Podcast review: The Illustrative Designer

Illustrator extraordinaire Von Glitschka has a very cool podcast out that I just started listening to, The Illustrative Designer podcast. Each podcast is basically an interview by “the Vonster” (as he calls himself) with a chosen professional illustrator, cartoonist or designer. The most recent illustrator interview was with (the unimaginably prolific) cartoon illustrator & designer Bob Staake.

The “illustrative designer” moniker comes from Von’s idea that when asked to describe his work, he says he’s not a graphic designer that can draw, but rather an illustrator who can design. Hence, “illustrative designer”.

Von is a very cool and laid back guy, and has an easygoing approach with insightful and relevant questions and discussions with his guests. Von touches on the business side of the work to a good degree, which I really enjoy. I am always interested in how other artists work, how they find work, how they approach work. I guess to me, the drawing side is something that can only be learned through repetition & dedication, but the business side — an extremely important aspect to commercial artists — is something that can be absorbed immediately, and any insights gained can be applied instantly to your approach.

Von also includes some quick illustration & design industry news and recommended links at the beginning of the podcast, as well as original music from various indie artists at the end of the show. The website also has a decent cross-reference of things mentioned in the podcast, except for (strangely enough) web links to mentioned websites & products.

Highly recommended to all cartoonists & illustrators specifically, and designers and other related creative types as well.

by George Coghill -
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