Elizabeth Goodspeed

Special Guest Elizabeth Goodspeed on Design Education, Experimental Branding, Weird References, and Archiving Everything Podcast Episode · Works But Makes Noises · 01/26/2026 · 1h 5m

Thank you to Works But Makes Noises for having me on their podcast! Topics discussed include: what design school doesn’t teach, my scanner, archives versus mood boards, folk packaging, trend reports vs. in–out lists, and writing as a way of thinking → podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

We watched John Carpenter's "They Live" recently and I'm gobsmacked that no one has recommended it to me before. Twilight Zone if it included a 10 minute wrestling scene and more people getting drop-kicked out of windows. And, of course, SO much Futura. Perfect movie, 10/10.

One Small Step for Advertising Today’s collection is a series of moon-themed ads from 1969-ish. I found these via my local library book sale, which is put on twice a year by a group of chatty octogenarians (plus one sprightly fifty...

One small step for advertising; new Casual Archivist issue about proto-virality and 1960s moonvertising 🌝
casualarchivist.substack.com/p/apollo-11

🌙🚀 One Small Step for Advertising
by Elizabeth Goodspeed @goodspeed.bsky.social
Moon-themed ads from the 60s.

+ The E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library
#ads #vintage #Ephemera
casualarchivist.substack.com/p/apollo-11?...

Magical Athlete — Elizabeth Goodspeed

Great look at the distinct design of one of the goofiest board games of the year.

Thank you!

For me, Bluesky is still missing a lot of the functionality that Twitter has, especially on the app—the media tab, drafts, more support for link previews, etc.—as well as a lot of the people whose posts I tend to like to repost or reply to!

It definitely plays that role a bit less for me these days—function of being 30 / on the internet for so long. I guess I mostly chat with online friends on Instagram DM just because that's where I think I post the most "personal" stuff (pictures of my dog, etc.) that warrants chatting!

I try! Just hard to keep up with remembering to cross-post to Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Substack every time I have something to share 🥲

Responding to @goodspeed.bsky.social timely op-ed in The Architect's Newspaper about how rebranding some websites is a problem in search of a solution www.archpaper.com/2025/12/nati...

I wrote a piece for @archpaper.com about 18F, the National Design Studio, and the insidiousness of “rebranding” government services instead of improving them. Thanks to my editors for letting me use the phrase “tread on me daddy” in an architecture publication 🫡
www.archpaper.com/2025/12/nati...

Oh to be clear they're both bad, just in different ways. Bluesky is generally better but missing a lot of the functionality of Twitter!

I like this a lot.

@blackfreelance.bsky.social this is about designers but might be of interest to you.

🥭 Elizabeth @goodspeed.bsky.social on how many #designers it takes to make a #studio
#itsnicethat
The question of what counts as a “studio” – and what you call one – reveals the industry’s ongoing tension around identity, ambition and scale.
#design
www.itsnicethat.com/articles/eli...

Cover of the article Signs by Elizabeth Goodspeed. Behind, a picture of a black and white street with vintage cars and signs

⚫ Signs of Life
by @goodspeed.bsky.social
at #SunsetOverSunset
Signs are actors. Some are wallflowers, barely speaking above a whisper, while others shout and flirt, beckoning for attention.
#sign #design

www.sunsetoversunset.org/stories/signs

I'm so glad it resonated, and so appreciative of all the work the folks at 18F accomplished—if I had more time / word count I would have loved to speak to some of you for the piece! Hopefully an ongoing conversation : )

“the United States is a lot more generous to corporations than it is to people”

I’ve written about why I’m an S-corp as a freelancer, but this is the distillation of it all

We find safety and security in numbers…and as corporations

Oops cc @alex.cmyk.games and @cmyk.games I never know who is on this weirdo app

Ah, thank you for sharing though! I'll have to ask her if she can send it to me...

Ah, yes, she told us about that—I wish it was recorded, would love to hear her share her side of things! Truly a dream collaborator <3

I collaborated with CMYK and Angela Kirkwood on the redesign of cult classic game Magical Athlete! I worked on the brand identity, art direction, and all the graphic design for components like cards & tokens. Now ask me how much math I had to do to make an evenly spaced game board with 31 spaces...

Thank you!

Elizabeth Goodspeed reveals the industry’s ongoing tension around identity, ambition and scale. https://ow.ly/xTc150XBTmR

Elizabeth Goodspeed on how many designers it takes to make a studio The question of what counts as a “studio” – and what you call one – reveals the industry’s ongoing tension around identity, ambition and scale.

How many designers does it take to be a studio? I wrote about how "studio" has shifted from structural descriptor to signal; shorthand for how a practice wants to be read. But as "studio" stops signaling size + authority, do mythologies around growth collapse too? www.itsnicethat.com/articles/eli...

Sunset Over Sunset Explore the histories of Los Angeles's iconic Sunset Boulevard through the photographs of artist Ed Ruscha.

I wrote about the changing typographic landscape of Sunset Strip as seen through Ed Ruscha’s photos of the street from 1965-2007. Published on Sunset Over Sunset, a new website from @gettymuseum.bsky.social that explores different stories of urban LA history 🪧 www.sunsetoversunset.org/stories/signs

🚂 All Aboard!
Casual Archivist by @goodspeed.bsky.social
Guest: Vedad Siljak
Tyco Toys
* Fonts In Use @FontsInUse@typo.social
#Ephemera #Typography #VedadSiljak
casualarchivist.substack.com/p/all-aboard

Sunset Over Sunset Explore the histories of Los Angeles's iconic Sunset Boulevard through the photographs of artist Ed Ruscha.

LA palette cleanse: really great graphic design deep dive into the Ruscha Sunset archive by @goodspeed.bsky.social focusing on the evolution of the signage

www.sunsetoversunset.org/stories/signs

A chat with Elizabeth Goodspeed, Casual Archivst - Flickr Foundation

Thank you to the folks at the @flickrfdn.bsky.social for asking me some truly fantastic questions about archiving, the ephemeral nature of digital archiving, and what I've learned from working with Brits. (As ever, Flickr remains the best website on the internet!!!) www.flickr.org/a-chat-with-...

Elizabeth Goodspeed on why design studios are making fonts Custom type has become branding’s newest obsession, promising control, originality, and ownership – but its rapid rise is reshaping the culture and economy of type design itself.

Brand designers love the control, originality and ownership of making their own fonts. But how is custom type reshaping the culture and economy of type design itself? I wrote about why so many design studios are creating fonts and what it means for the rest of us! www.itsnicethat.com/articles/eli...

Elizabeth Goodspeed on why custom type has become branding’s newest obsession. https://ow.ly/zBwn50XgWpQ