One Minute With

Author Archives: Conor O'Driscoll

About Conor O'Driscoll

Conor O'Driscoll is a designer and writer, who writes for AppStorm.net. He also enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

One Minute With… Igor Ivankovic
January 16, 2012 7:38 pm Leave a Comment

Hi Igor, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Hi, thank you for having me, it’s a real pleasure. Well I’m a simple 26 years old, married, and down to earth guy. I’m currently working in my small design studio Tap-Tap Design delivering great looking web design, graphic design, motion graphics and branding.

I love comic books, so I when I started learning 3D that’s when everything clicked and I created a unique 3D web comic with my characters Tap-Tap Adventures . They were in fact the inspiration for everything Tap-Tap Design related :).

We also recently just founded a new web site that focuses on wedding inspirations for women, Zimbas. Let’s just say I’m versatile because I’m drawn in to design through every medium my eyes see. Oh, did I mention that I’m self-taught? Well, I am :)

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Igor Ivankovic.

Every day is different. It consists of waking up before noon, putting up some relaxing music and working late in to the night. Oh yes, I always cook lunch with my wife and do the dishes afterwards so I can focus on something else rather than my ideas and current projects. It amazes me how many times I find myself stuck in some coding problem at 2am and couldn’t go to bed before I figured out the solution. I just can’t relax until everything works out the way I planned.

How did you get into design?

I studied Philosophy for 4 years in college and in that time I was very involved with student activism and student council decisions, so in some cases there were a few happenings that required a web presence and, of course, flyers, posters and graphics-related materials. To cut on the funds, I said I would do it. Of course, design blogs started to get my attention because of their fast practical learning curve, and I was very focused on showing of then :) It looked really bad, design-wise, when I think about it now, but back then I got a lot of praise, go figure. So it felt good to do something that other people praised and said looked good.

Afterwards, I met my wife and she loved interior design and that brought me to another level of combining design elements, 3D architectural mockups and really playing around with design.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your creative process like?

First of all I create a big panic and freak out my art director (my wife Ines) with questions about the projects requirements and expectations. LOL What we do as a team in the studio is to brainstorm about the project, I always picture it in my mind for example: Can we do something creative with this project, What technology will we use, how to combine the design and code into one usable product. I don’t drink coffee, I just sit on the couch, turn on my TV and chill.

The ideas and the creative process is always different, so I approach every project differently, talk it out with Ines. She always focuses me in the right direction because sometimes I overdo some design elements.

You spent some time freelance before forming a design studio with your wife Ines. What made you make the switch, and how is working with your real-life partner?

Well, I worked a lot freelancing, I also worked in a media agency. What I can tell you is that nothing compares to working for yourself. I never worked so much in my life, and I never felt like I was employed when I freelanced and now. When you freelance people usually take advantage of you and you spend time on working way too much than agreed for way less money you agreed for, but still you don’t have a boss who doesn’t see the difference between a design you stand behind and you are proud of, and design that is everything else than design. There is papirology and bills, but other than that I feel it’s the same, just a natural progression in showing off professional work, and telling people that I have my own business :).

Everything works excellent with my wife in the design studio because we complete each other with design ideas, and it’s also good to have someone snap you out of some some crazy ideas and complicated experiments. We work hard and we have fun doing it, so it always comes out as a product of our both imaginations and love for the design.

Along with graphic design, you also do work on motion graphics. How does that differ from graphic design, and what parallels can be drawn?

We just started doing motion graphics, and it’s a whole new world of understanding the principles of what is going to show up in the next frame, next second, and will it have the visual and emotional impact as you hoped for. Working on motion graphics tends to take longer because you need to view things over and over, the content changes dynamically and it tends to render for ages, soon to find out that you made a mistake on 1min and 12 seconds to start fixing the process over and over.

Standard graphic design has similar issues but in the end, these are two different types of media. Usage of plugins, ideas, 3D animation programs and a complete new array of logic functions that come with motion graphics is something you need to have, along with lot of time and focus to spare if you want to combine it to create something really special like we try to.

If, in some Freaky Friday-like situation, you could live the life of another designer, illustrator or creative, for a day, who would it be, and why?

Maybe Fabio Sasso from Abduzeedo. As I see, he loves experimenting with design styles and inspires other designers with awesome tips, tutorials, and gives a lot of exposure to great looking design.

What design tools could you not live without?

Adobe suite, Autodesk Maya, Learning Autodesk Maya 2009 book, WordPress, iPhone, pasta bolognese, my PC, Dribbble, my guitar, my wife’s support…

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design or illustration?

There will be time when you work like crazy and there is no cash flow to insure you did a good job. It doesn’t mean that you failed, it means that you are a designer at the beginning. Time, practice and persistence will give you the necessary tap on the shoulder. Never stop believing in yourself, and don’t think of it as work: if you do, then please do something that isn’t design-related because you are probably the reason why the industry keeps pumping out questionable designs. Love what you do and do it as best as you can for every project that you are given. This is the only way you will grow as a designer and a person!

Thanks Igor!

Thanks a million to Igor for sharing his thoughts! I really enjoyed talking to him, and found his answers really interesting!

Why not check out Igor’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Simon Ålander
January 13, 2012 7:42 pm 1 Comment

Hi Simon, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Hey, the pleasure’s all mine! Well, I’m a guy from Sweden who enjoys coffee, lettering and the simple things in life. I’m obsessed with letters,swashes, ligatures, loops and textures – and that pretty much explains my work and style I think.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Simon Ålander.

I wake up at 7:00 and then I run to get on the bus. When I finally arrive at the office I start my day with a lovely cup of Aeropress coffee. Preferably a Kenyan or Ethiopian.

My ritual continues with reading emails, blogs and stuff like that. I can’t start working without my daily dose of design inspiration in the morning.

I spend the rest of the day working with various projects at the office and drinking more coffee. When I come home it’s time for freelance stuff aka. the really fun stuff and some cooking to get relaxed.

How did you get into design?

Hmm, that’s a good question. I think it was my interest for music with all the fantastic album artworks, tour posters and merchandise. Another big influence that made me interested in typography and lettering was graffiti and street art.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your creative process like?

After a few emails back and forth the creative process looks like this: 99% of my projects begins with just plain papers and a pencil. I want to find a perfect interaction between the letters/words so I’m playing around for a long time without any clear visions. After a while I see in what direction I want to continue. The final sketch goes into Photoshop for tweaking, further into Illustrator to get it vectorized and then back to Photoshop for texture and a magical touch.

Lettering is clearly a strong point of yours. Do you see a clear distinction between lettering and type design, and would you ever consider releasing fonts professionally?

After all, it’s just letters, words and phrases. For me personally it’s about the process itself – to explore and find unique and playful ways to combine letters/words.
Creating a font is so damn time consuming, but who knows, one day it might happen…?

Your lettering style is pretty distinct, with prominent swashes and awesome ligatures. Where do you get inspiration?

Everywhere; on the subway, conversations, my own peace of mind, music, old signage and packaging. And of course on the almighty Interwebz.

You’re studying at Hyper Island, a centre for learning which is quite different to any traditional education. Tell us a bit about it, and do you feel it is providing you with a better education than a traditional university would?

If you compare to a traditional way of education it’s much more connected to reality. We get briefs from real clients, so the gap between school and working life isn’t that big. I think Hyper Island is a little bit too digitally driven for me, but I’ve learned a lot about the power of social media and the importance of building your own solid network.

What design tools could you not live without?

My Pentel Graph Gear 500 pencil and the obvious things like Illustrator, Photoshop, Wacom tablet and Spotify. Is coffee a design tool?

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design or typography?

Study different kind of typefaces, letters, styles etc. and try to see what makes them distinctive. Step away from the computer and find some pens and pencils you like and start sketching! Practice, practice and practice. Last but not least – never forget the negative space. It’s as important as the letters itself.

I want to end this interview by quoting the amazing Boris Pelcer: “Typography is what language looks like. Language itself is a reflection of intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspect of the human mind.”

Thanks Simon!

Thanks a million to Simon for talking to me! I really enjoyed talking with him, and hopefully you love his answers as much as I do!

Why not check out Simon’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Mackey Saturday
January 9, 2012 7:41 pm 1 Comment

Hi Mackey, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

First off, thank you for having me and allowing me to contribute alongside such great talent. As for a little about me, I’m an independent multidisciplinary designer based out of Denver, Colorado. My work spans a lot of genres and I’m honored to get to work with clients on a multitude of levels. I’ve always been a big fan of the outdoors from mountains to oceans, campsites to cityscapes, it all amazes me and I love to spend as much time as I can adventuring into the vastness that is out there. Living like this has played a huge role in my design aesthetic and also my pursuit of staying independent in my career. I continue to see daily the value of chasing after what you enjoy most and then figuring out the logistics later.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Mackey Saturday.

I’m not sure if there is really a typical day for me. Living in Colorado the seasons help dictate what any given day may look like, between long and short days, fresh snow or summer sun, it all plays into what my days look like. Right now it’s the middle of winter so I basically have 2 schedules I like to follow.

The first and primary looks schedule some like this: 6:30-7:00am wake up, catch up with the world in bed using Flipboard, check the weather, grab some breakfast, make some tea, read the Word, and then head off to the studio. The morning is always for immediate needs, getting any meetings out of the way, and clearing any of those things that may cause anxiety or poor productivity, then onto my design tasks. My office is only a few miles from the Denver skatepark, so at lunch I like to head over there and get a quick session in. Skateboarding has long been something I love and has molded me heavily into where I am today. Getting out and skateboarding helps refresh me, refocus my creativity, and keep perspective when I head back into work. The afternoon is then dedicated to designing, drawing, building, or whatever creatives tasks I’m tackling. I’ll work until about 7, then it’s time for a work out, followed by dinner and after that really depends on my work load and my wife’s schedule (she’s a nurse so she works 12hr shifts starting at either 7 am or 7pm.) So this could be time to get together with friends, or time to head back to the studio. I’ve been more recently trying to call it quits earlier and get home and to bed by 1-1:30 a.m. compared to a lot of my past that was full of 4 a.m. bed times.

The second schedule (if there’s good snow in the mountains) starts out the night before by heading up to our condo that we share with a few fine folks. I’ll wake up, eat a hearty meal and then usually head over to Keystone or Breckenridge to get on the mountain while the snow is its best. If I’m lucky I’ll have some friends to ride with and we’ll usually ride until 3ish. After this I’ll get some food and head back to the condo to fit in emails and immediate tasks that couldn’t be handled on my iPhone while on the lifts before the “official” work day is over. We’ll grab dinner somewhere, and then it’s back for an evening work session. I’ll usually sit by the fire/TV (we don’t have cable at our loft in Denver since we rarely watch anything outside of Netflix) and work until about 2 a.m. while my wife gets in her dose of crafting and watching of criminal minds.

There are obviously lots of ways things can play out but at this time, this is how my days are looking.

How did you get into design?

I’ve loved drawing longer than I can remember. My parents still tell me stories about when I was a little child how I would sit for hours on end, head down, drawing every last meticulous scale on a fish and then abruptly crumbling up the paper and throwing it in the trash because “it didn’t look like what was in my head,” just to start the same process over again. I continued to love art throughout my childhood and then at about 14 or 15 one of my father’s clients (my Dad was a financial consultant at the time) saw some of my work while in his office for a meeting and asked if he could set up a meeting with the designer. My Dad proceeded to tell him that all the work was just done by his young teenage son and yet the man still insisted on meeting with me. He ended up hiring me on a contract basis to help design his product ideas for new products. We would meet up, he would tell me his ideas that he could only see in his head, and then I would interpret them and put them onto paper. This was all by hand, he then had a team that would render out everything on a computer and produce the real specs to make the products happen. This was my first foot in the “design” door but I jumped around for the next 7 years within the more traditional arts from mural paintings to metalsmithing. Then post college graduation, I started making some work for a skateboard park I volunteered at and skateboard companies that I was touring with over the summer. That allowed my work to reach a larger scope of people and started gaining me more opportunities which has now grown into what I do today.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your creative process like?

I approach new projects with enthusiasm and hope. Establishing if I’m excited about the project and if I can see its potential for growth and positive change is my first and most valuable step. With this secured I start asking any and all relevant questions that I can as well as establishing lines of communication for us to best communicate during the length of the project. For certain cases, primarily logo and web based projects, I have some pre-made studies that I send out for clients to answer that cover all the basics. Next is web-based research, hitting the books, exploring, adventuring, and starting to let the ideas become a part of my daily life. In most cases, my best solutions don’t come when they’re forced or calculated, but rather when lying in bed, traveling, or out to dinner with friends. The only way these random experiences can provide solutions is if the questions are actively a part of my daily interactions. Needless to say, as I’m sure is true for most, rushed deadlines are rarely my best work. This all coincides with lots of sketching which is then turned digital and I’ll push everything around, line it up proper, and produce some work for presentation.

If you don’t mind me saying, your name is a somewhat unusual one – Do you feel that having a recognisable, different name is actually a benefit to you in an industry so large?

Working within such a large industry, that is also so tiny at the same time, I would say that my name may be a benefit on some scales. But at the end of the day, I believe the caliber of the person and quality of work are really what prevail. I would much rather people know and respect my work than be excited about me. I’d rather play the background honestly, however working so heavily in identity development I find myself constantly addressing myself as a brand which tends to push my name more heavily. I am happy to identify with something that I think very well communicates my lifestyle and goals while educating potential clients on the basics of my values and perspectives.

You have described your style as having “retro ethics”, but a “modern aesthetic”. What do you mean by this, and where do you get inspiration?

The saying came about when I was doing some planning for future growth. I was trying to clearly identity how I worked, my values, and what clients could expect without a lengthy confusing amount of text.

The “retro ethics” describes my values and how I will treat both clients and projects. Integrity is of the utmost importance to me far above money, popularity, cool projects, or opportunity. I want everyone I work with to know and trust my word as truth and that it will be delivered on. I believe this mentality has more recently been abandoned and that our trust in people is degraded heavily. To me, my word and integrity is much more valuable than a contract and I want people to know that as well. Secondarily, I worry that work ethic has suffered more recently in an era where people think the deserve things and often lack the passion to fight for what they want. My father once old me when we were installing a sprinkler system together “I’m not worried about what you choose to do with your life, just make sure and go after it harder than everyone else.” This has stuck with me and the very driven work ethic is something I hope to never abandon. That all to be said, to me, fall under “retro ethics.”

The counter side “modern aesthetic” is meant to convey my approach to the visual side of my work. People know that I’ll be working hard, and in that dedication I’m consistently focused on new trends and pushing the envelope for my clients. Living daily in such ever-changing cultures like the action sports and the street wear industry, trends are ever evolving and there’s a fine line between brilliance and looking like a fool. I desire to always be on the forefront of trends, while still creating pieces that are as timeless as possible. This balance is very valuable to me and the phrase ‘modern aesthetic” is meant to communicate that I will continually pursue creating pieces that are relevant and impactful to modern society.

If, in some Freaky Friday-like situation, you could live the life of another designer, illustrator or creative, for a day, who would it be, and why?

There are so many people in all kinds of professions and time periods that would be amazing to experience. Picking just one for now, I would love to have a day in the life and mind of Saul Bass, as unoriginal as that may be. A life lived from New York to Los Angeles, film to print, plus everything in between would have to be inspirational if only for a day even. That vastness of knowledge, creativity, and understanding of human response and interaction would be quite the joy to jump into.

What design tools could you not live without?

I’m a big fan of classic pencil + paper creation. After that if I had to live without all design programs but one I would have to save Illustrator, I probably spend 95% of my time in it. Finally, some sort of board (skate, snow, or surf), I would have a hard time living without at least one of them, and yes, I consider them design tools. I do have a lot of books, cool sketch pads, and a Cintiq that I use heavily, but if we’re talking minimums here, that’s what I “need”.

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design or illustration?

To offer up a few small nuggets of wisdom for somebody just getting started I would say to first, make sure you love what you’re getting into, be that design, illustration, or anything else for that matter. If you’re gonna be great at something, it’s not going to be because it looks like an easy career or you’re just doing it to get by. Love it, live it, evolve it.

Work on building your relationships before building your portfolio. You’ll get more work, from better clients, based on personal recommendations than people seeking you out through a design site or google search any day. I’m not trying to undermine the value of a great portfolio, that will also get you great opportunities, I’m simply saying, start with relationships, they’ll last longer and produce better if you treat them with the value and respect they deserve.

Do free work. I am not proposing you do spec work, I hope you can avoid that at all costs in fact. I am however saying, find something you love or believe in deeply and offer your skills to help make it greater and better the world. The scale of this organization, product, or person is irrelevant, but I can’t stress the value of doing this enough. Working like this removes one of the most stressful parts of the job, money, and allows you to work better, more creatively, and benefit society simultaneously.

Lastly, be loyal, to both yourself and your clients. Value your integrity, remain above reproach, share, and never forget why you started and where you came from.

Thanks Mackey!

Many thanks to Mackey for talking to us. I really enjoyed his answers, and hopefully you did too!

Why not check out Mackey’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Mary Kate McDevitt
January 5, 2012 4:09 pm Leave a Comment

Hi Mary Kate, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Anytime! I’m a freelance illustrator with a focus on hand lettering. I work from my home in Portland, OR.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Mary Kate McDevitt.

I’m up around 7:00 and read emails in bed and browse Pinterest a bit, then I get up for real. Shower, coffee, and reply to some emails and re-read some of the emails that I couldn’t make sense of while I was all sleepy. I take a glance at my to-do list and work on the projects by urgency or the ones I’m really psyched about and re-write my to-do list for the day. Then I workout or run errands on my bike. I address and stamp a Handwritten Letter, a new daily project I’m doing which you can read about here, and scan in or draw a new on for the day. At around 11:00, I realize I skipped breakfast and eat lunch. Once a week my boyfriend Fred (who is a designer and printer) and I meet about new projects, deadlines and supplies. It helps keeps our freelance careers a bit more professional and organized. After lunch I pack orders from my Etsy shop and get to the post office before it closes or schedule pick up for the next day. It’s around this time in the evening I will get really into a project and make lots of progress which may continue to 2 in the morning or I wrap it up around 8pm before dinner then me, my cat Peppy Mew Mew and Fred watch an episode of Twin Peaks or something and sketch or read till it’s time for bed.

How did you get into design?

I went to art school, Tyler School of Art and it was between painting and graphic design. But I found early on that I was more excited and challenged by my design assignments than my painting assignments. Around my junior year of Art School I was working illustration and hand lettering into a lot of my design projects and found I was more interested in my illustration assignments than my design projects.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your design process like?

After getting the brief I do some research about the project, make a mind map that might lead me to a new path creatively and get some concepts and directions together. Then I start drawing super rough thumbs in my sketchbook and choose compositions and idea, then I take them to cleaner larger sketches. I do all my sketches in pencil sometimes on tracing paper sometimes drawing paper scan them in and clean them up a bit in Photoshop. I send 2-3 ideas to the client.

Your work has a quirky, handmade, ever-so-fun feel to it – Where do you get inspiration from?

Vintage posters, collectibles, tins and packaging, sign painting, folk art and has always been a big inspiration for my lettering work. But I’m also inspired by my bike rides around the city, thrifting and hanging out at the park.

Lettering is obviously a massive part of your work, and you are a master at it. Have you ever considered going into the field of type design and making a font?

While type design does tickle my fancy, I don’t have any real plans to make a font. I’ve made a few alphabets for my own amusement but when I get the idea that it could make a good font, I diverse my attention to something else. Perhaps one day though.

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? Are you still hoping to be doing lettering and illustration, or do you want to have moved onto to something bigger (or perhaps smaller)?

Hopefully still doing lettering and illustration and working on some larger projects: Children’s book, murals, book covers. I’d also love to do some more shows solos and collaborations.

What design tools could you not live without?

Sketch books. I go through a new sketchbook every 2 weeks.

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design?

Work hard and then work even harder. Try all options and take note of what works and what doesn’t. Have an honest voice and expand your inspirations.

Thanks Mary Kate!

Many thanks to Mary Kate for taking some time to talk to One Minute With. I really enjoyed interviewing her, and hopefully you enjoyed reading it!

Why not check out Mary Kate’s site, and follow her on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Sean Farrell
December 19, 2011 9:09 pm 3 Comments

Hi Sean, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

My name is Sean Farrell and I am a creative kid in a grownup body living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I work from home and I primarily focus on logo design, application design, and web design. When I’m not designing I’m usually hanging out with my wife and family or eating ice cream.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Sean Farrell.

My typical day starts around 9am where I spend a good hour reading my Bible before I hop on the computer. It’s a good time to reflect on the ultimate creator and give him thanks for being able to have the best job in the world. After that I usually answer emails for a good hour. From there, I go back and forth with sketching, scanning, and digitizing comps and wireframes. Sometimes during the middle of the day I take a break and watch a flick or take a walk with my dog.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your creative process like?

Well, every project starts very similar for me, I’ve kind of gotten into a good routine that seems to be working well with me and my clients. For the sake of time, I’ll explain my logo process. Each logo project starts off with a questionnaire that I send to my client. It’s all about discovery for me, making sure I can pinpoint what the clients needs/wants/desires are. After I get the questionnaire back, I go over it with the client and fill in any holes or clarify and talk through each of the different answers. Once that’s done I do a lot of word mapping. I find keywords that specify the industry and values the client wants to portray in the logo. From there I research, sketch, brainstorm, research, and sketch some more… all before hitting the computer. After I have some sketches that I like, I scan them in and start digitizing them. Send to the client and hopefully the approval ;)

You don’t exactly have a unified style across all of your designs: Do you feel that having a style is beneficial, or, in branding in particular, is it better to do something completely unique to that client, unlike anything you’ve done previously?

Yes and no… I’ve been told I have a specific style although it’s hard for me to tell what it is :) I just design what I think will work well with the clients needs and the demographic that they are trying to reach. I think it’s important for designers to step out of their own head and step into the body of who the client is trying to reach. I’ve said it before, but a lot of times you see designers designing things for other designers’ approval, not the clients’. I try to be as unique as I can for each of my clients, but I’m sure my ‘style’ or ‘mark’ can be seen in each of them.

Before you got into design, you ran an ice-cream business. What led you from one to the other? With many designers starting their careers in design, do you think some “real world experience” is useful in this line of work?

Yes, I did run an ice cream business, but it would take me a novel to write how much that changed my life and how it led to design. I will say that even if people can design, you still have to be able to run a business. Freelancers need to know about finances, customer service, talking to clients, selling your clients, email etiquette, etc. My ice cream business taught me a lot about those things and I believe it’s helped me grow a strong freelance business.

If, in some Freaky Friday-like situation, you could live the life of another designer, illustrator or creative, for a day, who would it be, and why?

Well, if I were able to inherit their skills, there’s quite a few I can think of but ultimately I think I’d have to choose Dave Mott. His sketching/illustration skills are just out of this world. He is someone I constantly am impressed with.

What design tools could you not live without?

Well I am a weirdo when it comes to software – I like starting my logos in Photoshop (letting the boos quiet down)… but ultimately all my logos end in illustrator. For some reason I just love the interface of PS vs. AI. Something about an infinite canvas scares me :)

I also have to say that for books, I enjoy all the Logo Lounge books, as well as some others like Logo Design Love and Designing Brand Identity.

I have to have a Moleskine sketchbook

And lastly, my Intuos 4 Wacom tablet.

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design?

I think it’s important for new designers who are trying to break into the industry to find their style and stick with it. Don’t try to be like everyone else or you’ll just get lost in the shuffle. It’s important to have your own sense of style and people will notice you for it.

Thanks Sean!

Many thanks to Sean for sharing his thoughts with OMW. I had a lot of fun talking to him, and I hope you love the interview as much I do!

Why not check out Sean’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Ryan Putnam
November 28, 2011 7:35 pm Leave a Comment

Hi Ryan, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Thanks for the chat! I’m a designer, illustrator and blogger. I run the design studio Rype Arts, the blog Vectips, and the online shop Vector Mill. I have always sketched, doodled, and created things. I dabbled in fine art in high school and received a BFA in Graphic Design from Colorado State University. After college I worked for a print shop and a small design studio before becoming a full-time freelance designer, illustrator, and blogger.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Ryan Putnam.

To get the juices flowing, I start with some coffee. Once I hop on the computer, I read through a bunch of feeds and do my first round of communications consisting of mostly emails, Tweets, and Facebooking. After that, I have to turn off all distractions or else I couldn’t get anything done. I usually do the most intensive work in the morning. Usually this is client jobs, a long tutorial, or working on some stock illustrations. I do another round of communication before lunch, do lighter work in the afternoon, another round of communication at the end of the day and I’m done! I have some days set for specific tasks. For example, Fridays are bookkeeping and administration type of work.

How did you get into design?

It was just a natural progression from the art I was doing in high-school. I was always nervous about relying on the salary of a fine artist so I thought a career in graphic design would suffice financially. It wasn’t until I started taking design courses I realized how much I loved design and illustration. I have always valued the utilitarian side of art and design offers so much more than pure aesthetics. Design is a balance between usability and aesthetics. It’s fun and challenging.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your design process like?

It really depends on the project. For clients, I have a specific set of steps to take them through. For me, having specific steps make the process faster, easier, and less confusing. For a client, the specific steps usually makes the process less confusing, creates a sense of contribution, and they are usually happier with the end product. The process is a little different depending if it is a branding project, illustration, or web design, but they all start with a questionnaire. The other steps can include a round of sketches, round of mood boards, live examples, and other similar stuff.

Most of the personal work happens a little more organically. It usually starts with an idea or doodle. From there I just expand on the idea. I don’t really have any specific steps on how to take the idea from beginning to end. It just kind of happens. Now that I think about, maybe I should have more a process.

When you’re regularly writing tutorials, do you feel it is important to diversify your style as much as possible, to keep things fresh? How do you keep as much variety in your work as you have, to avoid getting stuck in a rut?

Yeah, I think it’s really important to alter my style. I started writing tutorials to help other people and to become more knowledgable myself. If I stick to one style I really wouldn’t be helping anyone. It’s also in my nature to try different styles and techniques. I really just get bored if I do the same thing over and over again. If I see a style I like I try to incorporate it in my work or try to recreate it for a tutorial.

You’ve been involved in a few high-profile self-initiated projects, such as VecTips and Vector Mill. How much of your work is self-iniated projects, and how much is client work? Is there one you prefer over the other, and why?

My time is probably split 50/50 between client work and the self-initiated projects. Both have their positives and negatives. Sometimes with client projects, you get to work with experiences, ideas, products and people you would never have otherwise. On the flip side, when working for a client, you are hostage to their taste, requirements, and schedules. But if you are a good designer, you can give your client a great product while keeping your integrity.

To be honest, I much prefer the personal projects. I love the freedom of taking an idea from the foundations to fulfillment. Even though I can be my own worst client, I hope in the future I can be financially sustained by personal projects alone.

With the previously mentioned projects of yours, VecTips and Vector Mill, you contribute an awful lot to the design community, in terms of resources, tutorials and articles. How important is it to be involved in the design community?

It’s pretty important to me to stay involved. The design community provides great education, feedback, and support. Even if I wasn’t doing Vectips and Vector Mill, I would participate in the community in some way. It’s awesome to connect with people that are just as excited about design and illustration as I am.

What design tools could you not live without?

I guess the most obvious one is my iMac with Illustrator, but it would be pretty hard to get by without the internet, my Moleskine, a pencil, and my Wacom Intuos4. The second tier of stuff would be Evernote, OmniFocus, Reeder, and Dribbble. I don’t want to sound too cheese, but I couldn’t do any of it without the support of my wife. I definitely wouldn’t be doing what I love without her.

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design?

Never stop learning, have an open mind, get a thick skin, and always read and scrutinize anything you sign.

Thanks Ryan!

Thanks so much to Ryan for giving us an insight into his world! I loved talking to him, and found his answers really interesting!

Why not check out Ryan’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Jon Ashcroft
November 21, 2011 7:41 pm Leave a Comment

Hi Jon, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

My pleasure, thanks for the opportunity. I’m an illustrator and designer living in Phoenix Arizona. I hail from the far away land of New Mexico (the eastern bordering state of AZ) where I was born and raised. I’m married to a beautiful hairstylist named Paige whom with I own a historic home in downtown Phoenix where we share a block with several of our closest friends. I enjoy music, architecture, community, tattoos, old stuff, traveling, craft beer, new Mexican food and my dogs. My work consists mainly of editorial illustrations, infographics, posters and whatever kind of non-profit/social-impact focused projects I can get my hands on.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Jon Ashcroft.

Around 6:00 am my dogs begin to harass me for their breakfast until 6:15 am when I eventually cave and get up to feed them. I then proceed back to bed by 6:20 am and continue to sleep until 7:00 am. After I get up for the second time I get ready for the day (which may or may not consist of showering and grooming myself), make some coffee, sit down at my desk and get to work. I like to start the day out with something I’m excited about so if I have any illustrations on the agenda I usually go to those first and move onto email and more clerical stuff later in the day. I’m fortunate to live in one of the few truly walkable neighborhoods in Phoenix so for lunch I’ll make my way to one of the nearby eating establishments and get some grub. After lunch I generally take some time to catch up on news, read some blogs, talk to friends on Twitter and troll for new music. I continue the grind until 6 or so when my wife and I make dinner and spend some time together. Afterwards depending on my workload I will either go back to illustrating/designing for a few more hours or we will relax, take the dogs on a walk, go to the gym, hang out on the porch, etc..

How did you get into design?

I always enjoyed art and photography growing up but it wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I realized there was this magical profession called “graphic design” where you could make posters and album covers for a living. I immediately switched my degree from Business to Fine Arts with an emphasis on Design and Photography. While in school I kept myself busy doing work for local bands, businesses and apparel companies. Through doing lots of not very good work for not very much money I honed my craft and tried to find my niche.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your creative process like?

I guess that varies from project to project but in general I think my process is fairly internal. I spend a lot of time thinking about the project, the audience, the desired response and how I can make something I’m proud of while fulfilling all of the required objectives. From there I start to rough out everything either via sketching or creating rough comps in Illustrator. This point of the process is generally the most daunting and slow-moving as I go back and forth with opposing ideas, trying to make everything jive and figuring out how I’m going to flesh out the finished piece. Once I have solidified my initial concept and layout I can begin making it actually look good which is far and away my favorite part of the process. This involves working with the type, establishing the color palette, adding texture and fun little details.

You previously worked at the world-famous Fender, before moving to the considerably less renowned Redemption Church in Arizona. What was working at Fender like, and how does it compare to Redemption Church? What made you make the switch?

Working at Fender for a few years was as an amazing experience. I learned a ton about marketing at the highest levels, made some life-long friends and completely entrenched myself in the music world. Leaving Fender wasn’t an easy decision but when the opportunity arose to go from being the youngest designer in a department with a glass ceiling on opportunities to being the Creative Director of an organization I was passionate about I couldn’t say no. Most people scratch their head’s in confusion when I tell them I left the world’s largest Rock and Roll company for a regional church but from a purely logistical career standpoint it was the most practical move to make. Outside of that I also have an innate desire to show people that not all of Christianity is a culture-less void that doesn’t value thought, creativity and craft. That is a massive undertaking given the state of the world we live in but I try to do my part by taking pride in what I do and trying to perform my duties at the highest level. Working at Redemption also gives me the flexibility and freedom to do plenty of freelance and side projects, something that wasn’t always possible at Fender.

Your style is organic and retro, albeit with a modern twist. Where do you get inspiration?

From all over really. I spend a lot of time looking at sites like Designspiration, Ffffound, Dribbble and Grainedit. I’m a big fan of vintage packaging, posters, film titles and books so that plays a role as well. Art history was a huge element of my degree and I think that exposure has been vastly beneficial for my own work. I’m also fortunate enough to have some amazingly creative friends and family who are constantly inspiring me with the stuff they are doing. Concept-wise I get a ton of ideas from music, films and photography.

If, in some Freaky Friday-like situation, you could live the life of another designer, illustrator or creative, for a day, who would it be, and why?

I don’t know if musicians count but I would go with Ryan Adams just because he is Ryan Adams.

What design tools could you not live without?

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.

A dot grid notebook/sketchpad with an extra hard pencil.

My iPhone for snapping pictures of inspiring items I come across.

My beloved Magic Mouse and MacBook Pro.

Some sort of corrective lenses.

A steady stream of tunes via Rdio or my vinyl collection.

This American Life and All Songs Considered Podcasts.

Lots and lots of coffee.

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design or illustration?

Make lots and lots of work and then make some more. This is an industry fueled by passion and if constantly creating isn’t something you are willing to do for yourself then you aren’t going to be happy doing it for somebody else (even if you are getting paid).

Thanks Jon!

Many thanks to Jon for sharing his thoughts with One Minute With. I really enjoyed his answers, and I hope you love the interview as much I do!

Why not check out Jon’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Ryan Brinkerhoff
November 16, 2011 6:09 pm Leave a Comment

Hi Ryan, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

My name is Ryan Brinkerhoff and I’m a 26 year old illustrator/designer living in sunny Columbus, Ohio. I started up Bandito Design Co. in 2009 after I graduated form the Columbus College of Art & Design. I use geometric shapes and bold colors to create a bright, retro-inspired style.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Ryan Brinkerhoff.

I live with my girlfriend Katie in a suburb of Columbus. I work downtown at Origo Branding Company where I’m Art Director. At Origo I work with a focused team on multiple marketing, web, and advertising campaigns. When I leave work, I go home and Katie and I make some dinner, watch some horror movies, and I work a little on making some new prints or illustrations until bedtime. I usually stay up way too late at night, drink way too much coffee in the mornings, and make way too many to-do lists.

How did you get into design?

I knew I wanted to be an artist very early on. I watched a lot of cartoons, played a lot of video games, and read a lot comics as a kid, and I think those really inspired me to draw, paint and sketch my way to CCAD. At CCAD I decided to go into the Advertising and Graphic design program, where I really developed a style and discipline that put me where I am today.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your design process like?

It is a simple process: Make some objectives, brainstorm some basic ideas, do a lot of sketches, move on to the computer, keep refining and adding interest until you are through! I try to come up with clever solutions that will ultimately tell a fun story or just make someone smile.

Your style is certainly retro, but with an enchanting modernist geometric feel to it. Where do you get inspiration?

I love the work of Alexander Girard, Charley Harper, Charles and Ray Eames. My work is heavily inspired by mid-century modern design. Simplicity and sophistication are two values I try to reflect in my work. I really like the look of old storybook illustrations also. I think the “enchanting” qualities you speak of come from the whimsical inspiration I pull from old Golden Books and early Disney/Looney Toons Cartoons.

Like many print designers, you sell your posters and other goods online. How important is it to have some sort of passive income, in an industry where work offers can fluctuate so much? Has selling online been a good experience for you?

I have a full-time Design job, so work does not fluctuate for me. But it is very nice to have some passive income coming in from art print sales. Selling online is great! I use Big Cartel and it couldn’t be better. My only complaint with selling stuff is with The United States Postal Service. Shipments can take forever to get to their destinations or just get lost for no reason.

If, in some Freaky Friday-like situation, you could live the life of another designer, illustrator or creative, for a day, who would it be, and why?

Charles Martin “Chuck” Jones — American Animator during the Golden Age of American Animation. He directed, wrote, and even created some of the best characters/animated shorts of all time. I would love to have worked on such classic cartoons. The charm and character these cartoons have are truly timeless.

What design tools could you not live without?

Design Essentials: pencil, paper, scanner, Adobe Illustrator
Organization Essentials: iGoogle Tasks, Google Calendar, Dropbox
Inspiration Essentials: ffffound, Dribbble, Tumblr

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design?

Find your style. Just as a writer has to find his or her voice, a designer has to find a good method for solving problems.

Don’t settle for that first idea. It usually sucks. Keep sketching, keep searching, keep trying. Sometimes the right solution comes from sketch number 100.

Work hard in Design School. It is what you make of it. Don’t just cruise through it like it’s a class, treat it as a real life design exercise. After you graduate and get a job, you won’t just get a C- on a mediocre project, you just get fired.

Thanks Ryan!

Many thanks to Ryan for sharing his thoughts with OMW. I had a lot of fun talking to him, and I hope you love the interview as much I do!

Why not check out Ryan’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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One Minute With… Ricky Linn
November 10, 2011 6:33 pm Leave a Comment

Hi Ricky, thanks for taking time to chat with One Minute With. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Hi! Thanks for having me. I’m a 20 year old graphic design student that’s currently in the trenches of Art Center in Pasadena, California, trying to earn my stripes and make my way into the world of graphic design. I freelance projects on the side to pay the rent and in my rare free time try to remember that I’m still relatively young and try to do young people related things.

Walk us through a typical day in the life of Ricky Linn.

On a typical day I spread myself across school projects, sometimes client projects, and my own personal endeavors. All while constantly checking in between Twitter, Facebook, my Google Reader feed, and my Tumblr. I try to squeeze in some time for Netflix when I get the chance, usually as I’m eating.

I’m always loaded with projects so routine is certainly not something that I have nailed down. Every new semester of school brings about schedule shifts and new freelance opportunities and I try to adjust accordingly, though the lack of sleep is one constant that will probably never change, haha. Recently I’ve started using TeuxDeux to keep myself somewhat organized and track things I need to stay on top of, and taking care of said things at my local coffee shop. I’ve been trying to make a habit out of reading books and articles on my iPad as well.

How did you get into design?

Completely by accident actually. About four years ago while I was in my high school’s badminton team my coach wanted someone from the team to design the team’s T-shirts for the season. I had been messing around in Photoshop for a while and thought I would take a crack at it and volunteered. Naturally it came out looking quite horrible, but the rest is history. It was about a year later as I was about to graduate high school that I decided to study graphic design formally, with great opposition by my parents.

Before any of this I had resigned myself to majoring in some kind of social science like anthropology or history.

How do you approach a new project? What’s your creative process like?

In the words of Frank Chimero, who I look up to a lot: ”I bash my head up against my desk like everyone else. We’re all the same.” I have been very lucky thus far, especially in the freelance world, that I have been trusted the creative freedom to create projects under my own aesthetic terms.

But nonetheless it always starts with research. I gather whatever significant data and information I can on the topic at hand, try to digest all of it, and formulate a few concepts in my mind. Then I bust out my trusty notebook and get to sketching out ideas. I’m not a great draftsman by any means so all of my sketches look like indecipherable scribbles and notes. I find that my best ideas always come from when I’m in Illustrator moving shapes around and exploring that way. But I usually skip back and forth between the two mediums. After I have honed in on one or two strong concepts I start looking for visual inspiration that speak to me and I feel is appropriate for the project.

At the end of the day I try to find that perfect marriage between what the projects requires and my own personal philosophy. Of course all of this would not be possible without the company of good coffee and good music.

You’re studying graphic design in Art Center College of Design in California. With the design industry changing at such a fast rate, how important is a formal education in design, do you feel?

This is a question that I have been struggling with myself as well, so bear with me for the long answer. Before I started at Art Center I was simply creating things that I found cool or aesthetically pleasing. There wasn’t much thought put into it and I was making things by the seat of my pants.

But each semester I learn more and more about the fundamentals of great design and no matter how much our industry changes, those fundamentals won’t. A formal education in school is incredibly useful for building a foundation and discovering your own philosophy on what design means to you and your community, locally and globally. It opens up your mind to all of what has come before you, and the amazing possibilities that lie ahead of you. Design is becoming more and more relevant everyday and the demand for our talents is only going to increase. And while a formal education is not a necessary ingredient for a great career, I have noticed that more and more companies, creative or otherwise, require a degree to simply get your foot in the door.

That being said, I have come to realize that no matter how much a school taunts their penchant for forward thinking and innovation, a school is still a business. There are hoops to jump through and strings to pull. And in that regard, a formal education cannot always keep up with the rapid changes in our field. And the answer to that really is just a DIY approach. We are in an incredible era where any and all kinds of information are at your finger tips. You can learn anything you want with motivation and discipline, at almost no monetary cost except for an internet connection. And that is the only way so far that we as designers can keep up with new methods and practices and technologies that sometimes schools are just not ready to throw into their curriculum at a whim, for whatever reason.

So in summary the way I see it, a formal education is a double edged sword. But at the end of the day it comes squarely down to you as an individual how much you want to stay relevant. It is tricky, as I am experiencing now, to split my time and enthusiasm between doing school projects so I can have great portfolio pieces for when I graduate, and finding time for personal exploration and building my own desired repertoire of skills.

There are of course other factors that can be brought into the discussion but I’ll stop here for the sake of not extending this any further.

Your work has a vintage feel, with modernist influences. Where do you get inspiration?

I’m really glad you say that because it means I’m getting my personal style across. That is exactly where my influences come from. As I have mentioned school is a great place to expose yourself to what has come before you.

Last semester over the course of this summer I took an Introduction to Modernism course and was incredibly lucky to have a great instructor teaching it. She really opened my mind to the incredibly rich history of early to mid-century graphic design. Given my general interest in history and graphic design, I fell absolutely in love with all of it. I was blown away by how those designs, crafted over fifty years prior without the aid of any computers, were able to stand the test of time and look as contemporary as they do today. Suprematism, Constructivism, Minimalism, De Stijl, Bauhaus, etc. All these schools of thought have incredible influence on my style of work. The work of Alvin Lustig, McKnight Kauffer, and El Lissitsky, to name just a few, are also incredible inspirations.

Before I took that course I had been emulating those styles into my work simply because I liked the way it looked, having seen some random bits of work online from Ffffound and such, not knowing who had done it or why. But now I understand why I like it and what it means to create such work, and it pushes me to follow in their footsteps.

Then there are of course all the contemporary designers who are creating great work today whom I like to call my design heroes: Frank Chimero, Mikey Burton, Richard Perez, Evan Stremke, Mark Weaver, Ty Wilkins, Tim Boelaars, Brent Couchman, Scott Hill, Mike Lemanski, the pair at Always with Honor and Eight Hour Day, the list is endless. As students we are in no short supply of heroes to choose from.

If, in some Freaky Friday-like situation, you could live the life of another designer, illustrator or creative, for a day, who would it be, and why?

There so many, but I would love to be Charley Harper and experience the way he works and illustrates. What was running through his head as he worked? I could stare at his illustrations all day. The retrospective of Charley Harper’s life and work by Todd Oldham is probably the best book I’ve ever purchased. I have a great love and fascination of animals and nature ever since from a young age and a big part of my youth was spent watching nature and history documentaries. He combines both my love of wildlife and the geometric modernist aesthetic. It definitely helps that he was incredibly amazing at what he did. My 365 Animals project is without a doubt a tribute to him.

What design tools could you not live without?

There are certainly many things a creative needs, but for me it all boils down to: a notebook, a ballpoint pen, Illustrator, a keyboard+mouse, good music, and an internet connection.

And finally, what tips would you give to anybody who is looking to get started in design or illustration?

I don’t know how qualified I am to be giving advice at this point but for what it’s worth, I do have a few things I have learned over the past few years.

Self-motivation is so important to getting better. No one wants you to succeed more than you. So stay motivated and keep pushing the limits of what you can and want to do. Don’t wait for someone to push you to do better. As you may have heard countless times, design is not a job you do, it is a lifestyle you live.

Don’t be afraid to show work you’re proud of, especially as a student. Post them wherever you can build yourself a presence online, whether it be your own personal site, Tumblr, Twitter, Dribbble, etc, account. Nothing bad can come of it and can only help to gain you some exposure and get your feet wet into networking with other designers and land you some potential clients. I have been really fortunate that all my freelance clients have come to me because they have seen my work from which ever corner of the internet that they may have found it.

And lastly this is something I am still having difficulty internalizing myself but I feel is invaluable to students moving forward professionally. Keep your ego in check and be patient with yourself. As students we often times have unrealistic expectations to become great really quickly. I certainly did. We look to those above us and admire their successes, without contemplating what it took to get there. I struggled for a long time in feeling confident about my own work because of voices both inside and outside my head saying that I can’t do it. Only now am I starting to feel more secure about my credibility as a graphic designer. It takes time to build yourself up from the ground, both in skill and maturity.

Thanks Ricky!

Thanks so much to Ricky for giving us an insight into his world! I really enjoyed talking to him, and found his answers really interesting!

Why not check out Ricky’s site, and follow him on Dribbble and Twitter?

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