It is the function of a graphic designer to be the invisible mediator between the idea and the interpreter through visual communication.
Seeing comes before words. A baby looks and recognizes before it can speak
~John Berger, Ways of Seeing
It would follow that how something is presented tells more about it then the content of what is being presented. I create visual marketing and advertising tools that, through knowledge of typography, layout composition, and aesthetics, have a contemporary look and feel and convey a sense of legitimacy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I’ve recently been asked a series of human resource questions related to the design industry. They might help you to understand how I work:
1. Rate your skills from 1-10 (10=Expert) for InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator
InDesign 10
Photoshop 10
Illustrator 10
2. What type of hardware/OS are you most comfortable using?
Affluent on Mac and PC. I grew up with PC’s and I was on Mac’s through my entire FAU design curriculum.
3. What are your strengths? Weaknesses? Why?
My strength lies in concise design decision making skills. I have assimilated massive amounts of information about typography, aesthetics and biology of human perception, as well as a constant observation of the visual world, that guide me through the thousands of minute aesthetical decisions that have to be made in the design process. My skills and design processes are also easily transferable to any creative medium.
My weakness is, without a doubt, my ignorance to the obvious problems in my design work while I’m designing something. I find it hard to be objective about my work when it is something I have recently created. That’s why I find it effective to be surrounded with fresh sets of eyes. When I’m stuck between two ways of handling an issue of aesthetics or functionality, the layman to design will be the most likely to pick the correct one.
4. When given strict parameters for your designs do you find that challenging? Please explain.
I do find strict parameters challenging and I accept that challenge. Furthermore, there is no creativity outside of restriction; in design and in art. Restriction breeds creativity. For example, Without Einstein’s parameters about space and time, Picasso could have never fathomed his cubist interpretations of the world.
5. Where do draw inspiration from?
I am a compulsive collector of design. I have boxes of visual references that I’ve collected over the years. Before I start any project, I scour through hundreds of pieces of design to find syntax of visual language that will communicate the look and feel that the piece needs.
6. What are the most important skills for a designer to have/develop?
Knowledge of typography is the most important skill a designer can have, but if there could be two of the most important skills, it would also be a designer’s ability to utilized white space. Negative space lets the composition breath. In music, it is the space between the notes that give the notes their meaning. Furthermore, by limiting the amount of information, a designer can make the message more effective.
7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
The only certainty I have about 5 years from now is that I will have accumulated thousands of miles of air travel. I plan on spending the next 10 to 15 years as a career designer, get a Master in Fine Art and start teaching at the university level.
