We’re sponsoring New Adventures in Web Design, a UK based design conference, for the second year running. As part of the buzz surrounding the event, we’re interviewing the speakers to find out more about their backgrounds and motivation.

First up is popular designer and writer Frank Chimero.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name’s Frank, and I’m a designer, author and illustrator living in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve been designing for 10 years now, and for the past 6 I’ve been running my own shop. I’ve been fortunate enough to tackle projects that are all over the place: book design, illustration, user experience/interface, strategy, and branding.

What’s your first design memory?

I spent the better part of my youth listening to music and obsessing over album art. The first CD I owned was the Beatles’ White Album, and I think that sort of conceptual approach has stuck with me and my work.

Which aspects of design do you find the most challenging, and which the most rewarding?

The work is the most difficult and rewarding when it achieves a high-quality fit for the audience.

What inspired you to get involved with NACONF?

Simon’s a friend. The conference has such a good reputation that when he asked me to speak, I had to say yes. I’m really excited to not only talk, but to sit, listen, and discuss ideas with everyone else. What a great way to start a new year, huh?

What was your first experience of talking at a conference, and what did you learn from it?

I spoke at a regional AIGA event a few years ago, and modified one of my class lectures for the talk. I had been teaching for about a year at that point, and I realised that 40 minutes isn’t as long as it sounds, scripting a talk is self-defeating, and everyone in the audience wants you to do well. I love conferences, and the good ones, like NACONF, have such a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie and learning.

What have you chosen to talk about and what will the attendees take away from your session?

I’ll be talking about the opportunities of making things for other people.

You’re currently writing a book, The Shape of Design. Why did you decide to write it and what is it about?

The book is about the arrangement of the client, the designer, and the audience in the design process. It doesn’t really focus on client relations, but more the process of making and the opportunities of catering to an audience. It’s a celebration of the chance to make things for others and enjoy the process of doing so. The book is a distillation of the ideas I’ve spoken about at previous conferences, and is a bit of an attempt to document the Whys of design, or at least as a way to push that conversation forward a little bit.

Many people are good at design or writing, but not both. What tips would you offer to someone looking to complement their design work with text?

One gets better at writing by writing and reading good writing. It also improves with thoughtfulness, which requires time. It also needs, as I’m currently learning, the courage to be brief and to shut up when there’s nothing left to say.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in commercial design?

Try to make things that help people to live well. Start with a desire to fill needs rather than to generate wants.

What are your favourite sources of design and/or writing inspiration?

I’ve recently returned to reading fiction. I’ve been enjoying Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco lately, and am rereading a lot of the classics I read in school. (Moby-Dick is currently at the bedside.)

For design inspiration, I try to look elsewhere. Design is a vessel: it’s utility is defined by what it’s able to hold, so I think outside influence is profoundly important. It lets us be a part of the world instead of navel-gazing. I enjoy talking to people, walking around the city, and travel. Food is incredibly inspiring to me as well, because while being a requirement to living, there’s boundless opportunities for care, thoughtfulness, craft, and sharing in its preparation.

If I’m looking for an aesthetic jolt to get me going, I’ll visit:

https://www.septemberindustry.co.uk

https://www.itsnicethat.com

https://www.manystuff.org