Podcast Awesome

In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Ed and Francis to talk through three newly shipped Font Awesome features that are small, practical, and just the right amount of fun. They dig into individual PNG downloads, a new global color picker for previewing icons in brand colors, and the wonderfully playful User Blender, which lets you mix and match heads, bodies, and styles to create custom user icons for your kit.
Along the way, they unpack the thinking behind each feature, how these updates connect to Icon Wizard and the broader Font Awesome 7.2 release, and why shaving off a few annoying workflow steps can make life noticeably better for designers and developers. There’s also an unexpected side quest into Ed’s cameo in his son’s YouTube channel, because apparently every product update deserves a B-plot. 🎬
If you want to actually see these features in action, there’s also an extended video version on YouTube with demos. But this audio-only episode still gives you the full behind-the-scenes story, the practical use cases, and all the delightful nerdery you’d expect from the Awesomeverse.
What We Cover in This Episode
🎨 How the new global color picker makes previewing icon colors much easier
🖼️ Why individual PNG downloads are a handy addition for quick icon grabs
🧑‍🚀 How User Blender lets you create custom user icons with random and manual combinations
🧩 How these features build on ideas from Icon Wizard
💻 Why small workflow improvements can have a big impact for teams
🧪 How playful side projects sometimes turn into genuinely useful features
🎬 Ed’s surprise side quest into low-budget cinematic glory
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Podcast Awesome
 00:20 Introducing the episode and today’s guests
 00:45 The three new features: PNG downloads, color picker, and User Blender
 01:10 Francis makes a Podcast Awesome debut
 01:40 Looking back at Ed’s previous appearances and Icon Wizard history
 02:10 Why individual PNG downloads were added
 03:00 When and why someone might want PNG instead of SVG
 04:10 The idea behind the new global color picker
 05:00 Previewing brand colors across icon search results
 05:40 Using the color picker on category pages and kits
 06:10 Duotone controls, secondary colors, opacity, reset, and swatches
 07:10 Reusing Web Awesome tools inside Font Awesome
 07:50 How color settings carry over across different areas
 08:20 How the color picker affects code snippets and icon styling
 08:55 Meet User Blender
 09:20 How randomizing and mixing custom user icons works
 10:00 Available styles and future expansion plans
 10:40 Why User Blender is both useful and toy-like in the best possible way
 11:15 How the feature grew out of a snuggle and Icon Wizard success
 12:00 A call for community creations and creative icon mashups
 12:40 How these features fit into the Font Awesome 7.2 release
 13:10 Ed’s unexpected acting career and his son’s YouTube side quest
 14:00 Wrap-up and where to share your creations

YouTube episode with visual examples: https://youtu.be/NDsqZozkn3A 
Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
Browse Font Awesome Icons: https://fontawesome.com/icons
Learn about Kits: https://fontawesome.com/kits
Explore Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/
Contact the team: [email protected]
Theme music by Ronnie Martin: https://ronniemartin.org/
Interstitial music by Zach Malm: https://muzach.bandcamp.com/
BowziTV: https://www.youtube.com/@BowziTV
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Eleventy is becoming Build Awesome — and Zach Leatherman is here to explain what that actually means.
In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt has a chat with Zach about the Build Awesome Kickstarter, why this rebrand is part of building a sustainable future for the open source project, and what changes (and what doesn’t) for people already running Eleventy sites.
You’ll hear Zach break down the backwards compatibility promise, the Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4 upgrade path, and what Build Awesome Pro adds—especially for teams who want an easier publishing workflow and a smoother way for non-technical collaborators to edit content.
Plus: behind-the-scenes stories from filming the Kickstarter video in LA, including the cast/crew magic, a hot dog cake, and the origin story of the Awesome 'Possum.

🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode
🚀 Eleventy is becoming Build Awesome (and why Zach says this is the sustainable future of the project)
🧩 What changes vs. what stays the same (and the “no panic” promise)
🔁 Backwards compatibility: your existing Eleventy sites still work
⬆️ Upgrade path: what moving from Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4 looks like
🧰 What Build Awesome is (website generation that can be simple or powerful)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Build Awesome Pro: one-stop publishing + collab for non-technical editors
✍️ In-browser editing: fixing content directly on page w/o a separate CMS feel)
💸 Funding open source without burnout (+ why the “Font Awesome formula” works)
🎬 Kickstarter fun: filming in LA, cast/crew magic, and the cake/hot dog metaphor
🦝 Meet the Awesome 'Possum (mascot origins + brand homage)
🎁 How to support: tiers, swag, and where to go next
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 - Cold Open: Build Awesome Kickstarter Announcement
 0:08 - Eleventy → Build Awesome (What This Episode Covers)
 0:40 - The Big News (Zach’s Announcement)
 1:25 - Joining the Awesomeverse (and why it matters)
 2:50 - Funding Open Source Without Burnout
 4:20 - What Build Awesome Is (and who it’s for)
 6:05 - Build Awesome Pro: Publishing + Collaboration Tools
 7:20 - Backwards Compatibility: Your Eleventy Sites Still Work
 8:10 - Upgrade Path: Eleventy v3 → Build Awesome v4
 10:05 - Why Pro Features Make the Free Core Better
 12:10 - In-Browser Editing: The “edit right on the site” experience
 13:25 - Kickstarter Fun: Shooting the Launch Video in LA
 15:40 - Cast, Crew, and the Cake/Hot Dog Metaphor
 18:55 - Meet the Awesome Possum (Mascot Origins + Brand Homage)
 20:40 - How to Support: Where to Go + Tiers + Swag
 22:40 - Wrap-Up + What to Watch Next
Links & Resources
Build Awesome Kickstarter
Eleventy / Build Awesome
Font Awesome
Web Awesome
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In this episode, Matt and Jory sit down with UK-based icon designer + illustrator Vic Bell to talk about the brand-new Font Awesome icon pack, Graphite — a loose, hand-drawn set that brings texture, depth, and a whole lot of human personality to iconography.
If you’ve ever tried to balance clarity vs. creativity, or wondered how icons can feel more like typefaces with different “voices”, this one’s for you. 🎧
🗒️ What We Cover in This Episode
👋 How Vic and Jory connected
✏️ Designing Font Awesome Pro Plus packs and how “Small Batch” became a thing
🧠 Vic’s creative journey: trends, taste, and identity
🏠 Why icons are storytelling at micro-scale
⚖️ The tension between clarity and creativity
🧰 Illustrator vs. Figma for icon design
📲 Custom brushes and iPad sidecar workflows
🕒 Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction and Welcome
0:46 - How Vic and Jory Connected
2:48 - Font Awesome Icon Packs Overview
5:42 - Vic's Creative Journey and Evolution
7:45 - The Hand-Drawn "Graphite" Icon Style
10:17 - Reflections on Icon Design as a Career
13:41 - Childhood Influences and the Magic of Small Things
17:18 - Creative Process and Personalization
22:19 - Trusting the Creative Process
23:32 - Project Validation and Creative Freedom
25:15 - Technical Challenges and Implementation
26:23 - Future of Font Awesome Icon Packs
30:52 - Illustrator vs. Figma for Icon Design
31:28 - Creating Custom Brushes and Using iPad
38:38 - Balancing Clarity and Creativity in Icon Design
47:37 - Releasing Icon Packs and Delayed Gratification
🔗 Links & Resources
Vic Bell: / vic_bell
Font Awesome: https://fontawesome.com/
Web Awesome: https://webawesome.com/
Theme music by Ronnie Martin
Interstitial music by Zach Malm
Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Eleventy started as a side project. Now it’s a critical infrastructure for thousands of websites.

TL;DR: Open source isn’t broken. But the way we fund it often is. Let’s talk about what actually works.

In this episode, we sit down with Zach Leatherman, creator of Eleventy (11ty), to talk honestly about what happens after open source succeeds. From nap-time coding and nights-and-weekends maintenance to venture capital pressure, burnout risk, and the reality of funding long-lived developer tools, this conversation digs into the cultural and financial tradeoffs behind modern open source.

We cover sustainability, community expectations, funding models that don’t rely on hockey-stick growth, and why “free forever” only works if the people behind the project can stay whole humans.

🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode
🧠 How Eleventy grew from a side project into a widely depended-on tool
⚖️ The maintainer’s dilemma: growth, responsibility, and personal sustainability
💸 Why venture capital and hockey-stick growth often fail dev tools
🔥 Burnout, boundaries, and being accountable to a global user base
🏡 Balancing family life with open source maintenance
🔁 Different funding models: donations, sponsorships, Pro tools, and tradeoffs
🌱 What sustainable open source can look like long-term
🔮 What’s ahead for Eleventy and its next chapter

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Introductions and why open source sustainability matters
01:47 – Eleventy’s early days and unexpected adoption
04:32 – When a “side project” becomes critical infrastructure
06:42 – Corporate usage, expectations, and hidden pressure
10:08 – Family life, burnout risk, and personal boundaries
14:17 – Funding models: donations vs. sustainability
18:45 – Venture capital, acquisitions, and hockey-stick growth myths
23:33 – Lessons from Gatsby, Astro, and the dev tools ecosystem
26:25 – Why sustainable open source must tie to real value
30:26 – A healthier path forward for maintainers and communities
33:20 – What’s next for Eleventy

🔗 Links & Resources
Eleventy (11ty)
Font Awesome
Web Awesome
🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase
Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Happy New Year from the Awesomeverse! In this episode, Matt and Jory kick off 2026 by recapping all the wild, weird, and wonderful things that happened across Font Awesome and Web Awesome in 2025. From the launch of FA7 and small-batch icon packs to a possum puppet mascot (yes, really), they reflect on the big (and small batch) wins, behind-the-scenes hilarity, and creative experiments that made the year unforgettable. Oh, and if you're wondering what it's like to direct a hot dog-eating scene at a Kickstarter video shoot? We’ve got that covered too.
TL;DR: New icons, big upgrades, hilarious videos, brainy guests, possum puppets, and one heck of a year. 
🧠 What We Cover in This Episode
🎉 Reflecting on FA7 upgrades
🧪 The rise of Pro Plus and its small batch icon packs (Etch! Jelly! Not Dog!)
🎥 Behind-the-scenes on the F.A.C.U. cinematic universe and the FA7 shoot (hot dog suit included)
🧩 How the newsletter icon puzzle took on a life of its own
🧰 The official Web Awesome launch and what’s next
🧠 Brainy takes on icon cognition from Dr. Brian Glenny
🐾 The birth of Awesome Possum, our unofficial but fully fabulous mascot
📦 Teasers for what’s coming in 2026: More icons, more components, and more fun
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Post-holiday haze & back in the podcast saddle
02:00 – FA7 highlights: Pro Plus packs + icon design overhaul
04:30 – Icon Pack breakdown: Etch, Jelly, Not Dog, and beyond
06:00 – Behind-the-scenes filming stories from the FA7 Kickstarter video
10:00 – Web Awesome officially launches!
12:30 – How the Awesome Possum was born
16:00 – The rise of the icon puzzle & newsletter hijinks
24:00 – Standout guests from the past season + the philosophy of icon design
28:00 – Accessibility icons, graffiti activism, and symbol cognition
30:00 – What’s coming in 2026: New icon packs, new components, and new surprises
32:00 – The Awesome Possum signs us off (kinda)
🔗 Links & Resources
Check out the FA7 Launch Video
Learn more about Pro Plus
Build with Web Awesome
Subscribe to our Newsletter (get the puzzle!)
Jory’s Puzzle Book: “Goes Without Saying”
Behind-the-scenes of the FA7 Shoot
The Accessibility Icon Project 
🎵 Theme music by Ronnie Martin
🎹 Interstitial music by Zach Malm
🎥 Video support by Isaac Chase
Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!