Designer

Trent Walton

Designer, Developer / By

Alright, ya’ll, get ready! This week’s interview is with the amazing Texas-based designer, Trent Walton. We had the pleasure of meeting Trent at last year’s Brooklyn Beta, so this was a fun opportunity to pick up where we left off and learn more about his path. While he loved drawing from a young age, he didn’t know he loved design until he discovered the Internet. In college, Trent studied a completely different subject, but after working a few day jobs, he took a risk to start Paravel with his longtime compadres, Dave and Reagan. Read on about Trent’s adventures in design, his life among the rolling hills of Texas, why he values being self-taught, and of course, his recommendation for the best burger in Austin. —Tina

Bobby Solomon

Designer, Writer / By

We’ve followed Bobby’s blog for a long time and have downloaded our fair share of wallpapers from The Fox Is Black’s Desktop Wallpaper Project, which is why we were excited to finally have a chance to talk with the man behind it all. It wasn’t a surprise to learn that Bobby works really hard—he runs TFIB and has a full-time job at Disney!—but we loved that even though he’s super busy, he has a really positive attitude about life, challenges included. It was fun learning about his early years, hearing what he’s up to now, and getting a glimpse into his future plans. Best of luck, Bobby, and thanks for sharing your story with all of us! —Tina

Scott & Vik Harrison

Designer, Entrepreneur, Nonprofit, Recommended / By

Have you ever met someone who is so excited about what they do that it’s contagious? Okay, now imagine two people who are so passionate about their work that they live and breathe it—that’s Scott and Vik, the dynamic couple behind charity\: water. We met Scott and Vik at the charity\: water space in Lower Manhattan, where they engaged us with stories about their lives leading up to charity\: water, which is when their paths converged into one. From humble beginnings, they sacrificed, risked, and never gave up. Because of their determination and willingness to dream big, charity\: water has grown to change the way people think about nonprofits and has brought clean, safe drinking water to people all over the world. —Tina

Erik Marinovich

Designer, Typographer / By

This guy is a prolific letterer and between his freelance work and personal projects for Friends of Type—a site he cofounded with friend Aaron Carámbula—there’s no doubt that Erik has skills. While he initially studied design, Erik briefly thought he would take over his dad’s masonry business—thankfully, he didn’t. After a gallery internship, Erik was inspired to pursue what he truly wanted to do. Read on for the rest of his story, including how Friends of Type came to be, what he’s working on now, what lies ahead, and why Erik’s open to reinvention at any stage of the game. —Tina

Debbie Millman

Artist, Broadcaster, Designer, Educator, Writer / By

Debbie has interviewed over 200 people for her podcast, Design Matters, and the opportunity to ask her the questions was exciting, albeit slightly intimidating. With 30 years of professional experience and a multitude of personal projects under her belt, Debbie is a force in the world of design, but there’s more to her story than her current successes. In fact, Debbie was generous in sharing about the years of rejection and despair that she experienced before finding her niche. Her stories and insights will challenge you, encourage you, and confirm that you’re not alone in your struggles. But in Debbie’s words, sometimes “the worst moments of our life can turn out to the best.” So go on, be brave, bold, and above all, keep trying. —Tina

Chris & Cameron

Designer, Developer, Entrepreneur / By

Chris and Cameron are two of the most stand-up guys we’ve ever met and we’re super lucky to call them friends. Not wanting to be in the spotlight, they were initially reluctant to do this interview, but we got them to say yes. Get ready, folks! Our conversation covers a lot of ground—design, business, Brooklyn Beta, cowboy movies, risk, legacy vs. impact, 83(b)s, mentors, advice, pizza, and life lessons—but whatever parts resonate with you, we know you’ll be challenged and inspired by the wisdom, wit, and candor of these two. Thanks, Chris and Cameron, for kicking off 2013 with us—we couldn’t think of better company! —Tina

Sarah Parmenter

Designer, Developer / By

As 2012 comes to a close, we’re honored to round out the year with Sarah’s interview. After our conversation with her, it’s easy to see why she is so well-loved and respected by her colleagues and peers. Smart, charming, and ever so candid, Sarah told us about her path to becoming a designer, the folks who have encouraged her along the way, and what she’s learned through challenges in work and life. After an especially difficult year, Sarah recalled how much the web community has embraced her, what that has meant to her, and how, in return, she hopes to give back as much as she has received. For those of us working in the web community, it’s true—we really are lucky to be surrounded by such amazing human beings, including you, Sarah. —Tina

Alex Cornell

Designer, Musician / By

Alex is a man of many talents. A designer by trade, he was first a musician and now, an author and a budding filmmaker. His recently published book about overcoming creative block is aptly titled [Breakthrough])http://www.amazon.com/dp/1616890398). We talked with Alex about his introduction to design, his decision to drop out of grad school, how he overcomes creative block, and why his creative output is important to his overall happiness. We can’t wait to see what he does next and we hope that what he’s already done will inspire everyone who reads this to keep creating. —Tina

Cameron Moll

Designer, Developer / By

We have a great deal of respect for Cameron—not only for the work he’s done over the years, but for who he is as a person. It was our pleasure to spend some time talking with him about his early curiosity for learning, his unexpected path into design, and how his career has grown over the years. One of our favorite themes of Cameron’s story is his diligence in pushing himself to continue to learn and try new things, even when he didn’t believe he could do them or didn’t feel qualified. Risk will always be present; timing and circumstances will never be perfect, but we hope that Cameron’s words encourage you to take the leap, however big or small, into trying something new and pushing yourself just a little further than you did yesterday. —Tina

Jon Contino

Designer, Illustrator / By

Jon’s determination, diligence, and talent are undeniable—just look at his prolific body of work. As a born and raised New Yorker, he comes from a long line of artists and credits his family for encouraging him to explore his creative side beginning at a young age. Although it seems that Jon was destined to work in a creative industry, he admits it wasn’t always an easy path to pursue, but he persisted on. We think you’ll find a resonating hope in Jon’s story—a hope which comes from knowing that we all struggle to find our voice at times, but it is there within us, waiting to be found as long as we’re willing to keep digging. —Tina

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