Letters From Dallas Type

The Dallas Type interviews Arturo Torres. In our chat, he shares how he got started, the struggles he faced growing up, and the surprisingly mature and heartfelt perspective he has that empowers his art, his inspirations and his outlook on working hard and making people happy.

The Dallas Type interviews Arturo Torres: an incredibly talented and thoughtful young illustrator and community lover. For the 14th type set, I’m happy to share the interview with this talented young man, who despite still being in his early 20’s, not only has a a book with his name on it gracing the New York Times and Washington Post Best Seller lists — but who can also openly share about the struggles he faced growing up, and the surprisingly mature and heartfelt perspective he has on how that empowers his art, and his interactions with the people around him. From his illustrations and writing for The Track List series features for Central Track to his pretty dope illustrations for the best selling book, The Rap Yearbook, Arturo and his work reveal a confidence, charm and vulnerability you don’t expect. As does our chat, where he shares how he got started, the unexpected path to success, his inspirations and his outlook on working hard and making people happy. It’s a conversation that’s full of heart, and

Today’s Dallas Type interviews Tim Langford: executive creative director, business owner and devoted-to-family-man. In our chat, Tim shares his thoughts about teleportation, his love for solving puzzles, how restraint is necessary for the “a-ha,” and ambition.

Today’s Dallas Type interviews Tim Langford: executive creative director, business owner and devoted-to-family-man. And for this 13th installment (we're halfway through!), I’m a bit more nervous and excited to share the interview with my boss and mentor, Tim Langford. Nervous, because, damnit, he’s my boss. Excited because, he’s one of my favorite mentors and cheerleaders. He was my podcast guinea pig and the coach I went to when I first thought of the Dallas Type. Like all the other ideas I’ve had over the past few years, he nonchalantly helped hone it into being better with his art of suggestion. And he’s been completing the big picture with his creativity and insight for the last 20-plus years: from his false start into medical illustration, to a career rooted in graphic design and problem solving, to his role in shaping designers and their ideas. In our chat, Tim shares his thoughts about teleportation, his love for Helvetica and solving puzzles, how restraint is necessary for the “a-ha,” and the word

The Dallas Type interviews Lauren Shafer: designer, photographer, hat-juggler and future mad-beats mixer. For the 12th Dallas Type set, I’m happy to share an interview that shines a mustard-tinted light on another source of inspiration for creatives, which is music. Having started off in high school, hustling Homecoming couples with her photos from Eckerd’s, to sowing her oats doing photography and design for bands, to “settling down” to herd the myriad of graphic design needed to run Eastfield Community College — Lauren has taken a colorful path that involves playlists, bullet points and confrontations with old teachers. In our chat, Lauren weaves music into her history and inspirations, and how it might groove into her goals for the future. And a “boop.”

The Dallas Type interviews Lauren Shafer. In our chat, she shares her love for bullet points, how music weaves into her history and inspirations, and how it might groove into her goals for the future.

The Dallas Type interviews im Foronda: writer, creative director and voice actor. In this short, Jim shares his thoughts on story arcs, creativity as puzzle solving and characters that sometimes die.

The Dallas Type interviews Jim Foronda: writer, creative director and voice actor. The past 10 Dallas Type interviews have been with visual storytellers, so I’m excited to share this interview because it’s pretty damn colorful in a different way. Jim pursued an education in film-making, then followed the intrigue of fake ice cream into advertising, and somehow made his way into voice acting for commercials, animated films and video games. In our chat, Jim shares his thoughts on story arcs, creativity as puzzle solving and characters that sometimes die — in the most lighthearted way you could ever talk about that type of subject.

The Dallas Type interviews Zack Davis, designer-slash-developer-slash-business-man. In this short, Zack shares his unique perspective on finding mentors, Saul Bass, sci-fi, book stores and robots.

The Dallas Type interviews Zack Davis: part designer, part developer, part business man. Now, Zack is way more than a sum of these parts. He’s also a lifelong learner. A father. A canoe-er. A used-book store lover. And a good friend, who also happened to be one of my first hires in the way back. My talk with him was a bit different from the first nine, as Zack’s answers are very matter of fact and astute. It’s a fun foil that I hope you enjoy listening to. In our chat, Zack shares his unique perspective on finding mentors, Saul Bass, sci-fi and robots.

The Dallas Type interviews Jack Unruh. In this short, Jack shares his thoughts on Dallas and why one spring break played a giant role in growing part of one of Dallas’s greatest creative strengths.

The Dallas Type interviews Jack Unruh: a well-esteemed and accomplished illustrator based in Dallas, Texas. When he started his career back in 1958, Jack mentions he wasn’t worth a damn and settled in where he thought was the next growth area. Since then he’s seen the strength and warmth of the creative community here, as well as his own career and the technology around it, grow. He’s illustrated for such noted publications like National Geographic, agencies like the Richards group and clients like Dos Equis, and noted creatives like Woody Pirtle. In our chat, Jack shares how getting paid for loving what you do is the perfect combination, and how a busted oil pan and and spring break led to his taking root and his building his nest in Dallas, TX.

The Dallas Type interviews April Hopkins. In this short, April talks design practicality, patience, pattern, meditation and starting with pen and paper.

The Dallas Type interviews April Hopkins: artist, designer, pattern-maker, problem-solver and (as of this post) new mom. After a start in industrial design, April Hopkins has been able to craft the opportunity to “live the dream.” Her 9-5 job of drawing for a living is ideal, especially for an introvert. She’s able to hone her attention-to-detail on her own schedule, across a wide range of design products: print & pattern, stationery, paper goods, home decor, crafts and illustration. In our chat, April shares her thoughts on patience, optimism, meditation and hula-hoop-teleportation.

The Dallas Type interviews Cosme Olivas: in this short, Cosme shares his love for making and some possibilities for near future projects.

The Dallas Type interviews Cosme Olivas: a young web designer and former AIGA UTA board leader and design. Cosme Olivas started his career officially nearly a year ago after graduating and joining Matchbox Studio located in Deep Ellum. I first met him through the AIGA UTA student group’s involvement in AIGA DFW, and I was immediately impressed by his optimism and can-do spirit. After interviewing him recently, I’m still very much so. In our chat, Cosme shares his love for making, his inspirations, respect for his elders and his outlook for the future. Which is wide open universe of possibilities.

The Dallas Type interviews Ramsey Ruelas. In this short, Ramsey shares his superpower, webs of trust, being a brave, and some thoughts behind the old adage, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Ramsey Ruelas is a motion graphic superstar and dedicated Dallas design community servant.

The Dallas Type interviews Ramsey Ruelas: motion graphic superstar and dedicated design community servant. Ramsey Ruelas started his career in motion graphics over 8 years ago in Dallas, and quickly became the go-to guy, not only for traditional design shops needing talent they could trust to do a one-off animation project for them, but also for the leaders of DSVC when they needed someone to step up to the plate and get things done. So much so, that he’s now one of the young leaders leading one of our city’s great design organizations and making sure the voices of Dallas design are being heard. In our chat, Ramsey shares his path, his inspirations, some illustrative metaphors, and his thoughts behind the old adage, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Take a listen, and you're sure to find some sustenance in his webs of inspiration.

The Dallas Type talks to Jill Broussard. In this short, we hear a bit about light through windows, warm red doors, persistence, optimism, hope and what tomorrow holds. Jill Broussard is a commercial photographer based in Dallas, Texas and sometimes San Francisco.

The Dallas Type interviews Jill Broussard: an experienced lifestyle photographer and great friend. Jill Broussard is a wonderful photographer who has the talent to not only capture all the feels in a photograph. She does everything she can to not only get the right angle for the perfect shot, but she can most importantly make everyone involved feel comfortable and at ease. In our chat, Jill shares some thoughts about seeing that feel like they’re coming out of Walt Whitman’s notebook, the need for people to get better at confrontation and the importance of persistence. Take a listen, and you're sure to soak in some light of inspiration.