David Jon Walker

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David Jon Walker
Shining Light on Truth through Hand Lettering and Persistency

August 21, 2024 — in this episode, John Kudos chats with David Jon Walker, a designer and lettering artist producing politically charged work as a Black designer with three kids, a stylus, and a French bulldog.


David shares his journey from a designer in Nashville, TN, to a tenured professor and an Arts Fellow at Yale School of Art. His exhibition, “Shining Light on Truth”, spotlights the buried knowledge about the roles of the enslaved and free Black people in creating New Haven and Yale.

  • Introduction
  • Early Career & Self-Taught Design Journey
  • The Pandemic & The Shift to Lettering
  • Lettering as a Recognized Discipline
  • Education vs Industry Experience
  • Exhibition Design & Yale’s Complex Past
  • 3D Typography & Materiality in Design
  • Running Streak and How It Builds Resilience
  • Commitment to Storytelling in Design
  • Final Thoughts: Recognizing Your Own Process

KUDOS AM/PM is a podcast exploring the future and impact of design innovation at the intersection of business, art, and technology. Featuring informal conversations with design trailblazers from various timezones.

David Jon Walker
TDC Advisory Board, Graphic Designer, former Associate Professor of Art in Graphic Design at Yale School of Art
John Kudos
TDC Steering Committee, Founder and Creative Director of KUDOS Design Collaboratory
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