Podcast Awesome

Font Awesome
  • 4.8 (9)
  • TECHNOLOGY

On Podcast Awesome we talk to members of the Font Awesome team about icons, design, tech, business, and of course, nerdery. 🎙️ Podcast Awesome is your all-access pass into the creative engine behind Font Awesome — the web’s favorite icon toolkit. Join host Matt Johnson and the Font Awesome crew (and friends) for deep dives into icon design, front-end engineering, software development, healthy business culture, and a whole lot of lovingly-rendered nerdery. From technical explorations of our open-source tooling, chats with web builders, icon designers, and content creators, with the occasional gleeful rants about early internet meme culture, we bring you stories and strategies from the trenches of building modern web software — with a healthy dose of 80s references and tech dad jokes. 🎧 Perfect for: Icon design and content-first thinkingCreative process and collaborative designWork-life balance in techRemote team culture and async collaborationInternet history, meme archaeology, and other nerd ephemera 🧠 Come for the design wisdom, stay for the deep meme cuts and beautifully crafted icons.

  1. Website Color Theming Made Easy [Look Awesome Demo]

    6D AGO

    Website Color Theming Made Easy [Look Awesome Demo]

    Look Awesome: Solving Color Once and for All Locking in the color palette for your project is one of those things that seems simple until you're actually doing it. Pick the wrong shade and your text is unreadable. Pick the right shade and it only works in Figma, not in your codebase, not in Tailwind, not anywhere that matters. Dave Gandy — Font Awesome founder, Kickstarter legend, self-described Nantucket color enthusiast — has been quietly building a tool to fix this mess. It's called Look Awesome, and it tackles color from three angles at once: the technical side (WCAG contrast math), the artistic side (palettes that actually look good), and yes, the genetic side (turns out not everyone sees color the same way, and there's a 100-dot test to prove it). This episode is an audio cut of a live demo Dave gave during the Build Awesome Kickstarter stream. He walks through how Look Awesome works, why he built it in under three weeks using modern AI tooling, and why he thinks this might be the most fun thing he's ever made. You'll also hear about NASA's brand guidelines, the color laws of Nantucket, and a binary search algorithm that finds the exact one shade of blue that satisfies both dark and light text contrast requirements. Fair warning: this is a color tool, so if you want to actually see the thing, head over to the YouTube channel. The link is in the show notes. What We Cover What Look Awesome is and why it existsThe three challenges of color: technical, artistic, and geneticThe Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test and what it means for working with colorHow the palette-building math actually works (including that binary search)Theming once and getting it everywhere — Tailwind, Web Awesome, Claude's design.md, whereverHow Look Awesome fits into the Build Awesome workflowWhy Dave built this in under three weeks and what AI-assisted Build Week looked likeThe Nantucket color palette demo (10 seconds, one URL)Try It Look Awesome is live now at look.awesome.me. Dave wants to hear what's working — not just the bugs. Drop him a note at dave@awesome.me. Want to support the broader project? The Build Awesome Kickstarter is still running at build.awesome.me. Watch the full demo from the livestream! youtube.com/live/XBMSvupE7Bc?si=3Ow2B1I4pOAYnsb  Credits Hosted, produced and edited by Matt JohnsonFeaturing Dave Gandy and Zach (from the Build Awesome livestream)Theme song by Ronnie MartinMusic interstitials by Zach MalmVideo editing by Isaac ChaseStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    21 min
  2. Say No More: What AI Actually Changes [Part 2]

    MAY 5

    Say No More: What AI Actually Changes [Part 2]

    AI makes it easier to build almost anything. So why does that make the job harder? In this episode, Matt sits down with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy and engineer Travis Chase to get past the hype and into the real day-to-day of building with AI. The conversation covers what's actually changing on the team, where AI falls short, and what human skills matter more now than they did before. If you're a designer, developer, or anyone trying to figure out where you fit in a world where your output can suddenly go 10x — this one's worth your time. Dave and Travis don't pretend the answers are simple. They also don't pretend the concerns aren't real. Fair warning: Dave also makes a case for revisiting waterfall development. It's more convincing than it has any right to be. What We Cover Why producing more means your quality bar has to get sharper, not looserThe discernment problem — when you can build anything, how do you decide what's worth building?Why saying no is now a more important skill than everThe strongest AI concerns Dave and Travis actually take seriously (energy, training data ethics, governance)Why AI seems to help people become more of who they already areHow to stay curious and useful during a major technology transition without chasing every squirrel Timestamps 0:00 Cold open — from low-level to strategy0:38 Intro1:30 Where AI falls short right now2:00 Quality control when output explodes2:30 Taste, responsibility, and Jory's point at the snuggle3:00 The discernment problem and snacktivities4:20 Simplicity means saying no more than yes5:30 Chasing waterfalls — does waterfall development make a comeback?6:00 The strongest anti-AI arguments worth taking seriously6:45 Energy, ethics, and training data consent8:00 Technology's evolution and the genie that's out of the bottle9:00 The Industrial Revolution farmer analogy9:45 Superheroes, supervillains, and hiring for character first10:20 Two ditches: navigating between idealism and cynicism11:10 Rev share and what the world should look like11:45 Governance, compromise, and garbage design13:30 Washing machines and making more clean water14:00 Guiding principles for using AI internally15:00 Company behaviors as an AI framework: curious, humble, adventurous16:00 AI helps people become more of who they are16:45 AI will ask people to operate at a higher level18:00 Refusing to engage is the riskiest move of all19:00 We need critical voices — and we need them in the room20:00 Echo chambers, bad data, and the water story21:30 The world is hopeful — spend your life in wonder22:30 Home prices, colonizing planets, and the leap to the real world23:00 Outro Credits Hosted by Matt JohnsonFeaturing Dave Gandy and Travis ChaseProduced and edited by Matt JohnsonTheme song by Ronnie MartinMusic interstitials by Zach MalmVideo editing by Isaac Chase🔗 Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com  🔗 Check out episode one of the conversation! https://www.podcastawesome.com/2092855/episodes/19065993-build-week-what-we-made-part-1-with-dave-travis 🔗 Podcast Awesome: https://podcastawesome.com #PodcastAwesome #FontAwesome #AI #DesignAndDevelopment #TechEthics #SoftwareDevelopment Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    25 min
  3. Build Week: What we Made with AI [Part 1] with Dave + Travis

    APR 23

    Build Week: What we Made with AI [Part 1] with Dave + Travis

    💻 AI side quests, but make it Snuggle. 🤖✨ In this episode, we’re fresh off the Snuggle (our company retreat) and talking about what happens when you give a curious team some time, space… and a bunch of AI tools. Travis and Dave join us to share how experimenting with tools like G-Stack, Spec-Kit, and Claude helped us explore ideas, prototype faster, and take on projects we normally wouldn’t have time for. We get into the practical side of it all—what worked, what didn’t, and where AI actually fits into a creative workflow (without the hype). It’s part experiment recap, part philosophy, and part “what if we just tried it?” Whether you're building products, designing systems, or just curious how AI can fit into your process, this one’s for you. 🎙️ What we cover in this episode: 🧑‍🚀 Why we dedicated Snuggle time to AI exploration🧩 How tools like G-Stack, Spec-Kit, and Claude fit into real workflows💻 Using AI to prototype and pressure-test ideas quickly⚖️ The balance between human creativity and machine assistance🧠 What surprised us (and what didn’t) ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Welcome & Intro 00:01:59 – What are Snacktivites? 00:02:57 – Company Behaviors Framework 00:04:16 – Build Week Explained 00:05:00 – Travis's Thoughts on AI Shift 00:08:05 – Ethics Over Slop 00:08:31 – Education and Intent 00:11:47 – Using AI as a Force Multiplier 00:14:50 – Skills Files and Standards 00:21:10 – Tooling Roundup: G-Stack, Spec-Kit, and more 00:25:46 – Color Awesome Finale 00:27:45 – Wrap Up ... To Be Continued in Part 2 🔗 Links & resources: Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/ Browse icons: https://fontawesome.com/icons Kits: https://fontawesome.com/kits Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/ Credits: 🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin 🎶 Interstitials by Zach Malm Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    28 min
  4. Hiring Is a Two-Way Street — Here’s What Most People Miss

    APR 7

    Hiring Is a Two-Way Street — Here’s What Most People Miss

    Job interviews aren’t just about proving you’re a fit — they’re about figuring out whether the company deserves you, too. 👀 In this episode, Matt chats with Font Awesome founder Dave Gandy about why hiring is a two-way street. They unpack the red flags candidates should watch for, what healthy companies actually look like, and how the interview process can reveal way more than a polished mission statement ever will. Dave shares practical advice for job seekers on asking better questions, spotting dysfunctional hiring practices, and approaching the search with intention instead of desperation. They also dig into trust, team health, and why the best workplaces tend to value character just as much as capability. Whether you’re job hunting, hiring, or just trying to avoid ending up in a workplace that feels like a corporate escape room, this episode has plenty to chew on. 😅 What we cover: Why hiring should be a two-way evaluation The biggest red flags in interview processes What healthy organizations prioritize Why trust matters more than pure talent How to ask smarter interview questions Why job seekers need a strategy, not just a stack of resumes How to identify companies that are actually worth your time Timestamps: 00:00 – Why hiring is a two-way street 02:00 – HR screenings, weird assessments, and early red flags 05:10 – Desperation in job hunting and why standards still matter 07:00 – What healthy companies really look like 09:20 – How to flip the script and interview the company 12:00 – Big companies, bad filters, and missing great candidates 16:00 – Why knowing yourself matters before you start looking 19:00 – Why spray-and-pray applications usually fall flat 21:00 – The value of being “double T-shaped” in your career 24:00 – Why the best opportunities often come through side doors 25:00 – Building relationships before you need a job 27:00 – How companies communicate values in the hiring process 29:00 – The one thing a company needs to do differently 30:00 – Wrap-up and outro Credits: Hosted by Matt Johnson Featuring Dave Gandy Produced and edited by Matt Johnson Theme song by Ronnie Martin Music interstitials by Zach Malm Video editing by Isaac Chase Watch this episode on YouTube #Hiring #InterviewTips #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #Leadership #CompanyCulture #WorkplaceCulture #TechCareers #PodcastAwesome #FontAwesome 🚀 Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    32 min
  5. New Font Awesome Features: PNG Downloads, Color Picker, and User Blender

    MAR 24

    New Font Awesome Features: PNG Downloads, Color Picker, and User Blender

    In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Ed and Francis to talk through three newly shipped Font Awesome features that are small, practical, and just the right amount of fun. They dig into individual PNG downloads, a new global color picker for previewing icons in brand colors, and the wonderfully playful User Blender, which lets you mix and match heads, bodies, and styles to create custom user icons for your kit. Along the way, they unpack the thinking behind each feature, how these updates connect to Icon Wizard and the broader Font Awesome 7.2 release, and why shaving off a few annoying workflow steps can make life noticeably better for designers and developers. There’s also an unexpected side quest into Ed’s cameo in his son’s YouTube channel, because apparently every product update deserves a B-plot. 🎬 If you want to actually see these features in action, there’s also an extended video version on YouTube with demos. But this audio-only episode still gives you the full behind-the-scenes story, the practical use cases, and all the delightful nerdery you’d expect from the Awesomeverse. What We Cover in This Episode 🎨 How the new global color picker makes previewing icon colors much easier🖼️ Why individual PNG downloads are a handy addition for quick icon grabs🧑‍🚀 How User Blender lets you create custom user icons with random and manual combinations🧩 How these features build on ideas from Icon Wizard💻 Why small workflow improvements can have a big impact for teams🧪 How playful side projects sometimes turn into genuinely useful features🎬 Ed’s surprise side quest into low-budget cinematic gloryTimestamps 00:00 Welcome to Podcast Awesome  00:20 Introducing the episode and today’s guests  00:45 The three new features: PNG downloads, color picker, and User Blender  01:10 Francis makes a Podcast Awesome debut  01:40 Looking back at Ed’s previous appearances and Icon Wizard history  02:10 Why individual PNG downloads were added  03:00 When and why someone might want PNG instead of SVG  04:10 The idea behind the new global color picker  05:00 Previewing brand colors across icon search results  05:40 Using the color picker on category pages and kits  06:10 Duotone controls, secondary colors, opacity, reset, and swatches  07:10 Reusing Web Awesome tools inside Font Awesome  07:50 How color settings carry over across different areas  08:20 How the color picker affects code snippets and icon styling  08:55 Meet User Blender  09:20 How randomizing and mixing custom user icons works  10:00 Available styles and future expansion plans  10:40 Why User Blender is both useful and toy-like in the best possible way  11:15 How the feature grew out of a snuggle and Icon Wizard success  12:00 A call for community creations and creative icon mashups  12:40 How these features fit into the Font Awesome 7.2 release  13:10 Ed’s unexpected acting career and his son’s YouTube side quest  14:00 Wrap-up and where to share your creations YouTube episode with visual examples: https://youtu.be/NDsqZozkn3A  Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/ Browse Font Awesome Icons: https://fontawesome.com/icons Learn about Kits: https://fontawesome.com/kits Explore Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/ Contact the team: hello@fontawesome.com Theme music by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/ Interstitial music by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/ BowziTV: https://www.youtube.com/@BowziTV Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    15 min
  6. Eleventy Is Rebranding to Build Awesome: What Changes (and What Doesn’t)

    MAR 9

    Eleventy Is Rebranding to Build Awesome: What Changes (and What Doesn’t)

    Eleventy is becoming Build Awesome — and Zach Leatherman is here to explain what that actually means. In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt has a chat with Zach about the Build Awesome Kickstarter, why this rebrand is part of building a sustainable future for the open source project, and what changes (and what doesn’t) for people already running Eleventy sites. You’ll hear Zach break down the backwards compatibility promise, the Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4 upgrade path, and what Build Awesome Pro adds—especially for teams who want an easier publishing workflow and a smoother way for non-technical collaborators to edit content. Plus: behind-the-scenes stories from filming the Kickstarter video in LA, including the cast/crew magic, a hot dog cake, and the origin story of the Awesome 'Possum. 🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode 🚀 Eleventy is becoming Build Awesome (and why Zach says this is the sustainable future of the project) 🧩 What changes vs. what stays the same (and the “no panic” promise) 🔁 Backwards compatibility: your existing Eleventy sites still work ⬆️ Upgrade path: what moving from Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4 looks like 🧰 What Build Awesome is (website generation that can be simple or powerful) 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Build Awesome Pro: one-stop publishing + collab for non-technical editors ✍️ In-browser editing: fixing content directly on page w/o a separate CMS feel) 💸 Funding open source without burnout (+ why the “Font Awesome formula” works) 🎬 Kickstarter fun: filming in LA, cast/crew magic, and the cake/hot dog metaphor 🦝 Meet the Awesome 'Possum (mascot origins + brand homage) 🎁 How to support: tiers, swag, and where to go next ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 - Cold Open: Build Awesome Kickstarter Announcement  0:08 - Eleventy → Build Awesome (What This Episode Covers)  0:40 - The Big News (Zach’s Announcement)  1:25 - Joining the Awesomeverse (and why it matters)  2:50 - Funding Open Source Without Burnout  4:20 - What Build Awesome Is (and who it’s for)  6:05 - Build Awesome Pro: Publishing + Collaboration Tools  7:20 - Backwards Compatibility: Your Eleventy Sites Still Work  8:10 - Upgrade Path: Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4  10:05 - Why Pro Features Make the Free Core Better  12:10 - In-Browser Editing: The “edit right on the site” experience  13:25 - Kickstarter Fun: Shooting the Launch Video in LA  15:40 - Cast, Crew, and the Cake/Hot Dog Metaphor  18:55 - Meet the Awesome Possum (Mascot Origins + Brand Homage)  20:40 - How to Support: Where to Go + Tiers + Swag  22:40 - Wrap-Up + What to Watch Next Links & Resources Build Awesome KickstarterEleventy / Build AwesomeFont AwesomeWeb AwesomeStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    24 min
  7. Vic Bell on Designing Graphite: Hand-Drawn Icons for Font Awesome

    FEB 19

    Vic Bell on Designing Graphite: Hand-Drawn Icons for Font Awesome

    In this episode, Matt and Jory sit down with UK-based icon designer + illustrator Vic Bell to talk about the brand-new Font Awesome icon pack, Graphite — a loose, hand-drawn set that brings texture, depth, and a whole lot of human personality to iconography. If you’ve ever tried to balance clarity vs. creativity, or wondered how icons can feel more like typefaces with different “voices”, this one’s for you. 🎧 🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode 👋 How Vic and Jory connected ✏️ Designing Font Awesome Pro Plus packs and how “Small Batch” became a thing 🧠 Vic’s creative journey: trends, taste, and identity 🏠 Why icons are storytelling at micro-scale ⚖️ The tension between clarity and creativity 🧰 Illustrator vs. Figma for icon design 📲 Custom brushes and iPad sidecar workflows 🕒 Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction and Welcome 0:46 - How Vic and Jory Connected 2:48 - Font Awesome Icon Packs Overview 5:42 - Vic's Creative Journey and Evolution 7:45 - The Hand-Drawn "Graphite" Icon Style 10:17 - Reflections on Icon Design as a Career 13:41 - Childhood Influences and the Magic of Small Things 17:18 - Creative Process and Personalization 22:19 - Trusting the Creative Process 23:32 - Project Validation and Creative Freedom 25:15 - Technical Challenges and Implementation 26:23 - Future of Font Awesome Icon Packs 30:52 - Illustrator vs. Figma for Icon Design 31:28 - Creating Custom Brushes and Using iPad 38:38 - Balancing Clarity and Creativity in Icon Design 47:37 - Releasing Icon Packs and Delayed Gratification 🔗 Links & Resources Vic Bell: / vic_bell Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/ Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/ Theme music by Ronnie Martin Interstitial music by Zach Malm Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    57 min
  8. How Eleventy Survived: Funding, Growth, and Open Source Reality

    FEB 3

    How Eleventy Survived: Funding, Growth, and Open Source Reality

    Eleventy started as a side project. Now it’s a critical infrastructure for thousands of websites. TL;DR: Open source isn’t broken. But the way we fund it often is. Let’s talk about what actually works. In this episode, we sit down with Zach Leatherman, creator of Eleventy (11ty), to talk honestly about what happens after open source succeeds. From nap-time coding and nights-and-weekends maintenance to venture capital pressure, burnout risk, and the reality of funding long-lived developer tools, this conversation digs into the cultural and financial tradeoffs behind modern open source. We cover sustainability, community expectations, funding models that don’t rely on hockey-stick growth, and why “free forever” only works if the people behind the project can stay whole humans. 🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode 🧠 How Eleventy grew from a side project into a widely depended-on tool⚖️ The maintainer’s dilemma: growth, responsibility, and personal sustainability💸 Why venture capital and hockey-stick growth often fail dev tools🔥 Burnout, boundaries, and being accountable to a global user base🏡 Balancing family life with open source maintenance🔁 Different funding models: donations, sponsorships, Pro tools, and tradeoffs🌱 What sustainable open source can look like long-term🔮 What’s ahead for Eleventy and its next chapter ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Introductions and why open source sustainability matters 01:47 – Eleventy’s early days and unexpected adoption 04:32 – When a “side project” becomes critical infrastructure 06:42 – Corporate usage, expectations, and hidden pressure 10:08 – Family life, burnout risk, and personal boundaries 14:17 – Funding models: donations vs. sustainability 18:45 – Venture capital, acquisitions, and hockey-stick growth myths 23:33 – Lessons from Gatsby, Astro, and the dev tools ecosystem 26:25 – Why sustainable open source must tie to real value 30:26 – A healthier path forward for maintainers and communities 33:20 – What’s next for Eleventy 🔗 Links & Resources Eleventy (11ty)Font AwesomeWeb Awesome🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin 🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm 🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

    29 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

On Podcast Awesome we talk to members of the Font Awesome team about icons, design, tech, business, and of course, nerdery. 🎙️ Podcast Awesome is your all-access pass into the creative engine behind Font Awesome — the web’s favorite icon toolkit. Join host Matt Johnson and the Font Awesome crew (and friends) for deep dives into icon design, front-end engineering, software development, healthy business culture, and a whole lot of lovingly-rendered nerdery. From technical explorations of our open-source tooling, chats with web builders, icon designers, and content creators, with the occasional gleeful rants about early internet meme culture, we bring you stories and strategies from the trenches of building modern web software — with a healthy dose of 80s references and tech dad jokes. 🎧 Perfect for: Icon design and content-first thinkingCreative process and collaborative designWork-life balance in techRemote team culture and async collaborationInternet history, meme archaeology, and other nerd ephemera 🧠 Come for the design wisdom, stay for the deep meme cuts and beautifully crafted icons.

Information

  • Creator
    Font Awesome
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Podcast Awesome
  • Show Website
    Podcast Awesome

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