Underscore

Author: The Chicago Graphic Design Club

Underscore is a podcast by the Chicago Graphic Design Club that brings you conversations with Chicagos creative community. On this podcast, host, Christian Solorzano, explores the craft, theory, and practice of graphic design, plus discusses ideas that cultivate a more inclusive and thoughtful creative community.
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Language: en

Genres: Arts, Design

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091 • DAVE PABELLON
Episode 91
Monday, 13 October, 2025

In this episode of Underscore, host Christian Solorzano speaks with Dave Pabellon, a designer, educator, and core organizer of the Design As Protest Collective, about his journey leading up to his current role as Assistant Professor of Design at Notre Dame.He reflects on his father's paradoxical advice to "be good, but not very good"—a philosophy that has shaped his humble approach to design and teaching.The conversation explores the challenges facing design education today, including students' tendency toward outcome-driven thinking over experimentation, the current threats to DEI work and the complexities of creating truly inclusive spaces, and Dave's belief that designers hold more power than they realize to amplify voices and create clarity in complex times, all while emphasizing the importance of community, self-care, and practicing design with intention.