Designer Archives | Page 11 of 14 | The Great Discontent (TGD)

Jason Santa Maria

Designer, Developer / By The Great Discontent

This guy is awesome and it was our pleasure to meet him in person for dinner, drinks, and of course, an interview. We met at Coco Roco on Smith Street in Brooklyn and grabbed a spot on the back patio. We listened to Jason recount his path into design, which started with an early love of drawing. He also shared about his academic struggles, his discovery of graphic design in college, the moment he realized he could succeed, and why he now feels a responsibility to contribute to the success of others. We were thoroughly inspired by Jason’s generosity in sharing what he’s learned along the way. We left the conversation feeling like anything is possible—and we hope you will, too. —Tina

Jessica Walsh

Designer, Illustrator / By The Great Discontent

Jessica’s work speaks for itself and there’s no doubt—she’s one talented lady. The path that led her into design started when she was young and since then, it’s been her mission to find a way to always do what she loves. The multi-talented designer gave us the scoop on her first experiences with design, the tough career decisions she’s faced along the way, her newest role as partner at Sagmeister & Walsh, and why she believes it’s important to have fun. Thanks for talking with us, Jessica. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! —Tina

Jeffrey Zeldman

Designer, Developer, Entrepreneur, Writer / By The Great Discontent

In celebration of TGD turning one tomorrow, we’re going back to our roots. Jeffrey Zeldman—the “godfather of web standards”—has already left an indelible mark on the web industry and those of us who work in it, but what of his life before that? We met Jeffrey at A Space Apart, where he recounted a journey that started long before his work on the web. It’s a fascinating tale of multiple passions and paths that converged into one. Read on for a glimpse into the life and times of Zeldman as told by the man himself. —Tina

Jess & Russ Part Two

Designer, Illustrator, Typographer / By The Great Discontent

We hope you enjoyed the first half of our interview with Jessica and Russ. You can read it here if you haven’t done so already. Otherwise, continue on for the rest of our conversation with this awesome pair. —Tina

Jess & Russ Part One

Designer, Illustrator, Typographer / By The Great Discontent

Jessica and Russ are tying the knot on August 24,2012 and we thought it would be fun to celebrate by having them on TGD—together! Their interview was so full of awesomeness that we’ll be splitting it into two parts—the first half being published today and the second half to be published on Thursday. Without further ado, we bring you the first part of our conversation with this incredible couple. —Tina

Yaron Schoen

Designer, Developer / By The Great Discontent

We’ve been wanting to do an interview in person for a long time. Yaron graciously agreed to make TGD history with us by being the subject of our very first face to face interview. After initial chit-chat, we hit record and began to learn about Yaron’s journey. His story begins in Manhattan, where he developed a deep-rooted love for user interfaces and problem solving at a young age. As a teen, he moved to Israel with his family, which is where he later began his career in the web. Read on to find out about the series of transitions that brought him back to New York, why design alone doesn’t satisfy him, his thoughts on creative community, and why the legacy he hopes to leave is multifaceted. —Tina

Able & Julia Parris

Artist, Designer, Photographer / By The Great Discontent

Our first two-person interview is with the dynamic, multi-talented, and super energetic duo of Able and Julia Parris—or, as they call themselves, Team Parris! We couldn’t agree more; they really do make a great team. We had the privilege of hearing about their individual creative paths, how chance or fate intervened in bringing them together, what started their love affair with New York, and the lessons they’ve learned from challenges along the way. Thanks, Able and Julia, for inspiring us! —Tina

Aaron Draplin

Designer, Illustrator / By The Great Discontent

We were completely stoked to talk with Aaron, a fellow native of Michigan. After speaking with him, we can assuredly say that he’s one of the most sincere, humble, hard working, and grateful guys we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Sure, he’s kind of a badass and we like that about him, but he’s a pretty big softie too, which we also really like—sorry to let the cat out of the bag, Aaron! We hope that his story—with all of its twists and turns, ups and downs, and straight, hard truths—will encourage you to ask the tough questions, blaze your own trail, and make the things you love. —Tina

Kate Bingaman-Burt

Designer, Educator, Illustrator / By The Great Discontent

Kate does everything. No, really. In addition to illustration and design, she has done photography, installations, worked with textiles, created patterns, published zines, initiated several participatory projects, and to top it off, she’s been teaching for the last eight years. What keeps her going? She loves what she does, and her enthusiasm was obvious when we talked. Kate shared about changing majors a few times in college, her first design job, how her curiosity about consumerism started to influence her work, being inspired by family, and why she’s thinking differently about design education. —Tina

Dan Cederholm

Designer, Writer / By The Great Discontent

It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to talk with someone you’ve looked up to over the years. It was an honor to learn more about Dan and his aspirations before design. Dan recalled his path and shared about the Windows 3.1 computer that changed his life trajectory, the people who influenced and encouraged him along the way, where he’s headed, and how having a family has changed the legacy he hopes to leave behind as well the books he reads. Thanks, Dan! It was a real pleasure. —Tina

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