Graphic designer Aaron Draplin was born in Michigan and raised on LEGO bricks, pizza nights, punk rock & snowboarding. He spent early adulthood rolling with the “crusty undercurrent of fuckheads” that lives to snowboard before he ventured to Minneapolis to study design amongst the ghosts of his musical heroes. He’s seen some high-falutin’ stuff at the museum, but the steelyard is where it’s at. He’s all about working hard, making a shit whack of money, taking care of his people, and having some fun along the way.

See more of Aaron’s work at draplin.com. Follow Aaron on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Thanks to Adobe MAX for hosting us in the Airstream podcast lounge.

What is your earliest memory?

Our fireplace in Detroit. Crawling around. Heat. Some kind of brass fire barrier thing to keep me from crawling directly into the fire. I must've been but a couple years old? 1975?

How do you feel about democratic design?

My very favorite stuff! Stamps! Custom forms! Street signs! I like design that everyone gets to enjoy and use, not just those who can afford it.

What’s the best advice that you’ve ever gotten?

"You can do this shit on your own." Told to me by friend who left agency life. That's when I jumped out on my own. 2004. Never, ever fuckin' going back. Too many emails about emails, meetings about meetings and whatever else. I can get more shit done before noon in the shop in my backyard, than a whole week dinking around in some fancy, distraction-filled agency. Plus, I don't have to wear pants.

How do you record your ideas?

Funny you should ask? Field Notes memo books is my paper product of choice. Look them up!

What’s your current favorite tool or material to work with?

"Pencil on paper" for sketches. Then "hand on mouse" for sketches to vectors.

What book is on your nightstand?

Closer You Are: The Story of Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices by Matthew Cutter, and The Hard Stuff by Wayne Kramer.

Why is authenticity in design important?

So you can relate. Otherwise, you feel like some turd is breaking off a little piece from the mountaintop, and letting it roll down the hill to all of us groveling for scraps. When you know the right people made the right decisions for the right reasons, the shit just works. And, sits well.

Favorite restaurant in your city?

Chaba Thai on Sandy and 58th. Beautiful food!

What might we find on your desk right now?

Phone, pile of bills, couple sets of car keys, pens, pencils, Field Notes, some Peter Max mini books my sweet Leigh got me for my 45th birthday,

Who do you look up to and why?

People who kick the shit out of life.

What’s your favorite project that you’ve done and why?

Working for America! I got to help out on a logo for the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 for President Obama. My little mouse finger! For my country. And not just those liberal heathen Democrats, for all of America. Except Don Trump. Trump can suck it now, and could suck it in 2009. Fuck that guy.

What are the last five songs you listened to?

01. Bob Dylan - River Theme
02. Rodriguez - I'll Slip Away
03. Spiritualized - A Perfect Miracle
04. Howlin Rain - Self Made Man
05. Sun Kil Moon - I Know It's Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life

Clever is produced by 2VDE Media. Thanks to Jennie Josephson for editing this episode.
Music in this episode courtesy of El Ten Eleven—hear more on Bandcamp.
Shoutout to Jenny Rask for designing the Clever logo.

Keep Listening

Featured

Ep. 219: Federico Negro on Making Tools to Empower and Scale Sustainable Design

Founder and CEO of Canoa, Federico Negro, was born in Uruguay during a time of political turmoil and lived in four countries by age 14. As a teenager in Chicago, he used music as a means of learning English, and during college became fascinated by forensic architecture, which informed his fixation with “how we build with what we build.” An Architect, designer, toolmaker, and entrepreneur, his first company, CASE, was acquired by WeWork. From there he served as the Global Head of Design for Wework during the company’s rapid expansion, and witnessed first-hand the pain points and environmental challenges that could be mitigated with better tools. So in 2019, he founded Canoa, an AI-driven, collaborative software aimed at revolutionizing the interior design and furniture industries by addressing environmental issues and becoming a tool to help us build a better future.

Ep. 218: The Exquisite Love, Magic and Maximalism of Londubh Studio

Custom surface artists Lisa Donohoe and Brynn Gelbard met and fell in love in the queer underbelly scene of San Francisco in 2002, a time before bi-national same-sex marriage was legal. Self-proclaimed party animals, their diverse community was built on love, curiosity and celebrating each other's differences. In an evolution that was equal parts organic maturity and cosmic intervention, Brynn and Lisa moved to Los Angeles and founded Londubh Studio, specializing in elaborate and maximalist hand-applied surface designs. Now the duo, oft considered the design world’s secret weapon, are translating their wildness, love, magic, and the sacred, through exquisite artistry and pristine craft, into visual celebrations that vibrate with love and emanate joy. Turns out these former revelers are still going full-blast on life.

Ep. 217: Design Researcher Amanda Schneider on the Art of Contextualizing the Data

Founder and President of ThinkLab, Amanda Schneider, grew up outside of Chicago, inspired by a blend of engineering and design. Now a self-described “designer by degree, journalist by accident, and researcher by choice” at the helm of ThinkLab, she examines the ecosystem of the design world, unearthing and synthesizing the social and cultural shifts and drivers that impact the interiors industry. Together with her team, she offers insights and context that can empower better decision-making while also bridging the communication gap between creatives and the business sector. A keynote speaker (catch her recent TEDx talk) and the host of the podcast Design Nerds Anonymous, Amanda shares her wisdom on topics like communication strategies, storytelling, and the future of work.

Ep. 216: Clever Extra - Interior Designer Kerrie Kelly on Uniting Beauty and Function

Interior designer and lifestyle expert Kerrie Kelly is known for her distinctive California-inspired design philosophy. She got her start at Ralph Lauren Home and then moved to Del Webb Corporation where she was a boots-on-the-ground high-volume designer of homes, before founding her multi-faceted design studio, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab, in 1995. A graduate of both design and business school, she blends both of these skill sets in her work as an interior designer, trendspotter, and brand partner. She’s driven by a commitment to bringing thoughtful design into everyday life, which for Kerrie means blending beauty with functionality and translating that through a palette of luxurious and organic materiality.

Ep. 215: Kinfolk’s Idris Brewster Uses AR to Empower Collective Memory Building

Artist, creative technologist, and educator, Idris Brewster grew up in Brooklyn, being filmed for a documentary about his education as a black student at a prestigious, primarily white, school. His coming-of-age, only partially caught on camera, included a lot of basketball and hands-on artistic development. A grant awarded in college gave him early access to VR technology which opened a path to combining all of his talents and interests and expressing them through new media. Now, as co-founder and Executive Director of Kinfolk Foundation, he’s harnessing augmented reality, location-based technology, and community to engage in placing digital monuments in public spaces, memory building, and foregrounding the Black, Brown and Queer histories that have been intentionally silenced.

Ep. 74: Aaron Draplin

Keep Listening

Hear every episode with one click.

Resources

Listen

Ep. 74: Aaron Draplin

Keep Listening

Ep. 75: Lauren Makk

Ep. 73: Clever Extra - Flip the Switch on Your Home Lighting

Hear every episode with one click.

Resources

Listen