The Soof and Flo Show Soof and Flo

Welcome to Soof and Flo's third series, centred around the tarot. The idea? Choose a card from the major arcana each episode, and record our discussion as we each design our own version of that card. We are both avid tarot fans, not to mention keen illustrators and designers, so this felt like the perfect meeting point of those passions.

This week, we are discussing the first card in the Major Arcana, The Fool. The starting point of the journey, the leaping-off point, recklessness and confidence and excitement despite knowing that there may be dangers ahead, and our third episode. Find our versions of the tarot card on our Wordpres site at https://soofandflo.wordpress.com/2021/04/06/the-fool-series-3-episode-3/


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We're back! After a long pandemic winter, we have decided to theme our third series around the tarot. The idea? Choose a card from the major arcana each episode, and record our discussion as we each design our own version of that card. We are both avid tarot fans, not to mention keen illustrators and designers, so this felt like the perfect meeting point of those passions.

The tarot is a pack of playing cards used from the 15th Century, but popularised around the turn of the century by the publication of the Rider-Waite deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Originally a method of divination, its popularity in recent years has taken a more therapeutic, self-exploratory format. The major arcana takes the narrative of the Fool's Journey, starting with the Fool, card 0, and ending with the World, card 21. We will be mapping the Fool's Journey onto the design and artistic process as we design each of the 22 cards per week, and discussing the way we relate to the layers of meanings of each card, and the visuals that different artists have used to signify these ideas. We would love for you to design your own version of the card as you listen along!

This week, our card is The World. Listen along for discussion of time as a circle, perspectives on your life story, endings and beginnings, and the joy of beautiful stationary. Check out our designs at soofandflo.wordpress.com/


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soof-and-flo/message

We're back! After a long pandemic winter, we have decided to theme our third series around the tarot. The idea? Choose a card from the major arcana each episode, and record our discussion as we each design our own version of that card. We are both avid tarot fans, not to mention keen illustrators and designers, so this felt like the perfect meeting point of those passions.

The tarot is a pack of playing cards used from the 15th Century, but popularised around the turn of the century by the publication of the Rider-Waite deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Originally a method of divination, its popularity in recent years has taken a more therapeutic, self-exploratory format. The major arcana takes the narrative of the Fool's Journey, starting with the Fool, card 0, and ending with the World, card 21. We will be mapping the Fool's Journey onto the design and artistic process as we design each of the 22 cards per week, and discussing the way we relate to the layers of meanings of each card, and the visuals that different artists have used to signify these ideas. We would love for you to design your own version of the card as you listen along!

Our first card was Strength, card 8, however Zoom lost our recording, and so we will return to this card at the end of the series. Our second card, but first episode, is card 17: The Star. You can check out our designs on our blog here!


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This episode, we're digging into media! Graphic design has a lot of space for multi-disciplinary practices, and we love experimenting with different media and teaching ourselves new skills. Something old: we both choose a medium that we have revisited in lockdown. Something new: during quarantine, what new skill are we loving digging into? Something borrowed: we love working in cultural eco-systems, and sharing media and skills is an important part of that. Something blue: we each choose an object in a colour that we love exploring. 

Thank you for listening. We are Soofiya (@soofiya) and Florence (@boy.florence). You can email us with any thoughts or questions at soofandfloshow@gmail.com. 


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This episode we are delving into the world of populist design: think Live Laugh Love, think Notes to Strangers, think Keep Calm and Carry On, think clapping for the NHS whilst voting Tory. We cover our definition of populist design and how it relates to the political term “populism”, and how we can borrow terms from art theory such as kitsch to deepen our understanding of populist design. A contextual discussion shows us that populist design has emerged at a specific meeting point of social media, mass marketing and late capitalism. Nationalism is also an important aspect, as we can see in Shepard Fairey’s “We the People” designs and the sheer popularity of “Keep Calm and Carry On”, and how then often people of colour and especially women of colour are used as props to drive nationalist narratives that seem radical through populist design. Recent news about celebrities hopping on the “clap for NHS” bandwagon reveal how the framework of populist design can be used to understand trends in mass media, and not even astrological memes are safe from our scathing review of populist design (but also, we all have loved these designs, we have to admit). Don't forget, you can find visuals to accompany our episodes at soofandflo.wordpress.com

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Welcome to the The Soof and Flo Show, a podcast which unpacks a new theme each season with 2020 vision, complete with trivia, intersectional critique and candid discussions. This season, we’re "designing in-house": we’re exploring the design industry, movements and ways of working. From episodes on Memphis to our own design processes join Soof and Flo as they design in isolation during an age of lock-down.
This episode, we delve into design processes: why they’re important to  have, how they differ from designer to designer, how they can be adapted  for any creative project or problem-solving process, how to lean into  your creative flow whilst still sticking to a structure and a timetable,  and other designers’ processes.
Don't forget, you can find visuals to accompany our episodes at soofandflo.wordpress.com

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