My Interview with a Design Student

I was recently interviewed by a graphic design student, Paula Almquist | Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Here’s how I dished it out:

1. What techniques do you use to come up with your ideas? I always ask the client what kind of “feel” would you like the customer to have when viewing your print or web material. “Luxurious”, “Sophisticated” are common looks people want to portray. From there I think of big companies like “Mercedes” and think what I’ve seen from them that I like and what kind of composition or images I should consider choosing in this direction. Its really the funnest part of the process because I end up making many designs to impress the client. 2. Who inspires you? My fellow Platt College graduates inspire me. We’re constantly sharing new design work we’ve done through Facebook, social media, and we inspire each other. 3. What is your favorite type of print media? My favorite type of print media is business cards. They are the first impression of of you and your branding. They are the funnest to design also because there are so many trends going on at the moment with so many options with paper and texture. 4. What motivated you to become a designer? Growing up, I was always aware what good design was. I would look at advertisements in the mail and make note of what my eye was drawn to and how the designer arranged the composition of photos and text. When I found a design that was genius I would save it to inspire me later. I knew with all my knowledge and passion I had to become a designer to make beautiful things for people to look at and represent themselves with. 5. From start to finish, how long does it normally take you to complete a project? It really depends on the client. For a quick project like business cards, I’ll spend up to three hours. First I spend sometimes half an hour talking to the client about his or her ideas of design they have in mind for their card. Second I’ll show them some mockups which are rough drafts of my ideas I have for the design. Third I will talk to the client about which direction they like and finalize any ideas or changes for the project. Finally after the client is happy I prepare the front and back of the business card for print which sometimes requires talking to the printer to make sure color and size are correct. 6. Do you prefer to work independently or with a group of people? I prefer working independently. With my experience I’ve found that I can rarely rely on anyone to meet tight deadlines or get everyone to agree on one design direction and stick to consistency. 7. What kind of advice would you give to someone who is thinking about becoming a graphic designer? Always have a niche of what kind of design you’re going to be the best at. 8. What is the most challenging aspect of the job? Persuading the client out of “bad design” For example I’ll have clients want me to make things “stand out” by making things in red letters or bolding of text in unflattering ways that make the whole design in general look amateur. It’s challenging to tell that that they’re wrong. 9. How long have you been a graphic designer? 2011 will be my eight year as a graphic and website designer. I do most of my freelance work through my website: www.JenRuhman.com 10. Can you draw us a sketch of an object for our references? (spoon)