Ram Reyes – 365 Posters, Self-Sabotage, and I Can Has Cheezburger? – Ep42

Ram, aka Oversettext, is a graphic designer and content creator in Fresno, California. Shoutout: Lucena. He's probably best known for his 365 project; he designed one poster a day for an entire year. However, I discovered him through his "You know what font that is?" videos on Instagram.He loves Futura Condensed Bold, like LOVES, and he's an advocate for our rights to use Comic Sans without career-ending judgment. Fun Fact: Way before Ram designed vinyl album packaging for Kings of Leon, he worked for a newspaper called The RAMpage. Shoutout: Dympna and FCC. I know, it sounds made up, but it's true. It's as true as his recommendation to start listening to Alan Watts's lectures, and his current beef with illustrations of characters with rubberhose arms and legs. It's even as true as the fact that Ram will be a presenter at Crop in 2026. Get your ticket at cropcons.com.But, fr. What I respect most about Ram's work is the messaging behind it. The best way to experience it is to scroll through all 365 of the posters he designed from 2021 to 2022. You'll find an Air link to all 365 posters in his linktree. Some of my favorites are No. 204, 254, 263, 296, 302, 336, 349. UGH, there are too many to list. Seriously, go check them out.Tune in for a talk about how much "fixing" other people's designs sucks, what he learned from his 365 project, and the weight of responsibility from over 250,000 social media followers. Follow Ram on Instagram @oversettext, watch his videos on YouTube, and buy a shirt on oversettext.com.Fun Fact: Photoshop doesn't crash if you're pure of heart.Questions for this interview.Is there something happening in the design industry right now that’s lingering on your mind or getting under your skin? Feel free to destroy a design hot take if you want.What do you want to say to the people who think you’re trash at playing Fortnite?How did your technical skills as a designer improve, and in contrast, how do you think you grew as a person by completing your 365 project?Why did you almost quit 11 days into the project?Why was your design for poster No.27 specifically the one that made you stop and think, “WOW, now THIS is ME?”Was it difficult for you to come up with a design for the final poster, number 365?Do you think they’re just lazy, or do you think they’re scared? Why do you think they’re holding themselves back?What’s a legitimate regret you’re living with or something you’d do differently because it haunts you to this day?What kind of gravity or responsibility do you feel as someone on the internet with over 250,000 followers? Does the thought of that many people consuming your content affect what you choose to say?Is it nitch or niche?Where do you rank the “I Can Has Cheezburger” meme on the list of greatest designs of all time? ---If you LIKE what you hear, please subscribe and keep listening. Sharing this episode with someone is the best way to support the podcast. If you LOVE what you hear and want to help me keep the interviews coming—consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.Also, I'm always looking for questions from listeners. If there's a burning question you want to hear answered on the podcast, please email it to me at studentsofdesignpod@gmail.com.Follow @studentsofdesignpod on Instagram for updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content.The music you hear on the podcast is Accident by Timothy Infinite and PUSH !T by Nbhd Nick.studentsofdesign.simplecast.com