I'm an interactive and mobile designer for GitHub. I was one of the five previously known as Ordered List building things like Gaug.es, Speaker Deck, HarmonyApp amoung other things. At GitHub I've been found designing and building GitHub for Android, Gaug.es for Android, Play, as well as other fun and exciting internal community projects. I love creating ways to make life easier through design and technology. I am from and live in Port Huron, Michigan where I live with my wife Shannon and our great community of friends.
1. Can you elaborate to us about yourself & your background?
2. How did you become a designer?
After spending a year in collage and many years in and around computers I came to the realization that I can't build anything worse than what I have seen on the web. I wanted to reach higher and build better what I had already seen. The ability to stear and drive a user by great design and easily accessible applications has been a goal since. Minipulation though thoughtful creativity.
3. When did you decide that you wanted to head into design professionally and why?
Even in college I knew you had to find something you loved to do and then try to make money doing it. Because the technology and design worlds met in an exploding market I knew it was something that I loved to do, and could make enough money that I didn't have to worry about it.
4. Have you always been interested in working with a startup, and why?
After several sad expeiences working in smaller firms and corporations it was just a matter of time until I found the right startup to pour into. The corporate world can easily eat up a designer. I've often found that when you're continually redesigning without direction or developing without deploying you burn out.
5. Where do you get your design inspiration from? Who or what inspires you?
Great design inspires designers and as a Christian I belive we live in a world created by the greatest designer of all time.
6. What do you think it takes to become a good designer?
Time, desire and a willingness to make a lot of mistakes. I can't say I'm great that the last, but putting the time in and wanting to get better is the most valuable thing you can do.
7. What do you think future of design in technology is?
People are the reason for design in technology. Creating a user experience that is simple, and reaches markets and demographics that we've previously missed as we transition from paper to screens will be the most important thing we can do.
8. What industry sites or blogs do you regularly read?
CSS-Tricks.com
9. What are a few of your favorite development tools, and why? (Web frameworks, or Adobe software, etc.)
Photoshop, Sublime Text, Sparrow, Tweetbot, CodeKit, LiveReload,
10. Could you describe what a normal day of work looks like for you?
I work with the most amazing group of designers and developers in the world; and every day is something new. I typically am up and at the desk by 10AM rarely before that. The gym, morning coffee, reading time, etc. all happen before the design work starts.
...
11. What do you think is the most intimidating thing to first-time designers who want to become great designers? And how do you think they can overcome this?
Well jr....
12. If you could tell beginning designers 1 or 2 things, what would you tell them? What did you wish someone told you when you were younger?
I had two professors on separate occasions grade me down on presentations because they were aware that although my work was better than any other student in the class, I had not put the time into making it all that I could make it. Laziness in design shows. Use what you have and dream of finding the things you can't yet find and it will show in your work. Keep pushing yourself and those around you and everyone will benefit from it.
Could you provide a short bio of yourself?
I'm an interactive and mobile designer for GitHub. I was one of the five previously known as Ordered List building things like Gaug.es, Speaker Deck, HarmonyApp amoung other things. At GitHub I've been found designing and building GitHub for Android, Gaug.es for Android, Play, as well as other fun and exciting internal community projects. I love creating ways to make life easier through design and technology. I am from and live in Port Huron, Michigan where I live with my wife Shannon and our great community of friends.
1. Can you elaborate to us about yourself & your background?
2. How did you become a designer? After spending a year in collage and many years in and around computers I came to the realization that I can't build anything worse than what I have seen on the web. I wanted to reach higher and build better what I had already seen. The ability to stear and drive a user by great design and easily accessible applications has been a goal since. Minipulation though thoughtful creativity.
3. When did you decide that you wanted to head into design professionally and why? Even in college I knew you had to find something you loved to do and then try to make money doing it. Because the technology and design worlds met in an exploding market I knew it was something that I loved to do, and could make enough money that I didn't have to worry about it.
4. Have you always been interested in working with a startup, and why? After several sad expeiences working in smaller firms and corporations it was just a matter of time until I found the right startup to pour into. The corporate world can easily eat up a designer. I've often found that when you're continually redesigning without direction or developing without deploying you burn out.
5. Where do you get your design inspiration from? Who or what inspires you? Great design inspires designers and as a Christian I belive we live in a world created by the greatest designer of all time.
6. What do you think it takes to become a good designer? Time, desire and a willingness to make a lot of mistakes. I can't say I'm great that the last, but putting the time in and wanting to get better is the most valuable thing you can do.
7. What do you think future of design in technology is? People are the reason for design in technology. Creating a user experience that is simple, and reaches markets and demographics that we've previously missed as we transition from paper to screens will be the most important thing we can do.
8. What industry sites or blogs do you regularly read? CSS-Tricks.com
9. What are a few of your favorite development tools, and why? (Web frameworks, or Adobe software, etc.) Photoshop, Sublime Text, Sparrow, Tweetbot, CodeKit, LiveReload,
10. Could you describe what a normal day of work looks like for you? I work with the most amazing group of designers and developers in the world; and every day is something new. I typically am up and at the desk by 10AM rarely before that. The gym, morning coffee, reading time, etc. all happen before the design work starts. ...
11. What do you think is the most intimidating thing to first-time designers who want to become great designers? And how do you think they can overcome this? Well jr....
12. If you could tell beginning designers 1 or 2 things, what would you tell them? What did you wish someone told you when you were younger? I had two professors on separate occasions grade me down on presentations because they were aware that although my work was better than any other student in the class, I had not put the time into making it all that I could make it. Laziness in design shows. Use what you have and dream of finding the things you can't yet find and it will show in your work. Keep pushing yourself and those around you and everyone will benefit from it.