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Episode 299: Emily Vaca – Designer Inflatable Pool, MINNIDIP Founder

Emily Vaca, the Founder and CEO of MINNIDIP, joins the show to share her journey from living and breathing design to creating the original designer inflatable pool. Hear how to find a manufacturer for your product, perfect your R&D process, get distribution in major retailers, the most beautiful sight from a Chicago roof deck, and some zingers from the Queen of Puns. This episode covers everything from one-liners to Little Italy. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What gets Emily inspired about design
• How did MINNIDIP get distribution in Target
• What is RF Welding
• How often does Emily make puns at work
• What is a Balloon Garland
• Where is Emily from in St. Louis
• What’s her favorite pun of all time
• Is it pronounced gyro or gyro

Connect with Emily at MINNIDIP.com and on Instagram @MINNIDIP and @ShopLaVaca.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Design
  • [0:25] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:34] Connect with Emily at MINNIDIP.com and on Instagram @MINNIDIP and @ShopLaVaca
  • [2:12] The Queen of Puns!
  • [2:32] How do design and design thinking impact Emily’s daily life
  • [3:19] What gets her inspired about design
  • [3:40] Photoshop
  • [4:39] How do you combine fine art and graphic design
  • [6:45] What projects has Emily done at La Vaca Designhouse

• The MINNIDIP Story
  • [9:56] Where did the idea for MINNIDIP come from
  • [10:51] Stock Tank
  • [14:05] How do you find a manufacturer for a new product
  • [14:18] IP (Intellectual Property)
  • [15:55] NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)
  • [16:45] Got her
  • [17:03] What is RF Welding
  • [17:28] MINNIDIP.com
  • [18:01] What’s the R&D (Research & Development) process for MINNIDIP
  • [20:25] What is a Balloon Garland
  • [21:47] Who knows
  • [22:51] Let’s goooooooo
  • [23:19] How did MINNIDIP get distribution in Target
  • [25:08] Technology (Tech)
  • [27:04] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Emily
  • [27:05] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [27:07] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• The Punusual
  • [27:30] What’s Emily’s favorite pun of all time
  • [28:11] Does she make any Vaca puns
  • [29:15] Krystal Proffitt – Wild Business Growth Podcast #203: Binge-Worthy Strategist, Confident Content Creation
  • [29:30] The Poddy Report
  • [29:45] How often does Emily make puns at work
  • [31:05] Oh boy
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [31:45] What MINNIDIP SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) would Emily keep at her home
  • [33:32] That rhymes
  • [34:00] Where is Emily from in St. Louis
  • [34:15] How is the St. Louis-Chicago sports rivalry
  • [35:02] Is it pronounced gyro or gyro
  • [35:36] What’s the most beautiful sight from a Chicago roof deck
  • [37:02] Connect with Emily at MINNIDIP.com and on Instagram @MINNIDIP and @ShopLaVaca
  • [37:44] What are Emily’s Final Thoughts
  • [38:23] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [38:32] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Emily
  • [38:51] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [38:54] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [38:58] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [39:03] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Emily Vaca on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And go MINNIDIP-ing with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by podcasting and dad joke dude Max Branstetter (that’s me).

Episode #110: Paula Scher – Legendary Graphic Designer, Principal at Pentagram

Paula Scher, the Principal at Pentagram, joins the show to share her journey from designing album covers to creating logos and graphics for Citibank, Shake Shack, The High Line, The Public Theater, and more. Hear the stories behind her most famous designs, why it helps to sketch on a napkin, how to foster business relationships that last decades, the problem with perfectionism, and her reaction to seeing her designs all around New York City. This episode covers everything from Paula’s bittersweet reaction to the changing design world over time to a relevant Winnie the Pooh quote. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• Paula’s years designing album covers
• Why is it helpful to sketch on a crappy napkin
• How do you foster healthy business relationships that last decades
• How do you find insights that unlock quick designs
• MAPS paintings by Paula Scher
• What is the difference between painting and graphic design
• How does Paula feel to see her work all around New York City
• What is her favorite font of all time

Connect with Paula at Pentagram.com.

Enjoy the show! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro
  • [0:32] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com for help using your podcast as a business-building tool
  • [0:48] Connect with Paula at Pentagram.com
  • [1:57] Graphic Design
  • [2:14] How does Paula feel about the reduction in album cover art size
  • [2:40] iPhone
  • [2:59] How much has design changed over the years
  • [3:04] Marketing
  • [3:06] CBS Records, Columbia Records, Epic Records
  • [3:19] Product Managers
  • [3:42] How does the increase in team size impact the design process
  • [4:29] Record Stores
  • [4:46] Paula’s work on Boston by Boston
  • [5:06] Bob James, Tappan Zee Records
  • [5:31] Heads by Bob James, One on One by Bob James with Earl Klugh
• Graphic Design at Pentagram
  • [6:12] When did Paula know graphic design was right for her
  • [6:14] Tyler School of Art and Architecture
  • [6:52] The Basel School of Design
  • [7:05] What does Paula like about ideas
  • [7:57] How did Paula hear about Pentagram
  • [8:21] Push Pin Studios, Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser
  • [8:35] Colin Forbes, Alan Fletcher
  • [8:48] Chermayeff & Geismar, Total Design
  • [8:05] Did Paula always want to work at Pentagram
  • [9:35] American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
  • [9:52] What would Paula’s younger self have said about joining Pentagram
  • [10:58] When did she hit her stride with graphic design
  • [11:41] Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS)
  • [11:58] Bard Graduate Center, Susan Weber (Soros)
  • [12:29] American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
  • [12:42] Nonprofits
  • [12:53] The New York Times Magazine
  • [13:04] Paula’s work on The Public Theater
  • [13:29] 25 Years at the Public, A Love Story by Paula Scher
  • [13:47] How do you foster healthy business relationships that last decades
  • [15:00] Where does a healthy client connection come from
  • [16:09] How do you get insights to unlock the final design
  • [16:28] Paula’s work on The High Line
  • [16:40] Chelsea
  • [16:52] Pro bono
  • [17:02] Watch World
  • [17:33] Paula’s work on Shake Shack, Danny Meyer
  • [18:00] Madison Square Park Shake Shack
  • [18:23] Fast casual
  • [18:32] The High Line Social Distancing Campaign
  • [19:24] The Public Theater Instagram
  • [19:46] What do you look for to create quick designs
  • [21:42] Logo, Design System
  • [22:00] What is a project Paula led people would be surprised to hear about
  • [22:14] How did Paula Scher design the Citibank logo
  • [22:32] Travelers Insurance
  • [22:57] Typography
  • [23:24] Citibank-Travelers Merger
  • [23:47] Architect Lorenzo Apicella
  • [24:23] Why is it good to design on napkins and crappy paper
  • [24:55] Sketchbooks
  • [25:49] Zoom
  • [26:24] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [27:22] How do you be and stay creative
  • [27:32] Pentagram’s NYC Office
  • [27:51] Mental Health Coalition
  • [28:56] Perfectionism
  • [29:35] Kenneth Cole
  • [30:49] What hobbies does Paula have
  • [30:52] MAPS by Paula Scher
  • [32:13] Salisbury, CT
  • [33:03] How is painting different than graphic design
  • [34:12] Podcasting
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [34:46] Why doesn’t Paula care about creative marketing campaigns
  • [36:34] Wild Business Non-Shoutout of the Week
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [37:29] What is Paula’s favorite font of all time
  • [37:41] American Wood Type, The Morgan Library & Museum, Sans-Serif
  • [38:08] What is a quirk Paula has
  • [38:37] Cartogropher
  • [38:47] What is Paula’s reaction to seeing her design on Citi Bikes
  • [39:18] New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
  • [39:38] Parsons School of Design, The New School
  • [40:08] Connect with Paula at Pentagram.com
  • [40:11] What are Paula’s final thoughts
  • [40:20] Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin
  • [40:34] Subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [40:41] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [41:03] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [41:07] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting your own professional-sounding podcast, but dreading the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Paula Scher on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!