Info Set:

Name:
Dan Ibarra/Principal, Aesthetic Apparatus

Education Background (school / self taught, etc):
Design: Madison Area Technical College/Printmaking: Self-taught

Where you first worked and when (visual/graphic design job, etc):
In 1996 I was hired right out of school as a graphic designer for the software company Sonic Foundry. I think I was employee number 20. I was also 20 years old. I left a year and a half later.

Favorite book ever (design or non-design related):
Uncle Shelby’s ABZ book. Hands down best writing ever.

Recommended design / thinking / creativity / illustration book(s):
Every designer should read (that’s read, not just look at the pretty pictures) Tibor Kalman “Perverse Optimist” at least once but preferably twelve times.

The Introspective / Inspiration Set:

1. What made you decide to do what you do?
Initially I didn’t have any choice, I wanted to pursue art and the commercial art program at the technical school was the closest my GPA could get me. But within the first six months I realized that all the band logos that I had drawn on my assignment notebooks and the t-shirts that I had made in high-school were actually a creative category of their own.

2. What’s your process for conceiving new designs/projects?
Research as much as possible about the subject, attempt to know if front to back; sketch (by hand and digitally) horrible idea after horrible idea; see a glimmer of a good idea in one horrible idea; pursue that idea; over-think that initial good idea until it’s dead; repeat process until a good idea sticks.

3. What do you regret not learning while you were in school?
I received a really strong production-design education while in class. I spent all my free-time outside of class teaching myself everything else I wanted to know (type design, printmaking, design history, etc.) If you regret not learning something in school that you really wanted to know, it’s your fault for not pursuing it. Nobody is handcuffing your education. If you want to learn about it, then go learn about it.

4. What’s your most valuable ability? i.e. conceptualization, hand/computer skills, etc.
I guess my most valuable ability is a lot of patience and resolve to solve whatever problem is in front of me. It’s an overwhelming desire to really understand something. I think it stems from my constant self-education while in school.

5. What, in your opinion, is the most exciting aspect of the art/design world right now?
The most exciting thing for me is the fact that graphic design doesn’t know WHAT the fuck it is right now. How does graphic design exist amongst revolutionary contemporary ideas like sustainability, intellectual ownership, biomimicry, etc; all these issues that are being tackled by other art and design disciplines. Graphic design is trying to figure it’s shit out. I like not knowing what the future holds.

6. If you could move anywhere right now, in consideration of the art/design scene, where would you go?
I would move the city of Minneapolis 500 miles south.

7. What’s your daily routine?
6:55 – wake up to my six-month-old daughter waking up next to me, inadvertently slapping me in the face.
9:00 – Arrive at studio (via bike)
9:00-10:00 – coffee/internet/email
10:00-1:00 design or prep films/screens for printing
1:00 – lunch (today, vietnamese bahn-mi sandwich from the Seward Co-op)
2:00-4:00 Continue designing or print poster
4:00 – Drink a beer, continue designing/printing. Or if it’s a slow day, check out gigposters.com
5:30ish – Bike home.

8. What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you, regarding design or otherwise?
Our old boss at Planet Propaganda told us before we left; there are three criteria to assess a design job with: money, timeline and creativity. Make sure the job consists of at least two of these agreeable critieria. If only one of the criteria is agreeable, do not take the job. You will rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to work on a job that is agreeable on all three criteria

9. Who would you call a mentor / attribute as the inspiration in how you work / do things?
It’s our boilerplate reply, but it’s still the truth; our test prints are always the most inspiring thing in our design discipline. Here is a genuine piece of trash that, through a completely unconscious and organic process, becomes layered with some much imagery and color that it becomes it’s own beautiful work of art. What is the most humbling are our attempts to recreate test prints that look “okay” but seem to never successfully display the vibrance, inventiveness or surprise that comes with one of these prints. So, basically, our trash is the most beautiful thing we make.

10. If you had just one piece of advice for students / new grads, what would it be?
Don’t worry about getting a dream job right out of school. Get an easy job that you can learn from but isn’t too creatively taxing. Then take all your creative energy and newfound income and invest it all in whatever it is that really inspires you. Spend all your free-time doing that without any regard for profit or notoriety. Continue until you meet someone that shares your same vision. Partner with that person and work with them for as long as possible.

Check out more from Dan and Aesthetic Apparatus here.

General Intro/Info Set:

Name:
Will Bryant

Company Name:
Member of Public School

Education Background:
BFA (Graphic Design) from Mississippi State University (2008). I plan on getting my MFA in the next few years!

First Real Job Ever:
Define “real.” haha, I’ve never worked on salary. In high school I worked at this hip shoe store, the Gap one summer, and random jobs for family friends. I had a student design job for a semester and an internship for a year during college. Straight out of college I just kept freelancing.

First Real Job That Racks Up Social Security Miles:
uhhhhh, I’m an Eagle Scout.

First Design Job:
During college I was a student graphic designer for the Carl Small Town Center for a semester, and then a graphic design intern for the Public Design Center for a year. At the PDC I worked for Clifton Burt & Kate Bingaman-Burt. I learned a lot a lot and made loads of stuff. Definitely a defining moment in my career to be surrounded by learning opportunities, thinkers, and makers.

Favorite book ever:
I wish I knew how to read good. haha, but seriously. My attention span just kills my ability to enjoy a book. My brain and eyes jump between the lines and through the pages. However, my favorite book would have to be The Great Divorce. It sutras up a lot of bizarre imagery and textures for me.

Favorite book design/illustration related:
“This Is…” series by M. Sasek, Hand Job: A Catalogue of Type, Beautiful Losers

Recommended design / thinking / creativity / illustration book/mag/blog(s):
Frank Chimero’s blog, Grain Edit, Good Magazine

The Introspective / Inspiration Set:

1. What made you decide to do what you do?
I never really decided, I honestly feel like this is what I’m supposed to do and every life experience was designed to lead up to my current state. It’s a blessing to be called to make stuff that leads to engaging with people from around the world.

2. What’s your process for conceiving new designs/projects?
Unfortunately, a lot of times the idea just falls on my head or stirs me in my sleep. Too often I think of something in the shower and forget it before I can jot it down in my scout book. Once I recall an idea I pick up a drawing pen and paper. Most of the time new designs/projects are pieced together by stream of consciousness drawing sessions. After these are scanned in I make more critical thinking decisions and try to make sense of the nonsense.

3. What do you regret not learning while you were in school?
Learning & retaining web/code, american history, geography, among other general subjects.

4. What’s your most valuable ability?
Connecting with people.

5. What, in your opinion, is the most exciting aspect of the art/design world right now?
Collaborating!

6. If you could move anywhere right now, in consideration of the art/design scene, where would you go?
First off, I LOVE Austin. Especially where the art/design scene is. It’s at an exciting state. The obvious place I’d like to head to is Portland! I hope to spend some time there at some point. Either for school or work or both!

7. What’s your daily/weekly routine?
I like to start my day by going for a run or working out. I often do some chores around the house before heading to the studio around 8 or 9. Spend the day making stuff, blogging, and fighting the email dragon. I try to have lunch with my wife a couple times a week. The afternoon usually turns into a scramble and head home around 6. Sally and I play wii, cook dinner, watch a movie or just do something together. I often do some blogging or emailing in the evenings and sometimes some drawing before bed.

8. What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you, regarding design? work? life?
Don’t wait for permission. Honor your mother and father. Do a good turn daily.

9. Who would you call a mentor / attribute as someone who’s inspired you most / influenced how you work / do things?
Kate Bingaman-Burt, Frank Chimero, and fellow members of Public School.

10. If you had just one piece of advice for students / new grads, what would it be?
Be honest; with yourself and with others.

The Will Bryant Set:

1. Most fun project you’ve gotten to do in the last year.
2010 has been incredibly good to me! Working at the SXSW Fader Fort for Converse was a lot of fun! Working with Mark Menjivar for TRLA has been really rad too.

2. Project you’ve learned the most from. What’d you learn?
Every project is a learning experience. Especially on the business side of things. Estimates, invoices, write offs, time management, and being organized are things I’m constantly trying to learn more about.

3. Public School: how long have you been involved w/ Public School, how’d you get into it, do you plan on building tenure?
I’ve been a member of Public School since June 2009. I got in by handing out free stuff and hanging around their old studio. We’re just enjoying the ride right now!

4. Projects for clients. Projects on the side for fun. What’s the ratio for you at any given time?
For me…i have my peanut butter and my jelly. I prefer to mix the two. Sometimes I add honey. I try to apply this to work and so far a lot of the client work as been fun.

5. Do you have a favorite Will Bryant activity?What are your top 3 favorite mediums in order.
#1.Stuff
#2.The internet
#3.1990s basketball players

6. If you had to pick any other job you’d do – that had nothing to do w/ illustration / design / art… what would it be?
I hope to someday get my MFA and become a professsssor, but aside from that I’d probably be a bicycle cop or a high school basketball coach.

You can see Will’s contribution to Winners Press’s Winners Winning amongst lots of other releases (subscribe to Good mag? If not, you should…). For even more Will Bryant, visit will-bryant.com which should lead you to even more Will Bryant (like twitter, etsy, etc).

PREPARATION:

1. Dress appropriately. Some shops are very laid back and wear jeans and flip flops to work. Some agencies wear business casual 4 days a week. Hopefully, you’re researching the place you’re interviewing, already, so you’ll be able to get a good feel for the personality of the company. Either place you go to interview, dressing nicely or being overdressed won’t look bad… but the opposite just might. So don’t risk it.
2. Know who you’re talking to and what they do. This is pretty much a no brainer. Knowing who you are talking to and the kind of work they do is very important. Firstly, the pacing of their portfolio online, is a good model for what they might be looking for (and how you might want to pace your portfolio / presentation). Know the clients they’ve worked on. Know the pieces they might be proudest of. Have questions you might have about their experiences / work / clients ready. This shows the interviewer that you’re interested, first of all, and that you possess the valued skill of preparedness.

INTERVIEW FIRSTS:

1. Be on time. 10 minutes early is good. 1 minute late is bad. Like super bad. They might be late. You should not.
2. Give a firm handshake. It’s really the first impression. I don’t mean to give your interviewer a crushing grip. But make sure it’s not limp. Limp is kind of gross, and it’s not what you want remembered after the interview.
3. Give them your resume in the beginning. Sweet, they know you’re prepared. Great. Also, they can take notes about you on this. (Let’s be true to ourselves here. They are sizing you up.)
4. Remember you are potential. Remember that you’re not looking for a Senior Designer position. You should know that, and the interviewer is definitely not interviewing you to fill that spot. They’re looking at your book closely, yes. But its as much in the presentation, your speaking and your personality as it is the work.
5. Be absolutely ready to give a dog and pony. I like to have people walk me through their book, and I will comment after they’re done. This shows me that they can present, are comfortable speaking, and will be able to sell me on their ideas, if perhaps they’re invited to join the team. The way you show your portfolio is a clue to how you’re going to interact with your CD or design lead in the future. So prep for the interview by knowing the same stuff you’d need to know when selling the idea. Even if its a student project. But keep it brief. It could be as simple as: This is a logo for client name. They do service description for audience. We wanted to emphasize key point, key point and key point and you can see that here and here with this visual solution, visual and tagline.
6. Make it a short and succinct dog and pony. Remember, the interviewer does have other work to do… so show your good stuff. Show your potential. And preparation will help you present everything succinctly without long awkward silences / drawn out explanations bc you’re making it up on the spot. If a concept is good, you shouldn’t need a long drawn out explanation.
7. Don’t mumble.
8. Like your work. Don’t hate on yourself. Be enthusiastic about your work. Don’t point out the things that don’t work. Most likely, the interviewer can see that. The interviewer can overlook that if the rest works, the concept is strong, and if you still hold lots of shiny potential. But they don’t want to work with a downer, or someone that doesn’t seem to like what they’re about to get themselves into.
9. Be ready to answer questions. This comes with preparedness. Know about your work. And anything you present – including non design related jobs on your resume. Have answers for anything you put in front of them.
10. Ask questions. Ask for feedback. Take notes. Have questions ready. It shows genuine interest and preparation. Take notes. It shows genuine interest, can help you improve your book, and it gives you something to do with your hands instead of nervously fidget.
11. Know thyself. Be real. But not fake. Really, don’t be a car salesman. Don’t blank out when an interviewer asks you an off-the-wall question to gauge your personality (like, “what’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?”). Don’t be fake or try to sell something that you’re not (bc if you do get the job, you’ll have to fess up or play that role).
12. Be nice. Be nice – because (a) it’s the golden rule, and (b) the design network can be pretty small. So if you’re well liked, but not the right fit, you might very well be recommended or passed along in the grapevine when another CD/hirer is looking. And no one wants to work with a jerk, even if their portfolio is really great. Because most likely, there’s an equally great portfolio out there with a nice guy holding it.
13. Don’t badmouth. That’s just a general rule to live by – but especially in an interview capacity. Even if the interviewer might agree with you, who is to say you won’t turn and say the same thing about him. If it’s evidenced that you’ll air dirty laundry in one place, it’s probably a pattern. And again, the design network can be pretty small.

THE END:

1. Say thank you very much, and again, give them a firm handshake. Make sure to say thanks for the time they took. Whether you could feel non-hiring vibes or not, you’ve made a good contact that could be a very good resource for input, leads in the future. And again, leave with a firm handshake. It’s the last impression you’ll have on them.
2. Follow up. Thank you cards are great. Not necessary, but a really nice touch. But something—an email, a note, sending chocolates to the whole office—is a good way to stay on the radar and to let them know you appreciate their time. But a good rule is one follow up during the week after, and then just wait. Go about your life. Hopes are you’ll get a call back.
3. Keep putting yourself out there. Keep practicing your skills and getting input from anywhere you can. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll improve your presentation skills and grow your network, and the best possibility is you get an offer.

Image still taken from this video.

Note: Vynsie actually cross-stitched this. Might possibly convince her to donate this for a contest prize down the road…

“Keep your eyes open… you’ll find inspiration in the most unlikely places.”

As designers we’re a really cynical breed… too often highlighting for the negative instead of celebrating the positive. Celebrating life. Celebrating accomplishments, and most importantly, celebrating the accomplishments of others (try it, it makes them feel good).

I’m as bad as any of us, so several months ago I put this note on the wall next to my desk. Just a reminder that there’s a lot to be happy about.