DON’T BE “
UW DESIGN
STUDENT
CATHERINE
MERCADO
INTERVIEWS:
AFRAID MARA
A VISUAL AND TYPE DESIGNER AT BREVILLE.
JUST DO
Who is Dustin Mara?
Dustin Mattaio Pangilinan Mara is a type and visual designer at Breville. In 2022, Dustin graduated from the University of Washington visual design program. Dustin has two passions: visual design and rowing. Dustin began his journey at the UW with a dream of competing in the U.S. Olympics for rowing, and soon discovered his love for design and all things type. TAIO, Dustins’ type practice, reflects his goals as a designer: diversifying design. Dustin proudly integrates his AAPI and queer identity in to his designs, and believes that diverse design equals better design.
Q: How was your time in the visual design program at UW?
DM: The first quarter in the design program was hard for me, as it was so competitive. We spent the first two quarters without having assigned majors, so it felt like we were always competing. However, I approached the design program in a different way. I tried to build a community and reach out to peers for critique. I believe in the mindset of helping one another, and it works when people are willing to engage. My group and I stuck together as friends, and we got direct admin because we had expanded our thinking beyond what the TA had. The most intimidating part for me was speaking in class for cold call critique.
IT—
Fare, designed by Dustin, is a variable typeface that takes on numerous forms. From serif to semi serif to sans serif, Fare was designed for The Museum of Tahiti and The Islands in French Polynesia. The display type in this publication was set in Fare Serif Bold.
Q: What design jobs have you had? Tell me about them.
DM: First, I worked at Lippincott, I interned as a product designer. I had initially applied for the visual design internship spot, but then I was told that the position didn’t exist anymore. I was informed that a product design internship was open. So, even though I didn’t get what I initially applied for, I accepted it because I did
Q: Design can be hectic, what is your routine like?
DM: I started a new job at Breville and I coach my rowing team in Everett. I coach as a hobby to keep me sane and not always thinking about design. I get up at 4 AM to row, then I come home at around 7 AM. At 9:30 AM, I will start working on visual design work for Breville. I get off at 2 PM, then I will head to Everett to coach rowing. I coach my childhood team, I like being able to give back to the program. Working in the creative field can be very exhausting, so it’s refreshing to turn off my design mind sometimes. I get home at around 7 PM. I’ll have dinner, then I will spend an hour or two working on free lance or TAIO stuff. I will go to bed before midnight.
you used to get design jobs?
DM: It’s all about networking and knowing the right people. That’s how I’ve gotten all of the design jobs I’ve had. As someone who is not naturally extroverted, it was intimidating to reach out and cold email people. In a way, how the design industry works is a con. There are so many talented designers out there who will never get recognized, because it’s about the people you know and not always about the talent. If my bare minimum meets a client’s bare minimum, I get hired. There’s people who work so hard, but don’t meet the right people. The biggest pro about design is that I believe I can make anything, and I can! Design changed my perspective on everything, I see the world so differently now.
DM: I have an odd relationship with rowing. At the start, it was my parents’ last effort to get me to play a sport. It was scary at first, since everyone else was tall and fit and I was very small. There’s something about rowing that’s different from other sports, it’s a team sport but also an individual sport.
Rowing and design are very similar, specifically from a product and industrial design standpoint. How can you design an efficient boat and oars? How can you design a balanced nutrition plan? I was a coxswain, and even that is designed. How you steer the boat and how you go about speaking to your team, that is design as well! Rowing feeds into my design brain.
DM: I can talk about Paris forever, it was life changing. The people I met there were great, and I still have contact with them. We could all relate to the anxieties of being a designer, especially when trying to find studio or freelancing jobs. We built a tight community, since we had shared the unique experience of studying design. Design can be so odd to those who aren’t designers. Small details make a huge difference, but those who aren’t designers don’t understand that. Fare was designed with architecture in mind. Specifically, the architecture of The Museum of Tahiti and The French Polynesian Islands, located in Puna’auia.
DIVERSE DESIGN IS BETTER DESIGN.”
What is TAIO Type?
TAIO is Dustins’ independent type design practice. TAIO is centered around diverse and inclusive design, which combats the now exclusive typographic field. TAIO is committed to desiging typefaces that are rich in culture.
Q: How did you start TAIO?
DM: In school we had always joked about the idea of starting our own foundry. I knew it was possible, I just had to make it official. For me it was about commitment. I had to start it out of a spark because if not, I don’t believe I would be here now.
Q: How can the design world be inclusive and diverse?
DM: The hard answer is you have to do the work. Going back to design school, I noticed that my peers were either white or Asian, that isn’t a true reflection of the design space. When trying to diversify design, research plays an important role. I can’t see the world through your lens, but I can try to understand your perspective through research. You need to communicate with those who will be affected by your design.
Q: Discuss meaningful design.
DM: Many people ask, “We have way too many fonts, why make new ones?” I believe it’s tied to who you are as a person. I strongly believe that typography is like art, everyone has their own lens. I have a unique experience in this world, so when I design, I am creating something new. I can design Helvetica point by point, but it won’t be the traditional Helvetica because I put my own touch on it. Therefore, because I made it, it is diverse. There’s a lot of philosophy behind it, not everyone sees it that way. I hold value in being a POC, and having a culture that is so vibrant and so separate from the American culture. It’s also tied to the time we are in. We have specific needs to meet, requiring specific designs.
THROW
Calais, a sans serif typeface with an extensive font family, was also designed by Dustin. Calais was inspired by the idea of exploring a temporary and transitional state, or phase of impermanence. The bodycopy throughout this publication was set in Calais Regular and Bold.