By steph goralnick

1 August 2007

1. What kind of designer are you?

I make things that primarily exist in the first and second dimension, but they have been known to ocassionally creep into the third. My favorite projects are the tasks that require inventive problem solving, rather than those of the "just make it pretty" variety.

2. What did you want to do for a living when you were a kid?

As a kid, I could never come up with a definitive answer to that quintessential grownup inquiry,"So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" I wanted to be an artist/busdriver/scientist! Or a painter/traffic cop/inventor or a beekeeper/architect/dentist. The common thread among them was a desire to be involved in something predominantly creative with a dash of practicality. I chose to pursue graphic design as a profession, but my education was smattered with pursuits to keep my hands dirty: printmaking, plastics, ceramics and, most memorably, the hours spent burning my cuticles off with darkroom chemicals. Participating in something seemingly unrelated to what I want to do always influences the original goal in an unexpected way. It's the closest I've been able to come to my bizarre childhood hybrid career dreams.

3. What is it about your design work that makes your photography better? And vice versa? Where do you see parallels between the two?

Besides the obvious parallels—such as incorporating my own photos into design work or having an eye trained for graphic composition when peering through the lens—both disciplines complement each other in more subtle ways. Photography allows for visual and creative experimentation that ultimately reinforces graphic design. I always keep a camera with me to document my daily existence, coerce friends into doing absurd things, record intriguing patterns, explore light and color combinations, or fight while boredom during endless waits on the subway platform. I like to think of design as my bread & butter while photography is the chocolate pudding.

4. What do you find most challenging about your work?

The greatest challenge I have found in the field of graphic design is staying perpetually inspired despite the considerable amount of time I spend confined to an decidedly uninspiring cubicle. There are times when no amount of novelty pens can alleviate these unfortunate circumstances. Some of my combat techniques against the dullness include traveling to far-flung places, throwing absurd theme parties and going to the movies dressed as a pirate. The best medicine, however, is proving to be bread with a little chocolate pudding.

5. Do you have design heroes? Photography heroes?

Any unsung designer responsible for my (frequent) breaking of the "don't buy a book just for its cover" mandate, closely followed by photographers whose work necessitates a double-take.

6. Name some unexpected sources of inspiration you've had.

Objects obsessively arranged in order by color, decaying signage, murky urban nighttime light. I was once inspired by a teetering stack of festering junkmail to do an impromptu photoshoot that involved a shredder and an empty bathtub.

7. Do you have any regular habits/exercises that make you a better designer? Photographer?

Word association is my all-time favorite exercise, and it's easier to perform in a cubicle than yoga. I like to lead myself into utter nonsense and use that freedom to bring me back to the project at hand. As far as photography goes, I try to shoot something, anything, every single day.

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