Bernskiold Media

He Said – She Said: Interview

As the first part of the series of He Said – She Said that me and Elizabeth Gast are doing, we thought it work be a good idea to answer some interview questions so you get to know us a little bit better. We gathered questions from our twitter followers and everyone who wanted was free to send in. On my blog today is going to be her answers to the questions, and if you want to read what I had to say, go and visit her blog here!

@JoeHendricks – How did you get started in graphic design? What motivated you?

I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was little (we’re talking 4 years old) I knew it was the only thing I wanted to do. Then, at about age 12 something happened. Someone showed me a computer and my world was forever changed. I took 2 years of computer programming in High School along with 4 years of art, which then spiraled into tons and tons of similar college courses and two degrees. Graphic design became an adrenaline rush that I still get to this day. And knowing that I have the ability to bring ideas to the world via my two favorite things in the world – art and computers – well it just doesn’t get any better than that. 

 
@egower – Will this lead to any collaboration of artwork with you two in the future? A round robin type of project between your two different styles would be fun.

You never know what the future may hold. Erik and I know that we enjoy working together. However, we also seem to be constantly swamped with new ideas, projects, and work needing to be done. This is the main reason why we decided to make this article only once a month. But, we are open to new ideas and right now – anything is possible.

@weewood – What does the "datchic" in "datchicfirgs" stand for?

I get this question constantly! So I’m glad this got asked. For those of you that are not on the NAPP Member Forums – my screen name there is "datchicfirgs". A name that I have often half-heartedly regretted choosing. I can’t tell you how many times people thought I was a guy and have called me "Datch". So for the record once and for all I’m going to spell this out – It is three words. Dat (a slang word for ‘that’) – Chic – Firgs. I hope that clears things up.

@shadowcall – Are you afraid of bees?

Erik and I actually liked this question. So the answer is – I’m not really afraid of bees but if they are around my mother I will freak out because she is allergic to them. And granted I’ll tend to quickly move out of their way to avoid getting stung myself.

@b_e_creative – What artists have influenced the most through your career?

This list on this is so long it would be a mile of paper if I ever printed it out. From the old school greats – Leonardo da Vinci, Jan Van Eyck, Dahli, Escher; to the current masters – Burt Monory, Deke McClelland, Joe McNally, Jill Greenburg; to the ones that are on their way – Lisa Sage, Will King, Michael Green, Justin Seeley, AJ Wood, and naturally, Erik also plays his part – the guy has amazing drive, talent, and skills, which is why I asked him to join me in this. Every day I am influenced by someone or some thing. It never stops – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

@b_e_creative – Where do you find inspiration when you hit a "wall" during a project?

Great question! Several places – I start with browsing the NAPP member portfolios, then move on to Google Image searches, and dafont.com, then I saunter over to Planet Photoshop to see what Corey Barker is up to, then I’ll talk it out with my friends and colleges, and when all else fails – I take a shower – a place where I do my best thinking and where I have come up with my best ideas. And if all that fails – I walk away!!! I have found that you can’t force yourself into the zone. It’s either there or it’s not – so if you’ve tried all your best "bust up the wall" tricks – then stop fighting it, go do something else, and let the zone find you.

@Squiretwizz – How do you cope with having a busy life and still find time to do tutorials, twitter and blog updates, and respond to all th emails you must get? must be very busy with no time to rest let alone breathe!

Weird as this may sound – I thrive if my life is slammed with things to do. If there is ever a lull in my life I go stir crazy and get really grumpy. I know that my "master of multitasking" life that I lead can sometimes get crazy to the point of me screaming my full head off – but I contue to do it, because I love it so much. But I am learning that I need to set limits on myself and others, because I do need time away to spend with those that I love. My family, boyfirend, and close friends bring about a calming feeling that helps me to stay grounded and focused for all those times when it does get to be too much. I couldn’t do what I do without those people in my life.

@CreativeWisdom – Would you consider yourself a SM expert – and do you plan on integrating SM into your design company

Me? A Social Media expert? Heck no! Nor would I want to be! I think once you become an expert on anything then you have no where else to go in life. The term "Social Media" is becoming the "it" buzzword of the new mellenium. And this idea strikes me as funny, because it’s not really a new concept. It’s been around forever. The term "It’s not what you know but who you know" was coined decades ago – so I’m a little surprized by all the SM hype that seems to be growing at an alarming rate. Don’t get me wrong though – I love talking to and meeting new people and making connections through Twitter and verious other social networks, and a small amount of SM is included in my design company. But I don’t think that I will become the Rambo of the social world pelting anything that moves with my own ideas, services, or words. It just seems to me that sometimes, less is actually a whole lot more productive.

@UseR2006 – How do you choose what gear you use for certain shoots?

This question is for Erik, he does amazing photography work where as I don’t own photography gear – but if I did, I know that I would be a Nikon girl. The D90 makes me drool.

@aj_wood – Do you Mac or PC? Why?

I was raised on Macs. My first computer was an Apple 2c with the 3×5 floppy disks and ran dos. All of my high school and college courses were done on Macs, and I have owned several. But somewhere along the way, I also picked up the Windows team and I currently work on a PC. So, I guess you could say (with a small amount of snickering) that I go both ways. If I had a choice though, I would go back to Macs and never leave them again. They just feel like home to me.

@aj_wood – Was Photoshop the first imaging tool you used, or did you use a lesser known product first?

Ok, I am totally going to date myself with this one – The first imaging software I ever used was a fractal design program called Turtle. It was a little arrow on a dark screen and you would type in the DOS code to tell it which direction to draw a line in, how long you wanted the line, and in what color. Then you would repeat this a few times and type "LOOP" and the little arrow would draw a bunch of amazing fractle images on your screen. I’ll never forget that program – I was hooked solid after that. Paint Shop Pro – (also known as the first Photoshop) soon followed and I’ve been with it ever since.

@mcgregorlink – What impact does the growth of Social Networking have on your approach to Web Design?

It has a huge impact. All the world is abuzz with Social Networking right now, and if you don’t at least attept to keep up with it, you will be left to dust. So knowing how to incorporate it into a client’s website is a MUST KNOW for any web designer right now. You need to be aware of what networks are winning in the popularity poll and what their rules and regulations are. Often they will determine for you how they want you to build them into the site you are designing. And if you don’t pay attention to this, you could have a huge mess on your hands later. Like I said before though, on my own site – less is more.