Chris Northrop and The Truth About Dragons

Chris Northrop is a professional comic book artist and writer living in Los Angeles. Originally, he is from New York. Chris currently has an original graphic novel at Archaia Entertainment titled The Truth About Dragons. Additionally, he works for the color and painting design firm Hi/Fi on DC Comics, freelances for Marvel, and has worked at both Nicktoons and Warner Brothers as a story and background artist. Chris was kind enough to answer a few questions about himself, his career, and the comic book industry. The interview is a hybrid consisting of some questions and answers transcribed into text and some questions being answered through video clips.

TNC: How did you get your start in the comic book industry?

Chris: While I was studying creative writing in college on the East Coast, I worked at Nicktoons in NY at this small studio called The Animation Collective. I got in on a blind submission as a background painter. Then I moved into being a story artist. Then, I was hanging out in writing meetings using my writing degree. It was so fast. I was pretty surprised. I would finish my classes then go work on Nickelodeon cartoons. Most of my friends would go out and hit bars, but that never really was my thing. And since I had this really neat opportunity I milked it for all it was worth. I'd stay after work there for hours practicing on the wacom tablets. Then go hang out in museums and sketch. 

I got laid off one day about 2 months in, and I was crushed. I literally bought my ticket the night before I decided to fly to California to go look for work. It was scary but it paid off. I met Sean Murphy who was working on DC books at the time. He was proof to me that you could work as a freelance artist in comic books and make it work. We were the same age and kinda cut from the same cloth, so we became friends. We would talk about story, character arcs, and art for hours in his apartment at the drafting table. That's when I knew comic books and graphic novels were what I was going to focus on. I started going to conventions with these big portfolios. Eventually, I started working as a digital painter and colorist on DC books after talking with enough editors and design firms. That was already 4 years ago. Now I have the opportunity to make my own book with Archaia with my friend Jeff Stokely and I'm thrilled.

TNC: Why do you like comics?

Chris: If I happened to have an interest in making films or plays, I would have done those vocations for the same reason. I like story. I like lining up all these pieces and conveying a narrative. It's fascinating. I just happened to be better at piping it through comics. Comics are this magical middle ground between films and books, and yet their own thing entirely at the same time.

I also really like the industry. It's so small. It's ridiculous how small it is. Everyone knows everyone. And for such a small industry, it varies tremendously artistically. When I got to be around 20 years old, I started reading a lot of different books. I had mainly been exposed to stuff like The Amazing Spider-Man. I love that book. But I started to realize I liked reading about Peter Parker more than I liked the superhero aspect. I love fantasy. But, I liked reading about personal difficulties and really basic human relationship problems even more. And now most of the stuff I work on is about those things.

TNC: What are your thoughts on digital comics?

Chris: Look, digital is a form of distribution. It's a great form of distribution. I've seen Justice League on an iPad and it looks gorgeous. It looks the same way it looks on my workstation when I work on it. It's the way things are going. What I hear from local retailers is that consumers only buy hardcovers nowadays anyhow and collected editions for the most part. People want a complete story to read, and now they have access to collected stuff at their fingertips. So digital is awesome for that. But I still love holding a book with pages and pulling it up to my face. I love looking at the line work and wondering how the artist used the brush to create it. I personally wouldn't give up the tactile paper experience ever.

TNC: What do you think about DC Comics rebooting their classic characters?

TNC: Can you talk about your current project?

The Truth About Dragons is created by and written by Chris Northrop, penciled by Jeff Stokely, and colored/painted by Chris Northrop. It is in production on their drafting tables and tablets, and set to be published in 2013 with Archaia. Below are a few sample images related to the upcoming book.

YOUNG WENDELL CONCEPT, TRUTH ABOUT DRAGONS - Jeff Stokely (pencils) Chris Northrop (colors) 

Page 3, TRUTH ABOUT DRAGONS - Jeff Stokely, (pencils/color) Chris Northrop (colors)

All characters copyright 2011 Chris Northrop

Yellow Alex and the Feelings

About a year a half ago I saw Yellow Alex and the Feelings perform at an art opening in Hollywood. From the moment their performance began, I was completely enthralled by the high energy group. Their timeless funk and soul inspired sound was perfectly married to choreographed dance moves and positive vibes. In the current music climate, it was refreshing to see a band put so much thought and detail into all of the individual aspects of their performance. The show stimulated a multitude of the various human senses and emotions. It was one of the best live performances I had ever seen. Recently, I used the vortex of social media to connect with Alex Gedeon of Yellow Alex and the Feelings. The result was a sit down in Silverlake to discuss himself and the group.

TNC: What influenced you to pursue music?

Alex: I first started playing guitar when I heard the bass line to Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers at the age of 10. I could see Flea's fingers moving in the video, and it became very clear to me that I was responding emotionally to the bass.

So I got a guitar because it was cheaper than a bass, and I started using just the first four strings. I got the book to the album BloodSugarSexMagik and began learning all of the bass lines on the guitar. I was like "wow this is so funky and cool", and I was done getting a handle on that by the time I was 12 or so. So then I started looking at the guitar parts, and I started seeing how simple the guitar parts were and realized this is why the bass lines sound so good -- because John Frusciante is only playing one note.

Then I became really fascinated that Flea was this wild and in-the-spot-light superstar, but there was this other guy that was, in my mind, putting all of the emotional color behind what was happening. I thought that was the secret to why it sounded so good. My fascination was how one sound supports the other sounds in an arrangement. The supporting actor makes the lead actor more interesting to watch. This is a selfless function in music-making and it is endlessly fascinating to me.

Other influences are Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Depeche Mode, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Talking Heads, and Brian Eno.

TNC: What Other Instruments do you Play?

Alex: Guitar is really my instrument and the only instrument I can communicate through. The other stuff, such as the keys, I can fake. My main thing is writing bass lines, but I still don't really have the strength to play bass properly.

Photo courtesy of Koury Angelo Photography

TNC: Could you talk about forming your current band Yellow Alex and the Feelings and what you were looking for in the members?

Alex: I had played in a band in New York called Trick & the Heartstrings, and we were doing pretty well. In 2007, I left that band and it was kind of a dramatic split.

I moved back to LA and had kind of a rough year sleeping on my mom's couch and trying to get a solo project together. I had all these label people that had been interested in my band. They were interested to see what I could do by myself. So I started recording by myself, but I didn't realize that I had put myself into a tremendous pressure situation with worrying about what these people with money are going to think. I was still making good stuff but it was coming from an askewed place emotionally.

But I eventually made the demo, and it was great. It was called Emotionals, the first EP I put out by myself. I mixed the whole thing in the parking lot of Ralph's supermarket on La Brea and 3rd. I would get off of work as a bartender and start mixing at 3 AM in my mom's car. I would plug my computer into the audio input of the car and just blast it until the sun came up. I finished the album and it didn't get quite the response that I wanted. This was because before I left New York, my band had crazy momentum and that's really what the label people were attracted to. I didn't understand that. So I had sunk a lot of time, money, and effort into this project and I was a little artistically heartbroken. After that I didn't really do anything for about six months.

Finally, I felt like performing again. I had this very deep sense of purpose to give myself another chance to feel what it was like to make my own music and share it in front of people. In terms of attracting the people I wanted to work with, I just tried to make the most obvious and visceral decisions with people. My friend Daniel, the ex-bass player in my current band, was one of the initiating forces of the band. From the original line up, it is just me and the two singers. Kim, the keyboard player, came in shortly after and our drummer and bass player joined this past year. It has really only taken shape this past summer.

The main purpose of doing this was not to on focus how things looked but how things feel. I wanted to create a certain type of feeling and energy in the audience. It's all about wanting to connect with people in a specific type of way in a performance setting.

TNC: Is creating that feeling with the audience the driving symbolism behind the name of the band?

Alex: Yeah! As an emotional thing but also as in "everything you sense that is not coming in through your eyes".

TNC: Earlier you alluded to funk being a large influence on your sound. What genre would you place your music in?

Alex: If I was forced to pick one genre, I would pick Soul. I just like the name. It is the best genre name out of all of them. The soul is the non-material part of your self.

I like pop music from all eras and even today's pop music. I like the song writing in pop music and the catchiness and hooks. I like the simplicity of it. This is why I like Depeche Mode and Madonna. I like female pop singers like Gwen Stefani. Things that connect to the 14 year-old girl inside of me.

Sometimes I think of a catchy chorus as sort of an emotional cheap shot. That is the phrase I always think of. It's like "go on and take a nice sucker punch to my face". Sometimes a song can have a good hook and be a shitty song, but it gets stuck in your head and that really sucks. But the really good songs twist the knife in your heart.

I'm always working against my own intellect as a writer and as an artist. I try to get out of my head and out of my own way. One way to achieve this is to enjoy a simple melody. That can really can be about as un-intellectual as it gets. There is an escape in melodies, and I like how bass lines and melodies dance together.

Photo courtesy of Koury Angelo Photography 

TNC: One important aspect of your group's show is the choreographed dance moves. Can you talk about integrating them into your performance and the overall significance of them?

Alex: In pop music and R&B, choreography is pretty ubiquitous--and it was especially so in the 80s. I feel that because of the age I am, the music that came out in the early 80s is the deepest in my sub-conscious mind. When I think of Prince and David Bowie's presentation, it is just fun to me. For me, it is all about the heightened performance.

Once you start doing choreography in front of a group of people, you have immediately upped the stakes and raised the bar on what people are expecting you to do. I like the pressure of that and it just creates another opportunity to communicate something to an audience in a live setting. It is beyond the writing and the emotional connection of the performance. There is now a visual aspect.

I've heard people say that when we start doing choreography, people immediately feel like it's ok for them to move and dance. As soon as they see us moving, they kind of relax and think "ok, this is going to be something silly so it doesn't really matter what I do". That is the main purpose of the performance. There is nothing I want to see more than seeing a bunch of people dancing.

We all come up with the dance moves together. As we work together more, we are coming up with more choreography. We are still at the beginning of our process. I want the show to become more theatrical and more involved. I don't mean by using lights or props, I mean by becoming more physically engaged and more emotionally charged.

Photo courtesy of Koury Angelo Photography 

TNC: Being in a band in the traditional sense, what are your thoughts on the current prominance of DJ culture?

Alex: I love DJs. I love going out and dancing to house music. I've learned so much about music through DJs. I used to work at APT, which was sort of a musical nexus point in New York City for a long time. I just encountered so many great DJs there that hit me with so much great music. Particularly Rich Medina, Bobbito, and a house DJ named Neil Aline.

The tricky thing about DJ culture is that it is still emerging as an art form, and it may take a little while for people to catch up to it and wrap their heads around it. It's definitely an art form and ten years ago I couldn't have imagined it as an art form. You couldn't have explained it to me.

However, from an art perspective, a collage is a piece of art and music selection, at a certain point, with a certain amount of architecture to the choices, becomes an art form. It doesn't matter that it is other people's art. You are making a new statement.

You can trace the point that house music came from disco. In the late 70s, there was Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage downtown New York music scene. At that time, DJ's were creating the first breaks with two record players, but all the instrumentation was still organic.

For me personally, the excitement of our group is that there is barely anything electronic happening. Basically, it all could have been done in the late 60s. But that's where my musical soul and spirit comes from as a musician, and I am simply doing what is obvious to me. However, if I had two turn tables, I would want to spin some house music.

TNC: Can you talk about your latest single Lisa, Lisa, Lisa?

Alex: I had the hook of the song, because I am a hook fisherman and I'm always fishing for hooks, before I knew anybody named Lisa. I was struggling to write lyrics because I was trying to write a story around a hook and it wasn't happening. So it sat there for a while and then this girl popped into my life and we had this really mysterious night. Then I literally filled in the blanks of the song from what actually happened.

We just went out and she had a boyfriend, but it was clear that there was admiration. It was a very civil and polite situation. But I took what happened and put it into the rest of the song.

TNC: Is that generally your writing process? Starting with the hook and going from there?

Alex: That is really annoying to me actually when it happens. I prefer content first and then form. Its annoying when form comes first, because you may not have any content that fits that musical thing [the hook]. Because I'm into soul and an emotional response, sometimes I have to let go of that aspect [starting with the hook] and tell myself "maybe that the song could be about something else, something lighter".

TNC: Where do you want to take the band as things progress?

Alex: I really want to travel the world performing with this group to keep honing the live show and the live material by playing bigger and better places. I love performing, and this group of people that I'm working with has such a great, genuine feeling between everybody. I'm pretty much in love and want to make sure I do everything to keep the relationship right.

I want to keep putting out records and to make cultural events in LA. We are going to do the Yellow Disco at the end of the summer and that will be a monthly disco party. You have to create the culture of what you want to see. What I want to see is performances like we do, and I want to see an extraverted, fun, silly sort of atmosphere in culture that is not so consumed with being cool. Something that can be cool in an innocent way, in the way being cool was in the 50s.

I want our reach to be global, but I really want to create something awesome in LA that sticks around for at least ten years. In a good club scene, there starts to be a familial energy around it. It's not about how old you are or what you look like or how you dress. It becomes a place you want to go to, where you feel like you belong, and that's what it's all about.

Photo courtesy of Koury Angelo Photography

TNC: As a Los Angeles native, can you talk about the evolution of the local music scene as you've seen it?

Alex: I'm pretty excited about the potential for the music scene in LA right now. I'm also excited about what I feel like I can contribute to it. A lot of the work I've done over the years has started to pay off and bear fruit. I love going out in LA. I love places like the Echo and Townhouse in Venice. Silverlake and other areas are becoming gentrified, but when you go out you still feel a very native vibration coming through.

We are clearly at a very transitive and dynamic period in history and anything can happen with the culture scene around it. I would love to contribute something positive and be part of a nurturing atmosphere for artists in LA. I've been working with Carlos Nino, a DJ on KPFK and a music producer our here, and he is part of a music scene on the west side and Santa Monica that I'm really excited about. I love everything that's happening there.

LA is so big and if there is a good thing going on, it will eventually pull good things towards you. It just takes more time in LA. In New York, you find your scene in an area and stick to it. There is always going to be this dark specter of the entertainment industry in LA that will fuck up good art, but I'm from LA and I love it, and know that good things will keep blooming here.

Along with his work with the Feelings, Yellow Alex has released his own solo record. Take a listen below.

Be sure to check out Yellow Alex and the Feelings at Boardner's in Hollywood on February 22nd! There will be free entry before 10:30PM with the flyer below.

Oliver Franklin Anderson: Hollow and the Slamdance Film Festival

Oliver Franklin Anderson is a local Los Angeles filmmaker. Originating from Appleton Wisconsin, Oliver graduated from the Experimental Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). His film, Hollow, has recently been accepted into the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Hollow is a cerebral experience with an ominous undertone that embraces viewer intrigue and wonder throughout its duration. Take a look at my interview with Oliver coupled with stills and the film Hollow.

TNC: What influences drew you to study Experimental Animation and what are your goals with it?

Oliver: The Experimental Animation Program at CalArts gives you freedom to work in any medium, you can do everything from live action film to writing interactive programs for gallery installations. I don't like being restrained by medium, my thinking is that whatever works for the project I'm working on works, so the program was a perfect fit, and it was a great place to learn and develop as an artist.

TNC: What films and which directors inspire your personal work and why?

Oliver: I really admire the works of Larry Fessenden and Woody Allen, that's an odd match. The two largest influences on Hollow in particular were La Gloire de Mon Pere directed by Yves Robert, and the 1987 BBC version of My Family and Other Animals directed by Peter Barber-Fleming. La Gloire de Mon Pere has this wonderful opening title sequence that takes you slowly floating over the beautiful hills of the south of France, this is coupled with the calls of cicada's which have been turned into a rhythmic base for sequence's score. That rhythmic calling of the cicadas inspired the lush symphony of insect calls that makes up Hollow's soundscape. My Family and Other Animals is a BBC mini series based on Gerald Durrell's semi autobiographical book by the same title about his childhood on the Greek island of Corfu, it's filled with atmospheric and beautiful natural history photography, particularly of small life forms, insects, lizards, fish and such, similarly Hollow is peppered with close up cameos of the creatures I encountered as a kid growing up in rural Wisconsin.

TNC: Could you describe the genesis of your film Hollow and the concept behind it?

Oliver: I wanted to do something beautiful and rural, with a hint of horror. The initial idea idea I had that lead to Hollow was the image of a murdered girls body in the grass, covered in morning dew and insects, the current incarnation of the film slowly grew from that image. I have a deep love for the natural world, ghost stories, and the macabre, all the elements over time meshed together perfectly.

TNC: Congratulations on Hollow's acceptance into the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival. What is the background on the festival and what it is all about?

Oliver: Thank you! Slamdance from my understanding is the rebellious younger brother of Sundance, it was formed by a pair of filmmakers who were rejected by Sundance in the mid 90's, Slamdance takes more chances and is far less commercial than Sundance, it's also limited to films with budgets of under 1 million.

Hollow from Oliver Franklin Anderson on Vimeo.

Capital Sunglasses Interview

Capital is a wildly unique American brand that designs and develops wood framed sunglasses outfitted with Carl Zeiss lenses. In an era that makes it difficult to track exactly where a product is manufactured, Capital hand makes all of their sunglasses and sources all of their woods in the United States. My intrigue in the company led me to contact Capital to further discuss their process, insight, and inspiration.

In the words of Capital: "We are a small group of guys who started out making wood sunglasses in Montana. We've got a bigger shop now but every pair of glasses we make spends hours in someone's hands before it leaves our shop. It's a lot of work but it's really fulfilling and we are happy to be doing it every day."

?: Could you describe the genesis of Capital and the inspiration behind its creation?

Sunglasses have become an extremely mass produced item and it has become sort of okay for everyone to be wearing the same few styles. If you went to a house party and saw someone wearing the same size shirt you had on, you'd probably feel weird. But if you saw someone that was wearing the same glasses that you had on, you wouldn't think twice. It bums me out that it happens all the time. But what's the difference? Why should it be okay to wear the same glasses and not the same shirt?

It is our goal to bring something to the table that other companies don't offer - a pair of glasses that manages to stand out without being loud or sacrificing class.

?: What is the inspiration behind Capital's designs and choices of wood for materials?

Designs: Most of our designs are based on vintage frames. We like to take the best designs from the past generations and tweak some curves or make them a bit larger to bring them up to date.

Materials: Making wood sunglasses is fun because there is no textbook for it. If you walk into a wood shop asking how to make sunglasses out of wood, you'll get some weird looks (trust me, I've had my share). So you have to guess and check until you find a way. We set out with two goals:

1) Nothing exotic, endangered, or from a rain forest. We're the only wood sunglasses company right now that's doing this. It's easy for people to say their wood comes from a sustainable source (such as a tree farm in a far away land) but, because it's hard to tell what really goes on at these farms, we decided we didn't want to use anything that could have possibly been from a rainforest and sold through a so called "sustainable tree farm". It's a bummer that this sort of thing happens but when there's money to be made, there are plenty of people willing to label some wood something that it's not for the sake of a few dollars.

2) Wood Sunglasses should be as functional as acetate or metal frames. This one seemed like a no-brainer. We are constantly working to improve the functionality of our sunglasses without sacrificing style.

?: What were some of the challenges behind manufacturing a product in American and locally sourcing your materials?

The traditional route for this sort of thing is to call a factory in China and do your best to describe what you want through a serious communications barrier. Then you have to wait 3 weeks to get a prototype that probably won't be too close to the vision you had.

We don't have to deal with any of that. We have our own private shop so if we have an idea for a new frame or innovation, we can have a prototype in a day. We can tweak the smallest things about how our glasses look or function in such a small amount of time so manufacturing in the USA is actually proving to be a huge advantage for us.

?: What are your thoughts on the future of manufacturing and do you think domestic manufacturing and local sourcing will become more prevalent?

We think the future of manufacturing isn't in the huge factories of today. The internet has allowed people to find friends with similar tastes anywhere in the world. This is a really exciting idea! It allows small niches to grow and find supporters, no matter how far away the individuals may be. We are proud to be a part of this movement and hope that more and more small companies take advantage of their niche followers and grow with us.

?: What does the future hold for Capital?

Right now things are changing really fast. All I can say for the time being is that we will keep releasing stand out frames but we've got some surprises in the pipeline too!

Take a look at Capital's website to view their unmatched styes.

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview

I first learned about AN Design Lab by attending their inaugural open house and burger mixer. At the event, I met Andrew Namminga, the founder of the design firm, and became interested in his story. Before beginning a career in Industrial Design that lead to the launch of his own design firm, Andrew worked in machine shops and built custom motorcycles.

Several weeks after the mixer, I reconnected with Andrew and he invited me down to his firm in Costa Mesa, California to chat. I decided to take a slightly different approach to this interview and recorded video clips of Andrew's responses. Take a look.

How did you get into Industrial Design?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

Can you expand on your experience with custom motorcycle building?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 2 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

How did you begin freelancing as an Industrial Designer?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 3 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

How did you transition from freelancing to opening your own design firm?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 4 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

What were some of the challenges of developing AN Design?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 5 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

Describe the focal point of the shop environment inside AN Design Lab.

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 6 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

What does the future hold for AN Design?

Andrew Namminga of AN Design Interview 7 from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

After the interview, Andrew gave me a tour of his shop. AN Design Lab has amble space for the design studio and machine shop hybrid. Andrew took me through the various regions of his space.

AN Design Shop Tour from Denzinger Design on Vimeo.

Ravi Sawhney and Predictable Magic

Ravi Sawhney is the highly respected founder and CEO of the Industrial Design consulting firm RKS. Ravi is an icon in the ID community through his lecturing (both in design and business), teaching, and involvement with the IDSA.

Before establishing RKS, Ravi worked on the very first graphical user touch screen interface with Xerox. Through his experience and methodology, Ravi developed the trademarked design process Psycho-Aesthetics®.

Recently, Mr. Sawhney has co-authored the book Predictable Magic. The main focus of Predictable Magic is the theory behind, implementation of, and successful case studies of Psycho-Aesthetics®. Psycho-Aesthetics® is centered around the emotional connection design has to end users and the fact that a successful product should, above all, make the user feel good about him or herself. It is an excellent resource for any designer and business person by displaying a proven product development process.

Ravi's process has become a case study for the Harvard Business School and, he holds an Honorary PHD from Academy of Art University in San Francisco. 

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Mr. Sawhney about himself, RKS, and his new book.

Predictable Magic by Deepa Prahalad and Ravi Sawhney

?: How did you discover and get started with Industrial Design and how did it lead to the creation of your consulting firm RKS?

Ravi: I found out about industrial design by mistakenly enrolling in Engineering my freshman year. I ran into the Dean of Engineering and explained to him what I was looking to do and he explained that is not engineering, that is Industrial Design. Which he pointed out is part of the art department not the Engineering department. I said great, thats cool, Engineering at the time was 90 percent guys, and art was 70 percent girls, so I said ok I'm happy to go in that direction.

When I was in school I started working very early. By the time I was in my third year of school, I was working in Industrial design while going to college. So i just kinda jumped in and was happy to sweep floors and build models. I was a good model maker so I worked all the way through college.

After college, I went to work for Xerox. I was there for a few years and then started freelancing. The freelancing turned into a client or two coming my way and next thing I knew, I was very very busy and running my own company. It was just based on a viral aspect of going with the clients.

KOR Vida Hydration Vessel (designed by RKS)

KOR Vida Hydration Vessel (designed by RKS)

?: A major subject of your book, Predictable Magic, is your trademarked design process Psycho-Aesthetics®. Could you briefly describe Psycho-Aesthetics and the origins of it?

Ravi: Psycho-Aesthetics® started with my work at Xerox with the first graphical user touch screen. At that time I was thrown in with working with psychologists and looking into the psychology of design and how it affects human behavior.

That led me to coin the term Psycho-Aesthetics® in the mid 80s. At that time it was a way to use a term to really focus on the psyche and psychology's affect of design. It has evolved since then and continues to evolve. In the 90s it turned into picking up Maslow's Hierarchy and we started interpreting that into mapping systems of interactivity in the hierarchy.

In the very late 90s, we picked up Joseph Campbell's work and interpreted that into the consumer's heroic journey. The heroic journey for consumers leads them to the point of not just feeling heroic, but being evangelistic about what they are doing.

Psycho-Aesthetics® has become a suite of tools through the years. So many design thinking tools that were available were very heavy into personification, primary and secondary research, and ethnography. We do key attracters mapping and persona mapping and analysis to pick the right personas. We also do bench marking. We use a wide variety of tools that we have all in the hopper.

The way we look at it is design our tool, but what we do is create smiles; resonating affects on consumers; and ways to attract, engage, adopt and reward consumers. So, that is the comprehensive understanding of Psycho-Aesthetics®. It's really a repeatable methodology that generates a pathway to create success through using design as that voice and that point of connection.

 

KOR Delta Hydration Vessel (designed by RKS)

?: In your book you state that within businesses, a disconnect between designers and business people is communication and the lack of relating to one another. Do you think this issue is getting better with business people and designers beginning to understanding each other more?

Ravi: We are in a different place because we train ourselves and train our clients in Psycho-Aesthetics. So that becomes our common language.

But otherwise, design and business, for the most part, do not have a common language. So business objectives are hard to articulate. Also, critical insights that are important to designers and to the target audience are not always articulated in the right way to business so that they understand the importance in the values and the subtleties.

You have to form that common language. That is done, like in other professions, through education and through performance. For somebody to listen to us, designers must have a track record of performance. And when they do, and when we can hold our head up high in front of a client and speak with confidence and authority and credibility, you can educate the client in a very positive way. They can also educate you and through the cross education, a common language is formed.

It is getting much better and design is much more highly respected than ever before. It gets better day by day.

 

Neuma Hybrid SS Tattoo Machine (designed by RKS)

?: In your book and during your lectures, you mention that you were involved with the creation of the first touch screen interface while you were working for Xerox. Could you briefly describe this experience? 

Ravi: First off, before I was with Xerox, I wasn't computer literate and I actually don't think anybody really was. That was in the late 70s. I was working part of the Industrial Design group. In our west coast section, I was kinda the young guy in the department by 20 years. There may have been other people the same age, but as far as our group, I was the youngest by 20 years.

I started doing traditional industrial design: building foam core renderings, human factors studies, coloring studies, etc. All that very hardcore traditional Industrial Design stuff that you would see at Xerox. Someone had to go over and work with all these psychologists and nobody else wanted to do it. So they picked the young guy and said, hey kid you go over to this other building and work with these guys. It was two dozen PHD psychologists and they were working with at least 100 programmers to develop this new interface.

Nobody ever thought it would really go anywhere. It was just another Xerox experiment as far as we knew. Once I got over there and worked with the psychologists, I was sitting in observation rooms watching how people behaved and interacted and how they wouldn't touch the screen. Nobody would touch the screen. Even though it said "touch here to start". No one wanted to touch that because you never touched a TV because of finger prints, and you were supposed to stay five feet away from a TV screen. It was a completely foreign concept of doing this. They had no other alternative because they had all this advanced technology and capability, but they couldn't build a control panel large enough to do everything that needed to be done. This was the only way to walk people through screens and give them the choices they needed.

You know what I learned? I learned to watch, experiment, and think like a backyard psychologist but also just to be a good observer though the trial and error process. We simulate that for our people today. We watch how people react: whether they are confused, engaged, or exploratory. How does their body language change? You just have to learn to be a great critical watcher of people to the point where you have to not only speak to them, but speak for them.

 

Hamilton Medical T1 ICU Ventilator (designed by RKS)

?: How do you think the role of Industrial Designers will evolve in the future and do you think Designers will become more involved in other aspects of business?

Ravi: For those who are ready, they will be asked and welcomed to the table. They will be asked to help create insight, innovation, and drive. They will also provide leadership to build brands, consumer experience, and relevance of innovation. All through their design thinking and design eyes, their experience, and their ability to forecast the future and to speak to and for the target audiences to identify future needs and aspirations of people.

it also depends on how people centric they are. The more people centric they are, and the more mastery they have of the Industrial design process, the more they have the ability to go upstream. Design has continually been going upstream. It's just a mater of being prepared to go upstream to answer those questions and to do it in a way that also understands that as you move upstream, there is higher level of risk and gain for the company.

You can't be superficial in your process. There are higher levels of due diligence, research, and studying synthesis that has to occur before you actually get to the point where you can start designing. You can't just start designing on the fly. You have to really do your homework and have to get inside the heads of the market. You have be able to project where the market is going to be in two years, three years, five years, and ten years out and how the brand that you are working on, and the company you are working for, is going to be in advance of the competition. How are they going to anticipate consumer needs?

First, you start off for being known for what you do. Then you get to the point where you've done it enough that you are known for what you do and know. After you've accumulated enough experience of doing the work and enough knowledge and wisdom from the experience, you can get to the place where you are engaged for what you think. You have to start with the micro to get with the macro.

Pick up a copy of Predictable Magic and watch out for one of Mr. Sawhney's lectures.

Grant Delgatty's Urshuz

During the summer of 2007, I received an Industrial Design internship with Vans Shoes in their equipment group. At the time, I was still in school at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. When I heard that I was hired for the job, I embarked on a cross country road trip that I will never forget.

While I worked at Vans, a man named Grant Delgatty was the Design Director. What I learned from Vans, Grant, and Safir (my other boss) has been indispensable in my career. I cannot thank them enough.

I reconnected with Grant several days ago and learned that he is in the process of launching his own footwear brand. I asked him a few questions to learn more about it:

?: What is your background in Product Design and what attracted you to it?

 G: I knew I always wanted to be some sort of a designer when I was young.  After I graduated from high school,  I was accepted into a fairly prestigious graphic design and illustration program at a community college in Vancouver, Canada called Capilano College.  Upon graduating from this school, I got a job working as a junior graphic designer at a rather large firm in Vancouver called The Design Works, where much of my time was involved in designing building signage.  While I was attending Cap College, though, I knew I had more of a interest in designing three dimensional objects, so I began to entertain the thought of becoming a product designer.  It was about a year into working for this design firm, that I realized I wanted to pursue my dream of becoming a product designer.

I had heard about an amazing school in Pasadena called Art Center College of Design, so the summer following the year I graduated from Cap College, I took a trip down to LA to check the school out.  I instantly fell in love with the school, and the work the students had produced.  I applied for the program, and was accepted to begin in the fall of 1992.  I graduated three years later in the fall of 1995 with a degree in Industrial Design.

Although I had never thought of being a 'shoe designer', one of the jobs being offered upon graduation, was an entry level designer at K-Swiss.  I quickly began to realize that I really enjoyed designing shoes, and this became the start of what has become a 16 year career in footwear design.  My employment background had me at K-Swiss for a very short stint, as it was a part time job that paid very little.  I then worked for a short time at a product design consultancy called SKD in Marina Del Rey.  After SKD, I got a job working for a shoe design consultancy called E-West design, where designed shoes for many different athletic and lifestyle shoe brands including Puma, Converse, Tretorn, Nautica, and Vans.  One of the brands we started doing design work for, was a little start-up brand called DVS.  As DVS began to grow very quickly, I ended up taking the position of head of design for this company that grew to $40 million in sales in 4 years.  After being at DVS / Lakai for almost 4 years, I was recruited by Vans to head up the design department.  I left Vans 3 years ago to start on the journey that has now become Urshuz (pronounced 'yer shoes').

?: You were my design director when I worked at Vans shoes and I know your experience in the footwear industry extends well beyond Vans, what frustrations with the footwear industry led you to create your own revolutionary brand?

G: After seeing the growth success of DVS, and then Vans, I felt that I would like to attempt being on the ownership side of things.  The one thing I knew, though, was in order to be successful in the ever competitive shoe industry, we would NEED to have a strong point of difference.  This was when I came up with the idea for Urshuz.

?: Your upcoming brand, Urshuz, breaks down the conventions of classic and contemporary footwear, could you describe how your shoes are unique?

G: Essentially, Urshuz takes the 'commercial' out of the design process.  Many times while I was at Vans and DVS, I had consumers ask me for example, "Can you make this shoe with a 'red' top, and a 'blue' bottom?".  The thing is, when you are dealing with a mass market product such as shoes, the decisions you make when it comes to color combinations, have to be made considering how 'commercial' it is, meaning 'which color combination will sell the best?'.  I knew there may be an interesting opportunity for a footwear product to essentially allow the actual consumer to become part of the design process, instead of being forced to buy whatever the company felt would be the most commercial.

I also understood that there were already a number of web-based avenues for the consumer to have this same 'customizable' experience , however, I determined a couple drawbacks to these sites.  One, it took several weeks to receive the shoes you created, thus taking away from the 'instant gratification' of being able to have your product right away.  Two, once you had created this 'custom' shoe, that was it.  There would never be another way to switch it out for another combination, except to start from scratch ordering another pair of shoes.  Urshuz has a patent pending system that allows the consumer to mechanically attach the upper to the sole.  It does so by using a series of elastic 'U' rings attached to the bottom of the uppers, which then feed into channels molded into the outsole.  With the use of this system, the consumer is able to easily and quickly attach and detach the uppers from the soles, thus allowing for the never ending ability to change the look of 'Urshuz'.

Urshuz assembly method

?: What have been the most challenging and rewarding aspects of creating your own brand?

G: Challenging - money, time, and a tremendous learning curve to developing a type of shoe that has NEVER been done before!

Screen capture of the Urshuz website

?: What does the future hold for Urshuz and yourself?

G: It has been said many times to me that we will be the "next crocs".  Although I think in most cases this was meant to be a compliment, I am not sure how much association I would like to have with them?  I do hope that Urshuz will be able to have the global reach that crocs has (or had), however, it is my desire that we are considered an authentic, youthful, 'cool' brand, that is trend relevant, extremely comfortable, and very environmentally conscious (did I mention, our soles and footbeds are 100% recyclable?).  As for me, this thing has been my baby for the last 3 years, so I think the thing I am most looking forward to, is FINALLY having the product hit the stores this spring!

The Urshuz Collection

Look for Urshuz in stores June 2011 and check out the Urshuz website for more information.

Rob Curedale Interview

Rob Curedale is an extremely accomplished Industrial Designer. He is behind the highly successful LinkedIn design networks. With his groups, Rob has managed to bring together designers all over the world for several design mixers. I attended two mixers in the Los Angeles area, one at RKS in Thousand Oaks and one at Continuum in Venice Beach. The mixers were an amazing opportunity to meet local Product Designers and explore highly successful consulting firms. From the online front, Rob's LinkedIn groups encourage beneficial design related discussion and the opportunity to connect with Industrial Designers around the globe.

Rob is originally from Australia and has managed and directed design departments in several avenues of Product Design all over the world. He is the President of Curedale Inc. Rob has also taught design all over the world including at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and was the Chair of Product Design at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Additionally, Rob is a Jurist for the Spark International Design and Architecture Awards and has been featured in Innovation, Forbes, the ID Annual Review, and on the Discovery Channel.

Rob Curedale is a designer that I am extremely inspired by and I was very excited to have the opportunity to interview him:

?: What is your background in design?

Rob: I was born in Australia and worked as a designer, design director and design educator in London, Sydney, Vevey, Switzerland, Portugal, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Hong Kong, China and Detroit. 

I have designed furniture, medical, technology, and consumer products in global markets including Europe, Australia, Asia and North America. Curedale (Rob's consulting firm) has designed hundreds of products as a consultant and an in-house design manager at corporate offices and consultancies. Clients include HP, Philips, GEC, Nokia, Sun, Apple, Canon, Motorola, Nissan, Audi VW, Disney, RTKL, Government of the United Arab Emirates, British and Australian military, Steelcase, Hon, Castelli, Hamilton Medical, Zyliss, Belkin, Gensler, Haworth, Honeywell, NEC, Hoover, Packard Bell, Dell, Black & Decker, Coleman and Harmon Kardon. 

I have lectured and taught widely internationally, including at Yale, Pepperdine MBA Innovation Program, Loyola Business Management Program, Art Center Pasadena, Cranbrook, Pratt, Art Center Europe; a faculty member at SCA and UTS Sydney; as Chair of Product Design and Chair of Furniture Design at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit (then the largest product design school in North America), Art Institute California, Hollywood Campus, Cal State San Jose, Escola De Artes e Design in Oporto Portugal, Instituto De Artes Visuals, Design e Marketing, Lisbon, Southern Yangtze University, Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, and Nanjing Arts Institute in China. 

For design and pleasure I have visited more than 1,000 cities in over 40 countries.

?: What challenges have you met in developing your own firm and what are the most rewarding parts of owning your own design business?

Rob: I managed a design business in Sydney called Axis for ten years. I have managed a business in Detroit and for the last five years in Los Angeles.

I try to design products that show critical thinking and empathy and are more than restyling commodities. A friend told me that his wife's nursing job was made easier when her hospital purchased some prenatal intensive care products that I had designed. Last week I was interviewed by Skype about a chair that I had helped design thirty years ago that a Berlin exhibit curator had discovered by accident and realized the historical significance of some technological innovations and then went to some trouble to track down those involved in the project. I was at an attorney's office last week and she asked me what type of things that I designed and I was able to point to some Dell speakers on her desk that I had designed. It is this type of personal encounter with products in use that I find rewarding.

?: You have been involved with many specialties of product design, what is your favorite area to develop products and solutions?

Rob: I like medical products because they can have an importance beyond appearances. I like products that participate in small experiences that can seem insignificant to others but be significant to a person. This type of experience can be associated with even a cheap simple product.

As Ettore Sottsass put it, the difference between a President's speech and love whispered in the dark. We are told that The President's speech is important but love whispered in the dark is a personal experience that may have more real personal meaning for us. The most challenging role for the designer is to have empathy for others to help create by design this type of meaningful experience rather than selfishly elevating personal self expression and ego. I think that Steve Jobs shows this type of empathy through Apple products that create a satisfying experience. Perhaps it is a Buddhist way of thinking about experience rather than just the object or possession of the object.

?: Being that you are a design professor as well, how would you define 'design thinking' and how do you believe this method of problem solving will influence business practices in the future?

Rob: Design Thinking for me is an approach to designing that recognizes that creative and analytical thinking are necessary to develop a successful design. That these types of inputs need to come from a group of people working closely together. Individuals are usually better at one or the other type of thinking but not often at both. That design is an iterative process making ideas real and testing and refining them.

Design Thinking is a way of discussing design that communicates the value of a particular approach in creating and implementing new and better ideas rather than incrementally improving existing ideas. The design thinking approach is one way that Western organizations may remain competitive because it moves Western companies beyond just recreating and restyling existing products. This is a practice that cannot continue to allow Western organizations to be competitive. We must add more value through clever and courageous thinking to stay in business. It allows closer and more productive collaboration between technical thinkers like managers and engineers and creative thinkers like designers. These are different thinking styles.

Curedale Inc. website

?: Being that you have lived and worked in several parts of the world, how does (if it does) the language and process of design change throughout the world?

Rob: Differences are driven by regional cultures and economics. Compared to the US Designers in the UK and Australia think more analytically perhaps exercise the left side of their brain more than US designers. They are more concerned about the way things work as well as the appearance. They may be responsible for parts of the design process that would be usually undertaken by engineers in the US. This is partly driven by the scale and economics of US manufacturing and market.

I have seen research by TECAtech in 2008 that suggests that Chinese designers are focused more on value and functionality than Western Designers. Chinese designers find their inspiration more often in nature poetry and technology than Western Designers. Inclusive design is more important for Chinese Designers than Western Designers. 

Drawing is an important tool for product designers but I think that sometimes the art created by a designer as part of the design process is elevated above the quality of the end design in the US. Drawing is of value if it helps create a better design. The quality of the design of the car on the showroom floor is more important than the quality of the rendering that helped create that design. The car may be driven by tens of thousands of people and uses non-renewable resources. The rendering may be framed and hang on one wall perhaps if it is good. We are designers not artists and we should be proud to be designers. 

Anglo-Saxon designers- US, Germany, UK, Ausralia- tend to concentrate on the appearance of objects and the visual sense. Designers in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean sometimes consider relatively more the other senses including touch, smell and sound when designing products and experiences. The experience of an Italian car for example sometimes stimulates by design more of these other senses than a car designed in the UK or US. There is a legacy and sophistication in Italian furniture design that has developed over thousands of years of advanced practice and experience.

?: Your LinkedIn Industrial Design network recently reached 10,000 members, what has been your process in developing these highly successful hubs of networking?

Rob: I started those groups a few years ago when I saw that there were no design groups on LinkedIn. The groups have grown to around 70,000 members. I have tried with the groups to stimulate a higher, more interdisciplinary and and more global level of discussion than previously existed in the design professions. The groups have attracted the leaders of our profession internationally.

I wanted to incourage and try to initiate discussions that were being avoided by existing societies and industry groups such as the growing need for balancing environmental responsibility with business, technology, and people considerations in design. Yesterday, I was involved in a discussion that included the GM and Director of Design at NEC in Japan, a past VP of design from the French Auto company Renault, a leading Industrial Design Headhunter, the Director of Design at a major UK retail chain as well as leading design educators from Korea, and Cambridge University.

I regularly organize real world design networking mixers that are cross-disciplinary with engineers, architects, interior designers, product designers, graphic, retail, and exhibit designers attending. I think that this type of networking is richer and more likely to lead to useful exchanges of ideas than the traditional types of functions with only Industrial Designers. The events have had up to 400 people attending. My process to develop these groups has simply been to ask challenging questions that invite discussion.

Industrial Design LinkedIn group

?: What does the future hold for yourself and your LinkedIn networking groups?

Rob: I have created an organization called The Design Foundation. Design Foundation was established to promote cross-disciplinary international discussion and collaboration between diverse fields of design and architecture. We provide a forum for designers to exchange ideas and address important global issues through professional social networks while enjoying participation in real-world local mixer events in their regions.

The Design Foundation mission is to create, develop, coordinate and promote opportunities for the global professional design community to educate, communicate and network.

The Design Foundation website

Gregory L. Christian: Local LA Artist and Designer

I learned about Greg Christian while browsing a blog for art prints called OMG Posters. The site is a good resource for keeping on top of what limited edition prints are being released by various artists. I was scrolling through countless images of art prints and the image of a minimal, geometric black and white piece of art of the streets of Los Angeles stood out to me.

LA Print

I purchased the print for my collection and began emailing Greg back and forth. I learned that he is recently graduating from college for graphic design and is looking to gain exposure for his work and a career in art and design. Along with the feature on OMG Posters, he has also been showcased on the sites SVPPLY and FLYER GOODNESS. I asked Greg a few questions about the LA Print and himself:

?: What is your background in art and design?

Greg: I grew up the son of an Architect which formed my junior trade skills.  Most of what I know came from watching my dad draft for clients.  One of my oldest memories, in school, was just doodling.  Never new there was profession that could come from line and shape experimentation.

?: What made you want to pursue a career in art and design?

Greg: In high school I entered a local drawing contest and place 2nd.  The idea of being a designer never occurred to me or my parents.  It was a no brainer when I got in college.  Nothing else seemed like me.

?: How would you describe your style and who are you inspired by?

Greg: I don’t think I have a ”style” yet.  I only have principles. 1.  Keep is simple, stupid. 2. Work smarter, not harder. 3. If you can’t receive the information, you’re not done.  I guess these ideas would most closely relate to the Swiss style.  I’ve been finding inspiration by numerous designers but to name a few, Hans Schleger, Paul Rand, Piet Mondrian, and Kasimir Malevich.

?: Creating the Los Angeles print seems it entails several steps, can you describe the process of making it?

Greg: Sure can.
1.  Well find the image via the archives.
2.  Spray mount the image to the linoleum
3.  Suspend a heat gun above the linoleum to warm it up.
4.  Take an exacto knife and slice up the image
5.  Then ink up the block.
6.  Lastly run it through a press.
(Do steps 5 and 6, 60 times.)

 

Cutting up the linoleum

Finished linoleum

Linoleum is inked and pressed to make print

Finished print

?: How would you describe the local Los Angeles art scene and how has it changed over the years?

Greg: My time here in the LA art scene has been minimal.  I’ve been exposed to all genres of art and I see it as a a ball of yarn.  All the different people and influences are criss-crossed while the ball keeps getting bigger. My only note of the total scene was I read an article last year stating that the art scene is growing at a such a rapid pace that it will eventually trump Paris and New York.  We’ll see about that.

?: Are there any areas of art and design you would like to cross over into or collaborate with?

Greg: I’d like to take a stab at industrial design.  Everything can be improved.  But in the mean time, I’ve been working on my wood working and casting skills so maybe those will lead some where.

?: What does the future hold for you and your creative process?

Greg: All I know for the future is where I am, is where I’m suppose to be.  My creative process will always be a mystery to even myself.

Piece titled 30 hour

30 hour detail

Greg's newest project that he is almost finished with is the casting of bronze antlers. He gave me a sneak peak of the project.

Making the mold for casting the antlers

Check out Greg's website to view his portfolio and to purchase the LA Print.

Lord of the Quarter Rings

One of the most natural forms of product development is the DIY home manufacturer. Mr. John Fortuna has been making high quality rings for decades for family and friends. He creates them from solid silver quarters.

I first learned about Mr. Fortuna's DIY quarter rings back when I was in high school. Mr. Fortuna is the father of a good friend of mine, Laura, and I used to see him working on the rings inside of his garage. Through the years, the rings have become an icon and a common bond with his family and friends.  

I asked Mr. Fortuna a few questions about the evolution of his quarter rings:

?: How and when did you get started in making the quarter rings?

John: In 1967 when attending Bossier High School, I made my first quarter ring (the one I still wear to this day). My older brother learned how to make them when he was incarcerated in Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary. The inmates there had a lot of time on their hands and would pound down the rings with the back of spoons.

?: Can you briefly describe the process of making the quarter rings?

John: Use a tack hammer and slowly pound down the outside of the quarter (must be a silver quarter made 1964 and before). Tilt the quarter to one side to add curve to the ring. After pounding down to the desired size, drill out the center of the ring being sure to leave the date and “Liberty” showing. I have a lathe that makes cutting out the center easier.

?: How has your process of making the quarter rings evolved over the years?

John: I made a machine that mechanically pounded down the rings, but they were not as good as the handmade rings. I have gone back to making rings manually.

?: What brings you the greatest joy in creating the quarter rings?

John: I am really happy when I see friends that have worn their rings for years. My son Tuna’s band had a show once, and there were 8 people there wearing my quarter rings. My daughter, Laura has worn two quarter rings and a dime ring since high school.

?: What does the future bring for the quarter rings?

John: I have just reached a milestone. I have made 200 rings since 1967 (that I can remember). Thinking about taking a break, although it is still fun to sit down and start tapping on a quarter when a friend asks me for one.

Spencer Nugent Interview

I first learned about Spencer Nugent at the 2009 IDSA Western District Conference in Santa Monica, CA. During the conference, he did a presentation and tutorial on sketching for Industrial Designers. It was the most clear and informative presentation about sketching I had ever seen. It just made sense. As an Industrial Designer, I know that sketching can be kind of a touchy topic because of all the techniques, variations, and alternatives to it with technology. No tool in a designer's tool box is as important as the ability to quickly and clearly display ideas and concepts on paper to everybody involved in the product development process. I've always struggled to keep my sketching skills sharp and current.

Spencer has created a website, IDSKETCHING.com, that is a one stop shop for everything about sketching for Industrial Designers. His video demos continue to help my sketching develop and I recommend it to all designers. 

I had the pleasure to interview Spencer Nugent about himself and his site. Spencer and his business partner, John Muhlenkamp (also involved with IDSKETCHING.com), have launched their own design firm in the Sacramento area called studio tminus. Spencer studied Industrial Design at Brigham Young University and interned with General Motors and Astro Studios.

Screen Capture of studiotminus.com

?: When did you first learn about Industrial Design?

Spencer: I first learned about Industrial Design from a friend in college whilst I was studying to be a Math Professor. He told me what he did for his major and I was intrigued by his sketches and models he had done for projects.

?: What made you pursue a career in Industrial Design?

Spencer: I guess I've always had an interest in technical things - how things are put together, why they work the way they work etc. I also have always had an artistic side as well. My father painted recreationally, and I was constantly exposed to the arts. So, when I was told about ID, everything seemed to click for me. It all made sense - using technical skill and thinking with creative more artistic thinking.

Intel Juice Concept by Spencer Nugent

?: Where has the world of Industrial Design taken you (literally and figuratively)?

Spencer: Mmmmmm ID has taken me many places literally. I've been to several states, and even as far as China for manufacturing purposes. I think more so however, ID and my related pursuits have allowed me to meet many influential people and spread good will amongst my peers. 

?: Has your background in ID enabled you to be creative in other ways?

Spencer: I certainly enjoy dabbling in new things. I think being trained in ID has allowed me to definitely be a more creative thinker, and I always try to take a fresh look at that which is familiar to me. I was trained in the school of thought of just trying "it" and seeing what happens, so in that sense, I've been able to dabble in a a lot of things - illustration, web design, video editing, and web coding.

?: What made you create IDSKETCHING.com?

Spencer: IDSKETCHING.com was created in an effort to provide some decent quality tutorials for free to those trying to improve their skills. I saw a youtube video online once of a car sketch and it was horrible, so I thought hey, I can do better than this, and if I do it , I'm going to do it right. SO I hunkered down, learned html, php, javascript and css and built the site from scratch. It was tough - I spent many a night up until 4am coding away and editing video.

Screen Capture of IDSKETCHING.com

?: What is your favorite/most rewarding part of the blog?

Spencer: I think the best part of having IDSKETCHING.com has been receiving emails from people who visit the site and have benefitted from it. Nothing beats a thank you after spending so much time building this is a resource. I also quite enjoy traveling and doing workshops or working sessions with others on site.

IDSKETCHING.COM: Printer Sketch from Industrial Design Sketching on Vimeo.

Check out Spencer's blog, sketching info, and tutorials on IDSKETCHING.com. Also check out studio tminus.