Jason Carne has been doing lettering professionally for two decades. His client list reads like a mashup of a record store, a sports bar, and a spirits cabinet — and that range isn't accidental. It's the result of staying a student of lettering long after most people would've gotten comfortable. In this conversation, Jason and Joe get into how that career actually gets built: the early days doing hardcore merch, the pivot toward packaging and branding, the Stanley Cup project that came in during COVID and somehow still landed, and the ongoing challenge of positioning yourself without losing what makes your work yours.

• Jason started in design through the NJ hardcore and metal scene ( making flyers, album art, and MySpace layouts for friends' bands
• The Stanley Cup project came through Fan Brandz (via a conference connection with Mike Sulik), got shelved when COVID hit, and was quietly approved once sports resumed
• When he works with big names (Harley-Davidson, NHL, Wu-Tang ) he's rarely talking directly to them. There's always a layer between. Know what you're claiming and how.
• Closer and Closer reps him; roughly 50% of his work comes through them, the rest direct
• He's currently repositioning his site to focus on two things: high-end spirits packaging and logo/branding work
• Carmel Type Co fonts (including Botanist, Railroad Company)
• The Lettering Library to preserve lettering and design from the past.
• His ideal art director gives some guardrails, then trusts the creative like the positive experience working with Joe Baron
• When work slows down: focus on personal work, fill gaps with less glamorous jobs, and reach back out to clients you already have relationships with

"Give me some guardrails, but trust me enough to do my thing." - Jason Carne

0:00 - Preview
0:04- Intro
1:19 - Influence of the Hardcore Scene on Design
2:34 - Tom was everyone's 1st friend
3:01 - Creative Challenges in High-Stake Projects
4:12 - The Stanley Cup Project
5:45 - Working with Smaller Agencies vs. Big Brands
7:50 - Navigating Client Relationships and Expectations
8:52 - Lettering is Easy
12:52 - Relationships in the Creative Industry
16:57 - Quality Work and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
19:45 - Client Needs vs. Personal Vision
22:19 - Marketing Yourself as a designer
25:10 - Art Representation
28:26 - Navigating NDAs
30:07 - Jason Carne's Type Foundry
33:08 - The Business of Fonts
35:57 - Preserving Design History with the Lettering Library
40:02 - Art Directors nailing it like Joe Baron
44:46 - Adapting to Slow Periods
45:18 - Rapid Fire Questions

Connect with US

https://markit2me.com/

Jason Carne

http://jasoncarne.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasoncarne

Behance: https://behance.net/jasoncarne

Joe Baron

https://www.brandedbaron.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandedbaron/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brandedbaron

Jason Frostholm is a graphic designer, educator, and former podcast host based in Mobile, Alabama. He did his undergrad at the University of South Alabama, went back for his master's during the pandemic, and spent several years teaching design full-time at a local Jesuit institution. His thesis focused on integrating business principles into design education — and it shows in how he structures his courses. He's worked in-house at an engineering firm, run a referral-based freelance practice, and attended Creative South (where he and Joe first crossed paths). He's still designing, still teaching, and still thinking hard about how to set the next generation of creatives up for the real thing.

Guest Info & Links

Website: jasonfrostholm.com

Studio: ildisdesign.com

Social: @jfrostholm

Chapter Timestamps

00:00 Cold open — production work & the reality of design jobs

00:15 Welcome to Mark It 2 Me + intro of Jason Frostholm

01:13 What made Jason want to teach

03:45 Teaching to each student differently

06:22S ketching — paper vs. digital, and why it still matters

10:44 Students as clients — why that framing is wrong

13:27 Writing creative briefs (and making students write them)

16:4 8What design schools are missing: the business side

21:43 What new designers don't understand about the job

23:59Being proactive, following up, and not waiting for work to appear

29:27 Tools don't make the designer — the Canva debate

33:50 Presenting work: why students hate it and how to fix it

36:44 Production work, in-house reality, and entry-level truth

39:27 Advice for landing your first design job

42:27 Conferences, workshops, and always be learning

43:57Rapid fire Questions

Notable Quotes

"Most design jobs out there are either production or in-house. Landing a huge client and becoming the next Draplin is few and far between."

— Jason Frostholm

"My job is to facilitate an environment where they can discover [their process] for themselves. There's no right or wrong process."

— Jason Frostholm

Find Jason at @jfrostholm on social and jasonfrostholm.com. His studio is at ildisdesign.com.

Mark It 2 Me is hosted by Joe Baron of Branded Baron.

BrandedBaron.com

Follow the show, leave a review, and if this episode hit — share it with someone who's still in school or just starting out.

Anthony “Biggie” Bencomo — Owner and CSO (Chief Sandwich Officer) of Deli Fresh Threads — joins Mark It 2 Me to talk about building a concept-driven apparel brand rooted in nostalgia, packaging experience, and real-world community.

From launching KnightMare Apparel at the University of Central Florida in 1997 to founding Deli Fresh Threads in 2013, Biggie shares lessons learned from nearly three decades of entrepreneurship. He breaks down how turning a sandwich into a brand universe led to restaurant partnerships, monthly SandwichEatUp events, and a loyal following built through connection — not just content.

We dive into:
• Why packaging is marketing
• The power of community over paid ads
• Hard lessons in production and inventory
• Expanding beyond parody into sports-inspired designs
• Transparency in small brand building
• What it really means to measure success

This episode isn’t about sandwiches, it’s about turning a product into a place.

CONNECT WITH US

Guest Info

Anthony "Biggie" Bencomo

Website: http://delifreshthreads.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/delifreshthreads/

Host Info
Joe Baron
Website: https://www.brandedbaron.com/

Mark It 2 Me
Website: http://markit2me.com/
instagram - / markit2me