John Ferguson: Inspiring Young Designers through Mentorship
Elayne DeLeo speaks with designer John Ferguson on how taking an elective class in desktop publishing at his Atlanta public school sparked his path to becoming a digital design professional, the importance of mentorship for young students who may not see design as a career path, why Atlanta is the cultural capital of the US (and how it may be failing in design), and creating the Black Bauhaus movement to celebrate the work of black designers. John Ferguson is Design Director at Work & Co, based in the agency's Atlanta office. During his tenure at Work & Co, he’s shaped breakthrough products for clients such as The Home Depot, Traeger, and Vistaprint. An art director and graphic designer by training, John has worked at agencies including SapientNitro, Ogilvy, Razorfish, Huge, and Goods & Services. He is also the founder of the Black Bauhaus Mvmt, inspired by the artistic sensibilities and ethos of the Bauhaus style and the social and cultural influences of the Black Panther Party, and creative director of production/creative company Bold Honey, founded by his daughter Priah Ferguson. www.BlackBauhaus.com https://work.co/ Affordable or free design schools and resources mentioned in podcast: https://www.usefulschool.com/ https://www.scopeofwork.co/ https://oneschoolus.com/