In this episode of Type Speaks, Rae sits down with designer, educator, and creative entrepreneur Diane Gibbs to explore how curiosity, play, and lifelong learning shape a sustainable creative practice. From rediscovering illustration through cut-paper experiments to navigating the worlds of surface design, teaching, and independent business, Rae and Diane unpack how designers grow, adapt, and keep creating with joy, even when the rules need to be broken. They also dig into Diane’s journey through Auburn, her work on the children’s book Victor and the Vroom, and why embracing process over perfection unlocks unexpected possibilities.

Diane Gibbs is a designer, illustrator, and professor at the University of South Alabama, where she has taught for over twenty years. She is the founder of Creatives Ignite (formerly Design Recharge), a long-running interview series for creative professionals, and operates her own design studio specializing in branding, web design, and illustration. Her work spans client collaborations, surface pattern design, coaching, and community-building within the creative industry.