Interview with Stella Guan
Stella Guan is an award-winning graphic designer, entrepreneur, educator and speaker. She has held lead design positions at creative agencies, global technology companies and Fortune 500 financial…
Design Legend Interview
25 April 2018
I am a multidisciplinary designer with experience spanning across print and digital (web) design, video production, animation and art direction. I originally went to school for broadcast journalism and worked as a TV producer right out of college. After a year or so, I decided that I'm more of a visual personal than a wordsmith. The only thing that made sense to me was to go back to school and study design. After completing my design education at Pratt Institute in New York, I started working as a junior designer at a small agency. After a few career moves, I find myself landing at JPMorgan Chase as an in-house senior visual designer.
I find it extremely fascinating that design not only makes people happy - it solves real-world problems in the most creative and profound way.
Obviously I chose to become one as I didn't even study design in college. I felt the calling to be a designer after working in another field and I never looked back since.
Currently, I'm focused on designing interactive web experiences. I am very happy doing what I do now, but I do hope to be designing more for mobile applications.
Ask yourself why you want to become a designer and what makes you different. There are many people in the world who can design exceptionally beautiful graphics - I'm sure you're one of them, but that is not the only thing you should be proud of. You should think about what sets you apart besides your visuals. That usually live in the form of your thinking behind your design and your innovative ideas for each project that you work on.
I cannot stress enough the value of good design. The common misconception in our society that design makes things look beautiful and it stops there - that needs to be changed. A lot of corporations are still having a hard time catching up with the fact that design can make or break a product and design is not secondary to any other functions. Investing in good design is smart because you're ultimately investing in your product, which makes you money and that is what everyone wants.
I always dream of collaborating with my favorite musical artists and design something that would reach and wow their millions of fans.
Consistently reading design blogs and taking inspirations from other designers really helps. It is the same as reading more if you want to become a great writer. Of course, you can't stop at that. If you see a great design that solved a problem, think how you would do it yourself if you were presented with the problem and actually start creating the design even if it's just for practice.
Musician. I live and breathe music as a kid and I've never once forgotten my passion in music. I play as a hobby now and attend concerts frequently, but it would be amazing to actually pursue music as a profession.
Designer Interview
25 April 2018
I am a multidisciplinary designer with experience spanning across print and digital (web) design, video production, animation and art direction. I originally went to school for broadcast journalism and worked as a TV producer right out of college. After a year or so, I decided that I'm more of a visual personal than a wordsmith. The only thing that made sense to me was to go back to school and study design. After completing my design education at Pratt Institute in New York, I started working as a junior designer at a small agency. After a few career moves, I find myself landing at JPMorgan Chase as an in-house senior visual designer.
Design means solving a practical problem in a beautiful and effective way.
I love designing interactive user interface and experiences.
I don't have a set time when I feel creative. I'd say that sometimes I would go to see a movie and a scene would inspire me to create an idea. Sometimes, I would listen to a song and the lyrics would inspire me to jot down another idea.
A design is successful when it effectively solves the problem. It is not a successful design when it only looks pretty - a lot of people can make things look pretty but they're not all good designers. The combination of creative problem solving and visual beauty is the key to be successful in design.
I think design is getting more and more involved in the business side of things. We have to raise awareness that design is just as important, if not more important, as other business functions. The future of design would be that it is a closely integrated function in any type of organization and that the general public would realize the importance of design in the success of any products or endeavors.
My suggestion would be to treat your designers as a partner, not someone who provides you with a service. Designers should be selected based on their style, efficiency and communication skills. Good designers know how to pitch and present their design. They also have a solid understanding of the company's product and best design practices to help convert customers.
I take breaks when I encounter a creative block. I think most designers sit around at their desks for way too long because it is sort of inevitable when your creativity is flowing. But we need to step away and refresh our mind when we're stuck. I think reminding yourself that great work is not built in a day helps.