Profile

Cheryl is into interior design, folk and outsider art, eating cookies and travel. We asked Cheryl: Explain what embodies an ideal partnership between business and creative. \"There are many things that make up a successful client/creative partner relationship, but a big one is mutual respect. I\'m always impressed by a client who recognizes the value of what we can bring to their business. If they believe in their product and are deeply invested in it, then they do not want to short change themselves in terms of communicating their message and their image. Reaching out to the right creative partner is a smart move.\"

Janice is into into reading the newspaper, avoiding television, drinking coffee, and reaching her anaerobic threshold. We asked Janice: Explain how your role fits into the business of design. \"For me the entire process is creative, not just the design. I\'m thoroughly entrenched in nearly every step of a project, helping to conceive and orchestrate a plan of attack for each client. What I lack in knowledge of typography, I make up for with a wickedly intuitive understanding of the client\'s needs and wants. My key commands are limited to cut and paste, but more importantly, I\'m visceral and flexible with my ideas as well as logical in my approach and results.\"

Bryan is into mountain biking, swimming and travel. We asked Bryan: Which part of your working process is most enjoyable and why? "I enjoy researching software solutions that I can then share with everyone. I like to share my knowledge so others can continue to learn."

Chad is into home-brewing wheat beers, dog walks with Brutus, bad karaoke and horrible, horrible TV. We asked Chad: Define \"authentic\" in terms of a design solution. \"In a time when \'everything has been done before\', the challenge is to make a genuine connection with the consumer. I am very entertained by the idea of the cliché. Design is the tool that takes what is common, turns it on it\'s head, shakes it around a bit and spits out something new and unique on the other side. Tip: If this new unique item is much worse than the original; repeat steps 1a through 3c.\"

Megan is into cooking and eating great food, listening to music, watching movies (especially in parks) and making nice spaces with nice people. We asked Megan: What mediums inspire your own creativity or design approach? \"I am inspired by the everyday. This list contains things that I seek out and surround myself with: Soaps with beautiful wrappers, Polaroids, Italian food packaging, receipts, vintage game pieces, linen table cloths, beautiful letterforms, intricate wallpaper patterns, great chairs, hand-painted signs, incredible food experiences, art exhibition ephemera, vitamin D, pencil drawings, old costume jewelry, a solid night\'s sleep, classic fashion pieces, yoga, This American Life, flexible systems, bus rides, candies in small tins, white bedding and lots of pillows, natural light, old things, new things, a mix of old things and new things, to-do lists, random pieces of rust, farmers markets, and favorite trees.\"

Mark\'s into flying, aviation history, travel, meteorology and computers. We asked Mark: What\'s your favorite part of Graphiculture? \"My previous job was completely left brain in nature. Now, even though I still handle all the non-creative business at Graphiculture, being part of a creative environment has been like a brand new career for me. The creative people here both amaze me and amuse me and I love being part of every minute of it. What else? Our ability to find any reason to celebrate anything!\"

Stephanie is into travel, cooking and design. We asked Stephanie: What advice would you give an emerging creative? "Always try and think outside the box while knowing how to work within parameters. I think it is important to bring something new, something special, something different to the table that helps your work stand out from the rest, but it is equally important to know how to work within the conventions and requests of your client. It is critical to know when it is OK to push the envelope and when not to."