Nerd Show and Tell: Meet Kelsey Jackson, Designer and Front-End Developer

Sep 5, 2023

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🎧 Episode Summary: Design Systems, B-Grade Horror, and a Splash of Rum with Kelsey Jackson

In this episode of Nerd Show and Tell, Matt kicks back with Font Awesome’s (now a part of the Web Awesome team) Designer and Front-End Developer, Kelsey Jackson. If you’ve admired how snappy and stylish the Font Awesome site looks lately — yep, that’s Kelsey’s handiwork. From refining a slick internal design system to mixing tiki drinks and geeking out over B-horror classics, this convo serves up career insights and cult movie nerdery with a twist.

You'll hear how Kelsey conned "convinced" Dave Gandy to bring him onboard the FA crew, his high school art teacher’s pivotal advice, and why middle-shelf rum might just be the real MVP of mixology. Oh, and if you're into “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” buckle up.

🔍 What We Cover in This Episode

🎨 Creating an internal design system that doesn’t suck
🍿 Kelsey’s wishlist for horror-themed icons
🧪 Drawing-to-design transitions and nerdy career pivots
👟 Bourbon, sneakers, and the legend of the Snuggle swag
🍔 Cooking inspo from The Bear and YouTube foodies
🍹 Why expensive rum is a scam (probably)

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00:16 – Creating an Internal Design System and More
00:02:43 – Kelsey’s Job at Waco Media as Developer/Designer
00:04:28 – Drawing vs. Design: The OG Connection
00:07:29 – Refining Font Awesome’s Design System
00:11:57 – Why Design System Consistency Matters
00:13:27 – Web Components, AI, and the Content Creation Game
00:15:34 – Horror Movie Icon Wishlist
00:17:32 – B-Horror and Bad Job Flashbacks
00:22:07 – Car Wash Reflections + Disaster Relief Vibes
00:27:49 – Bourbon at the Snuggle, Kicks, and Spirits
00:29:47 – Cooking Steak & Mixing Tiki Drinks
00:31:25 – Thoughts on The Bear
00:33:29 – Matty Matheson’s Culinary Comedy
00:35:18 – Resources for Building Design Systems

🎤 Noteworthy Quotes

🎨 On Becoming a Designer

“If you want to sort of stay connected to the art world and not be broke, you might want to look into design.” — on advice from his high school art teacher

🤝 On Meeting Dave Gandy

“It's weird how people were just afraid to walk up to the man and introduce themselves, and I was one of the few that did that... I’ve kind of been working that angle up since I met the guy. I wanted to work at Font Awesome.”

🛠️ On Building a Design System

“A design system is a set of standards to help manage design at scale. It reduces redundancy and creates a shared visual language.”

📚 On Learning Design Systems

“I just jumped in... I landed on Brad Frost and his Atomic Design, and that helped me figure it out.”

🔗 Links & Resources

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