶 The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/

• 🎵 Music interstitials by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/

• 🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/ 

• "After School Keyboard Club" https://pixabay.com/music/video-games-after-school-keyboard-club-casio-vl-tone-80s-chiptune-retro-151684/

• Font Awesome on the Socials

• 🌤️ Bluesky: @fontawesome.com

• 🐦 Twitter/X: @fontawesome

• 📸 Instagram: @font.awesome

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

🎬 Summary

In this Nerd Show & Tell episode of Podcast Awesome, we finally catch up with the one and only Isaac Chase — the wizard behind our ever-growing library of video content at Font Awesome. From his early dreams of making it in film and television to becoming a full-time creator on our team, Isaac shares about the challenges of starting in the film industry during the COVID era, storytelling in marketing, and more.

We chat about his background in film and marketing, his favorite movies (slow burns, unite!), creative influences, and how his love for storytelling finds a home even in screencasts and product walkthroughs. Plus, Isaac drops his hot take on the next big icon pack idea (we're looking at you, Severance fans 👀).

🧠 Key Takeaways

🎓 College Grad, Creative Dad Connection
Isaac studied digital film and TV production at Missouri State University and joined Font Awesome part-time during the industry-wide writer/actor strikes — eventually going full-time thanks to a well-timed offer (shoutout to Travis Chase, a.k.a. Isaac’s real-life dad).

🎥 From Film Sets to Screencasts
His deep love for film — especially slow-paced, thoughtful stories like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Past Lives, and Arrival — translates into his thoughtful, user-focused approach to content creation at FA.

📼 Video, Video, Video!
Isaac helped launch our video podcast format and has been leading the charge on screencasts, animations, and behind-the-scenes storytelling (more to come on that, soon!)  🎬

💻 Learning on the Job = Built-in Bonus
Despite not having a dev or design background, Isaac's learned loads about accessibility, UI, and component-based design just by working on educational content — and he's loving every minute of it.

🧃 Favorite Icon?
The cup-to-go ☕ icon has a special place in his heart (because coffee + nostalgia), and he’s got a soft spot for our teleportation icon too. ✨

🎨 Design Nerd in the Making
Outside work, Isaac’s nerding out on graphic design, especially in music merch and poster art. He’s diving into the visual side of music culture — and working with musician friends on their branding.

⏱️ Chapter Markers

🟡 00:00 – Introduction to Podcast Awesome
🎥 01:13 – Isaac’s role at FA and current projects
🎓 03:21 – Isaac’s background in film, college, and the writer's strike
🛠️ 09:12 – From film school to corporate creativity
🍿 11:22 – Favorite movies and the magic of slow storytelling
🎞️ 16:46 – How filmmaking skills shape his current work
📺 22:55 – Screencasts, branding, and learning to teach
🎨 29:43 – Nerding out on design, music merch, and FA icons
📦 32:33 – Isaac’s icon wish list (hello, Severance pack!)
🎉 44:00 – Wrap-up and thank-yous

Produced and edited by Matt Johnson
Edited by Isaac Chase
Theme Music by Ronnie Martin
Interstitials by Zach Malm
Mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions 🍋

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Episode Summary

What makes design hard? It’s not just pixels, software, or tools — it’s people. (Yep, you. And me. And all of us.) In this episode, I sit down with my friend Bryan Zug, co-author (along with Scott Berkun), of the book, Why Design is Hard, to talk about why good design is more than just good ideas — it’s about relationships, collaboration, and the messy, sometimes painful reality of working on creative teams.

Bryan was there in the early days of the web, hacking together sites before CSS was even a thing. He’s built products, led UX teams, and helped companies like Amazon and Zillow figure out how to make design work at scale. But more than that, he’s a community builder, the kind of guy who started hosting backyard firepits during COVID just to keep people connected.

I’ll be honest — this conversation was brutal to edit because Bryan has so much insight to share. If you’ve ever struggled with design bottlenecks, team dynamics, or just getting your ideas off the ground, this one’s for you.

What We Cover in This Episode

💡 Why great design is really about great relationships
 🎨 How designers can avoid getting stuck in “artifact culture” 
 💻 What designers actually do in the real world 
 📖 How storytelling can make or break your influence as a designer
 🤝 The secret sauce to making cross-functional teams actually function
 🦄 Why the lone “unicorn designer” era is over — and what comes next 

*Factually accuracy check at playback: Bryan informed me he misspoke at 7:11 when he said he was at Amazon when the pandemic hit — I was actually Zillow. NBD. Audio not edited. 

⏳ Timestamps

⏲️ [00:00] Intro – A Conversation Years in the Making

⏲️ [02:15] The Big Idea: Why Design is Hard

⏲️ [08:40] The Myth of the “Design Hero”

⏲️ [14:25] Why Design Decisions Happen in Budget Meetings

⏲️ [19:30] The Red Flags of a Company That Doesn’t Truly Value Design

⏲️ [25:10] The #1 Skill Designers Need (Hint: It’s Not Figma)

⏲️ [30:50] What Ignite Seattle Taught Bryan About Telling Better Stories

⏲️ [35:15] Outro – Why You Need to Read Why Design is Hard

Links & Resources

📖 Grab a copy of Why Design is Hard

Learn more about the co-author, Scott Berkun: https://scottberkun.com/
🔗 Connect with Bryan Zug: @bryanzug.bsky.social
🎶 The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/

🎵 Music interstitials by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/

🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/ 

"Retro Race" https://pixabay.com/music/video-games-retrorace-108750/

Font Awesome on the Socials

🌤️ Bluesky: @fontawesome.com

🐦 Twitter/X: @fontawesome

📸 Instagram: @font.awesome

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Design engineer. UX engineer. Front-end dev with opinions. What does it all mean?! In this episode, we sit down with Dave Darnes to untangle the ever-evolving world of design and development (And Dave is our first non-Font Awesomer on the pod!). We talk about why job titles keep getting weirder, whether "engineer" is a fair title for folks who work on the web, and how design systems can bridge the gap between teams. Plus, we explore the future of the role — will tools like Figma and AI replace design engineers, or will the internet always need humans who can actually build things?

🚀 Tune in for a fun, insightful, and slightly existential conversation about the intersection of design, dev, and the titles we give ourselves.

🏆 Key Takeaways

• Design Engineer: Job Title or Existential Crisis? Dave breaks down the blurry line between design and development and why this role exists.
• Gatekeeping vs. Open Web: How the internet has democratized career paths—and why some job titles might be a shield against skepticism.
• The Future of Design & Dev: Will tools like Figma and AI squeeze out design engineers, or is there always a place for people who build with craft?
• Design Systems & Developer Relations: Why advocacy (not nagging) makes or breaks adoption.
• Rockstar/Ninja/Unicorn Titles: Just ... don’t.

⏱️ Episode Breakdown

🕛 00:00 - Meet Dave Darnes – 🇬🇧 UK-based designer/developer, father of sick children (but still here for the podcast).

🎤 02:30 - The Legendary "David Darnes" Callout – A completely necessary and extremely fun moment of podcast magic.

🛠️ 06:45 - What is a Design Engineer Anyway? –  The Venn diagram of design and development overlaps in weird ways.

📛 12:15 - Why Job Titles Get Messy –  Specialization vs. generalization and the need to impress hiring managers.

🏗️ 18:30 - Engineer as a Title — Does It Matter? –  Structural engineers hold up buildings; do web engineers hold up the internet? (Kinda, yeah.)

🔄 24:00 - The Evolution of Design & Dev Roles –  How web components, CSS variables, and other tech are shifting expectations.

🥕 30:45 - How to Get People to Actually Use a Design System –  Hint: Be more carrot, less stick.

🤖 35:00 - The Battle Between Figma & AI –  Will design engineers survive the encroaching automation?

🔄 40:30 - If You Had to Rename 'Design Engineer'... – Dave's answer is almost annoyingly simple.

🔗 Resources & Links

• Check out Dave’s work: https://darn.es/

• His blog on design systems: designsystems.wtf

• Is 2025 the Year of the "Design Engineer"? 

• Submit your own “David Darnes” callout on his website (seriously, do it).

• 🎶 The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/

• 🎵 Music interstitials by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/

• 🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/ 

• "After School Keyboard Club" https://pixabay.com/music/video-games-after-school-keyboard-club-casio-vl-tone-80s-chiptune-retro-151684/

• Font Awesome on the Socials

• 🌤️ Bluesky: @fontawesome.com

• 🐦 Twitter/X: @fontawesome

• 📸 Instagram: @font.awesome

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In this episode, Dave and Matt explore First LEGO League, where kids as young as third grade tackle robotics and engineering challenges. As a coach, Dave shares how he guides his team to embrace the golden rule of engineering: Keep it simple, keep it sturdy.

Listeners will learn how to spot the difference between over-the-top complexity and straightforward solutions that just work. Practical beats fancy almost every time.

Dave also shares how his time at MIT taught him that simplicity is the secret sauce of reliable design. His mantra “Boring is Best™” takes center stage as he unpacks how choosing functional, dependable solutions often leads to bigger wins.

But this isn’t just about gears and sensors — it’s about the people behind the bots. Coaching young engineers shines a light on the ultimate truth: Good engineering is all about putting people first.

Key Takeaways:

• LEGO League 101: Where third graders gear up to build and program robots like tiny pros.
• Simple Wins: In engineering, simple and sturdy beats flashy but fragile every time.
• Dave's MIT Mantra: Inspired by his alma mater, Dave champions practical, reliable solutions.
• Power of Basics: Stick to the fundamentals, and you’ll go further than you think.
• Test, Tweak, Repeat: Early testing and iteration > chasing perfection out of the gate.

This episode is proof that when it comes to engineering (and life), keeping it simple doesn’t just work — it wins.

Timestamp

🧩 0:32 – Coaching Kids in Engineering Through First LEGO League
⚖️ 5:31 – Balancing Simplicity and Creativity in Engineering Solutions
🤖 8:02 – Simplifying LEGO Robotics: Achieving Success Through Minimalism
🤿 10:54 – Innovative Solutions for Underwater Exploration Challenges
🏆 12:38 – Boring Solutions Win Engineering Competitions
🚀 15:45 – Balancing Innovation with Customer Needs in Tech Startups
🔄 17:35 – Embracing Iteration and Accepting Being Wrong for Faster Success
🛠️ 20:01 – Embracing Simplicity and Iteration in Product Development

**Resources:

**Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
Aurora Holiday Dance

Font Awesome on the Socials

• First LEGO League
• 🌤️ Bluesky: @fontawesome.com
• 🐦 Twitter/X: @fontawesome
• 📸 Instagram: @font.awesome
• 💼 LinkedIn:   / fontawesome   

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It’s that time of year again! In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we’re reflecting on all the things that went down at Font Awesome in 2024. From expanding the Awesomeverse with Web Awesome and Eleventy to major product updates like the full release of Duotone Icons and shiny new branding, we cover it all.

You’ll hear about the Web Awesome Kickstarter campaign (success!), the arrival of industry legends Lea Verou and Zach Leatherman, and the behind-the-scenes Font Awesome updates that made 2024 one for the books. As they say. Oh, and don’t miss Jory’s epic tale of a tuxedo kitten named Toast that could easily inspire a heart warming stop motion holiday movie.

Tune in for a fun, nerdy recap of the year that was and a sneak peek at what’s in store for 2025.

Timestamp **Summary
**
🎉 0:08 | Reflecting on 2024 and Font Awesome's Upcoming Plans
 🐾 2:35 | A Christmas Miracle and a Chaotic Kitten Rescue
 🌌 7:26 | Building the Awesomeverse: Font Awesome's Expansion and Success
 🔧 10:28 | Web Awesome Simplifies Website Building with Reusable Components
 🤝 13:12 | Exciting New Hires and Developments at Font Awesome
 🎁 16:41 | Exciting Updates and Offers for Font Awesome Pro
 ✨ 18:51 | Font Awesome's Icon Expansion and Creative Uses
 🎥 25:07 | Behind the Scenes of a New Font Awesome Video
 🛠️ 27:57 | Customizing Font Awesome Kits for Optimal Website Performance
 🌱 30:12 | Evolution ... It'll Save Your Life

Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
Aurora Holiday Dance

Font Awesome on the Socials 
🌤️ Bluesky: @fontawesome.com
🐦 Twitter/X: @fontawesome
📸 Instagram: @font.awesome
💼 LinkedIn:   / fontawesome   

🖥️ Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more nerdery, tech insights, and fun!

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🍺 What’s the deal with the Ballmer Peak? Myth, meme, or just good old-fashioned developer humor? In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we unpack the hilarity and history behind this coding legend, complete with personal stories, team insights, and a responsible PSA. Whether you’re debugging at 3 a.m. or just love a good laugh, this episode has something for everyone.

(And check out the episode on our YouTube for an even more fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb77NS_zFgQ)

🍻 0:00 - Introduction to Ballmer's Peak 
💡 1:31 - What Is Ballmer's Peak? 
🎉 3:13 - Ballmer's Peak at Font Awesome Snuggle 
⚡ 5:15 - Steve Ballmer and Developer Energy 
🚀 7:07 - Achieving Peak Developer Performance 
🎶 8:32 - Real Developer Strategies for Peak Performance 
🔬 9:06 - DIY Breathalyzer and Exploring Ballmer's Peak 
🎬 10:23 - Conclusion and Credits 

Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

Font Awesome on Social 

🌤️ Bluesky: @fontawesome.com
🐦 Twitter/X: @fontawesome
📸 Instagram: @font.awesome
💼 LinkedIn:   / fontawesome   

🖥️ Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more nerdery, tech insights, and fun!

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In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt chats with Font Awesome co-founder Dave Gandy about building a workplace that doesn’t just work — but works for everyone. Whether you’re hustling in a startup, navigating open-source communities, or just trying to figure out if your boss actually values your humanity, this one’s for you. 

Dave dishes on the magic of finding the right co-founder (hint: they need to tell you when you're off your rocker), why open-source is about more than just writing code, and how empathy might just be the ultimate leadership hack.  So, if you’re dreaming of cultivating a positive work culture — or just want to avoid soul-sucking jobs — this episode is for you.

Timestamp Summary
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 0:15 | Finding Balance and Empathy in Co-Founder Relationships 
🏢 6:04 | Finding a Workplace That Values Employees as Human Beings 
🌐 14:56 | The Value of Empathy and Community in Open Source 
💡 19:29 | Empathy and Leadership: Building Teams That Care 
🎙️ 24:27 | Behind the Scenes of Podcast Awesome Production   

Key Takeaways: 
The Co-Founder Code: Pick a partner who balances your strengths and isn’t afraid to call out your crazy ideas (yes, you have them). 
Open Source Awesomeness: It’s not just about profit—it’s about passion, collaboration, and making something bigger than yourself. 
Empathy is Everything: Forget power suits; your best leadership tool is actually understanding your team. 
Work-Life Reality Check: When scouting a new job, look for a place that respects *you*, not just what you produce. 
Leadership Done Right: The best managers focus on building teams that are better than them at what matters most. 

Notable Quotes:  
💡 “You need someone next to you that’s going to tell you when you’re crazy—or not—and that is of *such* extreme value.”  
💖 “Empathy is your qualification for leadership.”  
🚀 “Management is more about how you inspire and execute, not just delivering outcomes.”  
🏆 “The best managers hire people who are better than them at the job that needs to be done.”  
🌟 “You call it a lifestyle company like it’s a bad thing. Spoiler: every company is a lifestyle.”  

Resources: 
🎨 Font Awesome: FontAwesome.com 
🐦 Twitter: @fontawesome
📸 Instagram: @font.awesome
🌌 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fontawesome.com
🎶 The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
🎵 Music interstitials by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/ 

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Ready to geek out? In this episode of Podcast Awesome's Nerd Show and Tell, Matt sits down with none other than Zach Leatherman, the tech dynamo and creator behind Eleventy — the static site generator that’s got web devs buzzing. Zach’s tech-world experience is a wild ride of innovation, grit, and love for the open web. With a little help from our team here at Font Awesome, Zach’s pushing to make open-source sustainable and bring back the glory days of personal websites, free from algorithm overlords.

Zach gets real about the rollercoaster ride of building Eleventy and why owning your corner of the internet is more important than ever. Expect some hot takes on the tech industry, social media, and how platforms like Eleventy could just be the ticket to a new wave of web independence. Plus, you’ll get a peek into the collaborative brainpower with our founders Dave and Travis backing Zach’s mission. Hold onto your icons — this one’s packed!

Key Takeaways:

• Eleventy: Zach’s creation was inspired by Jekyll, but it’s packed with unique features — no messy databases or plugins here! Simple, secure, and seriously impressive.
• Sustainable Open Source: Zach’s career shines a light on the need for open-source projects to be sustainable, allowing devs to thrive without burning out.
• Browser Dev Tools Love: Remember Firebug? Zach does. He spills on how these tools have shaped modern web development practices.
• Indie Web Comeback: Forget the social media maze. Zach’s all about owning your digital real estate, championing a return to independent web publishing.
• Font Awesome Collab: It’s a team effort! With the support of our founders and a shared mission, we’re backing Zach and Eleventy for a brighter, algorithm-free web future.

**Timestamp Summary 

🚀 0:00** | Zach Leatherman Discusses Eleventy and Open Source Challenges  

💸 1:59 | Navigating the Challenges of Open Source Project Funding  

⚖️ 13:04 | Balancing Open Source Passion with Sustainable Business Models  

🌟 20:15 | The Joy of Building Websites and Creative Storytelling  

🧻 25:26 | Debating the Proper Way to Hang Toilet Paper  

🌌 26:27 | Eleventy's Future and Integration into the Awesome Universe  

Links and Resources:

• Twitter: @fontawesome
• Instagram: @font.awesome
• Eleventy Documentation
• Zach Leatherman on GitHub

Credits:

• Theme music by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
• Music interstitials by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/

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🎙 In this episode, Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy joins our host Matt Johnson for an honest, unfiltered convo about what it means to build a *lifestyle company* (and wear that badge proudly 💪). This isn’t your typical startup hustle. We’re diving into the “people-first” culture that makes Font Awesome a standout, from character-driven hiring to redefining what success means beyond growth on charts and graphs. 🏆💼

As Dave says, instead of climbing someone else’s ladder, Font Awesome is building its own way up, with purpose, transparency, and some solid work-life balance goals. Here’s why we believe that putting *people* over profit isn’t just good business — it’s just the way the work should be. 🌱💼

 🔑 Key Takeaways:

Lifestyle Company, Proudly: We’re embracing the “lifestyle” label, focusing on growth, happiness, and well-being over sky-high returns. 📈💆‍♂️

Character > Skills: At Font Awesome, character-first hiring = trust, respect, and people who actually *want* to stick around. **🫶✨

VC Vibes Not Required:** Font Awesome skips the “thousand-X-or-bust” mentality for a sustainable, fulfilling work culture. 👋💸 

 Life Outside Work Matters: The best parts of life are outside the office—so why not bring those values in? 🏠🌅 

The Right Partner in Crime: Success means finding a partner who balances your quirks. 👯‍♂️ The perfect co-founder is a friend, critic, and cheerleader rolled into one.

Timestamp Summary

0:12 | 🌱 Building a Lifestyle Company Focused on Well-Being and Growth 
6:52 | 💼 Creating a People-First Company Against Conventional Practices 
12:04 | 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Human-Centric Product Design and Company Culture 
15:59 | 🤝 The Importance of Balanced Partnerships in Business 
20:38 | 🫶 Embracing a People-First Culture at Font Awesome

Links and Resources:

• Podcast Awesome: https://www.podcastawesome.com/
• Font Awesome Hiring Philosophy: https://blog.fontawesome.com/company-culture/
• Twitter: @fontawesome

Credits:

• Theme music by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
• Music interstitials by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/

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In this edition of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome founder, Dave Gandy, at the 2024 Snuggle in Bentonville, Arkansas. Between karaoke sessions and Hoobastank choruses (blame Ed), Matt and Dave discuss a topic on a lot of minds lately: How do you build a company where people actually want to stick around?

With a tech industry average of just 18 months at a job, Font Awesome breaks the mold — no one has left in over 10 years. Dave and Matt dive into Font Awesome’s  hiring philosophy, the importance of building a people-first culture, and how giving employees autonomy and treating them like adults might just be the magic recipe for success. 

Key Takeaways:

• Loyalty Beyond the Paycheck: At Font Awesome, it’s about treating people as humans first — loyalty comes from loyalty. Simple, right?
• Hire for Character: Skills are important, but character and culture fit are what truly makes a team thrive.
• Autonomy Matters: Give people the freedom to make decisions, and watch creativity and innovation skyrocket.
• It’s Not Just Business: A company’s culture is built on everything someone brings from outside of work, not just the hours they log in the office.

Timestamp Breakdown:

• 0:05 | 🎤 Welcome to the Snuggle: Karaoke, Game Nights, & Company Culture
• 2:30 | 🏢 The Importance of Building a People-First Culture in Tech
• 6:45 | 🧠 How Loyalty and Trust are Built When You Hire for Character
• 11:10 | 👨‍💻 Autonomy is Key: Why Giving Employees Freedom is Essential
• 15:55 | 💡 Solving Problems vs. Solving Interesting Problems: Finding the Balance
• 21:30 | 🚀 How Font Awesome Created a Company People Want to Stick With

Links and Resources:

• Podcast Awesome: https://www.podcastawesome.com/
• Font Awesome Hiring Philosophy: https://blog.fontawesome.com/company-culture/
• Twitter: @fontawesome

Credits:

• Theme music by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/

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In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt and Rob take you on a wild ride through the evolution of web icons — because who doesn’t love a good glow-up story? From the pixelated mess of Geocities and MySpace days (RIP low-res images) to the sleek world of custom web fonts and SVG's moment in the sun, they break down each tech's pros and cons so you don’t have to.

Ever wondered how icons went from blurry to brilliant? We've got questions and Rob’s got the answers! He explains how web fonts came in like a hero to save the day, improving performance and making your designs look sharp when retina screens appeared on the scene. But wait—SVGs are here too, offering even more flexibility, accessibility, and crispness for those big graphic-heavy projects. Plus, with Font Awesome Kits, you’ll learn how to easily mix and match your icons for peak performance without breaking a sweat.

So. What kind of icon is best for your project — Webfont or SVG. Rob dodges the dogmatism and simply says, "well, it depends."

Key Takeaways:

• Evolution of Icon Technology: An overview of the shift from low-resolution images to web fonts and SVGs, highlighting their impact on web design.

• Pros and Cons: Detailed comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of web fonts and SVGs, including aspects like performance, accessibility, and usability.

• Font Awesome Kits: Explanation of how Font Awesome Kits help developers navigate between web fonts and SVGs, offering features to optimize icon usage.

• Accessibility and Semantics: Discussion on the importance of accessibility and semantic considerations in choosing icon technology.

• Practical Advice: Guidance on how to decide between web fonts and SVGs for specific projects, with practical examples and insights.

  Timestamp Summary
  0:09 | 🌐 The Evolution of Icon Tech on the Web
  2:16 | 🖼️ Evolution of Web Icons from Images to Custom Fonts
  7:33 | ⚡ Web Fonts Versus SVGs for Faster and Accessible Icons
  12:13 | 🔍 Choosing Between SVG and Other Formats Depends on Your Project
  13:01 | 🎬 Web Fonts Versus SVG: Pros and Cons for Icon Animation
  15:40 | 🛠️ Making Web Fonts Accessible with Font Awesome Kits
  16:57 | 🎨 Advantages and Challenges of Using SVGs for Web Icons
  20:17 | 🚀 Optimizing Font Awesome: Web Fonts vs SVG
  26:40 | 🔧 Simplifying Font Awesome Upgrades with Kits
  28:27 | ✅ Making the Right Choice: SVG Versus Web Font

  Podcast Awesome: https://www.podcastawesome.com/
  Font Awesome Pro:  Level up with Font Awesome Pro!
  Webfont or SVG: Well, it Depends: https://blog.fontawesome.com/svg-or-webfont/
  https://fontawesome.com/plans
  Twitter: @fontawesome
  The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
  Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/

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💩⚡️ Hold onto your butts, folks, because this episode of Behind the Icon on Podcast Awesome is about to get ...  messy! We’re diving headfirst into the iconic history of one of Font Awesome’s quirkiest creations — the Poo-Storm icon. But if not for the creation of a stinker of a particular emoji, the poo-storm icon may never have come to fruition.

It all starts with the legendary rise of the poo emoji, a cultural masterpiece that has made its way into countless texts, memes, and conversations (whether you admit it or not). 💬

This episode is packed with everything you never knew you needed to know about emoji and icons, including a hilarious behind-the-scenes look at how Jory Raphael, Font Awesome’s own Icon Making Boss, got an icon mash-up idea. From the humble beginnings of the cloud icon to its thunderous twist into a storm of poo, Jory breaks it all down with plenty of laughs and middle-school humor. ✨💩

And yes, "icon creation", "poo emoji origin", and "Font Awesome magic" are the real stars here. Whether you're a design nerd or just here to catch a case of the goofballs, this episode is sure to entertain. 💥

Key Takeaways:
💩 The history of the poo emoji dates back to the late '90s in Japan 🇯🇵, thanks to Shigetaka Kurita, who basically invented emoji communication as we know it.

⚡️ And when boredom and eye-crossing monotony set in on a particularly long day of icon design, Jory Raphael mashed up the poo emoji into something even more fun — thus the Poo-Storm icon was born. 💡 Humor + design is the name of the game at Font Awesome!

🌍 Thanks to the Unicode Consortium, the poo emoji officially went global in 2010, becoming the symbol for all things cheeky and lighthearted in digital communication.

🎨 Font Awesome’s philosophy? Playful design with a side of absurdity — the Poo Storm icon embodies this perfectly.

🚽 Pro tip: The Poo Storm icon isn’t just for giggles — it’s been spotted in the wild at a plumbing company, proving even the weirdest icons have a purpose!

Timestamp:
0:09 - The Evolution and Cultural Impact of the Poop Emoji 💩
4:58 - The Creation of the Poo Storm Icon ⚡️
8:04 - The Perfect Use of a Fun Icon 🚽
10:20 - Clever Use of Poo Storm Icon on a Home Inspections Website 🏠
12:26 - Awesome Theme Song and Video Editing Credits 🎶

Notes:
💡 Shigetaka Kurita: https://emojipedia.org/shigetaka-kurita/ 
🔤 Unicode Consortium: https://unicode.org  
💩 The Poo-storm Icon: https://fontawesome.com/icons/poo-storm?f=classic&s=solid  
🏠 ROI Home Inspections: https://roihomeinspections.com/ 
🎨 Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com  
🐦 Twitter: @fontawesome: https://twitter.com/fontawesome  
📸 Instagram: @font.awesome: https://www.instagram.com/font.awesome 
💬 Threads: @font.awesome https://www.threads.net/@font.awesome  
💼 LinkedIn: Font Awesome: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fontawesome  
🎶 The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/

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In this headbanging episode of Podcast Awesome, we explore the story behind the devil horns gesture—an iconic symbol in the world of heavy metal. 🤘 From its origins in ancient superstitions to its popularization by metal legend Ronnie James Dio, this gesture has a history as rich as the riffs that accompany it. We also chat with Font Awesome’s own Jory Raphael, the creative mind behind the hand horns icon, to get an inside look at how this powerful symbol became part of the Font Awesome library. Whether you're a metalhead or just love a good story, this episode is a must-listen! 🎸

🕒 Timestamps: 
⏳ 00:09 - Heavy Metal and Visual Cues
🤘 00:35 - The Double Horns Hand Gesture
🧙‍♂️ 02:08 - Origin of the Devil Horns Gesture
🎤 02:49 - Ronnie James Dio and the Devil Horns
🧿 05:11 - The Evil Eye and Cultural Connections
🤟 06:56 - The Devil Horns as a Metalhead Salute
🎨 07:41 - The Creation of the Hand Horns Icon
🚀 09:56 - Call to Action for Font Awesome Community
🎧 12:36 - Credits and Closing Remarks

#DevilHorns #HeavyMetal #PodcastAwesome #IconDesign #MetalCulture #RonnieJamesDio

Podcast Awesome: https://www.podcastawesome.com/
Hand Horns Icon: https://fontawesome.com/icons/hand-horns
Font Awesome Pro: Ready to rock? Level up with Font Awesome Pro! https://fontawesome.com/plans
Twitter: @fontawesome
The Podcast Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions: https://www.lemonproductions.ca/

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Ever wonder how a chaotic internet meme became an iconic design? Join us in this episode as we dive into the fascinating journey of the Dumpster Fire icon—from its fiery beginnings as a viral GIF to its status as a symbol of modern times. 🔥

(And if you want ever more entertainment from this episode, make sure to check out the YouTube version!)
 
We’ll explore the history behind the phrase “dumpster fire,” its cultural impact, and how it inspired the creation of one of Font Awesome’s most beloved icons. Plus, hear behind-the-scenes stories from our design team and discover why this icon is as relevant as ever!

🕒 Timestamps: 
⏳ 00:00 Intro and Overview of the Dumpster Fire
👋 01:15 Origins of the Phrase "Dumpster Fire"
📈 03:22 The Rise of the Dumpster Fire Meme
🖥️ 05:45 Tracing the Source of the Original Dumpster Fire GIF
🎨 07:35 Designing the Dumpster Fire Icon for Font Awesome
🔥 09:10 Why the Dumpster Fire Icon Belongs in the Political Category
💡 11:50 Fun Facts and Design Insights from the Font Awesome Team
🙌 14:20 How You Can Use the Dumpster Fire Icon in Your Projects
🎉 16:05 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

#DumpsterFire #FontAwesome #IconDesign #MemeCulture #InternetHistory

Podcast Awesome: https://www.podcastawesome.com/
YouTube video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/8X40p-kfxYo
Dumpster Fire Icon: https://fontawesome.com/icons/dumpster-fire
Font Awesome Pro: Want to put the Icon Wizard to use? Grab a Font Awesome Pro subscription! https://fontawesome.com/plans
The Origin of the Internet's Most Famous Dumpster Fire: https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/the-origin-of-the-internets-most-famous-dumpster-fire/284041
Twitter: @fontawesome
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin https://ronniemartin.org/
Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions https://www.lemonproductions.ca/

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The Story Behind the Mullet Icon: Celebrating an Enduring Cultural Symbol

🎬 Join us as we delve into the resilient history of the mullet, from its uncertain origins to its pop culture prominence in the '80s and '90s. 🎸 Learn about the creation of Font Awesome's 'User Mullet' icon and enjoy entertaining stories from team members who sported mullets. ✂️ Discover the evolution of this iconic hairstyle and how it has shaped popular culture over the decades.

🕒 Timestamps:
⏳ 00:00 The Enduring Legacy of the Mullet  
👋 00:55 Introduction to the Series  
📜 01:24 Historical Origins of the Mullet  
🎤 02:19 Cultural Impact and Popularity  
📚 03:17 Etymology and Alternative Names  
🔄 05:13 The Mullet's Modern Resurgence  
🖌️ 05:35 Creating the Mullet Icon  
🎨 06:10 Design Insights from Jory Raphael  
🎉 08:47 Personal Mullet Stories  
🙌 15:57 Conclusion and Community Engagement

#MulletMadness #FontAwesome #IconicStyles #PopCulture #MulletIcon

Podcast Awesome: https://www.podcastawesome.com/
User-hair-mullet icon: https://fontawesome.com/search?q=user%20hair%20mullet&o=r
Twitter: @fontawesome
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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In this deep dive into the creation of Font Awesome's Sharp Icon Set, designers Jory and Noah share the behind-the-scenes story of transforming a casual idea into a reality. 

Jory recounts the unplanned inception of the Sharp Icon Set, initially just a bullet point on a whiteboard that evolved into a full-fledged project due to a promotional video. The discussion sheds light on the challenges they faced, such as maintaining consistency with the existing icon grid sizes and artboard constraints, while exploring the potential for new design directions in the future. Noah elaborates on his journey from Figma advocate to a pivotal member of the Font Awesome team, charged with defining the rules and styling for a sharp rendition of their iconic set.

Timestamp **Summary
**
 | 0:01:04  | The idea of Sharp icons accidentally made it into a video.
 | 0:02:01  | Sharp icons originated during a brainstorming session.
 | 0:03:31  | The concept of sharp icons was included in the version six video.
 | 0:04:09  | We'd committed ourselves to Sharp icons, and Noah was hired to help.
 | 0:06:26  | Noah played a significant role in designing the Sharp icons.
 | 0:07:47  | Noah initially declined to help, but eventually joined the team.
 | 0:09:44  | Jory worked on the Sharp icons while quarantined with COVID.
 | 0:10:53  | Matt and Noah collaborated on copy and graphics for the Sharp icons.
 | 0:11:47  | The main challenge was adapting the icons to a different grid size.
 | 0:12:20  | The challenges of maintaining consistency between icon families.
 | 0:12:50  | Making design choices to ensure compatibility with existing designs.
 | 0:13:33  | The challenges of showcasing different icon families on the website.
 | 0:14:18  | Updating icon search to include references to Sharp & Classic styles.
 | 0:15:03  | Jory and Matt discuss the user-friendly design of the icon search tool.
 | 0:15:26  | The complexity of managing a large number of icons and styles.
 | 0:16:22  | How Noah got involved with the Sharp project and his initial work.
 | 0:18:22  | Noah and Jory's collaboration on a Figma event.
 | 0:19:22  | Noah explains how he joined the Sharp project.
 | 0:20:36  | Noah discusses the challenges of creating Sharp icons.
 | 0:21:24  | The visual density between rounded and sharp corners in icons.
 | 0:22:39  | Establishing constraints for the Sharp icon set.
 | 0:25:11  | Using Sharp icon sets and their suitability for different types of UI.
 | 0:26:37  | Sharp icons work well with stark and geometric typefaces.
 | 0:27:51  | Sharp icons may be suitable for fintech and professional themes.
 | 0:28:16  | The difference between icon families and styles in Font Awesome.
 | 0:30:38  | Choosing the right icon weight based on the legibility required.
 | 0:32:23  | New icons based on a mathematical shape called the super ellipse.
 | 0:32:51  | Good design should go unnoticed and guide the user intuitively.

Show Notes

• Font Awesome: Font Awesome Website
• Twitter: @fontawesome
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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Dive into the wild world of web development with the Web Awesome team! Listen as Matt, Lindsay, and the (podcast) elusive Corey dish about their successful Kickstarter, the alpha launch of Web Awesome, and the exciting future of web components. You'll get the inside scoop on their perfectionist struggles, theming API adventures, and how they're revolutionizing the way teams collaborate. Plus, bonus cat cameos!

Timestamp **Summary
**
 | 0:10  | Web Awesome Alpha Launch and Team Reflections
 | 3:22  | Redesigning Theming API for Web Awesome's Alpha Release
 | 9:22  | Challenges in Developing Complex UI Components
 | 10:49  | Building Web Awesome: From Open Source to Paid Product
 | 15:38  | Web Awesome Pro Features and Launch Timeline
 | 19:04  | Revolutionizing Team Collaboration with Functional Design Systems
 | 23:04  | Exciting Updates on Alpha Release and Lifetime Discounts

"I think I can speak for the whole team that we're all a bit of perfectionists, so I don't think we were ever ready to release an alpha."

Lindsay - (0:02:54)

"The theming was a big thing that I think we wanted to have pretty much a bow on when we released the alpha."

Lindsay - (0:03:22)

"Shout out to Lindsey for her amazing work on the theming API, which is completely redesigned a lot, lot easier."

Cory - (0:03:59)

"Shout out to Connor, who's not on this chat today, but he did some amazing work to convert to all of the form controls to use a new API that never existed when these form controls were originally created."

Cory - (0:05:59)

"We've had quite a few issues reported so far that we're looking into a lot of discussion started."

Lindsay - (0:02:27)

"Obviously, we couldn't have done this without you."

Lindsay - (0:23:23)

"I kind of have a component addiction. I really like doing this stuff. So my hobby is also my career, and so that it's cool that that got to converge in such a way that I can work full time on something I actually really enjoy working on."

Cory - (0:13:46)

----------------------
Show Notes

• Font Awesome: Font Awesome Website
• Web Awesome: Kickstarter Website  
• Twitter: @fontawesome
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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In this episode of Podcast Awesome, host Matt Johnson takes listeners behind the scenes of starting and producing Podcast Awesome. Despite being a newbie to podcasting, Matt shares his journey, from finding the initial idea buried in a Basecamp thread to releasing 20 episodes. He discusses capturing the podcast's vibe, and choosing the right software and equipment. Matt also shares insights from podcasting veteran Matt Carter and highlights the challenges and triumphs of what it takes to capture an authentic feel. And if gear and software is your thing, there's some conversation about that, too.

Feeling intimidated by starting your own podcast? Don't know what you're doing? You're in good company, we're figuring it out, too, as we "build the plane in the air." !

Timestamp **Summary
**
 | 0:00:08  | Introduction to the podcast and its purpose
 | 0:01:04  | The decision to start recording episodes without much feedback
 | 0:02:04  | Importance of capturing the podcast's vibe and subject matter
 | 0:03:33  | Emphasis on Font Awesome's nerdery and company culture
 | 0:05:14  | Determining the purpose and voice of the podcast
 | 0:05:47  | Meeting with creative team and understanding brand guidelines
 | 0:06:25  | Advice from podcasting buddy Matt Carter
 | 0:08:06  | Choosing the right software for recording and editing
 | 0:09:58  | Workflow for editing using GarageBand, Audio Hijack, and Descript
 | 0:11:50  | Importance of quality gear for audio capture
 | 0:12:50  | Tips for getting good audio and avoiding common mistakes
 | 0:13:24  | Creating a checklist for podcasting setup
 | 0:13:49  | Importance of capturing good audio at the beginning
 | 0:14:19  | Editing tips: finding the right balance, getting feedback
 | 0:15:37  | Choosing theme music: options and licensing agreements
 | 0:16:42  | Using interstitials to create a relaxed atmosphere
 | 0:18:37  | Nerd show and tell: short episodes featuring team members
 | 0:19:08  | Constantly improving editing, hosting, and content marketing
 | 0:19:32  | Getting over the discomfort of hearing one's own voice
 | 0:19:57  | Rolling the credits: acknowledgments and production details

**Quotes

Matt-(0:02:49)**

"If you've spent any time with developers and designers, then you know they're really into the stuff that they're into, and it tends to be pretty dorky."

Matt-(0:04:43)"What's the purpose of your podcast? Maybe it's to share company news, to educate your customers, or to entertain."

Matt-(0:06:25)"The whole idea of making sure your conversation partner feels relaxed, and so the conversation feels natural."

Matt-(0:08:06)"The good news is that there's a ton of tools out there, and some of them are even free."

Matt-(0:09:11)"I started with GarageBand because I had a basic understanding of it from years past recording music demos with friends."

Matt-(0:11:50)"I don't know a single soul who likes to hear the sound of their own voice, and I'm definitely no different, but it's just something you have to get over."

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Podcast Awesome we have an inspiring chat with Konnor Rogers, a developer at Web Awesome with a fascinating career trajectory. Starting his professional life as a paramedic and self-teaching his way into web development, Connor's journey epitomizes the relentless pursuit of a  career in technology. 

Konnor shares insights into his transition from paramedic to coder, highlighting the challenges of being self-taught and the breakthrough opportunities that led to his role alongside Corey at Web Awesome. He discusses current projects such as component development, the intricacies of form association, and the excitement of tackling the much-anticipated Kickstarter stretch goals like date pickers and rich text editors. Listeners can expect to hear a developer-centric conversation enriched with the technical specifics of Web Awesome's ongoing efforts to deliver awesome components to customers.

 
Timestamp | Summary

2:58 | From Paramedic to Web Developer: A Journey of Learning
4:05 | Balancing Education, Work, and Family Life
4:38 | Discovering and Contributing to Shoelace Components
5:04 | From Startup to Microsoft and Beyond
6:45 | Unconventional Paths to Tech Careers and Self-Taught Success
9:40 | Improving Form Controls in Web Development
12:58 | Refining Radio Button Accessibility and Behavior
14:09 | Challenges of Building an Accessible Date Picker Component
17:02 | Embracing Iterative Progress in Product Development
17:03 | Challenges in Building Advanced Web Components
20:00 | Early Mornings and Unusual Paramedic Tales
23:15 | Discussing Favorite Fonts, Icons, and Web Components
25:11 | Competitive Gaming and Balancing Family Life
26:42 | Recognizing Personal Limits with Hobby Enthusiasm

Resources:

• The Odin Project: An open-source project that provides a free education in web development. The Odin Project
• Syntax FM podcast: A popular tech podcast discussing web development topics that Connor mentioned during the conversation. Syntax FM
• Font Awesome: Font Awesome Website
• Web Awesome: Kickstarter Website  
• Twitter: @fontawesome
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we chat with the Lindsay Miller, the first brave soul from the Web Awesome team to take the hot seat on the Nerd Show and Tell. 

Beginning with a look into the inception of Lindsay's career and her interaction with Font Awesome before joining the Web Awesome team, we discuss the significance of a design system — a topic often shrouded in industry jargon yet fundamental to cohesive digital experiences. Lindsay also recounts  being part of the recent Web Awesome Kickstarter campaign, which hit the 700,000 milestone.

Timestamp | **Summary
**
0:00 | Chatting Design, Tech, and Font Awesome with Lindsay Miller
3:14 | From Solo Designer to Font Awesome Enthusiast
4:13 | Embracing Company Culture and Innovative Products
6:53 | From Childhood CSS Fascination to UX/UI Professional
10:32 | Landing the Dream Job (While Experiencing Imposter Syndrome)
14:56 | Addressing Inconsistencies in Development Practices
15:54 | Design Systems: Building Blocks for Developer Efficiency
19:47 | Developing and Perfecting Thematic Web Design Systems
23:47 | Kickstarter Success Brings Exciting Yet Daunting Challenges
24:36 | The Complexities of Building an Accessible Date Picker
27:59 | Icon Design Delights and the Font Awesome Possum
32:37 | Homeownership Inspires Mario-Inspired Wall Art
34:59 | Nostalgic Reflections on Star Wars and Creative Inspirations

Resources:

• Font Awesome: Font Awesome Website
• Web Awesome: Kickstarter Website  
• Twitter: @fontawesome
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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Designing custom icons is a gas-tly important part of modern design. It can make or break a brand, and sometimes you just need to let one rip and add a bit of spice to a website or app. However, creating custom icons can be a real stinker – a time-consuming and tedious task that can leave you feeling deflated. But don't worry, the Font Awesome team has a new feature that's a real breath of fresh air: The Icon Wizard — otherwise known by the internal code name, F.A.R.T.S (Font Awesome Reusable Tidbits and Shapes.) The Icon Wizard is a new-ish Font Awesome feature that allows Pro users to add icon modifiers, which allows for nearly limitless icon options! 

Join us as we yuck it up with Jory Raphael, Mike Wilkerson, and Ed Emanuel from the Font Awesome team as we channel our inner middle schooler humor (and talk about the making of very serious software, of course!)

The project was conceived during the team's Snacktivities, which are small creative projects undertaken during their gatherings. While the initial concept did not focus on customizing icons, it evolved into the idea of applying modifiers to icons to create unique variations. The team's enthusiasm and dedication to the project led to its development during their collaborative sessions.

The Icon Wizard project presented challenges, such as user interface design and technical issues related to SVG fill rules. Despite these obstacles, the team worked together to overcome them and create a functional and user-friendly feature. This feature allowed users to select and apply modifiers to icons, providing them with the flexibility to customize icons according to their preferences.

Aside from the obviously humorous nature of this conversation, the tea, explores the practicality of the feature, highlighting the ability to add useful modifiers like a slash or a circle-plus to any icon in different styles. The team's playful banter and creative thinking during the development process added a fun and lighthearted element to the project, showcasing their innovative and humorous approach to icon design and customization.

---------------------

**Time Stamps
**
[00:00:43] Icon Wizard project and F.A.R.T.S.

[00:04:34] Customizable Icons.

[00:09:38] Challenges with SVG fill rules.

[00:11:16] SVG path winding rules.

[00:14:43] Modifier challenges and favorites.

[00:19:25] Icon Wizard and modifiers.

[00:22:26] Burrito modifiers and bacon.

------------------
**Show Notes
**
https://fontawesome.com/icons
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt talks with Font Awesome's principal engineer, Rob Madole, about Font Awesome Pro. 

At Font Awesome, we're always saying that while icons aren't going to change the world, we want to make it seamless to use. It's all about the versatility of Font Awesome Kits, their role in offering project-specific solutions, and the balance they achieve between feature richness and user friendliness. 

In the conversation, the duo explains that Font Awesome Kits are sort of like a "bag of holding" or Hermione's magic handbag from Harry Potter. They emphasize the importance of having multiple Kits for agency work or varied internal projects. These Kits allow for segregated management and efficient resource distribution. Another thing to notice is the difference between Font Awesome Pro and free. Pro users enjoy a wealth of icons and advanced features that significantly elevate their creative capabilities.

Key Takeaways:

• Font Awesome Kits are pivotal for customizing icon sets, ensuring projects use only the necessary icons and minimizing site loading times.
• Pro users have access to a vast library of over 13,000 icons and advanced styles including solid, light, thin, duotone, and sharp.
• Kits offer the ability to add custom icons or modify existing ones using the platform’s tools, effectively catering to unique design needs.
• A Pro subscription not only unlocks premium icons but also includes a perpetual license, providing continued use of downloaded versions even after subscription cancellation.
• Font Awesome emphasizes real human support for technical issues, a service highly valued in the often impersonal tech realm.

Resources:

• Font Awesome: Font Awesome Website
• Twitter: @fontawesome
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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Episode Summary:

In this  episode we chat with Font Awesome founders, Travis Chase and Dave Gandy. We delve into the intricacies of team dynamics and working relationships within the Font Awesome team. Using Patrick Lencioni's 6 Types of Working Genius framework, the episode dissects the leadership styles, strengths, weaknesses, and the collaborative fabric that help make Font Awesome successful.

Dave and Travis talk about how they navigate through frustrations in the workplace and strategies they've learned to capitalize on each other's strengths. Various aspects of the framework are highlighted, illustrating real-life examples where certain geniuses shine within the team's projects. 

Key Takeaways:

• Long-standing relationships between team members can lead to a deep understanding of each other's working styles and a healthier team environment.
• The Working Genius framework can be particularly useful in identifying and playing to the strengths of team members in various project phases.
• The 'Wonder' and 'Invention' geniuses play a pivotal role in the creative process, while 'Discernment' ensures ideas are viable.
• Understanding and accommodating for 'Working Frustrations' is crucial in team settings to avoid conflict and help productivity.
• Diversity in team geniuses is important not only to cover all areas of project development but also to foster unique perspectives to find solutions.

Notable Quotes:

• "One of the creators of WuFU was one of our mentors in YC, was in that interview. And I just remember there was a point in which they started not only talking about business, but design in business, and how design business and how a company grows, how important it is. And it was just like two wonder bombs going off." - Travis
• "The differences between people are how in our own deficiencies, that's how they get covered over. We work with other people that have those as geniuses instead of frustrations, and that's how we all together work better together." - Dave
• "There's an infinite amount you don't know, and that's not the daily assumption and how you act, then the world is a very weird place around what we don't know." - Travis
• "We are amazingly good at fooling ourselves, especially around our own capabilities, our own importance, and our own intelligence." - Dave

Show Notes: 

• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
• The 6 Types of Working Genius 

**Timestamp
**0:00:08 | Introduction to the podcast and discussion of working dynamics
0:01:29 | Reflecting on working with Dave during the YC interview
0:04:31 | Travis's working frustrations with Dave's wonder
0:08:25 | Dave's working frustration with "E" (Enablement)
0:09:23 | Importance of having all 6 working geniuses on a leadership team
0:10:30 | Travis emphasizes the importance of not avoiding frustrations.
0:11:35 | Dave asks about discernment and its importance.
0:11:44 | Travis explains the working competencies of the team members.
0:12:30 | Dave discusses Lindsay's unique perspective as a designer.
0:13:32 | Travis and Dave discuss the critical role of discernment in design.
0:14:32 | Travis and Dave talk about Brian's genius in scriptwriting.
0:16:22 | Travis emphasizes the importance of collaboration and diverse perspectives.
0:18:02 | Dave highlights the benefits of teamwork and listening to each other.

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Maybe you've heard the news? The team at Font Awesome has recently rebranded Shoelace as "Web Awesome!" To celebrate the occasion, we launched a Kickstarter. And we couldn't kick off a rebrand without a new video. 

Check it out! 

If you've been around these parts for very long, you know Font Awesome has a history of creating zany content, such as the Font Awesome 5 Kickstarter video from 2017. And for the Web Awesome video, we collaborated with the creative studio Knox Avenue once again.

The Font Awesome promo videos have been a real source of pride for our team. They're not only a great marketing tool but the videos give us a chance to showcase the personality of the brand. 

As always, the actors involved in creating these videos were great to work with. We  were fortunate to get several of the characters you know and love — Rob, Milton and Albert — along with a few fresh faces too! 

All of the actors and the whole Knox Avenue team were great to work with as always and the actors and crew members went above and beyond to helped bring the vision of the scripts to life. 

Check out the video version of this podcast on the Kickstarter page! 

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In this episode we chat with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy about the journey of finding a sustainable business model while staying true to the open source model. We discuss the origin of Font Awesome, the power of open source software, and the concept of "actualized open source." Dave shares insights into the success of Font Awesome and their approach to monetizing the project while continuing to provide value to the open source community. They also discuss the launch of their new project, Web Awesome, and their Kickstarter campaign. Tune in to learn more about the intersection of open source and business.

Key Takeaways:

• Font Awesome started as a solution to personal challenges with icons in web development and quickly turned into a global standard.
• The importance of Retina displays in driving the success of vector-based iconography, especially for Font Awesome.
• Balancing a profitable business model with the ethos of open source has resulted in continued improvement and distribution of free software.
• Actualized open source is not just about sustaining a project but enabling it to become everything it can be.
• Font Awesome maintains a commitment to not selling user data and providing a transparent business model based on value exchange.

Notable Quotes:

• "Never let your morals get in the way of doing the right thing."
• "Can we build a company full of people that can actually trust each other?"
• "Can the company and the open-source project be actualized? Can they be self-actualized?"
• "Software has this crazy thing about it that's different from the real world. The real world there is a natural scarcity... But with software, whatever we can provide in software, we can copy and distribute for almost free."
• "What if we could be a place where people could become more of who they were made to be, right, of what they know is good about them?"

**Timestamp
**0:01:23 | The origin of Font Awesome as a solution to icon frustrations
0:03:00 | Explanation of Retina displays and the significance for graphics
0:04:04 | Font Awesome's advantage of using vector graphics for scalable icons
0:06:00 | Decision to make Font Awesome an open source project
0:08:32 | Font Awesome's rapid growth and the importance of GitHub for distribution
0:09:19 | Realization of Font Awesome's potential and decision to seek funding
0:10:23 | Building Font Awesome as a company instead of relying on external funding
0:11:18 | Dave's preference to avoid fundraising and maintain control over the project
0:11:58 | Open source software should not be begging for money
0:13:15 | The challenge is to build a product that people will pay for
0:14:57 | Font Awesome found a way to make payroll & sustain open source
0:15:22 | Being a pro subscriber is similar to donating to open source
0:17:10 | Transparency and trust are important in the business model
0:20:15 | The goal is to achieve self-actualization in open source
0:23:23 | Company's mission is to fulfill employees in life and workplace
0:28:09 | Launching the web awesome Kickstarter for Shoelace (web awesome)
0:30:10 | The goal is to grow open source exponentially and provide more value
0:31:33 | Motivation should come from what's good enough about us, not what's not what's lacking.

Show Notes:

• https://fontawesome.com 
• Font Awesome YouTube channel
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

**Episode Description
**
Have you ever wondered which unique genius you bring to the table at work? In this podcast we chat with Jory Raphael, Rob Madole, and Lindsay Miller, as we dissect Patrick Lencioni's "6 Types of Working Genius" framework. It's not just about identifying whether you're a genius of enablement or invention; it's recognizing how these strengths play out in the real world. We all share tales of energy spikes and drains, revealing how a deep understanding of our working styles help level up our professional experiences and collaborations.

Team chemistry is magical, isn't it? This episode peels back the curtain on the alchemy of team dynamics, celebrating moments when our diverse strengths lead to shared success. You'll hear about Travis, our team's unsung hero, whose knack for Galvanizing brings out the best in us, and how these discoveries about ourselves and each other can turn routine tasks into triumphs. It's about more than just completing projects; it's the shared victory dance when each team member's genius shines, transforming challenges into achievements.

We wrap up with a candid look at the ebbs and flows of creating a Figma plugin, where trust and adaptability are the heroes of our story. It's a testament to the power of balancing skill with empathy and understanding that the journey toward success is rarely a straight line.

--------------------------

Highlights:

0:01:54 - Exploring Working Geniuses and Competencies (80 Seconds)

0:04:53 - Working Genius (57 Seconds)

0:15:20 - Utilizing Working Geniuses in Leadership (66 Seconds)

0:21:30 - Navigating Project Workflow and Decision Making (98 Seconds)

0:24:42 - GDPR Cookie Consent Development Setback (96 Seconds)

-------------------------

Show notes:

• Check out last season's episode on Working Genius
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
• The 6 Types of Working Genius 

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Episode 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%." - Dave

Timestamp
0:02:15 | Importance of thinking big in startups
0:04:43 | Y Combinator as a business trade school
0:05:08 | Focus and community at Y Combinator
0:09:37 | Y Combinator's selection process and emphasis on team
0:10:41 | 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 interview
0:25:44 | Receiving the call that they got into Y Combinator
0:29:20 | Considering fundraising options: Kickstarter or venture capital
0:29:48 | 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 choices
0:41:16 | The extensive interview process at Y Combinator
0:42:02 | Building relationships with mentors and colleagues
0:42:24 | Advice for entrepreneurs: listen to customers and build something they want
0:43:18 | The core value of developing relationships with good people

Show Notes:

• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
• Y Combinator

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About the Guest:

Dave Gandy is Font Awesome's Founder and an MIT alumnus who hails from Carl Junction, Missouri, and reflects on his experience transitioning from a small-town environment to the competitive halls of MIT. With a background rooted in both art and technology, Dave specialized in human-centric product design and has a strong belief in the interplay between creativity, empathy, and engineering. Detailing his educational journey, he conveys a profound understanding of personal growth through adversity, emphasizing how integral unique talents are to individual success.

Episode Summary:

In this profound discussion, Dave Gandy delves into the multifaceted experience of attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), providing a unique perspective that intertwines struggle, growth, and the eventual recognition of one's strengths. The conversation unveils the cultural nuances of MIT, the infamous acronym 'IHTFP', and the myriad emotions associated with the academic pressure cooker that is this renowned institution.

Dave candidly shares his journey from a small town to the rigorous academic world of MIT, including the realities of cultural shift and academic preparedness. He discusses the intensity of the coursework, MIT's famous hacking culture, and the pivotal moments that led to self-discovery and personal growth. Filled with engaging anecdotes, Dave also illustrates the communal encounters and extracurricular exploits that colored his time at the institute.

Key Takeaways:

• The acronym 'IHTFP' at MIT can stand for both 'I Hate This F***ing Place' and 'I Have Truly Found Paradise', reflecting the duality of the MIT experience.
• MIT pushes students to their limits, uncovering their limitations and potential, a crucial part of personal development that Dave attests can come with "good, healthy pain."
• Dave's unique combination of interests in art, technology, and human-centric design became his niche, setting him apart and allowing him to excel in areas beyond traditional academics.
• Experiences such as "roof and tunnel hacking" not only serve as a rite of passage but enforce creative problem-solving and ethical boundary-pushing among students.
• MIT's competitive atmosphere can induce significant stress and emotional upheaval, highlighting the importance of a solid personal identity and a supportive community.

Notable Quotes:

• "Any real significant personal growth will not be had in life without a good bit of healthy kind of pain."
• "A company is really nothing more than a lie that people believe long enough until it becomes the truth."
• "The real challenge in life, a lot of times is, yeah, but what can I do about it? What are the solutions?"

Timestamp
0:02:14 | MIT experiences involve pain and questioning if it's worth it.
0:05:10 | A teacher's encouragement made Dave consider MIT.
0:08:07 | MIT experiences include dangerous and fun activities.
0:11:31 | Hacking in relation to roof and tunnel hacking
0:15:44 | The practical problem-solving skills gained from hacking
0:19:52 | Dave reflects on discovering his own strengths and finding his sweet spot
0:22:26 | Dave reflects on his experience at MIT and how it shaped him
0:23:22 | The negative outcomes of being driven by emptiness
0:26:39 | Embrace the right kind of pain for growth
0:30:01 | Don't climb someone else's ladder of success
0:32:07 | Dave reflects on their personal growth and values during their time at MIT
0:34:07 | The brutal workload at MIT.

Show Notes:
The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Designers + Developers: How Font Awesome Bridges the Creative-Tech Divide

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we dive deep into the sometimes-harmonious, sometimes-hilariously-clashing worlds of design and development. Host Matt Johnson sits down with Cory LaViska (creator of Shoelace) and Font Awesome’s very own Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus to unpack the nuanced dynamics between developers and designers. From figma files to file formats, these pros explore how collaboration, communication, and culture shape better digital products—and friendlier Slack channels.

Whether you’ve ever been handed an impossible mockup or spent hours coding around a whimsical curve, this episode gives you the real talk (and real laughs) about bridging the gap between right-brainers and left-brainers. Spoiler: empathy is the secret weapon. 🧠💥

💡 What We Cover in This Episode

• 💬 Why communication is key—and how to make it less awkward
• 🧪 The designer-developer pairing method we swear by
• 🎨 How design systems like Shoelace create common ground
• 🍰 Why working in “vertical slices” beats serving sheet cake
• 🛠️ Figma, code pens, and using design tools in weird-but-brilliant ways
• 🎭 Killing ego culture to create safe spaces for learning

⏱️ Timestamps

• [00:01:08] Devs & Designers: The classic tension explained
• [00:02:18] Communication: The MVP of collaboration
• [00:04:34] Design/dev balance in Font Awesome’s DNA
• [00:06:21] Why mutual understanding beats “just trust me”
• [00:10:56] Vertical slices vs. horizontal disasters
• [00:13:11] Shoelace as a sandbox for team creativity
• [00:18:47] The value of shared design vocabulary
• [00:20:59] Being design-led vs. adding polish last
• [00:22:57] Breaking down silos, and why size matters (in teams!)
• [00:27:12] Creating a safe space for “stupid” questions

🗣️ Notable Quotes

"Communication is key. I think that's number one." — Cory LaViska
A simple truth that sets the tone for the whole discussion.

"Designers ask for the impossible a lot more than might be necessary." — Jory Raphael
Said with love—and a deep understanding of pixel-perfect pain.

"We always have a dev and a designer paired together on a project." — Jory Raphael
A peek into the Font Awesome philosophy: build together, from the start.

"Shoelace provides a common ground for both designers and developers to work from." — Cory LaViska
The power of a shared design language, distilled.

"Not wanting to appear in your eyes stupid... is such a great way to not learn anything." — Cory LaViska
Wisdom bomb incoming. Vulnerability FTW.

"You end up with a sheet cake that doesn’t have any frosting on it." — Jory Raphael
An extremely delicious metaphor for bad workflows.

"Good culture means it’s safe to ask the 'stupid' questions." — Cory LaViska
The unsung hero of productivity: psychological safety.

🔗 Links & Resources

• Font Awesome Website
• Shoelace: A forward-thinking web component library
• Font Awesome YouTube Channel
• Figma Plugin for Font Awesome
• Theme music by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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Sharp Edges, Big Wins & One Legendary PDF Mix-Up

In this season-opening episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome’s own Jory Raphael and Rob Madole to reminisce about the many wins (and one epic PDF blunder) from 2023. From launching Font Awesome Sharp to unveiling a Figma plugin and improving the release process, the team breaks down everything they built — and the lessons they learned. Plus, they tease some exciting projects coming in 2024 (spoiler: Shoelace might be getting a glow-up), and there's even talk of sketch comedy and icon wizardry... and farts. Yep, farts.

🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode:

• 🔪 The sharp, edgy arrival of Font Awesome Sharp
• 🎧 The story behind launching Podcast Awesome
• 📺 Font Awesome’s YouTube channel and promo screencasts
• 🥾 Integrating with Shoelace (and teasing secret video projects)
• 🛠️ Big upgrades to Font Awesome Kits, subsetting and CSS-only kits
• 🧰 Release process automation: from pain to power tools
• 🧪 The Great PDF Mix-Up of 2023 and how fast fixes saved the day
• 🔌 Launch of a slick new Figma plugin
• 🎉 13,000 podcast downloads and what’s coming next for Season 2

⏱️ Timestamps:

• 0:00:29 – New Year, old Macs, and 2023 kickoff
• 0:04:00 – Launching Podcast Awesome and the DIY podcast hustle
• 0:07:36 – 🎉 Font Awesome Sharp and other 2023 releases
• 0:08:52 – Shoelace partnership and top-secret filming
• 0:10:26 – Behind-the-scenes at Figma Config
• 0:12:22 – Major upgrades to Kits (subsetting, CSS-only, downloads)
• 0:15:04 – Streamlined icon release process and automation
• 0:17:50 – 🎯 The accidental "File PDF → File PNG" snafu
• 0:20:38 – Launch of the Figma plugin + Kit integration
• 0:22:50 – The Snuggle that COVID stole (sad trombone)
• 0:27:02 – Future collabs with Shoelace + Podcast Awesome S2 plans
• 0:29:21 – Behind the Icon series and fun with Poo Storm
• 0:30:39 – 🧠 Y Combinator experiences, Pro benefits, and icon wizardry
• 0:31:13 – Reusable shapes a.k.a. F.A.R.T.S and stage-worthy sound effects
• 0:32:16 – Thanks for 13,000 downloads!

💬 Noteworthy Quotes:

“It was one of those features we've wanted for years. Subsetting Kits finally makes Font Awesome faster and more flexible for everyone.” – Rob Madole

“Font Awesome Sharp brings a whole new look. Edgy, clean, and totally sharp.” – Jory Raphael

“Let that be a lesson, folks. Test early and often… especially before a Snuggle.” – Matt Johnson

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Font Awesome Website
• Font Awesome YouTube Channel
• Font Awesome Figma Plugin
• Theme song by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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Why Font Awesome Uses Shape Up: Ditching Backlogs and Shipping Better Software

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome co-founder Travis Chase for a deep dive into the project management philosophy that keeps the FA ship sailing smoothly — Shape Up, the brainchild of 37signals (makers of Basecamp). If you're tired of bloated backlogs, eternal sprints, or shipping stress, this one’s for you.

They contrast Shape Up with traditional methodologies like Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, and Kanban, and unpack how Font Awesome’s flavor of Shape Up—built around six-week splits and two-week cooldowns — helps them actually ship meaningful features without burning out. They also talk about the power of constraints, creative freedom, and why abandoning some work is not a failure —it's strategy.

🤓 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🧠 Why Shape Up beats the backlog bloat
• 🛠️ The downside of building everything all at once
• 📦 How six-week splits & two-week cooldowns keep FA productive
• 🚀 Space Awesome and other cool-down creations
• 🔮 How creative constraints unlock innovation
• 💡 Tools like Haunt Forge & Icon Wizard born from autonomy
• 📚 37signals’ books that shaped Font Awesome's ethos

⏱️ Timestamps

• [00:00:09] Shape Up Method and How Font Awesome Uses It
• [00:02:41] Traditional Waterfall and Agile Methodologies
• [00:04:22] Agile and Kanban Methods in the Real World
• [00:07:51] Product Development Lifecycle with Shape Up
• [00:09:15] Six-Week Splits and Two-Week Cooldowns
• [00:11:18] Side Projects like “Space Awesome”
• [00:12:39] Shape Up Workflow Breakdown
• [00:15:39] Project Management Meets Business Philosophy
• [00:19:16] 40-Hour Work Weeks & Whole-Person Thinking
• [00:20:51] Autonomy & Creative Flow at Work
• [00:22:39] Behind the Scenes of Haunt Forge
• [00:23:56] Icon Wizard + the Magic of Constraints
• [00:27:35] Iterative Dev à la Basecamp
• [00:29:41] Wrapping Up: Software and Project Management Insights

🔗 Links & Resources

• 📘 Shape Up (Book) 
• 📗 Always Be Shipping (and On Time for Dinner): Why We Use Shape Up 
• 🧠 It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work
• ⚙️ Haunt Forge Font Engine
• 🧙‍♂️ Icon Wizard
• 🎵 The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• 🎧 Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

🔖 Noteworthy Quotes

"One of the surprising things and sort of a takeaway I took from reading Shape Up is that it's okay — It might even be expected that certain work gets abandoned and that shipping really is the highest priority and that backlogs kill productivity. And that kind of goes along with the philosophy, too, of work, that you have to have constraints and limits to actually allow creativity to flow. And you can't do everything. So you do have to have constraints. You do have to be able to say no. "

"Dave and I take a lot of inspiration from the books that 37Signals put out like Rework and It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work. And trying to maybe do business differently, do our own spin on it, see what works for us based on all the places we've worked. And kind of how we would try to change things."

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Working Genius at Font Awesome: Dave Gandy on Building Stronger, Happier Teams

In this illuminating episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy to unpack the magic behind Patrick Lencioni’s “Six Types of Working Genius.” It's a deep dive into the power of knowing your work style, building better teams, and unlocking peak productivity—without all the corporate gobbledygook. Dave explains how Font Awesome embraced the Working Genius framework, why it matters, and how it's shaping everything from meetings to morale. If you're a startup nerd or workplace culture aficionado, this one’s for you.

🤓 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🧠 What are the Six Types of Working Genius (WIDGET!) and why they matter
• 🌍 Why remote work success hinges on IRL relationships
• 🛠️ How organizational health is a competitive edge
• 💥 The difference between work that energizes vs. drains you
• 👥 Why understanding how others work might be your secret weapon
• 🎯 The practical impact of knowing your team’s working geniuses
• 🔧 How better meetings = more efficiency, less money torching

🕰️ Timestamps

• [00:06:19] Six types of working genius
• [00:09:53] Remote work relationships
• [00:16:57] Wonder and innovation
• [00:19:12] Taking the time for work
• [00:23:09] Importance of being a domain expert
• [00:24:55] Tenacity in the workplace
• [00:27:58] Ideation process and meetings
• [00:30:43] Working geniuses and efficiency
• [00:33:59] Organizational health and satisfaction

🔥 Best Quotes

“Font Awesome is a company of nerds who like people. Not machines —people.” — Dave Gandy“

"Working genius isn’t about skills. It’s about energy — what lights you up and what drains you.” — Dave Gandy

"Just because you’re not a domain expert doesn’t mean you're better at managing. That’s a warm blanket of nonsense.” — Dave Gandy

"Understanding how work gets done is the first step to actually changing reality.” — _Dave Gandy
_

🔗 Links & Resources

• The Six Types of Working Genius
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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🎸 Code, Kits, and Killer Guitar Riffs with Jason Otero

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome software engineer Jason Otero to dive into the rhythms of code and chord progressions alike. Jason talks about what it’s like working on Font Awesome Kits, his experience with six-week splits (spoiler: better than two-week sprints), and why taking time to cool down after intense work sessions is chef’s kiss for productivity.

We also nerd out about loading Kits using only CSS, explore Jason’s thoughts on WebAssembly and Rust, and hear about his double life as a guitarist in two bands, one of which is Blister Soul. It’s an episode with strong tech, strong opinions, and strong guitar tones. Plug in and press play.

🎧 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🧪 Six-week splits: why they beat sprints
• 🎛️ Jason’s clever new way of loading Font Awesome Kits
• 💅 CSS-only web font Kits? You bet!
• 🧠 Embracing “cool down” time for better tech work
• 🛠️ Rust, WebAssembly, and Jason’s programming faves
• 🎸 His guitar gear rabbit hole (you know the one)
• 🤘 Life in not one but two bands

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:00:36 — Six week splits vs two week sprints
• 00:05:57 — New method of loading Kits
• 00:07:18 — CSS-only web font Kits
• 00:09:47 — Project management methods
• 00:12:41 — Full benefits of 'cool down' time
• 00:18:33 — WebAssembly and Rust technology
• 00:19:09 — Programming language preferences
• 00:22:14 — Favorite icons and hobbies
• 00:26:33 — Guitar gear obsession
• 00:31:38 — Music and Band Promotion

🎙️ Notable Quotes 

• “That process of logical deduction that you have to do whenever you're troubleshooting something I think kind of helped lead me toward the development side of things.”
   (On how installing alarm systems shaped his dev skills)
• “For people that just don't really want to use a lot of JavaScript... we now are getting ready to release a new way of loading the kit that is only using CSS.”
   (Re: CSS-only Kits as a streamlined solution)
• “The cool down, they're nice for many things... it's a great time for fixing bugs, putting on polish, trying out new things.”
   (Explaining the value of Font Awesome’s Basecamp-style 6-week split + 2-week cooldown rhythm)
• “It was a little hazardous. I used like a big old mixer... and to clean it, they would literally set it on fire.”
   (Recalling his teenage glue-mixing job — the most pyro-nerdy flex ever!)
• “I haven't counted up recently the number of guitars I have, but it's probably in the range of 15 or so.”
   (Guitar gearhead status: confirmed)
• “We want to give customers cool stuff because it's cool to have customers like to use our stuff.”
   (Why he loves shipping features that solve problems)

🔗 Links & Resources

• Blister Soul (Jason's band – rock on 🎶)
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

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🎧 The Fine Art of Structure & Chaos — Inside Font Awesome’s Creative Process

What happens when you mix dinosaur icons, brain science, and a meticulous-yet-messy creative workflow? You get a peak behind the pixel curtain with icon maestros Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus! In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt chats with the duo about their icon design process — equal parts strategy and serendipity.

From high-level sketches to final pixel perfection, Jory and Noah reveal how they balance structure with creative chaos using tools like Figma and a well-worn sketchpad. Along the way, we explore productivity hacks, the rhythm of creative flow, and yes — dinosaur design drama. 🦖💡

🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode:

• 🧠 Icon design as both art and science
• ✏️ Why sketching still matters in a digital world
• 🦕 The joy and struggle of designing dinosaur icons
• 🛠️ Why Figma makes their workflows less "rawr" and more "refined"
• 🧬 What brain science and music have to do with creativity
• 🗓️ Rebuilding your schedule to support creative energy
• 💥 How pressure impacts the design process—for better or worse

⏱️ Timestamps

• [00:01:23] Design process
• [00:05:01] High level sketching
• [00:07:45] Figma for interface design
• [00:10:39] Designing dinosaur icons
• [00:14:08] Messy creative process
• [00:17:13] Creative process and productivity
• [00:20:31] Brain science in music
• [00:23:38] Creating a new schedule
• [00:26:52] Creative process and pressure

🎯 Top Noteworthy Quotes from Jory & Noah on Design Process

On Messy Creativity:

“The creative process in general is so by its very nature, amorphous and all over the place.” — Jory Raphael

On Collaborating Across the Fence:

“Sometimes I will design something, take a kind of a first pass at it, kick it across the fence to Noah, and he'll go in and tweak it and add, improve it generally... it's kind of collaborative when it needs to be and isn't when it doesn't need to be.” — Jory Raphael

On Tool-Based Sketching:

“My sketching process is like digitally drawing right in the program itself.” — Noah Jacobus

On Dinosaur Design Woes:

“The Tyrannosaurus... it’s not done yet... you have to find a way. Like, you can bend, or is it squatting? Does it look like it's pooping instead of standing up?” — Jory Raphael

On Visual Rhythm in Workspaces:

“I often will put a movie or a TV show on my little side monitor... just something I can kind of pay half attention to... helps me just get into a zone where I can draw.” — Jory Raphael

On Brain Science and Structure:

“There’s got to be brain science to this stuff for sure.” — Matt Johnson
“We just draw small pictures, Matt.” — Jory Raphael

On Icon Design Pressure:

“We’re not on the hook to force anything to work. It can be much more freeform.” — Noah Jacobus

On Growing Process Needs:

“What works when there's a smaller group of people doesn't work necessarily as well when there are more... We put in as much process as we need to.” — Jory Raphael

🔗 Links & Resources

The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin

Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

🎧 Episode Summary: Design Systems, B-Grade Horror, and a Splash of Rum with Kelsey Jackson

In this episode of Nerd Show and Tell, Matt kicks back with Font Awesome’s (now a part of the Web Awesome team) Designer and Front-End Developer, Kelsey Jackson. If you’ve admired how snappy and stylish the Font Awesome site looks lately — yep, that’s Kelsey’s handiwork. From refining a slick internal design system to mixing tiki drinks and geeking out over B-horror classics, this convo serves up career insights and cult movie nerdery with a twist.

You'll hear how Kelsey conned "convinced" Dave Gandy to bring him onboard the FA crew, his high school art teacher’s pivotal advice, and why middle-shelf rum might just be the real MVP of mixology. Oh, and if you're into “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” buckle up.

🔍 What We Cover in This Episode

🎨 Creating an internal design system that doesn’t suck
 🍿 Kelsey’s wishlist for horror-themed icons
 🧪 Drawing-to-design transitions and nerdy career pivots
 👟 Bourbon, sneakers, and the legend of the Snuggle swag
 🍔 Cooking inspo from The Bear and YouTube foodies
🍹 Why expensive rum is a scam (probably)

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00:16 – Creating an Internal Design System and More
00:02:43 – Kelsey’s Job at Waco Media as Developer/Designer
00:04:28 – Drawing vs. Design: The OG Connection
00:07:29 – Refining Font Awesome’s Design System
00:11:57 – Why Design System Consistency Matters
00:13:27 – Web Components, AI, and the Content Creation Game
00:15:34 – Horror Movie Icon Wishlist
00:17:32 – B-Horror and Bad Job Flashbacks
00:22:07 – Car Wash Reflections + Disaster Relief Vibes
00:27:49 – Bourbon at the Snuggle, Kicks, and Spirits
00:29:47 – Cooking Steak & Mixing Tiki Drinks
00:31:25 – Thoughts on The Bear
00:33:29 – Matty Matheson’s Culinary Comedy
00:35:18 – Resources for Building Design Systems

🎤 Noteworthy Quotes 

🎨 On Becoming a Designer

“If you want to sort of stay connected to the art world and not be broke, you might want to look into design.” — on advice from his high school art teacher

🤝 On Meeting Dave Gandy

“It's weird how people were just afraid to walk up to the man and introduce themselves, and I was one of the few that did that... I’ve kind of been working that angle up since I met the guy. I wanted to work at Font Awesome.”

🛠️ On Building a Design System

“A design system is a set of standards to help manage design at scale. It reduces redundancy and creates a shared visual language.”

📚 On Learning Design Systems

“I just jumped in... I landed on Brad Frost and his Atomic Design, and that helped me figure it out.”

🔗 Links & Resources

• Atomic Design by Brad Frost
• Nielsen Norman Group
• The Bear – Hulu
• Matty Matheson
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space – IMDB
• Sam the Cooking Guy – YouTube
• Babish Culinary Universe
• Joshua Weissman – YouTube

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Why Font Awesome Switched to Figma: Boolean Magic, Sharp Icons & Real-Time Design 🚀

In this fun and vector-loving episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt catches up with icon design duo Noah Jacobus and Jory Raphael to chat all things Figma. They unpack what makes Figma such a killer tool for collaborative design — hello, real-time editing and Boolean wizardry! We also peek into how it compares to Adobe Illustrator, get the scoop on Adobe’s acquisition of Figma, and daydream about a possible Font Awesome plugin in the future. Whether you're a vector nerd or just Fig-curious, there’s plenty to love here.

✨ What We Cover in This Episode

• 🌈 “Figma has rainbow magic.” (For real, it does.)
• 🤝 Real-time collab and why it rocks for icon design
• 🧮 Boolean operations and non-destructive editing, aka vector sorcery
• 🏢 Adobe's acquisition of Figma: friend or foe?
• 🧩 Plugins, problems, and finding fixes with the Figma community
• 💡 How Sharp icons + Figma = the dream team

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:05:56 Tools don’t always matter (but sometimes they really do)
• 00:12:12 Adobe owns Figma now
• 00:12:31 Adobe acquisitions: the good, the bad, the ugly
• 00:24:22 Linking Font Awesome Pro accounts
• 00:27:09 Figma has rainbow magic 🌈✨

🔗 Links & Resources

• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions
• 10 Reasons We Switched to Figma for Icon Design

-------------------

**HIGHLIGHTS

**"So Figma has rainbow magic." (00:26:57-00:27:19)"Figma is a central place where we can both work in the same file at the same time. 

If I make a change, he sees it." (00:20:52-00:23:44)"Noah is entirely responsible for us moving to Figma." (00:00:00-00:03:29)

"And the ability to easily test things in the context of digital products is kind of where it found its place for me." (00:03:23-00:06:24)

"Being able to identify each of those, you know, every element of a stroke shape or path and make adjustments to it that way is pretty cool." (00:17:58-00:20:57)

"Boolean operations are one of the biggest ones... it's kind of a unique way of treating stroked objects like their actual shapes at the same time... that is something that it can't do. So it's a nice more unique feature." (00:15:08-00:18:08)

"I think that Figma is enough of a powerhouse kind of on its own that that's not going to happen with the employees there and the community, especially as such a huge force with a lot of momentum behind it that helps support the product and keeps it moving." (00:11:51-00:15:16)

"There are just tons of things that are out there that if you run into an issue, someone else likely has run into it already and there's probably a plugin that exists to fix it or address it, which is awesome." (00:23:38-00:27:07)

"But what started to become really appealing to me about Figma was, as Noah said, some of the, well, number one, the simplicity of collaboration, which is now super important because we have multiple icon designers at Fawn Awesome, but also some of their unique takes on doing things with vectors." (00:06:17-00:09:04)

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🎧 Episode Summary: Finance Wizards & Fitness Quests with Joey Henson

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Joey Henson, Controller at Font Awesome and low-key wizard of spreadsheets, startup survival, and Hogwarts-worthy metaphors. Joey opens up about his journey through the high-pressure world of startup finance, what burnout looked like after becoming a parent, and how Font Awesome’s uniquely human work culture has helped him reclaim balance and joy in his career.

We dive into how Font Awesome’s values around work-life balance, empathy, and thoughtful leadership created space for Joey to rediscover what matters: family, fitness, and—yes—fandom. From conjuring Harry Potter analogies to explain how Kits work, to lobbying for a wizarding icon set, Joey brings humor and heart to everything he does. He also talks about his recent health transformation, the joys of counting macros, and his budding love affair with Ruby on Rails.

Whether you're a finance pro, a budding dev, or a wand-wielding D&D nerd, this episode’s got something magical for you.

✨ What We Cover in This Episode

• 💼 Burnout in the startup finance world
• 🧘 Work-life balance at Font Awesome
• 🧙 A Harry Potter metaphor for Kits (Hermione’s bag FTW!)
• 🧮 Learning SQL, Ruby, and Rails for fun
• 🍳 Why Joey counts macros and how it changed his life
• 🧙‍♂️ Dungeons & Dragons meets nutrition tracking

🕒 Timestamps

• 00:03:50 Reflection on the Challenges of Working Long Hours
• 00:05:27 Self-Development and Quality of Life at Font Awesome
• 00:08:43 Tech, Finance, and Harry Potter Icon Pack at Font Awesome
• 00:11:13 Exploring Harry Potter Lore to Explain Kits
• 00:18:34 Dungeons & Dragons and Nutrition Habits
• 00:20:20 Counting Macros for Optimal Health and Fitness

🔗 Links & Resources

• A Beginner's Guide to Counting Macros
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

-----------------------

**HIGHLIGHTS
**
 In a previous Snuggle, we were talking about metaphors or some way to describe how a kit works. And I seem to remember an allusion to Harry Potter lore would maybe be a good way to explain it. I think we discovered that there was confusion among folks between whether a kit is populated like it's a container that's full of something, or if it's empty and you add to it. And what we came around to say was more accurate is that a kit comes fully loaded with everything you might want to use.

Yeah, it is. So Hermione, the beaded bag, it had an undetectable extension charm on it. They used that multiple times in the books and the movies. And it is it's kind of like the DND bag of holding where you can pull out a lot of stuff if you know what's in there. And it comes pre loaded. That works. So, like with Hermiones, the best analogy I could think of was they needed a ton of books and they needed clothes, and when they needed that, Hermione said, oh, let me grab that. Let me just get that out of this bag here. And that's kind of how the kits work, too. You're 100% right. I remember that conversation now where it's, hey, you don't have to worry about it. We've already got it handled for you, and we're going to make it super easy for you to get that out of there.

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Behind the Scenes at Config: Icon Design, Figma Variables, and Public Speaking Tips | Podcast Awesome

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, host Matt Johnson gets the post-Config download from Font Awesome’s resident icon heroes, Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus. They dish on their experiences at the legendary Config design conference, spill the beans on what it’s like to speak in front of a crowd (or an empty room 😅), and reflect on the power of Figma’s tools—especially variables. They also talk about Adobe’s acquisition of Figma and why designer-led storytelling still reigns supreme. Whether you’re a Figma fanatic or just love a good nerdy confab, this one’s for you.

Spoiler: They also reveal the secret sauce behind prepping a slick design talk... and it’s not just coffee. ☕

💬 What We Cover in This Episode

• ✨ Figma’s future post-Adobe acquisition
• 🇮🇸 Insights from Halli Thorleifsson’s keynote (and that viral Elon moment)
• 🎤 What it’s really like to speak at Config
• 🧠 How structure helps defeat public speaking nerves
• 💻 Variables in Figma—big win or major whoa?
• 🎨 Icon design wisdom from the stage to your screen

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:02:23 — Figma's acquisition by Adobe
• 00:06:06 — Keynote by Icelandic entrepreneur Halli Thorleifsson
• 00:10:28 — The awkwardness of speaking to an empty room
• 00:14:14 — Structuring a conference talk (with some serious prep tips)
• 00:17:25 — Virtual presentations & why feedback matters
• 00:22:07 — Exploring variables in Figma (🎉 design nerd gold!)
• 00:24:18 — Outro & reflection

🎤 Quotable Highlights from the Episode

On Conference Impressions

“It’s kind of poop-your-pants big.” – _Jory Raphael
_

On Speaking Prep

“We got a couple little tee-hees out of our stage manager… we’re hoping for some good guffaws and chortles when we actually get people in the room.” – Jory Raphael

On the Power of Good Talks

“The ability to explain these concepts… and make it understandable and clear and funny and silly and memorable… it lingers.” – Bonnie Kate Wolf

On Conference Support

“They gave us a designer advocate, Miggy, who was our support throughout the whole process… it made the process a lot less scary.” – Jory Raphael

On Audience Energy

“By the 10th time through it… you wonder if any of it still makes sense. Actually being able to receive that validation from the crowd… was amazing.” – Noah Jacobus

🔗 Links & Resources

• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions
• "Pixel Perfect" by Lesiakower
• "Legends" by Kim Lightyear 
• "8-Bit-Space" by Purrsahfef
• "Retrorace" by WolfBeat
• "Victory Screen" by Lesiakower
• "Elixir of Life" by 23843807
• Interstitial music by Muzach <

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Inside Icon Design: Jory Raphael & Noah Jacobus on Font Awesome’s Creative Evolution

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome’s pixel-pushing power duo, Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus. It’s a deep dive into the art and nerdery of icon design, from the origins of Font Awesome to the philosophy behind its newest visual frontier: the Sharp family of styles.

Jory lets us in on how a longtime “designer crush” led to hiring Noah, and the two get real about what makes an icon actually, well...iconic. Along the way, they share design secrets, reminisce on the Kickstarter days, and explain how constraint is the mother of creativity.

Whether you're a seasoned designer or someone who just really likes a well-drawn pencil icon, this episode's got you covered with smart takes, strong opinions, and a whole lotta SVG love.

💬 What We Cover in This Episode

🎨 Designer Crush Confessions – how admiration turned into collaboration
💼 From Symbolset to Font Awesome – the acquisition that made sense
🎥 Kickstarter Chaos – behind the scenes of the big launch video
🧠 Designing for Clarity – what makes an icon communicate well
🖼️ Icons as Fine Art – yep, they're basically the cave paintings of the digital age
📏 Embracing Constraints – why limits fuel creativity
🔄 Font Awesome 6 Makeover – the redesign that refreshed the whole brand
🎯 Tips for Budding Designers – how to train your eye and your pencil tool

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00:39 – Designer Crushes
 00:05:57 – Font Awesome acquires Symbolset
 00:08:19 – Creating a video for Kickstarter
 00:11:20 – Designing niche icons
 00:12:10 – Design icons to convey meaning
 00:13:40 – The power of icons
 00:17:02 – Icons as a continuation of art
 00:18:12 – Creativity thrives with constraints
 00:23:36 – Font Awesome 6 redesign
 00:24:45 – Icon design tips
 00:28:49 – Developing artistic taste
 00:30:29 – Practice makes perfect
 00:33:00 – Constantly improving design quality

🔥 Top Noteworthy Quotes

🎨 On Creative Admiration and Hiring

"Noah for a while now has been one of my designer crushes." – Jory
 (Followed by:)
 "All the work he creates is beautiful and engaging and lovely. The way I got over my jealousy of Noah’s work was to hire him."

🕶️ On Good Design Being Invisible

"Good design is invisible, right? If we’re doing our jobs correctly, people aren’t noticing it." – Jory

🎯 On the Joy of Constraints

"I really like constraints. They engender creativity." – Noah
 "Knowing the box you’re trying to fill in lets you reroute your decisions in more creative ways."

💾 On the Real Impact of Their Work

"I love being able to say: oh yeah, that’s one of our icons right there. You’ve seen our stuff—you just didn’t know it." – Jory

💡 On Artistic Growth and Imperfection

🤯 On Self-Awareness (and Icon Designer Humor)

"I fooled you all and you’ll eventually discover I have no idea what I’m doing." – Noah

🔗 Links & Resources

• Font Awesome – Icons you love (and some you didn’t know you needed)
• Symbolset – The icon font predecessor acquired by FA
• 🎵 Theme song by Ronnie Martin
• 🎚️ Audio mastered by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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🧠 From Walmart to Wobbly Circles: Mike Wilkerson Talks Code, Creativity, and Curves

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, host Matt Johnson chats with Mike Wilkerson, lead programmer at Font Awesome, about the beautiful overlap of programming, design tools, and quirky obsessions like the Marble Machine X.

Mike walks us through his journey from an unexpected start in tech (thanks, Walmart!) to becoming the mastermind behind the internal tools our design team uses every day. Ever wonder what makes an icon wiggle just right? Mike’s got a thing for circles, curves, and SVG perfection — and he explains how even the simplest shapes require complex problem-solving.

🎧 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🛠️ The origin story of Font Awesome’s custom design tools
• 🔵 The mystery of SVG circles and their natural imperfections
• 🌀 Mike's obsession with getting the "wobble" just right
• 🧘 His approach to mindfulness and how it improves his work
• 🥁 Why Martin Molin’s Marble Machine X is his creative muse
• 💡 How loving your work can emerge from the mundane

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:00:36 – Design Tools for Font Awesome’s Icon Team
• 00:07:24 – SVG Circles That Just Won’t Behave
• 00:07:48 – The Art of Perfecting Imperfections
• 00:12:12 – Mike’s Favorite Font Awesome Icons
• 00:16:57 – Meditation as a Developer Superpower
• 00:19:30 – Fanboying Over the Marble Machine X
• 00:23:40 – Finding Joy in the Everyday Tasks
• 00:26:17 – Loving Good Curves (In Code and Life)

Noteworthy Quotes

🎯 On Falling in Love with Code

“I didn’t really fall in love with computer programming until after college. I had to be at my desk at Walmart at 7:30 a.m. in a tie… so I’d wake up earlier just to get a couple hours of coding in for fun.”
 — Mike Wilkerson

🛠️ On Font Awesome’s Internal Design Tool (The Factory)

“The factory is what I worked on this past split… It's the tool that our icon designers use to import their designs and convert them into the right format. Everything from naming and unicodes to search tags — it all flows from there.”
 — Mike Wilkerson“

🔵 On Perfect Circles & SVG Wobble

“Some of the icons are supposed to be circles… but the design tool was approximating circles from the start. By the time they get to font glyphs, you end up with something that looks a little bit wobbly — if you look close enough.”
 — Mike Wilkerson“

🎼 On Marble Machine X & Creative Nerdiness

“It’s both art and engineering… music and engineering. And I’ve lived in both of those worlds. So seeing all that come together in one project — that’s pretty great.”
 — Mike Wilkerson“

💡 On What Makes Great Work

“That’s the thing about nerding out — it’s appreciating, caring, and loving what you do. That kind of love makes a better product… and it makes creating it more enjoyable.”
 — Mike Wilkerson

“Circles gotta be curvy.” — _Mike Wilkerson
_

🔗 Links & Resources

• 🎹 Marble Machine X by Martin Molin
• 🎶 The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• 🎧 Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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🎙️ The Beautiful Catastrophe: Lessons from Failing Forward with Dave Gandy

What if failure wasn’t the end — but the beginning of something awesome?

In this introspective and surprisingly funny episode of Podcast Awesome, host Matt Johnson sits down with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy to get real about the stumbles, scrapes, and hard-earned wisdom that came from flunking out of MIT — twice. Yep, twice.

From crashing through academia to launching one of the most successful tech Kickstarters of all time, Dave opens up about the not-so-straight path to building something meaningful, and the strange truth that sometimes... believing the lie is part of what makes it real.

This one’s a goldmine for startup dreamers, believers in second (and third) chances, and anyone who’s failed their way into something better.

🔹 What We Cover in This Episode

• 🎓 Dave’s two-time flunk from MIT and what it taught him
• 🔄 How failure can be rebranded as feedback
• 🚀 Behind-the-scenes chaos (and hope!) of the Font Awesome 5 Kickstarter
• 🔮 The psychology of self-fulfilling prophecies
• 🤝 Finding the right co-founders and learning to trust again
• 🧠 Why doing hard things is the ultimate learning machine

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:04:54 Failure is not final.
• 00:07:30 Embrace reality and grow.
• 00:10:06 Failure is an opportunity for growth.
• 00:18:56 Nothing is ever truly failure.
• 00:23:25 Find trustworthy partners for success.
• 00:27:05 Trust your teammates.
• 00:29:09 Try hard things and learn.

🎙️ Noteworthy Quotes from Dave Gandy on Failure, Reality, and Resilience

• "A startup is nothing more than believing a lie long enough that it becomes the truth."
• "Failure is really nothing more than reality attempting to introduce itself to us."
• "Most companies don’t ever recognize that this will almost certainly not be the last place you ever work. Climbing somebody else’s ladder is always a form of failure."
• "The only real failure is giving up, giving in… not making a conscious choice."
• "Nothing is ever failure if you’ve done it the right way — the way you think is right and healthy."
• "If we're only ever succeeding in life, that means we're never trying anything hard enough that truly challenges us."
• "Humility is one of the things we look for most in people we hire."
• "I can always come up with a reason why something is somebody else's fault. That’s why humility is such a key component."
• "Try hard things and find the right person to do them alongside."
• "There are two kinds of successful failures: choosing to stop because it’s wise, and choosing to go on because it’s wise. The only truly awful one is stopping without making the choice."

📎 Links & Resources

• Y Combinator
• MIT
• Make Some People Want: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Font Awesome's 2017 Kickstarter
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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🎙️ Why We Hire for Humility (Over Skill) — Building a People-First Culture at Font Awesome

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt, Dave Gandy, and Travis Chase get real about what makes a company culture thrive — and it starts with hiring the right humans. Not “rock stars.” Not “ninjas.” Not “10x devs.” Just humble, collaborative people who love to learn and do great work.

Dave and Travis share how they took inspiration from 37signals’ books and blog, decided to ditch the ego-heavy hiring tropes, and chose instead to build a people-first culture at Font Awesome. That meant rethinking how they assess new team members — with a focus on character over clout.

This episode unpacks lessons they've learned, mistakes they avoided, and what it means to work with folks you'd actually want to build things (and grab tacos) with.

⏱️ Timestamps

• 00:13 – Creating a Unique Work Culture
• 02:26 – Exploring the Possibilities of Entrepreneurship
• 04:07 – How Basecamp Found Success Through Dignity
• 05:32 – Hiring Practices That Actually Work
• 07:06 – The Rock Star Myth and Its Fallout
• 08:26 – Work Product vs. Character Fit
• 12:05 – Hiring for Humility and Growth
• 14:19 – Trust-Building and Healthy Disagreements
• 15:53 – Humility: The Culture Code

🔗 Links & Resources

• 37signals
• Company Culture: Why We Hire for Humility (Over Skill)
• Theme song composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

—------------------------

Highlights

🎯 Culture & Vision

“Basecamp for me... most of what they write to me is sense: to look at the things that are obviously just nonsense and ask, what if you ran it a different way?” — Dave“

We really tried to talk the way humans talk... Does it sound like a human wrote it, or does it sound like a marketer wrote it?” — Dave“

Can we help bring dignity in some small way through software to what people make?” — Dave“We once described our company as engineers who like people.” — Dave

💼 Hiring & Team Fit

“Most companies will hire for skill or competency first and then fire for issues of character — and that’s completely backwards.” — Matt“

What if we hired adults and treated them that way?” — Dave“

So many of what other companies define as ‘rock stars’ are terrible employees. But so often the employees they deem ‘B or C players’ are actually just A players under bad management.” — _Dave
_
“We hire for character first. We believe most anything in software or design can be learned.” — Travis“

We want to spend some time working on a project with you... is this someone I want to build stuff with, and spend my life working with?” — _Dave
_

🧠 Growth & Humility

“To be someone who is a learner — that implicitly requires you to know: I don’t already know everything.” — Dave“

Character is when who you think you are, who you say you are, who you actually are, and who you want to be... become the same thing.” — Dave“

Maybe I don’t know everything. And maybe — for people like Travis, who are unfortunately right more often than they should be — to still have humility and say, ‘I don’t know.’” — Dave

 

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☕ From Junior High Principal to Pixels: Trevor “The Real Human Technical Support™ Guy” Chase Talks Career Pivots, Debugging Joy & Coffee Obsession

In this Podcast Awesome episode, host Matt Johnson chats with Trevor Chase, Font Awesome’s Real Human Technical Support™ Guy. Once a junior high assistant principal, Trevor made the leap from school hallways to tech tickets — and along the way, discovered a love for debugging... and roasting the perfect cup of Ethiopian coffee.

Trevor opens up about:

• How he transitioned from education into tech support
• The most common licensing and icon questions he fields daily
• Why learning new things is at the heart of his Font Awesome journey
• His grassroots coffee roasting business that started with a popcorn popper
• A once-in-a-lifetime Ethiopian coffee ceremony that sparked a lifelong obsession
• And what it means to reconnect with remote teammates at our beloved team Snuggles

This one’s got 🔧 troubleshooting tips, ☕ artisan-level coffee takes, and ❤️ all the warm fuzzies of working on a remote team that actually gets along.

⏱️ Timestamps

• 01:03 – Trevor's Career Shift from Education to Tech Support
• 03:39 – The Emotional Toll of Being an Assistant Principal
• 06:16 – Joining Font Awesome and Learning On-the-Go
• 06:19 – Most Common Tech Support and Licensing Questions
• 08:14 – Hands-On Learning and Font Awesome’s Education Culture
• 09:32 – Debugging and QA: The Joy of Finding Problems
• 10:53 – Trevor’s Coffee Roasting Journey (From Popcorn Popper to Pro Roaster)
• 13:33 – Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony: A Life-Changing Experience
• 17:10 – Remote Culture and the Importance of the Font Awesome “Snuggle”

🎙️ Highlights

"If I’m ever bored in this job, it’s my own fault — there’s always something to learn." – Trevor Chase“

I started roasting coffee in a popcorn popper... and now my dad and I have a little side business roasting beans from around the world.”

“You roast it over hot coals, and they serve you two shots of the strongest, best coffee you’ve ever had. That Ethiopian ceremony? Changed everything.”

“I love debugging. It’s kind of like putting out fires, which I weirdly enjoyed even as an assistant principal.”“Remote work can get isolating, so I really look forward to our team Snuggles. Getting to know everyone more deeply matters.”

🔗 Links & Credits

• 🔧 Font Awesome Support & Licensing
• 🎬 Mill City Roasters on YouTube
• 🎵 Theme song by Ronnie Martin
• 🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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🧩 Shoelace & Web Components: Building Better UI with Cory LaViska

In this Nerd Show and Tell episode, we lace things up with Cory LaViska, creator of Shoelace — a modern component library that makes it stupid-easy to build snappy, accessible, mobile-first websites using CSS grids and Web Components.

Matt joins Travis Chase and Cory for a jam-packed convo on:

• How Shoelace + Font Awesome work together like peanut butter and SVGs 🍯
• Why Web Components are the future of design systems (and sanity)
• What it takes to stay sharp with modern web standards
• And, yes, why Travis still doesn’t have a Shoelace icon 😤

Cory also reveals his favorite culinary-themed icon, drops wisdom on open source generosity, and reminds us all why boring ol’ PHP was a gateway drug to building cool things on the web.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 05:04 – Customizing CSS with Shoelace
• 08:10 – Reusable Components & Brand Consistency
• 11:50 – Why Web Components Make Dev Easier
• 17:06 – Tooling Made Better by Web Standards
• 25:46 – Embracing Modern Tech in UI/UX
• 30:17 – Building Free, High-Quality Software
• 31:25 – Power of Open Source Collaboration
• 36:04 – The Humble Beginnings: PHP and Web Dev

🧠 Highlights

“Shoelace gives you fully accessible components with zero framework lock-in — it just works in the browser.”“Open source is how I give back. If it helps someone build something better, then it’s worth it.”“Weirdly, my favorite icon might be… the hamburger. The food one. Not the menu one.”

🔗 Links & Credits

• Explore Shoelace
  🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
  🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

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🛸 Dungeons, Dragons, and the Oregon Trail… in Space?!

On this episode of Nerd Show and Tell, we beam up with Ed Emanuel, Senior Developer at Font Awesome, to chat about his lifelong nerdery, dev adventures, and a galactically nostalgic side project called Space Awesome — a text-based, icon-powered space game inspired by the Oregon Trail.

Ed shares how creating Space Awesome helped him learn Vue.js, how he mashed up 8-bit style game logic with Font Awesome’s space-themed icons, and why it’s a quick, secret-filled trip through the stars (no microtransactions, we promise).

We also talk 3D printing, Dungeons & Dragons, and the magic behind Icon Wizard, the tool Ed and fellow FA-er Mike Wilkerson built to help customize icons on the fly.

If you love dev rabbit holes, retro gaming, or rolling D20s, this ep's got your name on it.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 02:27 – Working with Dave and Travis at Font Awesome
• 04:07 – Creating Custom Icons with Font Awesome Pro
• 06:34 – 3D Printing and D&D Miniatures
• 10:31 – Exploring Icon Themes and Ed’s Faves
• 12:11 – Launching the Space Awesome Game
• 14:02 – Text-Based Games and Blockbuster Nostalgia
• 16:20 – Ed’s Dungeons & Dragons Origin Story
• 19:21 – The Rise of D&D and Role-Playing Games
• 21:51 – What Makes a Great Dungeon Master?

🧠 Highlights

“I designed Space Awesome to respect your time. You can sit down and play for 5–10 minutes. No timers. Just secrets to discover and paths to explore.”“We’ve got the sword, the wizard hat, the 20-sided die… But we could definitely use a slime monster. Maybe a gelatinous cube? Just… not called a beholder.”“We homebrewed our own D&D rules as kids. We didn’t have the books, but we had imagination.”

🔗 Links & Credits

• Play Space Awesome
• Check out Icon Wizard
  🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
  🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

**
--------------------**

Highlights

Well, I think I can thank my brother in law for that one as well. When he started dating my sister, my older sister, they played DND and kind of introduced me and my other siblings to it. So I played Advanced Dungeons and Dragons back in the late eighty s a little bit. And then we didn't have any of the books. So we kind of homebrewed our own game for a while, just like everyone else. We kind of stepped away from it for a while and then, let's see, it's been five or six years ago actually.

It went well. We had lots of traffic the first couple of weeks. Not as much since then, but when I designed the game, I wanted to kind of respect people's time. It does not require a huge investment in your time. You can sit down and play it for five to ten minutes, and while there are a lot of secrets to discover and things that you probably won't encounter your first time through. There's no timers. There's no anything that requires that you come back and play it every day.

We have a 20 sided dice that belongs in there. We have some swords, axe, the wizards hats. We have a bunch of icons, the cloak, the skull, stuff like that. I think there's definitely a few icons we could add. Some more DnD themed things. Oh, we have a dragon icon already, but I think there's some other monsters that would be cool to add some kind of slime or gelatinous cube or a beholder, but I suppose we couldn't call it a beholder.
---------------------

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💥 How Font Awesome’s Kickstarter Became a Record-Breaking Success

What happens when a tiny team with an awesome idea turns to crowdfunding? You get the most-backed tech Kickstarter of all time. In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt and the Font Awesome team take you behind the scenes of their  2017 Kickstarter campaign for Font Awesome 5.

Hear how a failed campaign turned into a historic win, how a bakery became the perfect metaphor for icon design, and how humor (plus a 12-hour filming session) helped their story resonate with backers worldwide. Oh, and how it caught the attention of Y Combinator, too.

🚀 In this episode, we explore:

• How humor and storytelling powered a viral Kickstarter video
• Lessons learned from a past campaign misfire (RIP Font Awesome Black Tie)
• Why we set a modest goal — and obliterated it
• Behind-the-scenes of choosing a video partner (Knox Avenue FTW)
• The unexpected doors Y Combinator opened up for Font Awesome

If you're a designer, founder, or just love a good origin story, this episode is packed with laughs, lessons, and bakery metaphors you won’t forget.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 00:09 – Reflecting on the Success of Font Awesome's 2017 Kickstarter
• 02:14 – Was Y Combinator Worth It?
• 05:32 – Lessons Learned from the Crowdfunding Campaign
• 07:30 – Finding the Right Video Production Partner
• 09:03 – Why the Kickstarter Video Was a Huge Risk
• 13:10 – The 12-Hour Shoot That Made It Work
• 14:58 – The Campaign That Changed Everything

🔗 Links & Credits

 🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

• Font Awesome 5 Kickstarter Video 
• How Font Awesome became the most funded software project on Kickstarter  — and what we can learn from it 

-------------------------------
HIGHLIGHTS 

We have no idea how this is going to hit. But we think this is hysterical. We thought it was funny, so we launched the video. We did a few things right with it. We did a lot of things right. And we still got an article out there somewhere about all of the we think are good ways to run a Kickstarter. And it's a few years old, but most of it's going to be evergreen with that. And we set a goal for ourselves for $30,000.

If Brian hasn't shared his nerd about baking, that would yeah, we should do that. The parallel we come up with [for the video] is a bakery. Because a bakery is we think of Font Awesome as this intersection of art and technology. We think of it as how do we make these Awesome assets. You get your icons. How do you make these real? How do you get these where they need to be in the way people want to use them so that everything can be better? 

As a company, we like humor. This is actually a core piece of who the company has become. Is that we value this so much, and so we're like, okay, so humor seems a clear way that we can try to make this more interesting. But also, what if we have nothing overtly digital in this? What if we tell this in the real world? What if we tell the story of Font Awesome 5, what we want to build? What if we tell this story in the real world? And so what's the biggest parallel, right?
---------------------------------

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🛡️ Sword Fights, Security & Memes: Meet Alex “Yellow Dart” Poiry

In this wonderfully offbeat episode of Nerd Show and Tell,  Matt chats with Alex Poiry, Head of Security at Font Awesome. But don't let the job title fool you — this isn’t just firewalls and protocols.

Alex dives into how a background in history and German led him to a career in tech, how a classic Homestar Runner video gave him the nickname “Yellow Dart,” and how swinging a longsword in VR gave him tennis elbow.

Yep. It's that kind of episode.

🧠 In this episode, we explore:

• The role of a Head of Security at a globally used icon toolkit
• How analog circuit metaphors help explain digital concepts
• Why early 2000s memes still live rent-free in Alex’s brain
• Nerdy passions: from Klingon to Tolkien to longsword combat in virtual reality
• How storytelling shapes tech, marketing, and public trust

If you love cybersecurity, weird tech journeys, or just want to hear a security lead talk about Klingon, this one’s for you.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 00:08 – Meet Alex Poiry: Font Awesome’s Head of Security
• 03:44 – From liberal arts to lock-downs: how Alex got into tech
• 07:56 – What “security” actually means at Font Awesome
• 12:30 – Data privacy, metaphors, and teaching tech
• 18:42 – Klingon, Lord of the Rings, and meme nostalgia
• 23:26 – Geek Squad war stories & unexpected repairs
• 27:25 – HEMA swordplay and VR: a nerdery crossover
• 33:22 – How storytelling influences PR, security, and connection

🔗 Links & Credits

• Font Awesome Security Info
• Homestar Runner – Yellow Dart
   🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
  🎶 Music segues by Zach Malm
  🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

**
----------------------
HIGHLIGHTS

"**At what point in time when you get to a certain age, how do you tell if it's you getting old or if some things actually are worse? Because there's a definitive period in American cinema that's not as good as some of the other periods.  There's a fantastic storytelling section of American cinema that starts in the 1970s and kind of goes into the it goes into the then you start to hit that era of the blockbuster.

The MCU is great. It's fun, and it's nice to see all this expansive stuff. But I wonder, are we going to look down the line in, like, 30 or 40 years and we're going to be like, these movies were fantastic storytelling, or if it's just going to just kind of be, like, fluffy." 

"What is your form like when it comes to historic European martial arts? And then you could do like a super hot thing where you just put a character up in front of it and just like whack him with a sword and he breaks and falls down or he blocks and you can try that stuff. So then you can actually work on your form without getting sword elbow."
-------------
NOTES

• Spintronics
• The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger (original narration by Randall) 
• G.I. Joe PSAs 

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☕ Poo Storms, Pixels & Perfect Curves: Designing Font Awesome 6 with Jory Raphael

In this iconic episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt is joined by Font Awesome’s Senior Icon Designer Jory Raphael and Co-founder Travis Chase to explore what made Font Awesome 6 not just a major update — but a major upgrade.

From adopting Figma as a design tool to refining styles across the entire icon set, Jory shares how a more cohesive design system (and a few poop jokes) helped shape the boldest, nerdiest, most delightful version of Font Awesome yet.

🎨 In this episode, we cover:

• How Font Awesome 6 broke from v5 with smarter, more consistent icon design
• Jory’s favorite (and weirdest) icons from the new sets
• The journey from Freelance Icon Jealousy™️ to hiring Noah Jacobus
• Collaborating with the United Nations on meaningful icons for humanitarian work
• Why the “Poo Storm” icon exists… and what that says about Font Awesome’s design culture

If you're a designer, icon enthusiast, or curious nerd who loves the blend of polish and playfulness, this one’s a must-listen.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 00:10 – Font Awesome 6: A new chapter in icon design
• 02:30 – Rebuilding icons with rules, rhythm, and range
• 04:01 – Designing with purpose across branding + UI
• 06:30 – How to keep icon design fun (and sharp)
• 13:39 – Meet Noah Jacobus: icon wizard, now full-time at FA
• 14:36 – Jory & Travis share their favorite weird and wonderful icons

🔗 Links & Credits

• Explore Font Awesome 6
• Why We Switched to Figma
• Font Awesome x UN OCHA: Humanitarian Icons
• Meet Noah Jacobus on Nerd Show and Tell
   🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
  🎶 Music by Zach Malm
  🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions
• Font Awesome 6 Is Live! See the New Icons, Styles and Upgrade Without the Hassle
• 10 Reasons We Switched to Figma For Icon Design
• Font Awesome and OCHA Partner to Create Humanitarian Icons
• Nerd Show and Tell: Meet Noah Jacobus, Icon Designer Extraordinaire

**Highlights
** 
"..Noah Jacobus is one of those icon designers who his work just constantly has made me jealous. He posts things that I wish I had designed and his skill and detail and creativity I find amazing. We actually got him to work a little bit on some contract work for us a little while ago as kind of sneakily, get him excited working with us at Font. Awesome. He finally popped the question and he is here working with us. And I'm so excited because I'm excited because he's a better icon designer than I am. And so that means that our stuff is just going to get better, and it also means that I can focus on some other things as well at Font awesome."

"... Part of the core of Font Awesome is to have fun with things. It makes it so much more interesting to include an icon like the Poo storm icon. That was a joke. I was designing a set of weather icons and a cloud icon has some very similar curves to an icon of Poop. And I was designing a cloud icon and it had a little lightning bolt. And so I just took the Poop icon and added a lightning bolt and it's resonated with a lot more people than I thought it would."

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The first episode of Podcast Awesome features host Matt Johnson talking with Jory Raphael about what's coming up in 2023, and gives listeners a taste of what they can expect in the first season. Podcast Awesome will feature "Nerd Shows and Tells," in which members of Font Awesome's team discuss the work they've done in recent sprints (referred to as "splits" in FA speak), as well as the company culture that stems from their semiannual company meetup, affectionately known as "the Snuggle". 

After feeling nervous at first, Matt was encouraged to take on the role as host of Podcast Awesome by Travis Chase. Matt has enjoyed learning to use the technology to put the podcast together and is also responsible for the media, social media, blogs, and web copy. 

In addition, Matt and Jory talk about the aforementioned bi-annual Snuggle, an event where the team can connect and have fun together doing nerdy activities like playing Dungeons and Dragons, and watching sci-fi shows and movies together — all activities that build trust and goodwill among the team.

In the last Snuggle, Mike Wilkerson and Ed Emanuel developed a prototype for the Icon Wizard (in beta release now). Often, conversations during the Snuggle spark new ideas and lots of great work has come from several Snuggle times.

Jory and Matt also discuss the 2022 year in review, which includes: 

• The Launch of Font Awesome 6! 
• How to Blast Your Boredom by Playing Space Awesome!
• Classing Up Your Project With Font Awesome Sharp Icons 
• Shoelace Joins Font Awesome 
• How to Wield Near Infinite Icon Magic With the Icon Wizard 
• And more! 

--------------------------------
**Timestamps
**

**0:00:09
**

Conversation between Matt Johnson and Jory Rafael on the Inaugural Episode of Podcast Awesome

**0:03:57
**

Review of Font Awesome's 2022 Accomplishments and Plans for 2023

**0:05:54
**

The Benefits of Team Building Activities at Font Awesome

**0:11:25
**

Exploring Nerdy Interests with Mike

**0:13:03
**

Exploring Dungeons & Dragons, Nerd Show & Tell, and Traditional European Martial Arts

**0:17:45
**

Conversation on Enjoying Hobbies and Passions

**0:19:05
**

 Discussing the 2022 Roundup and Plans for 2023

**0:20:46
**

Font Awesome 6 Launch and Space Awesome

**0:25:16
**

Exploring Space Awesome: How Ed learned VueJs 

**0:27:15
**

Exploring Font Awesome's Icon Sets and Recent Releases

**0:31:54
**

The Origins of Font Awesome's Icon Wizard Feature (it was originally called, "F.A.R.T.S")

**0:33:44
**

Collaboration between Font Awesome and the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to Create Humanitarian Icons

----------------------------
Links: 

• Ronnie Martin composed the Font Awesome theme song
• Zach Malm composed the 8-bit styled music segues 
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions 

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🎧 Exploring Sharp Icons, Retro Gaming & Design Rhythms with Noah Jacobus

In the inaugural episode of Nerd Show and Tell, Matt Johnson chats with Font Awesome icon designer Noah Jacobus about the creative crossover between music, icon design, and visual rhythm.

Noah shares how his background in music education unexpectedly shaped his approach to visual design, leading to his work designing the Font Awesome Sharp icon family — a bold reimagining of one of the web’s most iconic tools.

They dive into:

• The design philosophy behind the Sharp icon aesthetic
• How musical hierarchy and rhythm translate to scalable iconography
• The behind-the-scenes grind of crafting over 20,000 icons
• Noah’s obsession with retro handheld games (looking at you, Playdate 👾)
• Why design and game nostalgia often go hand-in-hand

Whether you're into SVG design, retro game consoles, or just love seeing how seemingly unrelated disciplines collide — this one’s for you.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 00:08 – Designing the Font Awesome Sharp family
• 02:59 – Music meets visual arts
• 04:30 – Rhythm, hierarchy & design language
• 10:07 – Joining the Font Awesome team
• 12:32 – Sharp icon design challenges
• 16:56 – Handheld retro gaming love
• 19:47 – Pixel art, nostalgia, and iconography

🔗 Links & Credits

🎯 Add a Touch of Class with Font Awesome Sharp Icons
🎙️ Meet Noah Jacobus, Icon Designer Extraordinaire
🕹️ Playdate – retro-style handheld game
🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
🎶 Music segues by Zach Malm
🎸 Outro track “Man is He Mega - GLBML” by Geoffrey Burch
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

-------------------

Highlights

"It can only do some specific things very well. And so there's some very creative solutions for how to make interesting games for that. That's the same kind of thing that interests me a lot about iconography in that way is that emphasis on working within constraints. And I think that's kind of what drew me to retro gaming and kind of the resurrection of it as well and kind of the preservation of it, too, is like a kind of focus on that, working with what they had and really making cool stuff."

"... The Playdate by Panic has been really cool to see in development and I was finally able to get one earlier this year. And kind of the emphasis that goes into especially when you're creating a new handheld like this. It's kind of inspired by the Game Boy and a lot of old things and kind of choosing which design constraints you want to embrace to kind of set it apart because the playdate is kind of a weird form factor and it has a black and white screen that doesn't have a backlight and it's got some very unique inputs on it. It has some of the stuff you might expect with buttons and stuff, but it also has an accelerometer in it and it has a crank on the side of it and other things like that that are really interesting of like these are some new innovative things. But there's still cool ways to foster creativity because it's not a little wonder handheld that can do everything."

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🧑‍💻 Reuniting Remote Teams with Heart, Humor, and Cookies: Inside Font Awesome’s Biannual Snuggle

In this wholesome (and slightly nerdy) episode of Podcast Awesome, host Matt Johnson is joined by Font Awesome co-founders and longtime team members — Dave Gandy, Travis Chase, Rob Madole, and Mike Wilkerson — to share the origin story and magic behind The Snuggle, Font Awesome’s biannual in-person team meetup.

Why does a fully remote company with async workflows and nerdy Slack threads still prioritize gathering face-to-face? Turns out, good software starts with great relationships — and a well-timed inside joke.

🧵 In this episode, we explore:

• How humor shaped the name “Snuggle” — and why the team leaned into it
• Real stories about what in-person time means for trust, collaboration, and morale
• How remote work challenges like isolation and “missing the water cooler” are countered with deliberate bonding
• What cookies, karaoke, and late-night debates reveal about team dynamics
• Why investing in remote-first culture isn’t just smart—it’s essential

If you’re building or working on a remote team, this one’s your cozy, cookie-filled blueprint for staying connected (no matter how async your GitHub repo is).

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 00:09 – The Snuggle: what it is and why it matters
• 02:31 – Rob Madole on remote work trade-offs
• 05:23 – Humor + connection: the glue for team culture
• 08:00 – Why in-person bonding is worth it
• 11:50 – Reuniting post-COVID
• 13:36 – Chocolate chip cookies and late-night hangouts
• 15:15 – Replacing the water cooler
• 16:52 – Remote vs. in-office productivity at Font Awesome

🔗 Links & Credits

🎯 Learn about Font Awesome’s culture
 🎵 Theme by Ronnie Martin
🎶 Music segues by Zach Malm
🎛️ Audio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon Productions

Remote Work: How We Snuggle Our Way to a Healthy Company Culture

Meet the Font Awesome Team Through Our Nerd Show and Tell 

**Highlights

**“So clearly, the Snuggle is about as serious as its name, and yet the effect is that it helps build goodwill and trust among the Font Awesome team so we can work together better. While the remote work versus in office work debate will likely continue, Font Awesome has found a way to make the best of both worlds. And once you start working remote, you may never want to go back to the office again.”

“ So people come in on Sunday. So Sunday is a travel day, and then they fly back out on Friday. That's a travel day. So we've got four days in the middle there for the actual Snuggle. Two of the nights we have where we expect everybody to be there hanging out two of the nights, and we've got two nights that are in some ways, kind of like recovery nights.”

“We make up for a lot of the water cooler stuff that we miss. We make up for those shared experiences on a daily basis. We try to make up for that a lot of that here and compare it. I'm so excited that we got together, that we got to get together right now.”

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In early 2023, the makers of Font Awesome are launching a brand new podcast unsurprisingly called — wait for it — Podcast Awesome! 

In this podcast, we’ll be talking about icons, naturally. We’ll talk about how we think building healthy and sustainable workplaces is possible. We’ll also dive deep into the tech of how we build things. And, of course, we’ll nerd out along the way. 

I’m your host, Matt Johnson, and on Podcast Awesome, we’ll be talking about icons, design, tech, business, nerdery, and more with the members of the Font Awesome team. 

Subscribe to Podcast Awesome wherever you get your podcasts. 

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