Graphic Design Interview with Jacob Cass

Andi Creffield, the admin of Estetica Graphic Design Forum, just recently organised a group graphic design interview and guess what… Just Creative Design was apart of it.

There were 8 designers participating and Audee from Graphic Identity Blog was chosen randomly to interview me and I got randomly chosen to interview Andi Creffield. You can read me and Andi’s great interview over on his blog.

On with the interview…

1. Just Creative Design is your new blog which I think is quite a success. How can you manage your time as a student and as a graphic designer and a blogger at the same time?

It comes quite naturally as I am very good at multi tasking. You will usually find me designing and blogging at the same time (probably along with another 15 or so tabs open in Firefox). Also it comes down to me just loving what I do so time just flies by. My typical day would be me waking up at 9 or 10, then getting to bed at 12 or 1am so I do make the most of my time.

2. You describe yourself as an enthusiastic, sceptical, eloquent and focused person. When u meet a new client, or are in the middle of designing process, how far do those attitudes help you out?

Well being passionate and enthusiastic is a bonus within any industry and I suppose having these qualities helps build up trust within the client which is an important aspect in this industry.

3. How did you get started in design and how long have you been doing it for?

I got started in design when I was 12 when I put my first website on the web for my local basketball team. It consisted of lots of animated gifs and cool graphics, quite embarrassing really. That was my first taste of design then when I was 15 I started running a website called PartyPhotos for my school friends showcasing photographs from the weekend (this was before Myspace or Facebook). Ever since then I got hooked on graphics and couldn’t stop designing so I guess it has been 8 full years since my very first design experience and probably 3 years of serious designing.

4. What kind of project will always be your favourite?

To be honest I love the university projects that I receive as I get total freedom and can be very creative but I suppose this will change when I graduate next year. What will happen then, who knows?

5. A designer can stand out with an idealistic idea or go with the flow of the client’s wishes. How do you see yourself in this situation?

It all comes down to communicating with the client on what would be the best decision and you would look at the best options and weigh out the positive VS the negative. However, ultimately in the end, it is what the client wants but we still need to educate the client so they can make the best decision.

6. Do you use any special techniques and tools, such as a tablet, or is it mainly the mouse doing all the work?

Mainly my imagination, an A3 Sketch Pad, a pencil and my mouse. A graphics tablet is on my Christmas wish list though. You may want to know what else a designer may want for Christmas or their birthday.

7. When you write an article for your blog, do you think there is a certain trend among your readers to read different sorts of resources on the internet rather than professional tips or a discussion topic?

Well as far as I know I have a pretty unique blog as I write up about personal university projects as well as providing tips and other resources from the perspective of a graphic design student. I don’t know of any other blogs that do this so I suppose there is no specific ‘trend’ in my niche. You can check out my most popular articles here.

8. What is your favourite music and movie genre?

Definitely electronic dance music. Some of my favourites are The Presets, Pnau, Muscles, any compilation from Ministry of Sound and a trillion other different DJs both local and international. But in saying this, I also dive into many other areas of music tastes which would be proven by my 41gb of music (7750+songs).

My favourite movie genre is probably the big blockbusters with all of their awesome special effects that I love to watch but I also like a good thriller.

Below is a video from one of my favourites artists (The Presets) who I have seen live at least 5 or 6 times (and seeing again in 2 weeks). They are so awesome! For more videos check out YouTube. They are a Sydney based electronic duo, but they are actually about the tour the US.

9. If you have a chance to express your skill for a personal design portfolio, how is it going to look like? I mean, you can tell us what kind of design style that you’re going to use the most?

I don’t tie myself down to one particular style. If you have seen my work you will notice that all the pieces are so very different which is how I would like to be seen … that being a versatile designer.

10. The last question, what are your other main hobbies when you’re not designing?
Well to be honest that is my main hobby if you can call it that but other than that I really like just being around my mates. It’s a guaranteed good time if I am around them.

I also go to the beach quite a bit, and I go out clubbing probably twice a week and I go to a lot of festivals and dance concerts. I used to play sport however this year I wanted to focus more on design. I also go cruising / fishing on our boat every month or so.

Thanks to Audee for compiling these questions, I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to know more about me check out my About Page, or my Things You Didn’t Know About Me post.

More Graphic Design Interviews

The other 7 interviews can be found on the blogs below.

Yet To Be Published

More Interviews with Jacob Cass.

• I also participated in another graphic design interview over at Vandelay Design last month.
• Want to know how I raised $5000 for the graphic design group writing project that I held in February? If so, check out the interview I had with Jacob Share of Group Writing Projects.

Got a question to ask? Now is the time!