Interview with Kristien Amer [urbanpanda] on Whohub

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What is your specialty?

Creative design and marketing services.

Where can we view your portfolio online?

What made you interested in design?

I am trained in all art forms. Design came very naturally to me and I enjoy working with a variety of clients on different projects.

What has been your professional career path?

I began working in the music industry at age 19 in Los Angeles and eventually became a concert promoter in Honolulu, Hawai'i at age 22. My first design projects were event posters and marketing materials. In 1994 I began publishing a small music and arts magazine which led to freelance design work. My first online portfolio was featured in How Magazine as a top design site in 2005 and I expanded into the web design field acquiring various clients around the US.

Have you received any awards for your work in the field of design?

I have been featured in several design magazines and books and have received invitations to judge national design competitions. I am currently a featured artist on several design websites as well.

What is your motivation? What makes you get up in the mornings?

I am lucky to come from a family of accomplished artists and do not take for granted the great opportunities that I have been given. Freelancing and owning your own business can be frustrating and somewhat unstable at times but I have always had the drive and motivation to get what I want out of life.

How would you define your design style?

A vintage disposition with a modern twist!

How do you promote and move your work?

I work very hard to make sure each client is happy with their final artwork even if I would have preferred a different outcome. I think a common mistake of designers is "designing for themselves" and not following the clients wishes. Most of my new clients are referrals from previous clients.

In which new areas would you like to experiment?

I am very interested in the Bauhaus movement and elements and styles of typography lately.

Shapes, color, concept: where do you usually begin when conceiving a design?

I love finding contrasting colors that match and compliment each other which is very difficult sometimes and requires a great deal of time experimenting. When constructing a design or theme, its very important for the colors, style and fonts to be consistent with the concept.

What are your sources for documentation and to generate ideas?

I keep a folder called "art ideas" on my computer. When I stumble across great work, I will save it there and review the folder occasionally. Rather than copying others work, I can visualize elements of the designs that I like and figure out ways to interpret it into my own ideas.

Which festivals or awards in your field do you find most interesting?

I enjoy the self promotion campaigns where an artist can concentrate on their own creativity and ideas.

What is your favourite type of customer?

Organized! Clients who have thought about what they want before contacting me. For others, I usually start out by sending them various images, patterns, textures and color palettes and asking them to identify which they favor to get an idea of what they might like.

To a certain point, is copying justifiable?

Not unless you have added a new twist to it. My clients come to me because I do offer a unique approach to their projects. They do not want cookie cutter templates or boring corporate layouts.

List some things you dislike seeing in design.

Confusing navigation, fonts that are difficult to read and I absolutely hate Flash websites.

Do you believe the newer generations are better at designing?

Not at all. I prefer classic.

With which type of client would you decline in working for?

Anyone with a product or service that I do not like or requests a style or layout that I am not interested in.

How do you calculate budgets for a design project?

I work on flat rate per project after having a consultation with each client to determine the features and requirements of their projects.

Which professionals in your field -contemporary or past- do you most admire?

I enjoy the classic art elements of many artists as well as avant-garde approaches.

Which software applications do you most utilize in your work?

Up to what point do your designs reflect your personality?

It varies. I am extremely proud of many projects where the clients and I clicked and I was impressed with the results. There have been projects where the client was happy at the end but I definitely felt like it could have been better.

How do you distinguish passing fads from mainstays in new trends?

A few years ago, the "distortion" effects were quite popular. I enjoyed some of the elements but also felt that some artists took it too far. Some of the work was too hard to read or overdone. I like simplicity to a certain point and creating work that will last in the future.

If you weren't a designer, what would you be doing?

I enjoy designing but also like to break away sometimes. I enjoy working on films, interior decor and working in publicity. I try not to limit myself.

At this moment, what would be your dream job or project?

I'd like to master my "corporate cute" a bit more. There are so many websites that are so boring and unappealing because they are afraid to be creative.

Can you see yourself in this field twenty years from now?

Yes but also working in other fields as I do and have in the past.

Which design resources online do you frequently visit?

I like to do random searches once in a while and see other portfolios. Its interesting to see what others are producing and experimenting with.

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