Blog

What are you looking forward to the most about joining the team here at AYC?

I'm most looking forward to meeting the whole team and getting the opportunity to sink my teeth into the creative. With such a great roster of clientele I'm excited to do some challenging work.

Describe a typical day for you in the office.

I try to start my day doing something other than designing. I often habitually sketch in my notebook in the mornings, maybe hand lettering or calligraphy, or just ideas that I want to execute later in life.

What were you doing before you joined the team?

Previously I was a Senior Designer/Project Manager at Younts Design Inc. in Baltimore, MD. It has a great team of designers and it's a group that I will truly miss.

Have any interesting hobbies?

As I hinted in a previous answer, I do a lot of hand lettering in my free time. But I also have a full letterpress print shop which includes a 3000lb Chandler & Price 12x18 Printing Press, Hydraulic paper cutter, flat files, other small printing presses, etc. The art & craft of letterpress is a great rewarding process for me because I can go to town designing a poster or business card and in the end I get to physically produce something. There is an art and finesse to making something just right, by hand. In turn my design gets to live on and not be subject to the ethers of living as pdf or jpg.

What’s your go-to music when you’re working?

Like most people I have eclectic music taste listening to everything from Billy Holiday to The Kills. I like me some Deadweather/Jack White, Black Keys, Chromeo, Cherub, Saint Motel, MGMT. Basically anything that is uplifting and has a good beat. Mood can change the way you work so always staying positive will help you keep your eye on the prize — producing your very best work.

Tell us something unique about yourself, a fun fact that we don't know.

I'm a first generation American — father born in France, grandparents from Germany, mother born from horse diver/singer/performers in Atlantic City, NJ. So technically I'm born from circus folk...I know, it explains a lot, right!

Want to share with us a project you have worked on in the past that you are most proud of?

Some of my recent projects are MVMT Lab, Studio 3807, and Terrapin Row. I really love when I get to take a brand from inception and building an identity through all facets of the brand — print to web to video. One of my biggest projects though has been working on LA Dodgers Stadium crafting the brand experience though interactive sculptures as you enter the stadium to all the signage throughout the establishment: directional signing to building signage. Big project with big rewards.

Have you seen any industry trends recently that inspired you?

I think any way you can emerge the audience in a brand experience the better. For me the industry trend has been to craft a really engaging video content. Think full frame video on websites, minimal UI design, etc. I also like that what's old is new again. I've seen a huge insurgence of old typefaces that people have pulled from books for archives that were never made into a font for use on the computer. My favorite thing is adding some form of human element that lets the audience know this was touched by the human hand, thusly making it more relatable.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Often as a young designer people are always trying to find their personal style. Your design style is inherent in how you do things and will come in time. Focus on being yourself and trying new things, step outside what is comfortable for you as a designer. I think it's better to try something and decide you don't like it rather than never attempting and written it off as something you just don't do. Find aspects of design you like and hold yourself accountable to them. It will keep you consistent and bring you to always producing your best work.