Podcast Awesome

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!

Designers + Developers: How Font Awesome Bridges the Creative-Tech DivideIn this episode of Podcast Awesome, we dive deep into the sometimes-harmonious, sometimes-hilariously-clashing worlds of design and development. Host Matt Johnson sits down with Cory LaViska (creator of Shoelace) and Font Awesome’s very own Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus to unpack the nuanced dynamics between developers and designers. From figma files to file formats, these pros explore how collaboration, communication, and culture shape better digital products—and friendlier Slack channels.Whether you’ve ever been handed an impossible mockup or spent hours coding around a whimsical curve, this episode gives you the real talk (and real laughs) about bridging the gap between right-brainers and left-brainers. Spoiler: empathy is the secret weapon. 🧠💥💡 What We Cover in This Episode💬 Why communication is key—and how to make it less awkward🧪 The designer-developer pairing method we swear by🎨 How design systems like Shoelace create common ground🍰 Why working in “vertical slices” beats serving sheet cake🛠️ Figma, code pens, and using design tools in weird-but-brilliant ways🎭 Killing ego culture to create safe spaces for learning⏱️ Timestamps[00:01:08] Devs & Designers: The classic tension explained[00:02:18] Communication: The MVP of collaboration[00:04:34] Design/dev balance in Font Awesome’s DNA[00:06:21] Why mutual understanding beats “just trust me”[00:10:56] Vertical slices vs. horizontal disasters[00:13:11] Shoelace as a sandbox for team creativity[00:18:47] The value of shared design vocabulary[00:20:59] Being design-led vs. adding polish last[00:22:57] Breaking down silos, and why size matters (in teams!)[00:27:12] Creating a safe space for “stupid” questions🗣️ Notable Quotes"Communication is key. I think that's number one." — Cory LaViska A simple truth that sets the tone for the whole discussion."Designers ask for the impossible a lot more than might be necessary." — Jory Raphael Said with love—and a deep understanding of pixel-perfect pain."We always have a dev and a designer paired together on a project." — Jory Raphael A peek into the Font Awesome philosophy: build together, from the start."Shoelace provides a common ground for both designers and developers to work from." — Cory LaViska The power of a shared design language, distilled."Not wanting to appear in your eyes stupid... is such a great way to not learn anything." — Cory LaViska Wisdom bomb incoming. Vulnerability FTW."You end up with a sheet cake that doesn’t have any frosting on it." — Jory Raphael An extremely delicious metaphor for bad workflows."Good culture means it’s safe to ask the 'stupid' questions." — Cory LaViska The unsung hero of productivity: psychological safety.🔗 Links & ResourcesFont Awesome WebsiteShoelace: A forward-thinking web component libraryFont Awesome YouTube ChannelFigma Plugin for Font AwesomeTheme music by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Sharp Edges, Big Wins & One Legendary PDF Mix-UpIn this season-opening episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome’s own Jory Raphael and Rob Madole to reminisce about the many wins (and one epic PDF blunder) from 2023. From launching Font Awesome Sharp to unveiling a Figma plugin and improving the release process, the team breaks down everything they built — and the lessons they learned. Plus, they tease some exciting projects coming in 2024 (spoiler: Shoelace might be getting a glow-up), and there's even talk of sketch comedy and icon wizardry... and farts. Yep, farts.🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode:🔪 The sharp, edgy arrival of Font Awesome Sharp🎧 The story behind launching Podcast Awesome📺 Font Awesome’s YouTube channel and promo screencasts🥾 Integrating with Shoelace (and teasing secret video projects)🛠️ Big upgrades to Font Awesome Kits, subsetting and CSS-only kits🧰 Release process automation: from pain to power tools🧪 The Great PDF Mix-Up of 2023 and how fast fixes saved the day🔌 Launch of a slick new Figma plugin🎉 13,000 podcast downloads and what’s coming next for Season 2⏱️ Timestamps:0:00:29 – New Year, old Macs, and 2023 kickoff0:04:00 – Launching Podcast Awesome and the DIY podcast hustle0:07:36 – 🎉 Font Awesome Sharp and other 2023 releases0:08:52 – Shoelace partnership and top-secret filming0:10:26 – Behind-the-scenes at Figma Config0:12:22 – Major upgrades to Kits (subsetting, CSS-only, downloads)0:15:04 – Streamlined icon release process and automation0:17:50 – 🎯 The accidental "File PDF → File PNG" snafu0:20:38 – Launch of the Figma plugin + Kit integration0:22:50 – The Snuggle that COVID stole (sad trombone)0:27:02 – Future collabs with Shoelace + Podcast Awesome S2 plans0:29:21 – Behind the Icon series and fun with Poo Storm0:30:39 – 🧠 Y Combinator experiences, Pro benefits, and icon wizardry0:31:13 – Reusable shapes a.k.a. F.A.R.T.S and stage-worthy sound effects0:32:16 – Thanks for 13,000 downloads!💬 Noteworthy Quotes:“It was one of those features we've wanted for years. Subsetting Kits finally makes Font Awesome faster and more flexible for everyone.” – Rob Madole“Font Awesome Sharp brings a whole new look. Edgy, clean, and totally sharp.” – Jory Raphael“Let that be a lesson, folks. Test early and often… especially before a Snuggle.” – Matt Johnson🔗 Links & Resources:Font Awesome WebsiteFont Awesome YouTube ChannelFont Awesome Figma PluginTheme song by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns at Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Why Font Awesome Uses Shape Up: Ditching Backlogs and Shipping Better SoftwareIn this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome co-founder Travis Chase for a deep dive into the project management philosophy that keeps the FA ship sailing smoothly — Shape Up, the brainchild of 37signals (makers of Basecamp). If you're tired of bloated backlogs, eternal sprints, or shipping stress, this one’s for you.They contrast Shape Up with traditional methodologies like Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, and Kanban, and unpack how Font Awesome’s flavor of Shape Up—built around six-week splits and two-week cooldowns — helps them actually ship meaningful features without burning out. They also talk about the power of constraints, creative freedom, and why abandoning some work is not a failure —it's strategy.🤓 What We Cover in This Episode🧠 Why Shape Up beats the backlog bloat🛠️ The downside of building everything all at once📦 How six-week splits & two-week cooldowns keep FA productive🚀 Space Awesome and other cool-down creations🔮 How creative constraints unlock innovation💡 Tools like Haunt Forge & Icon Wizard born from autonomy📚 37signals’ books that shaped Font Awesome's ethos⏱️ Timestamps[00:00:09] Shape Up Method and How Font Awesome Uses It[00:02:41] Traditional Waterfall and Agile Methodologies[00:04:22] Agile and Kanban Methods in the Real World[00:07:51] Product Development Lifecycle with Shape Up[00:09:15] Six-Week Splits and Two-Week Cooldowns[00:11:18] Side Projects like “Space Awesome”[00:12:39] Shape Up Workflow Breakdown[00:15:39] Project Management Meets Business Philosophy[00:19:16] 40-Hour Work Weeks & Whole-Person Thinking[00:20:51] Autonomy & Creative Flow at Work[00:22:39] Behind the Scenes of Haunt Forge[00:23:56] Icon Wizard + the Magic of Constraints[00:27:35] Iterative Dev à la Basecamp[00:29:41] Wrapping Up: Software and Project Management Insights🔗 Links & Resources📘 Shape Up (Book) 📗 Always Be Shipping (and On Time for Dinner): Why We Use Shape Up 🧠 It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work⚙️ Haunt Forge Font Engine🧙‍♂️ Icon Wizard🎵 The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin🎧 Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions🔖 Noteworthy Quotes"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. 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."Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Working Genius at Font Awesome: Dave Gandy on Building Stronger, Happier TeamsIn this illuminating episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy to unpack the magic behind Patrick Lencioni’s “Six Types of Working Genius.” It's a deep dive into the power of knowing your work style, building better teams, and unlocking peak productivity—without all the corporate gobbledygook. Dave explains how Font Awesome embraced the Working Genius framework, why it matters, and how it's shaping everything from meetings to morale. If you're a startup nerd or workplace culture aficionado, this one’s for you.🤓 What We Cover in This Episode🧠 What are the Six Types of Working Genius (WIDGET!) and why they matter🌍 Why remote work success hinges on IRL relationships🛠️ How organizational health is a competitive edge💥 The difference between work that energizes vs. drains you👥 Why understanding how others work might be your secret weapon🎯 The practical impact of knowing your team’s working geniuses🔧 How better meetings = more efficiency, less money torching🕰️ Timestamps[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🔥 Best Quotes“Font Awesome is a company of nerds who like people. Not machines —people.” — Dave Gandy“"Working genius isn’t about skills. It’s about energy — what lights you up and what drains you.” — Dave Gandy"Just because you’re not a domain expert doesn’t mean you're better at managing. That’s a warm blanket of nonsense.” — Dave Gandy"Understanding how work gets done is the first step to actually changing reality.” — Dave Gandy🔗 Links & ResourcesThe Six Types of Working GeniusThe Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon ProductionsStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

🎸 Code, Kits, and Killer Guitar Riffs with Jason OteroIn this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Font Awesome software engineer Jason Otero to dive into the rhythms of code and chord progressions alike. Jason talks about what it’s like working on Font Awesome Kits, his experience with six-week splits (spoiler: better than two-week sprints), and why taking time to cool down after intense work sessions is chef’s kiss for productivity.We also nerd out about loading Kits using only CSS, explore Jason’s thoughts on WebAssembly and Rust, and hear about his double life as a guitarist in two bands, one of which is Blister Soul. It’s an episode with strong tech, strong opinions, and strong guitar tones. Plug in and press play.🎧 What We Cover in This Episode🧪 Six-week splits: why they beat sprints🎛️ Jason’s clever new way of loading Font Awesome Kits💅 CSS-only web font Kits? You bet!🧠 Embracing “cool down” time for better tech work🛠️ Rust, WebAssembly, and Jason’s programming faves🎸 His guitar gear rabbit hole (you know the one)🤘 Life in not one but two bands⏱️ Timestamps00:00:36 — Six week splits vs two week sprints00:05:57 — New method of loading Kits00:07:18 — CSS-only web font Kits00:09:47 — Project management methods00:12:41 — Full benefits of 'cool down' time00:18:33 — WebAssembly and Rust technology00:19:09 — Programming language preferences00:22:14 — Favorite icons and hobbies00:26:33 — Guitar gear obsession00:31:38 — Music and Band Promotion🎙️ Notable Quotes “That process of logical deduction that you have to do whenever you're troubleshooting something I think kind of helped lead me toward the development side of things.” (On how installing alarm systems shaped his dev skills)“For people that just don't really want to use a lot of JavaScript... we now are getting ready to release a new way of loading the kit that is only using CSS.” (Re: CSS-only Kits as a streamlined solution)“The cool down, they're nice for many things... it's a great time for fixing bugs, putting on polish, trying out new things.” (Explaining the value of Font Awesome’s Basecamp-style 6-week split + 2-week cooldown rhythm)“It was a little hazardous. I used like a big old mixer... and to clean it, they would literally set it on fire.” (Recalling his teenage glue-mixing job — the most pyro-nerdy flex ever!)“I haven't counted up recently the number of guitars I have, but it's probably in the range of 15 or so.” (Guitar gearhead status: confirmed)“We want to give customers cool stuff because it's cool to have customers like to use our stuff.” (Why he loves shipping features that solve problems)🔗 Links & ResourcesBlister Soul (Jason's band – rock on 🎶)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!

🎧 The Fine Art of Structure & Chaos — Inside Font Awesome’s Creative ProcessWhat happens when you mix dinosaur icons, brain science, and a meticulous-yet-messy creative workflow? You get a peak behind the pixel curtain with icon maestros Jory Raphael and Noah Jacobus! In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt chats with the duo about their icon design process — equal parts strategy and serendipity.From high-level sketches to final pixel perfection, Jory and Noah reveal how they balance structure with creative chaos using tools like Figma and a well-worn sketchpad. Along the way, we explore productivity hacks, the rhythm of creative flow, and yes — dinosaur design drama. 🦖💡🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode:🧠 Icon design as both art and science✏️ Why sketching still matters in a digital world🦕 The joy and struggle of designing dinosaur icons🛠️ Why Figma makes their workflows less "rawr" and more "refined"🧬 What brain science and music have to do with creativity🗓️ Rebuilding your schedule to support creative energy💥 How pressure impacts the design process—for better or worse⏱️ Timestamps[00:01:23] Design process[00:05:01] High level sketching[00:07:45] Figma for interface design[00:10:39] Designing dinosaur icons[00:14:08] Messy creative process[00:17:13] Creative process and productivity[00:20:31] Brain science in music[00:23:38] Creating a new schedule[00:26:52] Creative process and pressure🎯 Top Noteworthy Quotes from Jory & Noah on Design ProcessOn Messy Creativity:“The creative process in general is so by its very nature, amorphous and all over the place.” — Jory RaphaelOn Collaborating Across the Fence:“Sometimes I will design something, take a kind of a first pass at it, kick it across the fence to Noah, and he'll go in and tweak it and add, improve it generally... it's kind of collaborative when it needs to be and isn't when it doesn't need to be.” — Jory RaphaelOn Tool-Based Sketching:“My sketching process is like digitally drawing right in the program itself.” — Noah JacobusOn Dinosaur Design Woes:“The Tyrannosaurus... it’s not done yet... you have to find a way. Like, you can bend, or is it squatting? Does it look like it's pooping instead of standing up?” — Jory RaphaelOn Visual Rhythm in Workspaces:“I often will put a movie or a TV show on my little side monitor... just something I can kind of pay half attention to... helps me just get into a zone where I can draw.” — Jory RaphaelOn Brain Science and Structure:“There’s got to be brain science to this stuff for sure.” — Matt Johnson “We just draw small pictures, Matt.” — Jory RaphaelOn Icon Design Pressure:“We’re not on the hook to force anything to work. It can be much more freeform.” — Noah JacobusOn Growing Process Needs:“What works when there's a smaller group of people doesn't work necessarily as well when there are more... We put in as much process as we need to.” — Jory Raphael🔗 Links & ResourcesThe 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: Design Systems, B-Grade Horror, and a Splash of Rum with Kelsey JacksonIn 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)⏱️ Timestamps00:00:16 – 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 & ResourcesAtomic Design by Brad FrostNielsen Norman GroupThe Bear – HuluMatty MathesonKiller Klowns from Outer Space – IMDBSam the Cooking Guy – YouTubeBabish Culinary UniverseJoshua Weissman – YouTubeStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Why Font Awesome Switched to Figma: Boolean Magic, Sharp Icons & Real-Time Design 🚀In this fun and vector-loving episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt catches up with icon design duo Noah Jacobus and Jory Raphael to chat all things Figma. They unpack what makes Figma such a killer tool for collaborative design — hello, real-time editing and Boolean wizardry! We also peek into how it compares to Adobe Illustrator, get the scoop on Adobe’s acquisition of Figma, and daydream about a possible Font Awesome plugin in the future. Whether you're a vector nerd or just Fig-curious, there’s plenty to love here.✨ What We Cover in This Episode🌈 “Figma has rainbow magic.” (For real, it does.)🤝 Real-time collab and why it rocks for icon design🧮 Boolean operations and non-destructive editing, aka vector sorcery🏢 Adobe's acquisition of Figma: friend or foe?🧩 Plugins, problems, and finding fixes with the Figma community💡 How Sharp icons + Figma = the dream team⏱️ Timestamps00:05:56 Tools don’t always matter (but sometimes they really do)00:12:12 Adobe owns Figma now00:12:31 Adobe acquisitions: the good, the bad, the ugly00:24:22 Linking Font Awesome Pro accounts00:27:09 Figma has rainbow magic 🌈✨🔗 Links & ResourcesThe Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie MartinAudio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions10 Reasons We Switched to Figma for Icon Design-------------------HIGHLIGHTS"So Figma has rainbow magic." (00:26:57-00:27:19)"Figma is a central place where we can both work in the same file at the same time. If I make a change, he sees it." (00:20:52-00:23:44)"Noah is entirely responsible for us moving to Figma." (00:00:00-00:03:29)"And the ability to easily test things in the context of digital products is kind of where it found its place for me." (00:03:23-00:06:24)"Being able to identify each of those, you know, every element of a stroke shape or path and make adjustments to it that way is pretty cool." (00:17:58-00:20:57)"Boolean operations are one of the biggest ones... it's kind of a unique way of treating stroked objects like their actual shapes at the same time... that is something that it can't do. So it's a nice more unique feature." (00:15:08-00:18:08)"I think that Figma is enough of a powerhouse kind of on its own that that's not going to happen with the employees there and the community, especially as such a huge force with a lot of momentum behind it that helps support the product and keeps it moving." (00:11:51-00:15:16)"There are just tons of things that are out there that if you run into an issue, someone else likely has run into it already and there's probably a plugin that exists to fix it or address it, which is awesome." (00:23:38-00:27:07)"But what started to become really appealing to me about Figma was, as Noah said, some of the, well, number one, the simplicity of collaboration, which is now super important because we have multiple icon designers at Fawn Awesome, but also some of their unique takes on doing things with vectors." (00:06:17-00:09:04)Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!