Wireframe S5E4: Taking design risks to reach a split audience

Hilton Carter and Kyle Webster help Plant Man P merge houseplants and streetwear

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Wireframe reveals the stories behind user experience design and how it helps technology fit into our lives. It’s a unique, highly produced podcast for UX/UI designers, graphic designers, and the design-curious. Hosted by Khoi Vinh, one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. Choose your favorite podcast player to subscribe to Wireframe.
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Jon Perdomo’s business, Plant Man P, is a melding of his two passions—streetwear and houseplants. It’s a unique combination, but it means that Jon’s audience is fractured: the houseplant crowd don’t engage as much with his streetwear posts, and vice versa. As a result, Jon is stumbling through efforts to design great content and great products. Should he try to please everyone, all the time? Or can focusing the look and feel of his business to favor one over the other lead to a more successful brand?

A quote that reads "Be authentically you when it comes to social media. Look in the mirror, and stay true to yourself. You are the icon of your demographic". A headshot of a man is placed in the right.

Jon is the co-founder of Plant Man P, and you can find him on Instagram and YouTube.

This episode pairs Jon with his hero in the plant styling space: Hilton Carter. Hilton talks about his own journey of starting out, and how he navigates the challenge of engaging two distinct audiences: those interested in interior decor, and those craving houseplant content. Hilton also impresses on Jon the importance of auditing the design of other brands, like Supreme. Find Hilton on Instagram and TikTok.


Adobe designer Kyle Webster, meanwhile, encourages Jon to take risks and experiment in his design work. Kyle references his own experience designing for streetwear brand The Hundreds, and uses some of those lessons to guide Plant Man P’s branding and messaging. Find Kyle on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of Wireframe is supported by Adobe Express—a new web and mobile app that helps anyone create great content from thousands of templates. Learn more about Adobe Express at adobe.ly/wireframeexpress. (Most of the guests appearing in this season are part of Adobe’s CoCreate program.)

Listen and subscribe to the show, and click here to read a full transcript of this episode.

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