Thursday, February 5, 2009

Creative Like Us: Mike Davis



How long have you been a Designer?
I graduated from college in 1999 and started working as a graphic designer that year, soooo I guess since 1999?

How did you get started?
I've always been interested in art and drawing, but never thought I'd
make a career out of it. I stumbled upon a graphic design elective
when I was in college and then realized that this is what I wanted to
do. The more I learned about the history of design and all the
different aspects of it, the more interested and passionate about it I
became.

Where did you go to school?
Washington University in St. Louis.

What are your influences?
Graphic design, architecture, and interior design from the 1960s -
early 1980s, video games, rap music, travel.



What do you use? Whats' your set up?
You mean what do I use for work? Mac G5 tower and a little space in
front of my keyboard for sketchbooks.



What was your 1st job like?
I'm fortunate that I had a great first job. I worked at a small
graphic design firm in downtown St. Louis with a talented team who
taught me a lot. I probably learned more in my first month there than
in my whole four years in college. Got to do a lot of Flash website
design for clients who let us kinda go buckwild.

How did you get it?
I was at an interview for a lame design job when one of the younger
designers there pulled me aside and handed me the business card of the
owner of the company she thought I should be working at. Total dumb
luck. I wish I could remember what her name was cause that incident
basically changed my life.





What is your typical day like?
Wake up, put on some clothes, start driving, tune into Mid Morning
(awesome talk show on Minnesota Public Radio hosted by the great Kerri
Miller), go to the grocery store and pick up an apple, banana, and
muffin, get to the studio, go through emails, work on pressing design
projects, do some Burlesque promo stuff, help out with stuff around
the office, figure out the next big moves, go home and listen to
records or practice glockenspiel or hang out with my girlfriend and
watch movies.

How long to you spend (per day) designing?
A couple of hours. It really depends on what projects I have and what
non-design needs are most urgent.

Who (or, what) do you believe helped you on your journey the most?
All the people who have supported what we do by purchasing our
posters, coming to our art shows, or giving us design and print work.
I can't thank those people enough for allowing us to do what we love
to do for a living.

What was your biggest success? Your biggest failure? what did you do after either one?
Man... major questions. Hmmmm... I know I have failures, but I'm happy with where I am with my life, so I guess they happened for reasons and I was able to take something away from them that helped get me where I am.

What are 2 things that someone must do to get where you are now?
1) Wear argyle socks. Even if nobody sees you have them on, just
knowing you're wearing 'em makes you feel more important than while
wearing regular white socks.
2) Learn how to kern type well.

Where do you go from here?
Bigger projects, figure out how to design better, visit the world,
exercise more, start a family.

What's the funniest thing about you?
Let me ask some other people. OK, according to my brother, "Maybe the
funniest thing about you is also the awesomest thing about you... You
went to Space Camp."

Spam or Scrapple?
Scrapple - that's some Philly shit, right? Like hash or something?
I've never had it and I've never had Spam either. I'm down with
chorizo and linguica, or just a straight up slice a ham grilled up
next to some eggs and hash browns. That's what's up.



What else do you to for fun?
Facebook, Boggle, watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, collect
stamps, DJ at parties around town, practice with my glockenspiel band
New Kids On the Glock, wait for Prison Break to come back on TV, go
out for breakfast, walk the dog, draw pictures.

Thanks Mike. Check out his stuff at Twelve Car Pile up I love that name.

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