Designing anything is a very personal process that's made very impersonal by being intended for as many people as possible; it's the nature of the beast. It's like having forty thousand people in the shower with you, except the shower is a website and you're fully dressed. You let them stare and hope they don't laugh.
What most surprised you about studying at RMCAD?
I was, and still am, blown away by the experience and level of expertise that the faculty has. They all really know their stuff.
What aspect of your work or technique has developed the most during your time here?
I've learned a lot about why design is important, and how we as creative professionals will shape the world into something completely new, aesthetically speaking. I'm not just doodling little things that I think look cool anymore; everything can and should have a message and a purpose hidden within itself, no matter how simple or subtle that message is. Design is art, but with an emphasis on accessible communication. Don't tell any of the painters I said that, though.
How would you describe your style or approach?
I write everything down and draw everything out before I even look at the computer. This lets you look back and see exactly where that one good idea came from, and then you can build a little "design algorithm" for yourself to pump out new ideas within the same framework. This also makes everything you do very personal, because you're not waiting on external input to generate every little idea.
I like designing things that live their own small lives as little messengers for my thoughts. That way you can look back through old work and remember everything about the entire period of time you put into it, like a scrapbook. Designing anything is a very personal process that's made very impersonal by being intended for as many people as possible; it's the nature of the beast. It's like having forty thousand people in the shower with you, except the shower is a website and you're fully dressed. You let them stare and hope they don't laugh.
If you were stuck in an elevator with a brand new RMCAD student, what “inside tip” would you give them?
After getting the core design principles down everything seems to evolve on its own. You'll learned loads about the mechanics of design and the various technologies involved in day-to-day work, but you'll go so much farther than that. That's just the first step.
Focus all your energy on the fundamentals, and after that begin experimenting and growing and developing your own style based solely on what your brain throws out. If you don't establish a good solid foundation you're going to build a really ugly-looking house. That, and watch out for Jeff Sheppard's classes. He's a bruiser.