Creative Characters S4 E16: Exploring the American design story behind Field Notes with Jim Coudal.
Jim Coudal.
On Creative Characters, we meet creative people working at the intersection of type and everyday life. You can listen below, or on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever quality podcasts are available.
Field Notes notebooks are a staple in many creative lives. Aaron Draplin started the brand back in 2000-somethin’, inspired by the old, frayed agricultural company memo books he’d find while out junking around Midwestern farm country. These promotional notebooks were giveaways — a throwback to the days of handshake deals and business relationships forged in a corn field or around a dinner table.
Aaron quickly partnered with today’s guest, Jim Coudal, and together they turned Field Notes into a living, breathing brand that honors this heritage while leaning into all corners of American design. And of course, the blank pages of these pocket-sized notebooks create space for our own stories, from the mundane to the profound. Here’s the story of Field Notes, in all of its 3½ × 5½-inch glory, plus an inside look at the latest limited edition, “The Birds and Trees of North America.”
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Creative Characters S4 E14: Never snap to guides: Exploring creative freedom with David Carson.
This week on Creative Characters, host Graham Sturt sits down with graphic design icon and the father of grunge typography, David Carson. Tune in now.
Creative Characters S4 E12: From Parsons to Type Thursday: a conversation with Thomas Jockin.
This week on Creative Characters, host Charles Nix sits down with Thomas Jockin, the founder of Type Thursday, a global type meetup. Tune in for an interesting look at the intersection of type design, education, and community-building.
Creative Characters S4 E11: Kyle Read on the art (of the business) of type design.
Host Doug Wilson sits down with his long-time friend, Kyle Read, a distinguished type designer and graphic designer based in Denver, Colorado. Kyle shares his journey from studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design, working for various design studios and advertising agencies, to founding Badson Type Foundry. Tune in to hear Kyle’s story.