Podcast Awesome

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.

...

🎬 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...

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...

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,...

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 s...

It’s finally happening! In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we sit down with Lea Verou to talk about all things usability, web standards, and her journey into tech. From childhood tinkering with imaginary product ads to shaping the future of CSS and web development, Lea has done ... a lot!

You’ll hear about her work at MIT, her time on the W3C TAG, and what led her to join Font Awesome as Product Lead. Plus, we get into the finer po...

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...

🍺 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 mo...

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...

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 br...

🎙 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 Da...

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 ...

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 brillian...

💩⚡️ 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 masterp...

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...

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 cul...

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 hairst...

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 con...

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!