I design because that is how I process and understand the world. I see form and space; digital and analog; communication and people. I explore content that is fixed, in motion, and interactive. I investigate listening, reading, viewing, and interactive scenarios. I’m curious and pose questions, develop answers, debate (with passion), and communicate from the designer’s perspective. Design is how I think.

I develop and design projects that create conversation by taking advantage of the strengths of print and digital media. What most interests me about print is what it can do that the digital medium cannot. As much as the digital screen tries it cannot replicate the tactile experience of materials. The texture of the paper’s surface, a simple fold or cut, or a special printing technique can communicate in subtle ways that cannot be matched by the glass of the digital screen. Conversely, the print medium cannot come close to the possibilities of customization that are at the core of the digital medium. To provide opportunities for the user to change the size and color of a typeface or to change the typeface itself or to configure the layout of objects on the screen provides a level of usability and accessibility that print cannot achieve. Understanding and implementing these inherent principles of media is at the core of who I am as a designer.

The question that I’m constantly asking is “What is the best solution to deliver this content to its audience?” Should the design be fixed, like a printed poster; in motion, like a movie title; interactive, like a mobile app, or a combination of all three? In order to truly understand the audience, I employ a sense of empathy and curiosity about people, perspectives, places, and scenarios that I have never experienced. This is essential to my design practice. Being empathetic and curious is not about having all the answers, but about asking questions and that requires collaboration. In those moments of peer, client, and audience collaboration, design for me is not a job, a product or a process, but a method to understanding the world—the worlds of people like the everyday user, the visual learner, the first-time student, the visually-impaired reader, the engaged parent, and so many more.

This is my design world.