About Me

Over the years I’ve worked as a graphic designer and seen the beginnings of many new technologies. I remember trying to do word processing on the tiny Mac SE screen, building huge backgrounds for N64 games with only 16 colors and working with the most annoying systems ever created; CD-I. These are just a few of the highlights. Most of my career has been in technology start-ups. I’ve been in the trenches with tight deadlines and struggling with lack of tools only to see the project canceled. But it has been very exciting and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve made a list of some of the lessons I’ve learned (or not learned in some cases).

• There is nothing more annoying then user interface is not intuitive and doesn’t feel right. It has to feel intuitive. This goes for microwaves to software. The worst is when you need to read the manual for something like a toaster.
• Artists are non-linear and tend to go from one idea to another all at the same time. That is normal. Engineers are linear and need to go from A, B to C. To work with engineers as an artist you need to be linear even though you might be thinking about Z but talking about A. Does that make any sense?
• Get the project up and running fast. Make sure everyone sees it early in the development cycle. Don’t wait until it is close to being done before it is shown. The deadline doesn’t move and you will be screwed if the project is not right.
• You can be efficient and work smart. You should always work that way in order to save your strength for real crunches.
• Technology overload is always there so learning to figure only what is needed to get the job done is essential. There is no way to know everything.
• Or be able to do everything is impossible. Being able to listen and not let your ego get in the way of the project. That can be a hard lesson.
• Do a lot of pre-planning. That helps keep focus on what you want. It can get lost at some point but if all the work has been done in the beginning you can go back to that again.
• My favorite tool is still a sketchpad. I can sit and ideas will flow with a pencil on paper. There is no tool that is better.
• Have a great life outside of work. Keep doing new things everyday! I am learning how to ride reining horse, which is scary and challenging.
• I still can’t spell.