Episode Details

She chose graphic design over photography because she couldn't afford a camera. She chose it over philosophy because her teacher said get work first, study ideas later. Now she runs a studio of exactly three people, plays guitar in an all-women punk band with no expectations, writes articles on the bus, and has just started her philosophy degree.

Ingrid Picanyol is a Catalan graphic designer based in Barcelona — and one of the most quietly profound conversations of the season.

What we cover:

• Growing up in the "Catalan Liverpool" — small town, punk band, leaving home at 16
• $12 a day in New York, sleeping on couches, investing in a career
• Why she keeps her studio to exactly three people — and why that matters
• How a developer noticed her design process is basically poetry
• Writing articles on the bus — and the Set Margins book coming from it
• Why design can't satisfy every creative need — and what to do about it
• Sending voice messages to ChatGPT asking what Plato thinks about difficult clients
• Studying philosophy in her forties — and why now is finally the right moment
• What she'd say to her 8-year-old self, who always felt like a stranger

Connect with Ingrid Picanyol:

Website: https://ingridpicanyol.com/

Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/ingridpicanyol

Instagram (studio): https://www.instagram.com/ingridpicanyolstudio/

Listen and subscribe:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/captn-offscript/id1837469433

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7nJ5dKTP2dQN5OwICKjTY5

More from Captn OffScript:

Website: https://captnoffscript.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CAPTNOffScript

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

Newsletter: https://captn.myflodesk.com/newsletter

If you liked this episode, listen to: Marta Cerdà Alimbau (S02/E26) — another deeply personal conversation with a Catalan designer about creative identity, surviving the hard years, and why the work is worth fighting for.