I was recently interviewed about design and the design job market and I thought it would be great to share some of my answers so you can learn more about my personality and design style. Wonderful questions!
What criteria do you look for when searching for your next company or position?
Good design! Joining a company that has a terrible website or errors on the job post is most likely not a cool, cutting-edge job you’re looking for. It’s also a good way to gauge what you might be able to learn or add; good design can be inspiring.
Another solid deciding factor would be the atmosphere of the company as a whole. I’m a creative person that loves to use my design-ninja skills while wearing my Jurassic Park shirt blasting awesome jams. I love companies that let their employees show a little of their wild side and let them be CREATIVE and actually adore them for it. Asking a creative person to wear a blouse and fill in excel spreadsheets for hours on end would be a true waste of a creative soul.
Another thumbs up would be to work with a team that feels more like a family. To me, that means everyone does what they can to lend a helping hand when needed, even leadership.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the positions you’ve held in the past?
Hands down “Photoshop Ninjaing” is my all-time favorite part of my job. If I can get a creeped out face from someone who thinks I used actual magic to make my artwork, even better. My least favorite part of my previous job included writing custom code and not being able to design.
Tell us about the people at your current job, and how you fit in (or didn’t, perhaps).
Right now I’m a UI Designer (Internal Title: Website Designer Pro “D2”) for the one and only GoDaddy. If you can imagine everyone at Comicon in an office setting, that would be GoDaddy. It’s basically a sea of nerdy shirts, crazy shoes, wicked awesome desk flair, and even lightsabers hanging from the cubicle walls. Hands down the people are the lifeblood of what makes GoDaddy an awesome place to work. I really fit in with the group and I was even nominated for a GoAward (Award for living GoDaddy values and inspiring others. Votes are similar to a Facebook “like” and comment section.)
Beyond your career, what are you passionate about? For example, what websites, magazines, or books are you reading right now?
During the past couple of months, I’ve been working on my fitness goals. As wild as this may sound, I’ve managed to cut out all sugar and add in clean healthy foods in its place. I’ve been eating clean for about 115 days, and I’m down about 60 pounds. I feel like a million bucks (if a million bucks were in a smaller pair of jeans).
I’ve been reading all kinds of health and fitness blogs and magazine articles that inspire me, nothing specific. The best part about this journey I’m on is I’ve been inspiring and helping others to do the same. I love listening and helping others reach their goals as I did.
Not only have I been eating clean, but I also took my fitness to the next level and signed up for my first mud run this year! My knee-jerk reaction was “no way” and then I thought that was reason enough to say YES. Not only did I do the run, but I also tried every obstacle on that course! I got mud in my teeth, splinters in my hands, and even got stuck in a couple of mud pits but it was so much fun. That moment of accomplishment after crossing the finish line a muddy mess was the best feeling! I cannot wait to do more events like this!
I’m also passionate about life and crazy opportunities, in general. Which means I love adventures, trying new things, and meeting new people. I try to stay as creative and active as I can by including hiking, dancing, karaoke, photography, and even playing a little guitar into my daily routine.
Event photography and nerdy things are also something you could say I’m passionate about. Over the past couple of years, I’ve volunteered my creative services to big nerdy events like Phoenix Comicon, Phoenix Film Festival, Denver Comic Con, Thrill The World, and The Mile High Horror Film Festival. My favorite thing is catching people in candid positions with smiles on their nerdy faces. Working these events comes with the best perks too! I’ve had an opportunity to meet Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Lloyd, William Shatner, and most of the Walking Dead cast. I know you’re jealous, I would be too. Either way, it was so much fun and all proceeds go to good causes.
What do you want to learn next? And what do you want to learn after that?
The best part about design and Adobe products is that you are always learning new things. I’ve used Photoshop every day since 2002 and I’m still able to find new tricks!
If I could learn something totally brand new in the world of design it would be mobile application creation. I love being on the user interface side of mobile design but it would be exciting to look behind the curtain more.
After I’m done taking the world by storm with my app creations my next big dream would be to help others in design. I had the opportunity to help team members with their designs at GoDaddy and I loved it! I have so many tips of the trade and it’s so much fun inspiring others to improve their skills too.
List three sources of inspiration for your current work. What is inspiring about those sources? Please be specific.
Coworkers/Peers
This is the best place for inspiration for all designers. That is why I love working with people who aren’t afraid to try new things or collaborate on ideas. More minds are always more creative than one.
Pinterest.com
The secret is out, I’m a Pinterest junkie. This is the BEST place for a designer to be because everything is interesting on here. You can be searching for DIY cat toys and run across a cool design or color combination. Sometimes random inspiration is the best inspiration to have in your back pocket. It keeps your day interesting and useful, even when you’re not looking.
Designspiration.net
This is another great site to get great design inspiration. It isn’t as friendly as Pinterest but it’s a great source for design inspiration. I love looking here for website design inspiration or color pallets.
Tell us about an app you think is awesome from a design perspective. What do you find admirable about it?
Fitbit has it going on, especially with their recent update. I’m a strong believer in keeping things simple and that is exactly what they did! The minimalistic icons that display your stats are brilliant aren’t distracting or competing with each other, which makes it easy to read. Fitbit has beautiful designs all around starting with a solid color palette and website design. I’m excited to see what they do next.
What’s your opinion on opinionated software?
It’s always nice to have a perfect framework so things don’t get too dicey with inexperienced users. It is definitely the safer way to go if you will be dealing with a large number of users. Like I mentioned before, I’m a fan of simplicity, so I think I would vote to have opinionated software to keep things in order. There is always time for version 2.0 of enough people who need additional options. Another thing to keep in mind is a good designer can design within parameters if they need to.
Tell us about *how* you work best (think organization skills, time, or project management, etc.).
Research, mood boards, sketches, and wireframes are my magic equation to design success. Sometimes it’s hard to sit down and talk when you’re ready to just try ideas but it really is where the magic is. Being organized with research and ideas can save you so much time and might even inspire you to do something you would never have thought to do in the first place. My go-to phrase people hear me say often is “I’m in the zone”. Once I’m on a roll I like to keep going until I cannot keep my eyes open. I think I work that way because I start off with a solid plan to guide my vision.
Why should a company choose you over another candidate? (Pretend not to be humble for just this moment.)
Not only do I make pretty things I have been said to have one of the best attitudes and outlooks on life. My skills and awesome tude have landed me a few awards and several A+ LinkedIn recommendations. The easiest answer for the question might possibly be a link to my LinkedIn profile and have everyone else tell you why I’m so great, but I’ll continue anyway.
I’m the type of person that will do what it takes to finish a job or help someone. Sometimes that includes staying late to finish a project, professional Google searching, a couple of YouTube tutorials, and a roll of duct tape. I’ll definitely give it my all or die trying. I’m not afraid to stay up till midnight working on a project to get it “perfect”.
Another interesting fact about me is I’m able to pick things up fast and I love trying new things, in general. A good example was when I decided to teach myself WordPress, more or less, in a weekend. Passion, determination, willingness to try new things, and a kind soul that would help anyone are my biggest assets.