Website: somethingsavage.com

Education Background (school / self taught, etc):
B.F.A. in Graphic Design from SUNY Purchase (state school represent).

Where you first worked and when (visual/graphic design job, etc):
My first long-term job out of school was on-air design/animation for Comedy Central about 5 years ago. They were in a confused place brand-wise, getting tired of the paint splats and not sure where to go, so I got to experiment a lot with the logo. It was an amazing experience.

Favorite book ever (design or non-design related):
Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Archive Series. Animation, Design, and Story editions. (I have the Layout & Background edition on my Amazon wish list.)

Recommended design / thinking / creativity / illustration book(s):
See above.

1. What made you decide to do what you do?
I was obsessed with cartoons as a kid and wanted to be a Disney animator. My uncle always tells this story of me screaming “NO MUPPETS!!!” when they would try to watch Sesame Street. I ended up going to college for percussion performance, so things shifted a little bit. After realizing how much I HATED practicing the marimba 10 hours a day, I saw a skate video called “One Step Beyond” made by the guys that later formed Shilo Studios. It had tons of cheesy, fake infographics and effects—I was hooked. I downloaded a pirated copy of After Effects the next day and started looking into changing majors.

I want to add that my opinion on Muppets has changed, especially after seeing the Jim Henson exhibit at the Museum of Moving Images!

2. What’s your process for conceiving new designs/projects?
If it is for a client, then I go about it traditionally: brainstorm, sketch, mood board, style frames, storyboards, animatic, test animation, and animation.

When I do my own projects, I like to “designimate”, meaning I start with an idea and let it evolve as I animate rather than having the design set in stone beforehand. The end result is usually something you didn’t expect… which is why it wouldn’t work with a client.

3. What do you regret not learning while you were in school?
When I transferred internally to the art program I was relieved of a few intro classes. I seriously kick myself EVERY day for not taking advantage of those. But I am currently enrolled in a figure drawing class at SVA; better late then never!

4. What’s your most valuable ability? i.e. conceptualization, hand/computer skills, etc.
Design for large scale installations and understanding interactive technology. Not many people are doing this, and I was fortunate to learn all this while working with the LAB at Rockwellgroup.

Click here to watch: Cosmopolitan Hotel, West Lobby.
Client: Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas Agency: Rockwell Group

5. What, in your opinion, is the most exciting aspect of the art/design world right now?
iPads! There are so many possibilities to make cartoons interactive. I am in the process of conceptualizing my own.

6. If you could move anywhere right now, in consideration of the art/design scene, where would you go?
If I move anywhere, it would be to live for cheap so I could work on my own projects all day. PDX is always in the back of my mind, but the amount of opportunity in NYC is impossible to pass up.

7. What’s your daily routine?
Too inconsistent to list.

8. What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you, regarding design or otherwise?
“Watch your step.” – My Grandpa

9. Who would you call a mentor / attribute as the inspiration in how you work / do things?
Bill Deere, the team I interned for at SpotCo, and Salih Abdul-Karim was a huge inspiration for how I animate.

Click here to watch Visuals for Kanye’s Glow in the Dark tour
Client: Kanye West / Absolut Vodka

10. If you had just one piece of advice for students / new grads, what would it be?
Don’t settle on your first job. If you can, freelance there for a few weeks to make sure it’s the right fit. I went to 3 different studios / networks before settling in at Comedy Central.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask for more money.

11. How do you avoid getting discouraged? How do you get out of a rut?
I bitch nonstop to friends on iChat. Not sure how I get out of it, but it always works out.

12. What is the most unexpected thing you’ve learned since graduating?
It’s just a job, and that “cool” studio is most likely a sweatshop.

13. What are the unspoken rules in design? Are there things you simply can or cannot do? Are there any true taboos?
Stay away from tutorial sites that just show you trendy tricks—all student reels are starting to look the same.

Click here to watch GIF SHOP – animated .gif maker for your iPhone.

Education Background (school / self taught, etc):
Syracuse University, BFA in Illustration with a minor in Business Management — I took a few design classes in school, design really came afterwards with on-the-job training and some very kind people along the way that took the time to mentor me.

Where you first worked and when (visual/graphic design job, etc):
My career started In New York City and my first job out of school was a Jr. Interactive Design… I lasted 3 months. I then moved to a small design firm working on movie posters and fashion.

Favorite book ever (design or non-design related):
Design Form & Chaos by Paul Rand

Recommended design / thinking / creativity / illustration book(s):
There’s a lot! A few of my favorites in the current rotation are:
Design Form & Chaos by Paul Rand
Creativity for Designers by Mark Oldach
Made You Look by Stefan Sagmeister
79 Short Essays on Design by Michael Beirut
Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist

1. What made you decide to do what you do?
I read Design Form & Chaos by Paul Rand at the MoMA in NYC one afternoon. I read that book from cover-to-cover and something about it just called to me and it felt like the right thing. Ironically enough, I didn’t really like my first design class in school.

2. What’s your process for conceiving new designs/projects?
My process is kinda odd… a lot of times I try not to think about the problem so you can find me trying to find some sort of distraction to keep my mind preoccupied, ie. staring at the wall (seriously). I’ve found that I first need to understand the story from a narrative point-of-view before thinking about the aesthetics. I’ve found that the key to my process is to not think about the design problem and to approach the problem as if I don’t know anything about it. It may mean that I look in the wrong places for the answers or asking the dumb questions but it allows me to keep an open mind and to uncover the truth in a way that is simple, thoughtful and hopefully, unexpected.

3. What do you regret not learning while you were in school?
Design. I sometimes wish that my design training was a little more formal and structured rather than figuring it out along the way.

4. What’s your most valuable ability? i.e. conceptualization, hand/computer skills, etc.
I’d like to think my most valuable ability is in develop ideas but to be honest, I think those that have worked with me are better suited to answer this question.

5. What, in your opinion, is the most exciting aspect of the art/design world right now?
Wow, there’s really a lot to be excited. To me, the most exciting aspect of design these days is the realization that design has the ability to affect change.

6. If you could move anywhere right now, in consideration of the art/design scene, where would you go?
That’s kind of a tough question because I’m happy with where I am right now. There’s always a need and a want to do something more, and to do something else, but I think it’s more important to keep things simple, be mindful of the present and to appreciate what one has.

Other than design, I’d like to move to Zermatt, Switzerland so I can snowboard all day and eat my up and down the mountain all day long.

7. What’s your daily routine?
Wake up.
Kick myself for going to bed late.
Take a shower.
Get dressed.
Check Twitter, CNN.com, Facebook, superherohype.com and supermanhomepage.com
Make coffee.
Make the bed.
Realize I’m running late.
Walk to work.
Arrive about 10 – 15 minutes late (bad habit).
Check & respond to email.
Work.
Think about lunch.
Do more work.
Think more about lunch.
Do more work.
Eat lunch.
Do more work.
Eat a snack.
Check & respond to more email.
End the work day (whenever that is) and walk home.
Work on AIGA stuff.
Relax.
Sleep (whenever that is, I usually go to bed pretty late).
Repeat.

8. What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you, regarding design or otherwise?
This is advice that I received when I graduated and started looking for a job:
“Don’t worry about the money. Or the fame. Find someone to nurture you and never loose that fire.” – John Waters

9. Who would you call a mentor / attribute as the inspiration in how you work / do things?
There’s been a lot over the years. I’ve picked up something from everyone along the way. The most obvious inspiration is Paul Rand. To name a few, my key mentors have been: Jon Wretlind, Bill Tomlinson, Bob Kellerman, Tom Laidlaw, Michael Weymouth and John Bielenberg.

10. If you had just one piece of advice for students / new grads, what would it be?
Find what you love about design (or whatever) and do it. Life is too short to wait for something to happen.

Dana Tanamachi is a chalk artist living in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from Texas, she brings some of her southern attention to detail and lettering prowess to NYC studio Louise Fili Ltd, and chalks it up all over the walls of NYC by commission.

She also has a nice vimeo site with some time-lapse videos of her artistry, including this one below.

The By & By from Dana Tanamachi on Vimeo.

Check out more of her gorgeous work on her website and on vimeo.

From a professional for professionals, here is the definitive word on using grid systems in graphic design. Though Muller-Brockman first presented hi interpretation of grid in 1961, this text is still useful today for anyone working in the latest computer-assisted design. With examples on how to work correctly at a conceptual level and exact instructions for using all of the systems (8 to 32 fields), this guidebook provides a crystal-clear framework for problem-solving.

And it’s a fun read.