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Primary design concentration:
Interaction Design
Most preferred tool for designing:
Email! Communication is my #1 priority.
Having a paper trail keeps my clients
and teammates informed of the process,
and helps me stay organized.
1. How and why did you choose to
become a designer?
I’ve always liked creating
things. Up until the last month of high school, I
didn’t know you could do this for a career.
Thank goodness someone clued me in before it was too
late!
2. Challenges you encounter as a
designer and how do you deal with them?
I think that communication is the
biggest challenge. Design is all about making decisions.
Until you explain the rationale for decisions that
you make, your work runs the risk of seeming arbitrary.
3. Your definition of an “elegant
solution,” that is, good design?
An elegant solution utilizes just
as much of “it” as it needs, and nothing
more.
I’m a big fan of simple.
4. From skills to values, what makes
a designer successful?
I think the basics are the same
for everybody, whether you are a designer or rocket
scientist. Work hard, have some integrity, treat others
with respect.
5. How do you stay motivated and
grow personally and professionally as a designer?
I think you have to stop being a
designer at a certain point in the day. Everything
in moderation! Apply some principles of design to
your life: Balance (work + life), Contrast (try new
things), Hierarchy (prioritize), and White Space (leave
time for doing “nothing”).
6. For those aspiring to become
a designer, whatever the discipline,what is your advice?
Arrange for an internship/co-op
position at a design firm every chance you get. Don’t
wait until the summer after you graduate from college.
7. What is your quest in design?
I’d like to convince everyone
that “fun and simple” is not just for
kids.
In addition to being Owner
of Early Bird Creative, Lea Miller is also President,
Creative Director, Designer, Photoshop Monkey, Janitor.
As she puts it, “When you run your own business,
you do it all.” She highly recommends every
designer to see the documentary Super
Size Me, “best use of informatics.”
Image courtesy of Lea Miller
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Scott Marshall’s Quest
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Liya Zheng’s Quest
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