132. The Spark: Holly Howard, expressive typography, and the kindness ripple effect

Welcome to The Spark—your weekly creative pick-me-up from The Creative Boom Podcast. Each Thursday, we bring you a shorter, snappier episode packed with inspiration, creative news, and practical tips to fuel your creative journey as the week winds down. Whether you need a quick shot of motivation or insights to carry you through, we've got you covered. In this episode, host Katy Cowan reflects on her thought-provoking conversation with Holly Howard, who explores alternative ways for creatives to market themselves outside of social media. Holly's advice challenges us to focus on meaningful connections and slow-building relationships in a world where everyone seems to demand instant results. If you're feeling overwhelmed by social media, this is one conversation you don't want to miss. In Creative News, we look at the UK's recent Budget and whether it has any impact on the creative sector, York's celebration as a UNESCO City of Media Arts, and the return of Wallace and Gromit in Vengeance Most Fowl. TSpotlight features predictions from industry leaders on design trends for 2025—a year that's shaping up to be pivotal as we balance tech and humanity in design. For our Book of the Week, we highlight Expressive Type Today by Counter-Print, a beautifully curated collection that showcases typography as more than just text—it's an expressive art form. And in our Tip of the Week, we're celebrating the upcoming World Kindness Day with a reminder of how small acts of kindness can uplift the entire creative community. Next Monday, Katy sits down with David Sedgwick of Studio DBD in Manchester for a heartwarming chat about creativity, resilience, and everything in between.

Om Podcasten

Join host Katy Cowan on The Creative Boom Podcast, where candid conversations with fellow creatives explore the real stories behind our careers—the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Whether you're a graphic designer, illustrator, animator, marketer or creative entrepreneur, this show brings warmth, humour, and insight into the challenges and triumphs of the creative journey. We tackle everything from confidence to burnout, offering advice and inspiration for building a fulfilling, sustainable career while not shying away from the tougher topics. Expect fun, honesty, and plenty of takeaways to help you thrive both personally and professionally. The Creative Boom Podcast is part of Creative Boom, a magazine that has been a leading platform for the creative community since 2009. Discover more at www.creativeboom.com.