Episode Summary:In this  episode we chat with Font Awesome founders, Travis Chase and Dave Gandy. We delve into the intricacies of team dynamics and working relationships within the Font Awesome team. Using Patrick Lencioni's 6 Types of Working Genius framework, the episode dissects the leadership styles, strengths, weaknesses, and the collaborative fabric that help make Font Awesome successful.Dave and Travis talk about how they navigate through frustrations in the workplace and strategies they've learned to capitalize on each other's strengths. Various aspects of the framework are highlighted, illustrating real-life examples where certain geniuses shine within the team's projects. Key Takeaways:Long-standing relationships between team members can lead to a deep understanding of each other's working styles and a healthier team environment.The Working Genius framework can be particularly useful in identifying and playing to the strengths of team members in various project phases.The 'Wonder' and 'Invention' geniuses play a pivotal role in the creative process, while 'Discernment' ensures ideas are viable.Understanding and accommodating for 'Working Frustrations' is crucial in team settings to avoid conflict and help productivity.Diversity in team geniuses is important not only to cover all areas of project development but also to foster unique perspectives to find solutions.Notable Quotes:"One of the creators of WuFU was one of our mentors in YC, was in that interview. And I just remember there was a point in which they started not only talking about business, but design in business, and how design business and how a company grows, how important it is. And it was just like two wonder bombs going off." - Travis"The differences between people are how in our own deficiencies, that's how they get covered over. We work with other people that have those as geniuses instead of frustrations, and that's how we all together work better together." - Dave"There's an infinite amount you don't know, and that's not the daily assumption and how you act, then the world is a very weird place around what we don't know." - Travis"We are amazingly good at fooling ourselves, especially around our own capabilities, our own importance, and our own intelligence." - DaveShow Notes: The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsThe 6 Types of Working Genius Timestamp0:00:08 | Introduction to the podcast and discussion of working dynamics0:01:29 | Reflecting on working with Dave during the YC interview0:04:31 | Travis's working frustrations with Dave's wonder0:08:25 | Dave's working frustration with "E" (Enablement)0:09:23 | Importance of having all 6 working geniuses on a leadership team0:10:30 | Travis emphasizes the importance of not avoiding frustrations.0:11:35 | Dave asks about discernment and its importance.0:11:44 | Travis explains the working competencies of the team members.0:12:30 | Dave discusses Lindsay's unique perspective as a designer.0:13:32 | Travis and Dave discuss the critical role of discernment in design.0:14:32 | Travis and Dave talk about Brian's genius in scriptwriting.0:16:22 | Travis emphasizes the importance of collaboration and diverse perspectives.0:18:02 | Dave highlights the benefits of teamwork and listening to each other.Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Maybe you've heard the news? The team at Font Awesome has recently rebranded Shoelace as "Web Awesome!" To celebrate the occasion, we launched a Kickstarter. And we couldn't kick off a rebrand without a new video.  Check it out! If you've been around these parts for very long, you know Font Awesome has a history of creating zany content, such as the Font Awesome 5 Kickstarter video from 2017. And for the Web Awesome video, we collaborated with the creative studio Knox Avenue once again.The Font Awesome promo videos have been a real source of pride for our team. They're not only a great marketing tool but the videos give us a chance to showcase the personality of the brand. As always, the actors involved in creating these videos were great to work with. We  were fortunate to get several of the characters you know and love — Rob, Milton and Albert — along with a few fresh faces too!  All of the actors and the whole Knox Avenue team were great to work with as always and the actors and crew members went above and beyond to helped bring the vision of the scripts to life.  Check out the video version of this podcast on the Kickstarter page! Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

In this episode we chat with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy about the journey of finding a sustainable business model while staying true to the open source model. We discuss the origin of Font Awesome, the power of open source software, and the concept of "actualized open source." Dave shares insights into the success of Font Awesome and their approach to monetizing the project while continuing to provide value to the open source community. They also discuss the launch of their new project, Web Awesome, and their Kickstarter campaign. Tune in to learn more about the intersection of open source and business.Key Takeaways:Font Awesome started as a solution to personal challenges with icons in web development and quickly turned into a global standard.The importance of Retina displays in driving the success of vector-based iconography, especially for Font Awesome.Balancing a profitable business model with the ethos of open source has resulted in continued improvement and distribution of free software.Actualized open source is not just about sustaining a project but enabling it to become everything it can be.Font Awesome maintains a commitment to not selling user data and providing a transparent business model based on value exchange.Notable Quotes:"Never let your morals get in the way of doing the right thing.""Can we build a company full of people that can actually trust each other?""Can the company and the open-source project be actualized? Can they be self-actualized?""Software has this crazy thing about it that's different from the real world. The real world there is a natural scarcity... But with software, whatever we can provide in software, we can copy and distribute for almost free.""What if we could be a place where people could become more of who they were made to be, right, of what they know is good about them?"Timestamp0:01:23 | The origin of Font Awesome as a solution to icon frustrations0:03:00 | Explanation of Retina displays and the significance for graphics0:04:04 | Font Awesome's advantage of using vector graphics for scalable icons0:06:00 | Decision to make Font Awesome an open source project0:08:32 | Font Awesome's rapid growth and the importance of GitHub for distribution0:09:19 | Realization of Font Awesome's potential and decision to seek funding0:10:23 | Building Font Awesome as a company instead of relying on external funding0:11:18 | Dave's preference to avoid fundraising and maintain control over the project0:11:58 | Open source software should not be begging for money0:13:15 | The challenge is to build a product that people will pay for0:14:57 | Font Awesome found a way to make payroll & sustain open source0:15:22 | Being a pro subscriber is similar to donating to open source0:17:10 | Transparency and trust are important in the business model0:20:15 | The goal is to achieve self-actualization in open source0:23:23 | Company's mission is to fulfill employees in life and workplace0:28:09 | Launching the web awesome Kickstarter for Shoelace (web awesome)0:30:10 | The goal is to grow open source exponentially and provide more value0:31:33 | Motivation should come from what's good enough about us, not what's not what's lacking.Show Notes:https://fontawesome.com Font Awesome YouTube channelThe Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Guests Jory Raphael, Rob Madole, and Lindsay Miller discuss the '6 Types of Working Genius' framework, energy spikes and drains, team dynamics, and the challenges of product development. They explore leveraging individual strengths for team success, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of trust in collaboration.

Episode Summary:In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we dive deep into the story of Font Awesome founders Dave Gandy and Travis Chase, as they reminisce about their remarkable journey through Y Combinator, the prestigious tech accelerator. The conversation offers listeners an exclusive look into the world of startups, challenges, and triumphs that come with being a part of such an intensive program.Dave and Travis recount the rigorous application process, their moment of acceptance, and the invaluable lessons learned during their time at YC. This episode demystifies the accelerator experience and provides real-world advice to aspiring YC entrepreneurs.Their tale is peppered with anecdotes, humor and hard-fought wisdom, drawing parallels from the TV series "Silicon Valley." Listeners will leave with a better understanding of what it takes to step into the ring of tech accelerators and come out with a clear direction.Key Takeaways:Y Combinator's rigorous selection process emphasizes the potential of the founders rather than just the product idea.The importance of preparation for the YC interview, including potential questions and understanding the background and interests of the partners.Building and nurturing relationships is key to both business and personal development.Notable Quotes:"All a startup is is something that's a lie that people believed long enough that it became the truth." - Dave"If you live your life doing what you think is right and working, when you see those chances arise, then there isn't really anything to regret." - Dave"The most recent round of YC just wrapped […] they had 20,000 applications and they accepted 1.4%." - DaveTimestamp0:02:15 | Importance of thinking big in startups0:04:43 | Y Combinator as a business trade school0:05:08 | Focus and community at Y Combinator0:09:37 | Y Combinator's selection process and emphasis on team0:10:41 | Y Combinator believes in betting on the right people, not just the idea.0:11:46 | VCs advise each other to bet on people, but it doesn't always work in practice.0:12:14 | YC focuses on betting on the people, even without a specific idea.0:13:17 | The importance of leaving everything on the table during the YC interview.0:16:07 | Craft a strong answer for how the you can become a billion-dollar company.0:19:44 | YC educates startups on the venture capital business model.0:22:24 | Feeling confident after the second interview0:25:44 | Receiving the call that they got into Y Combinator0:29:20 | Considering fundraising options: Kickstarter or venture capital0:29:48 | Y Combinator provides guidance on raising money and crafting pitches.0:33:43 | Decision to stay self-sufficient and profitable rather than raising series A.0:36:13 | Preparation and research are key for a successful YC application.0:40:27 | Identifying character through sacrifice and hard choices0:41:16 | The extensive interview process at Y Combinator0:42:02 | Building relationships with mentors and colleagues0:42:24 | Advice for entrepreneurs: listen to customers and build something they want0:43:18 | The core value of developing relationships with good peopleShow Notes:The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsY CombinatorStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

About the Guest:Dave Gandy is Font Awesome's Founder and an MIT alumnus who hails from Carl Junction, Missouri, and reflects on his experience transitioning from a small-town environment to the competitive halls of MIT. With a background rooted in both art and technology, Dave specialized in human-centric product design and has a strong belief in the interplay between creativity, empathy, and engineering. Detailing his educational journey, he conveys a profound understanding of personal growth through adversity, emphasizing how integral unique talents are to individual success.Episode Summary:In this profound discussion, Dave Gandy delves into the multifaceted experience of attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), providing a unique perspective that intertwines struggle, growth, and the eventual recognition of one's strengths. The conversation unveils the cultural nuances of MIT, the infamous acronym 'IHTFP', and the myriad emotions associated with the academic pressure cooker that is this renowned institution.Dave candidly shares his journey from a small town to the rigorous academic world of MIT, including the realities of cultural shift and academic preparedness. He discusses the intensity of the coursework, MIT's famous hacking culture, and the pivotal moments that led to self-discovery and personal growth. Filled with engaging anecdotes, Dave also illustrates the communal encounters and extracurricular exploits that colored his time at the institute.Key Takeaways:The acronym 'IHTFP' at MIT can stand for both 'I Hate This F***ing Place' and 'I Have Truly Found Paradise', reflecting the duality of the MIT experience.MIT pushes students to their limits, uncovering their limitations and potential, a crucial part of personal development that Dave attests can come with "good, healthy pain."Dave's unique combination of interests in art, technology, and human-centric design became his niche, setting him apart and allowing him to excel in areas beyond traditional academics.Experiences such as "roof and tunnel hacking" not only serve as a rite of passage but enforce creative problem-solving and ethical boundary-pushing among students.MIT's competitive atmosphere can induce significant stress and emotional upheaval, highlighting the importance of a solid personal identity and a supportive community.Notable Quotes:"Any real significant personal growth will not be had in life without a good bit of healthy kind of pain.""A company is really nothing more than a lie that people believe long enough until it becomes the truth.""The real challenge in life, a lot of times is, yeah, but what can I do about it? What are the solutions?"Timestamp0:02:14 | MIT experiences involve pain and questioning if it's worth it.0:05:10 | A teacher's encouragement made Dave consider MIT.0:08:07 | MIT experiences include dangerous and fun activities.0:11:31 | Hacking in relation to roof and tunnel hacking0:15:44 | The practical problem-solving skills gained from hacking0:19:52 | Dave reflects on discovering his own strengths and finding his sweet spot0:22:26 | Dave reflects on his experience at MIT and how it shaped him0:23:22 | The negative outcomes of being driven by emptiness0:26:39 | Embrace the right kind of pain for growth0:30:01 | Don't climb someone else's ladder of success0:32:07 | Dave reflects on their personal growth and values during their time at MIT0:34:07 | The brutal workload at MIT.Show Notes: The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

In the tech industry, the dynamic between developers and designers looms large - and their collaboration (or lack thereof) influences the outcome of a project. These two distinct disciplines with their specialized terminologies and ways of thinking, often find the need to bridge the gap, to ensure a cohesive and functional deliverable. In this podcast we chat with Cory LaViska, Jory Raphael, and Noah Jacobus to discuss the challenges and experiences they've faced while collaborating as developers and designers. Key Takeaways:Communication is key in the collaboration between designers and developers.Working together from the beginning of a project leads to better outcomes.Having a shared understanding of each other's roles and constraints is crucial.Pairing designers and developers on projects fosters collaboration and creativity.Design systems like Shoelace provide a common ground for designers and developers.Quotes:"Communication is key. I think that's number one." - Cory"Devs and designers, we always have a dev and a designer paired together on a project." - Jory"Designers ask for the impossible a lot more than might be necessary." - Jory"Shoelace provides a common ground for both designers and developers to work from." - CoryShow Notes: Font Awesome websiteFont Awesome YouTube channelFigma pluginThe Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Episode Summary:In this episode of Podcast Awesome, we chat with Jory Raphael and Rob Madole from the Font Awesome team. They discuss the various projects and updates that Font Awesome has worked on in 2023, including the launch of Font Awesome Sharp, the creation of a Figma plugin, and improvements to Font Awesome's Kits and release process. They also touch on their partnership with Shoelace and hint at exciting things to come in the future. The episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into creating and maintaining Font Awesome, as well as insights into the world of icon design and web development.Key Takeaways:Font Awesome Sharp: Font Awesome Sharp is a new icon family introduced by Font Awesome. It features sharp, edgy icons that provide a different aesthetic compared to the classic Font Awesome icons with rounded corners.YouTube Channel and Podcast Awesome: Font Awesome has launched a YouTube channel where users can find screencasts and promotional videos related to Font Awesome. The team has also created Podcast Awesome, a podcast where they discuss icons, design, tech business, and more.Improvements to Kits: Font Awesome has made significant improvements to its kits, allowing users to customize and subset the icons they want to use. This helps improve performance and load times, making it easier for users to integrate Font Awesome into their projects.Partnership with Shoelace: Font Awesome has partnered with Shoelace, a popular web component library, to further enhance their offerings. The collaboration aims to provide users with even more awesome features and improvements.Future Work: Font Awesome has exciting projects in the pipeline, including integrated work with the Shoelace team and the development of new features and updates. The team is constantly working to improve Font Awesome and provide users with the best possible experience.Notable Quotes:"Font Awesome Sharp brings a new aesthetic to our icon library, with sharp and edgy icons that provide a different look and feel compared to our classic icons." - Jory Raphael"We've made significant improvements to our kits, allowing users to customize and subset the icons they want to use. This helps improve performance and load times, making it easier for users to integrate Font Awesome into their projects." - Rob Madole"Our partnership with Shoelace has been a game-changer. We're excited to work together and take Font Awesome to the next level, providing users with even more awesome features and improvements." - Jory RaphaelShow Notes:Font Awesome websiteFont Awesome YouTube channelFigma pluginThe Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsRetro video game sweep 8-bit coin soundTaking out a sword sound effect Intense 8-bit game music DJ airhorn sound effect Chiptune #5 interstitial Time stamps0:00:09Introduction to Podcast Awesome0:04:11Launch of Podcast Awesome0:04:31Launch Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

In this podcast Matt and Travis discuss Shape Up, a project management philosophy created by 37 Signals, the makers of Basecamp, and how it helps Font Awesome stay on track. Instead of trying to build everything at once, Font Awesome ships complete features. By using the Shape Up method, Font Awesome has been able to deliver products efficiently and effectively, which reduces the risk of delivering an unsatisfactory product.The traditional waterfall process, by contrast, can take a very long time to build a product that is often out of date by the time it is completed. During his career, Travis has worked with a variety of project management methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. In the end, the Font Awesome team has found that Shape Up works best, allowing them to ship consistently and at a pace that aligns with their philosophy of business and life. —-----------------------------------------------HIGHLIGHTS: "One of the surprising things and sort of a takeaway I took from reading Shape Up is that it's okay — It might even be expected that certain work gets abandoned and that shipping really is the highest priority and that backlogs kill productivity. And that kind of goes along with the philosophy, too, of work, that you have to have constraints and limits to actually allow creativity to flow. And you can't do everything. So you do have to have constraints. You do have to be able to say no. ""Dave and I take a lot of inspiration from the books that 37Signals put out like Rework and It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work. Those kinds of things. And trying to maybe do business differently, do our own spin on it, see what works for us based on all the places we've worked. And kind of how we would try to change things. And one of those things that I ran into — and I'll speak for me — ran into my career is you might get a solution to find we need this feature X and the software and we're going to give you three weeks to develop it."--------------------------------------------------TIMESTAMPS: 0:00:09 Shape Up Method and How Font Awesome Uses It0:02:41 Discussion on Traditional Waterfall and Agile Methodologies0:04:22 Agile and Kanban Methodologies for Software Development0:07:51 Product Development Lifecycle Using Shape Up Methodology0:09:15 Exploring the Benefits of Six-Week Splits and Two-Week Cooldowns for Software Delivery0:11:18 How Two Week Cooldowns Allow For Side-projects like “Space Awesome”. 0:12:39 An Overview of the Shape Up Workflow Process0:15:39 Shape Up and Font Awesome's Business Philosophy0:19:16 The Benefits of a 40-Hour Work Week and Embracing the Whole Person0:20:51 The Benefits of Allowing Creativity and Autonomy in the Workplace0:22:39 Exploring the Benefits of Font-Building Engine "Haunt Forge"0:23:56 The Icon Wizard and Building with Creative Constraints0:27:35 Iterative Development and the 37 Signals BaseCamp Methodology0:29:41 Summary of Discussion on Software Development Methodologies and Project Management Methodologies------------------NotesShape Up (Book) Always Be Shipping (and On Time for Dinner): Why We Use Shape Up The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

On this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt chats with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy about Patrick Lencioni's ideas behind Working Genius. They discuss how the six types of Working Genius help identify working strengths and weaknesses, creating more effective teams and getting more done efficiently. Dave explains how their company got introduced to Lencioni's ideas and how they started doing leadership training. They emphasize the importance of work culture and how it affects a company's success.TIME STAMPS —-------------------------[00:06:19] Six types of working genius.[00:09:53] Remote work relationships.[00:16:57] Wonder and innovation.[00:19:12] Taking the time for work.[00:23:09] Importance of being a domain expert.[00:24:55] Tenacity in the workplace.[00:27:58] Ideation process and meetings.[00:30:43] Working geniuses and efficiency.[00:33:59] Organizational health and satisfaction.—------------------------------------------NOTESThe Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsThe 6 Types of Working Genius Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!