The Quickie - Conversations with Designers

This weeks guest is Erica Williams a.k.a @hookieduke. She is a very talented illustrator, and published author!This was a very fun conversation about drawing Sailor Moon when she was younger and how strange it feels to have someone say they love your work and tell you what it means to them. She also shares with us a story about a project she was a part of that she was really excited about only to realize that her views and the clients views weren't aligned. Erica is a recently published author with her first book, Ritual, which is available for pre-order on her website. Estimated to be shipping in October 2020. Seriously go pre-order it. This thing is beautiful. Go get it! The book is available in her shop at www.ericawilliamsillustration.com 

This weeks guest is Monique Renee Meyer from Monique Renee Design Studio. Her studio is based in Dallas-Fort Worth Texas. She is also heavily involved with her local design community, mentorship, and also started their local Ladies Wine and Design chapter. I had a great time chatting with Monique about her roundabout journey to finding her home in design and we had lots of laughs along the way. Especially around her amazing discovery of the design chops that can be found in Powerpoint. This episode is fun, inspiring, encouraging, and motivating. Get after it!*******************If you are looking to make more money in your freelance career, I have put together a free guide of the Top 3 ways to make more money with Print Design. Find it for free at www.printdesignacademy.com

Today's guest is me. Dave Hopkins. Founder of Print Design Academy.I have been involved in the print industry for over 17 years and in that time I have worked my way backwards through the print process. I knew nothing about print when I first started in the bindery (finishing department) of a local print shop. I moved through finishing to running the presses, then into pre-press and plating work, and then spend the most amount of time in sales and customer service. Through that time I have had many experiences with designers and have seen how they conduct their business and increase their revenue through print design projects.In this episode, I want to give you the top 3 ways to increase your freelance income using print design. I have been involved with all of these and sometimes in different ways. I have also created a free PDF guide for this episode that you can download so you always have these tips and ideas top of mind. Head over to printdesignacademy.com to download that guide now. Also check out @printdesign_academy on instagram for more tips and highlights around graphic design for print. Do you want to start doing print design? Check out the links below. Print Design Academy YouTube - More print talk and education. The Quickie Podcast - Interviews with Graphic Designers.

Today's guest is the very talented Happy Impulse. Sometimes also known as Roberta Hall. Her work is thought-provoking, entertaining, and all-around awesome. Go check it out at @happyimpulse on the IG. During this episode we talk about: -how her parents still have some of her high school paintings up on the wall at home and why she is not a fan of that. -why the Obama HOPE poster is so influential to her. -how she wants her work to always have a meaning behind it and why it is so important to just put your work out there. -the large layoff she was included in, why it was drawn out so long, and the problems that it caused.-the 8 month long website project that wasn't supposed to be an 8 month long website project she was a part of and how it turned out in the end. -why creating her Happy Impulse alias is one of the things she is most proud of. I really enjoyed this conversation with Happy Impulse, lots of laughs, great stories, awesome person. @happyimpulse

Today's guest is Nick McGraw. He is a Graphic Designer from Toronto ON. @mcgrawesomedesignDuring this episode we talk about:-how his mom saw and cultivated his creativity when he was younger.-some designers and creators that are influential to him. -the beer brand ad campaign that has stuck with him since the day he saw it and why it was so great. -his 8 'lean' years, what caused them, what he learned from them, and how he got out of the funk. -the apparel line project he was a part of and why it didn't go as planned.-the studio space client he works with and why he is so proud of the work he has done and how he has helped his customer. @astrolabstudiosNick went through a really rough spot in his life trying to find his way in his career. He opens up and tells us what it was like, what he learned from it all, and the new perspective he is carrying forward with. I also really like his ask-it-forward question. 

Today's guest is Brittney Knight. She is an art director, illustrator and currently a brand designer with Nike, Global Sustainability.During this episode we talk about:-how she was a "special art student" through highschool and her experiences there. -the one job that opened her eyes and showed her that design was more than just a logo or something that looked good. -@timothygoodman and @hangwillisthomas both get props and shout outs in this episode. -the magazine job that she had, why it was the toughest period of time in her career so far, what she learned from it and how she overcame it. -an amazing question to ask yourself if you are ever feeling inadequate, feeling that you aren't progressing fast enough, or if you feel like you haven't accomplished enough. -the Nike Lacross campaign that she was a part of that didn't quite go as planned. -the design work she did with an agency for SONOS and why she is so proud of it. I loved the energy and openness that Brittney brought to this conversation. Loads of stories and a dynamite question that I am going to use from now on too! @brittneyknight

Today's guest is Tricha Tan. She is an experience designer, illustrator, and animator based out of London EN. During this episode we talk about:-how she is originally from Malaysia but now lives in London EN. -what introduced her to art and illustration. -the artist/architect that creates art with objects that is really inspiring to her. -the period of time when she was struggling to find work and get a company to back her work Visa. -the struggle with saying no and of finding and streamlining your creative identity. -the VR experience project for a french basketball team that she was a part of and why she is so proud of it. I really enjoyed this conversation with Tricha and the perspective she shares growing up in Malaysia and the early influences on her creativity. @trichaaaar

Today's guest is Jay Ferracane. He is the designer and owner at Angry Bovine and a self-proclaimed crappy rancher based in Boulder CO. What is in the water over there in Boulder? @angrybovineDuring this episode we talk about:-his moves from software rebrand guy, to agency creative director, to independent designer. -how he once drew a business card.-the accidental vehicle wrap that ended up resembling a Japanese Hearse....google it. -his table of contents wallpaper and what that means...-@joncontino gets a shout out.-the dangers of "designing as if its yours".-the Duke University Business School project he was a part of, why he is so proud of it, and why he loves working for them. Such a great conversation and Jay has one of the coolest offices I've seen yet. Set up in a 91' Silver Streak trailer. Yup. Pretty cool.  

Today's guest is Jamie Collins. He is a Partner and Creative Director at Design Analog out of Vancouver BC.During this interview we talk about:-his time growing up in Labrador Canada.-how an art teacher told him that he could do design as a career.-how the first year of design school did not click with him and he started having some doubts. -Burton snowboards and their design and creativity. -why 2008 was the toughest time in his career so far. -the back burner website project.-the self promotional piece that their team created and why they are so proud of it. I had a great time chatting with Jamie about his design and creative journey. The work him and his team and Design Analog are doing is incredible and you need to go check them out. @designanalog

Today's guest is Kishya Greer. She is a graphic designer with loads of experience in packaging design based out of Texas. During this interview we talk about:-how she was surrounded by creativity in her family. -her first graphic design job.-her time as a packaging designer at Pier 1 Imports. -her transition to freelance designer and why it was the most challenging period of time in her career so far. -the struggle with delegating and assigning tasks to others when you want to do it all but know where your specialty lies.-the Pier 1 Imports project she was a part of that involved hundreds of packaging skas to be redesigned and why she is so proud to have been a part of it. I really enjoyed chatting with Kishya about her journey to freelance designer. She is great at openly sharing where the struggles happened and how she overcame them. Definitely a great episode if you are thinking about a move to freelance design! @kishyagreer