Designer Terry Bogard

I am a finance professional. Design has never been my occupation, it is just my passion and I think I’ve have come a long way with it. Most of my friends happened to be creatives during my teens and I used to do alot of freelance and fun work around that time. I worked in a design studio for a few years and learned market dynamics. I have also participated in many crowd sourced projects which helped me learn some different and unique aspects of the trade. In short it has been a learning curve all along. Specially in crowd sourced projects where its a contest-environment and you have to constantly do better.

I think I’m no different than other creatives in terms of enjoying their work. I can simply put it this way – I love being paid for doing what I enjoy. Imagine being paid to have fun, eat and sleep. Designing is my passion and every creation of mine makes me feel great regardless if its sold or not. But getting paid to be passionate is just great.  My most used tools are graphite pencil & graph paper. Then later it goes on to Illustrator. I also work on Photoshop occasionally for web-layouts as its hard to pull web-layout off by graphite .

Inspiration can come from anywhere – from an individual atom to the entire universe and everything in between. It’s all about observation and bringing your memory of visuals together FOR the right brand, AT the right time, WITH the right combination(s) and WHEN the need arises. But that does not mean that I’m just another creative junkie who is waiting for his next design hallucination. There is a process that formulates this creativity. I think a product has both functional and emotional attributes. The functional attributes are the brand’s promise to its consumers, while the window to its emotional attributes is what design is really all about. Although design process will vary depending on the project, my most basic practice is to do a 20 second visual check where I brainstorm the keyword(s) that best describe the business or project I am working on. The idea is to know what emotions those keywords generate and what image those emotions translate into from a consumer standpoint.

Message for designers:

You are all unique creatures. What makes you unique is the ability to THINK and CREATE unique things. Know that you’re not a designer the day you stop being unique in all aspects of your designs and start ripping off  . Have patience and respect for a creature like yourself. Never say “I know”…but say “I can learn more”.

I always wanted to be someone when I was young. Not just another book on the shelf. I’ve had that creative fuel since I was young. However it was undiscovered, as a result I picked chemistry, biology and politics as my main college subjects, hoping to make something of it and become a politician or a scientist. Unfortunately I found out I failed at all these subjects after coming back from holiday, and only had 2 weeks to reenroll or find a different college. Against my family’s consent I took up a full course in graphic design where my creative fuel had sparked and is still burning today. 

I’ve been freelancing since 2006 while I was a student, and now working temporary at a printers as a designer as well. I through my self in the design scene and took a crash course in freelance design when I was in college, and to a lot of peoples surprise I managed to prove my success. I have been taken advantage of a few times by a number of clients due to my age or my inexperience in business. I guess I’m the type of guy who seems to learn the hard way. Yep I love freelancing because you never know where your going to get your next phone call or email from. Some freelance jobs can be a bit dull but fortunately most of the freelance jobs I’ve got were good. I’m looking to expand in to my own shop/studio, so I decided to boost my experience and finance by working at Great Ledge Printers.

My favorite part… I have two… I get a buzz when I first get a brief that has a lot of potential and when I see the work I’ve designed published and used publicly, it’s a great feeling when you walk past a piece of work and you can say “I designed that”.

I never thought of this question before because I always liked to design for my self. But if there were one individual I would design for it would be Charles Saatchi, for the simple reason that he seems to appreciate design, artwork and creativity in general. One event that’s stands out in my mind was the Islam Awareness Week in Aberdeen. Where I gave a talk about my design work in Aberdeen University and then gave a calligraphy presentation, and had another two days of writing peoples names in calligraphy. The best part of it is when you see their look on their face when they see their name in Arabic calligraphy. 

One thing I’ve learnt in the business of the design industry and dealing with clients is, always have a written agreement especially if your going to be working on a big project. Also never under sell your self, as a creative your work is unique and valuable. I’ve learnt my lessons the hard way. When I first started out, I was young and had no experience in dealing with clients face to face, and was taking advantage of.

One person who was a great help and has shaped my career in a large way is Muiz Al-Khattat. Muiz was a student and already a freelance designer when I met him he was at university and I was in my first year of college in Graphic Design. Muiz was like my design mentor, he has given me countless advice, from dealing with clients giving talks and workshops to wide audiences. I also admire his work and also inspired by it. When I first entered the freelance design scene I could relay on him at any time when I needed advice and help. There were other people who have helped shape my Design career like my family and my tutors. However Muiz was the most prominent in my design career. At the moment I’m kind of taking his role and helping other younger designers in their work and their career.

I have various ways in getting over a creative block, some are more effective than others depending on my mood at that time. One method I use of getting over a creative block is by looking at other designer’s work of similar briefs and see how they’ve tackled it. Another thing I do if the previous method doesn’t help is I’ll simply go for a walk or start painting a canvas with my spray paints. But usually I just start; I’ll do a warm up design where one thing would inspire another and before I know it I would  have  enough  ideas  for what I need to design.    

I really enjoy and have a passion of martial arts and have practiced different types. However I stopped training, as my freelance career became fulltime. Despite that I managed to fit and intertwine my reflexes and martial art spirit in everyday life. What excites me about life? I kind of treat it like a game, not in a sense that I don’t care, but in a way where I progress though different levels. I set my self objectives and go out of my way to achieve them. I get a rush / buzz when I achieve one of my objectives. My next one is opening my own design studio this January.

“I love this question” my ambition is to build my own brand as big as Adidas or Nike, and be the chairman of my own clothing / design company. I was inspired by this idea 4 years ago before I started freelancing and gave my self 20 years to fulfill it, and put my self a set timeframe. Up to now I think I am pretty much on schedule.   

 
Thanks for the interview

Yusf Ali

Dr. Damber Kumar Nirola

I am from a small Himalayan country called BHUTAN. I was born in a village called Nainatal and I  currently work as a Psychiatrist in The National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, the capital city.

I do graphic design as a pastime. I used to draw and paint as a hobby and learned a bit of graphic design on my own. I am not an expert though!

I do freelance work. I love doing graphic design but most of the time it depends on my free time which I manage after taking care of my patients.

Conceptualization is very critical and that’s what I like doing and is my favorite aspect of Graphic Design.

If given the chance I would illustrate books for children and make logos related to the Health care services. I like this because I am more comfortable in these fields. I did illustrations for a flip chart for educating people on antenatal care. I also won an award for designing a logo from a water and sanitation program for The Bhutan Health Ministry.

A word of advice to peers, make it a habit to use your art for art purposes only and don’t just make it look like a factory. Be creative and you will enjoy the outcome.

Well, I have no one person who helped me in my career path. Only myself and I!

When I need help sparking creativity I meditate!

Other than graphic design I like to stick to reality rather than dream about something unattainable. I make sure to give enough time to my family and I meditate daily.

In the future, as mentioned earlier, I don’t dream, but I would be happy if I could design for some big company, maybe even Microsoft!!!

Thanks,

Dr. Nirola

Robert Diffenderfer

I was born in Baltimore City and my family moved to Baltimore County to escape the 1968 riots. I have lived in Maryland my entire life and now reside in Harford County near the northeast portion of the Susquehanna River.

Good question…I guess it was a mixture of things that got me into Graphic Design. I have a degree in CAD (Computer Aided Design) and a second degree in Automated Manufacturing Technologies. While I was in college I would always add artistic touches to all of my design papers. When I did a report I always created my own graphics. My extra effort didn’t go unnoticed. I am a Phi Theta Kappa graduate and graduated at the top of both classes. I loved to create artwork. I am also a self proclaimed professional photographer. This introduced me to Photoshop. Illustrator and opened up a whole new world of adventure for me. I became addicted to Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash,
Dream Weaver, and Fireworks. I am still addicted!

In this volatile marketplace you need to spread yourself out or you wont survive. If you look at the Graphical Media Services website (still under some construction) you will quickly notice how many different things we can do. This helps us maintain a healthy business atmosphere. The more you can do for your customer the better chance you have for survival. We do not advertise ourselves as a graphic design company. We our a collaborative marketing partnership. We work with the customer to determine his needs and to define his target market. Then we offer ways to get there. Websites, Brochures, Technical manuals, etc. That is the corporate side of the business. Yes we also freelance as much as possible. I love my job because with every customer comes new challenges. Yes, many can be similar but they all have their differences. I need to be challenged to be happy and this is very challenging.

I love to collaborate back and forth with my customer until I have a design that just makes them say “YES…that’s exactly what I am looking for….I love it”. When someone loves something that you created it is that feeling of accomplishment and self gratification that you can’t get anywhere else

At this point we have been working with small to mid-size businesses and are slowly moving up the chain. I would love to do some in-depth marketing work for a large corporation of any kind just because it would be a new challenge for us and would open up other doors. All of my customers are noteworthy and that is how it should be if you want to survive in this business however EO Sports Gear just contracted GMS to do all of there graphic design work for their clothing apparel and miscellaneous items.

Listen to your customers…don’t just hear them! Forget about your design ideas and listen to their ideas. Don’t get offended if they don’t like something you did even if in your heart you believe it to be a Picasso! Remember that this is the BUSINESS of graphic design and it as all about what the customer likes.

The one person who has helped shape my career is my wife. I was afraid to go out on my own. I had an OK job and I was  comfortable but in my heart I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I started doing graphic design and photography jobs on the side for friends and then friends of friends and so on. I was getting busier and busier until it came time to make that decision. Now I own one of the fastest growing design companies on the East Coast.

My technique I use to spark creativity is Play. When all else fails open your design software of choice and play. You wouldn’t believe all of the design ideas that we have come up with just by playing with the software. Sometimes things get a little crazy and we laugh at what we have created but it helps break the stress bubble and allows us
the freedom to explore other possibilities. Surf the web for graphics. Find tutorials on your software and just try a few. We have created libraries of ideas that we keep on file just by playing. It also makes for a great work environment and I guarantee the designers block will go away.

I use my photography for my business but it is also my passion. I definitely have the camera bug. I love to visit beautiful places and catch them on the camera. Just for that split second time comes to a halt and allows you to really look hard at what’s in front of you. Believe me there is still a lot of good things out there if we just take the time to recognize them. Life is exciting to me because everyday is a new beginning and a new
challenge. It is that challenge that drives us forward and I love every minute of it!

I see myself in the future as a very happy and very successful individual. My goal is to become the largest design facility in the United States. My ultimate accomplishment would be to make my business one of the top ten nicest places to work. I want all of my employees to be happy and successful……so far its working…..Thanks for listening!

Thanks,

Rob Diffenderfer

www.graphicalmediaservices.com

Jörg Goncz

I’m from Germany and still living in a little Town named Nienburg. It is near Hannover and I grew up there.

I have always liked working with Computers and that’s the way I show my “creative” side. That’s how I got into Graphic Design.

I do freelance work for the most part. So far I’ve done a Website for my Brothers Store and some Web graphics. I do love my work, and continue to improve my skills

My favorite part of Graphic Design is simple, Being Creative

If I have an opportunity I would like to finish my new Homepage this Year. Then I would like to create some Homepages of unknown or not Famous Dj´s, cause that’s the way to put my 2 “Hobbies” together. Which are making Music and being Creative.

My only business advice would be to always be Creative and Break Rules!!! The best Design is that which stays in ALL minds.

There is not one individual who helped shape my career but actually a lot of people. Twitter — so many people with so many Ideas.

I like writing down the Things I know and have to find out about the Project when I need to spark creativity.

I am very passionate about making music. Life is exciting to me because every day is a new day.

In the future I would like to work in the States and Travel around. Maybe even open a little Design Store there.

Thanks,

Jörg Goncz

Gina Yap

I am a graphic designer and writer that is currently based in Malaysia. I grew up here in the multi-racial country where I get to learn various ways of communications between different races and cultures.

I started off with graphic designing as a freelancer during my college days when I needed money for my studies. When I graduated, I felt more  passionate about graphic design because I had been doing it and learning so much about it throughout my student days. So I still am doing this path today. And my inspiration behind it is humans; the world around me inspires me to do all kinds of things with graphic design.

I am currently a fulltime freelancer focusing on both graphic design and writing, and I am totally in love with my job. It doesn’t feel like a job when I really enjoy what I do, it’s like getting paid for doing something I love and there is no stress to it.

My favorite part of graphic design has got to be the conceptualization part where I get to think and brainstorm with others on ideas and concepts to best bring out the message a brand would like to send out to its audience.

It would be Juwita Suwito if I could choose one project to do. She is my music inspiration. I get inspired through her music to do a lot of things. I want to be able to design her next music album so that I can contribute back to her the many great ideas she has given me through her songs.

One piece of advice, never undercharge yourself. Many designers tend to under charge themselves so that they will not lose the job to someone else, which is a wrong way to begin with. As a designer, you are selling your service, skills and knowledge. And if you can’t charge a price that you can live with, why accept the job at all? First, know what you are worth. Second, charge your clients for what you are worth. For example, my uncle quote $1000 for a project by his client. When he heard his competitor offered $500, he threw in another quotation of $400 to win the job. In the end, he didn’t get the job because the client thought with such a low price, the quality was sure to be bad. Lesson learnt: ever under-charge yourself.

Mr. Wong from my previous agency helped shape my career. He was the most particular Creative Director I have ever met. He picked on little things like alignment, balance, etc. and this has taught me that the little details in graphic design matter the most.

When I experience designer block I pick up my laptop, drive out to the mall, buy a can of coke, choose a quiet corner, sit and watch. My greatest inspiration comes from the every day life of everyone else. I love to watch people, – how they talk, walk, act, etc. And it inspires me! Almost every time I face a designer’s block, they unblock me and breathe fresh air into my thinking process.

Besides designing I love Writing. I spend a lot of time writing. When I find my designing engine running dry, I turn to writing. And vice-versa. To me, writing and designing are tools which I used to manifest the most exciting thing in the world: LIFE. There are  always stories to be told, and I love telling stories through my designs and writings.

I used to dream big; needed to climb the ladder and reach the top of the Career Game. But now, all I want to do is design and write every day. I don’t have to be a CEO to do that, I just have to be me. My biggest goal in life is to be able to do the things I love to do in the comfort of my own home. And I am doing it now! My first novel will be published next year, and that is one step to me reaching my dreams. And I hope to publish more books and design more interesting visuals to share with the world.

 
Thank you,

Gina Yap

Harry Martawijaya

I am from a city called Bandung, located in western part of the island of Java, Indonesia. This is the city I grew up, and I still live here with my family.

I love visual arts in general, as a child I always liked to draw and watch movies, even collected nice looking packaging. When I learned about computers, my main interest was the art-related software (including music & sound), and by that time, the easiest way to use an art software is to create graphic art, and I began to be involved in this field as I went to a university to earn my degree in visual art.

Yes I do freelance work, mostly from an Ad agency in my city. I also have my own design firm with corporate clients. I love my job because it’s my interest and my hobby. I have he passion in it, a kind of labor of love.

As far as my favorite part of graphic design I have many of them. If I had to pick one it would be the creative problem solving, I love when my artwork solved the problem of others (and mine!)

I would like to do a work for culture-related event, as I would like to learn more about people, their interests and environments. I designed a brand for a charity organization. I also designed their book, a discount book actually, to be sold to parents of international school’s student. The money raised went to the school and other charity bodies.

A piece of advice it to always make proper planning and preparation, it will save you in a lot of cases, money, time, effort, etc.

One person who helped shape my career I think would be Mr. Ricky Dadan, the director of the advertising agency I’ve been working with for the past 5 years. He helped me to focus more on graphic design work, since I am also a multimedia designer, animator and an illustrator.

When writer’s block happens, I will leave the project for a while. I will do other things such as playing with my children, watch movie, take a walk outside, anything that doesn’t require a lot of thinking. Somehow the sparks will appear in the most mysterious and unrecognized way.

My family of course I am passionate about. I love to see my children learn and grow, and I want to make sure I am with them in most ways, and by that we together can learn a lot of things in this world.

I see myself in the future in my own place, as an culture icon, because I have created many masterpieces in art and design.

Thank you,

Harry Martawijaya

Agus Primakusuma

I come from Indonesia. I was born, grew up and live in Jakarta which is the capital city of Indonesia.

After I graduated from the university, I applied to an audio visual communication agency as a computer graphic designer. Honestly, I did not really know anything about graphic design. That is where I learned for the first time computer graphic tools. I Learned such items as: Draw Applaus, CorelDraw, Photoshop and several graphics tools. I give my inspiration thanks to my first boss. He gave me a great opportunity to learn the graphic design world from ground zero. And I thank God for giving a talent to me through my parents. My father is from Bali, the exotic island where the most creative and talented people live.    

I have been doing freelance work for about 2 years. I love design and creating nothing into something. I’m very happy when my ideas help people find the path and growth for their business.

I believe the actual process is my favorite aspect of design. I follow all aspects of graphic design from brainstorming, brief design, sketch, creating it digitally, sending it to the client, discussion and finalizing the work.

If I had the opportunity to work on one event or project I would want to dedicate my work on a cultural event or multi media project. What I have realized is  I love to meet and work with people from different places, different backgrounds, different languages. All together for one purpose or goal.

I’m not expert in this area of giving business advise. But according to my experience, give the client more than their expecting. Yes, we do freelance for a living but money is not the main objective point. Give our big efforts to their needs. I believe this is an effective way to make a long lasting relationship with our clients.  

Hmm the one individual who helped shape my career, I think would be my first boss. He gave me an opportunity to get started in the graphic design world even though he knew I did not have any knowledge, skill or degree in this field.

When I get writer’s block or need help sparking my creativity I take a short break and wash my face with cold water.

Besides graphic design I like traveling, art, culinary. Life is exciting because everyday we wake up and we face a different moment and situation from yesterday. That’s why we have so much knowledge from our past.

In the future I see myself here, making a design everyday. I want to share my little knowledge to everyone.

 
Thanks,

Agus Primakusuma

Shyamal Das

I am from Kolkata, India. This is my place of birth and where I grew up as a child. I completed my education, profession all here. Presently I am also working in this city. The heart of Bengal in India.

Graphic design has been my interest since I was born. Even if I don’t have any Diploma or Certification from the Multimedia or any Graphics design / Web designs from any Institution I feel I am great. After completing my higher education (Bachelor Degree of Commerce in the year 1993) I searched for jobs but did not succeed. I started a Drawing School with children. After some years I bought my 1st computer around 2000 and start studying myself with some books. Now my Skills on computer applications includes some of the following shown below: 

Raster graphics: Photoshop, Fireworks,
Vector Graphics: CorelDraw, Freehand, Illustrator,
Animation and Editing: Flash, Director, Premiere, Sound Forge,
DTP: PageMaker, Quark Express, MS Office Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Front Page.)
Writing Language: Dreamweaver, Edit Plus,
Web Design Technologies: HTML, XHTML, DHTML, JAVA SCRIPT, CSS,
Web Portal: Joomla, Liferay
Source Control : CVS, Subversion
Operating Systems: Windows 95/98/2000/NT/XP/Vista, Linux

And my inspiration was a couple things. I believe institutions can teach you the applications, how to use them and the tools needed for them. But no institution can give you a certificate or diploma on your ability to be creative and your sense/power. This is your own, and only you can judge yourself. So I have confidence that I can do this, and that’s why I am here.

Yes I do both Freelance and Corporate. I love these jobs with my heart and soul and there is a lot of regions to do. I love how some projects you can play with all the colors in the world  fulfilling your creative addiction, then turn around and do something new from others that you have learned from. You come to learn a lot of different cultures world wide.

I like all the parts of graphic design but if I had to choose I like “Web Design” the most.

If I had an opportunity to do graphic design work for anything, I will prefer the event “END OF THE WORLD 2012”. Because, I think it is a very HOT topic right now in the world. I did a lot of web design but I don’t think that they are noteworthy.

Advice for others would be don’t change your AIM or Target. Projects will always change per each client, including the time you have to achieve your goal. But you can always achieve your goals I have learn this first hand because I  started my career just as a computer operator and wanted to become an established Designer. Now I am working as a Senior Graphic and Web Designer in an IT Company.

No one has helped me to shape my graphic design career, this is my own decision. I know myself better and know what I can and cannot do. I feel very comfortable and satisfied doing this type of creative work and activities.

When I feel that I can’t reach the satisfaction level of the client then I stop the work and start to study. First with the help of great search engines, searching the similar topics. Typing in the top 10 designs preferred by the particular country and also preferred by the particular client. Sometimes trying to know the clients choice of color, style etc. And then restarting the work.

Life is a play ground, some we will win and some we will lose. As a designer, it is very exciting to enjoy the life. Every step you will learn something new about the world, about the people world wide. And how they differ country to country.

In the future I just see myself as an owner of a little design house where I will have alot of friends world wide. And we will work well together. This is my biggest goal. I am a very determined, peaceful, helpful person and don’t like to lie or liars. I always try to complete the word as I committed.

 
Thanks.

Have a great time…

Shyamal Das

Milan Iliev

I am from Bulgaria. I grew up in Bulgaria and still reside here.

Nothing really got me into Graphic Design. I am designer and that is part of my job.

Yes I am currently doing freelance work and I love my job.

My favorite part of Graphic Design would be to make surrealistic advertisements on outdoor tables.

One Particular event for individual work is not for me. I like to work in big teams, with all sorts of interesting jobs.

The advice I could give to my peers is to make sure to explain your work because sometimes there might be misunderstandings that can be easily explained.

In the beginning I was supported by my professor and his assistant. Later on I was supported by Mrs.Mazakova who is a designer and artist in the Balkancar corporation. They all helped shape my career.

When I get a block of creativity I think to myself that there is nothing impossible to do. Some projects might seem to be but some days it is better to do other work and then come back to them later.

Currently I am ill from cancer and try to go along with life and all my passions. Something that I get excited  from is the beautiful nature created from God.

I have so many projects I would like to finish in the future. I have Es-Band that is on the river in Sofia, my photos, my novel etc… If god would give me the chance.

Thank you,

Milan Iliev