The site for design inspiration.

1. I was amazed to learn that the design blog is only 17 months old, what was the first mission statement to yourself when beginning your blog? Did you have a definite goal you wanted to achieve when setting the blog up?

I did not have a mission plan or goal when I started the blog. It was a personal experiment to see whether I could do it. I wanted a challenge and an outlet for my creativity. Creating the blog was a very impulsive decision, which I have never regretted.

2. What did you study at university/college and was there a specific reason you chose to study these areas?

I’ve just graduated with a Masters in Physics from University College London. I was always good at mathematics, but wanted to study a more practical subject. Physics seemed like the perfect choice. I always compare the relation between physics and mathematics to the relation between art and graphic design. Furthermore I knew that a physics degree would give me plenty of career options (even though design wasn’t one of them.)

3. Where did fudge graphics as a brand name come from? Or does it stem from your love of chocolate cereals?

I wanted to come up with a brand name starting with ‘F’ to tie in with my name. That was the only premise. It was essentially the saying “what the fudge?” which made me choose the name. A quick Google search later I discovered that Fudgegraphics was still up for grabs and so I simply registered the name. I would love to have a great story about how I love chocolate fudge (which I do) and that it is the reason behind the name, but it’s not. It was just a random name I came up with and loved instantly.

4. Having previously resided in Luxembourg was it a conscious decision to move to London for graphic design work? Or was the move more personally motivated?

I moved to London for university. At the time I had no idea that I would pursue a design career later on. I’ve just always loved the city and hence applied to London-based universities. Now that I’ve graduated I can say that I’ll stay in London due to design. The city inspires me and I got most of my clients based in the capital. I know that Luxembourg can’t offer me any of it.

5. Has the move to the UK been positive? Or are there some horror stories about living in the nation’s capital?

It’s been very positive. Although 2 years ago my flat got broken into and they stole my laptop I feel very safe here. The people are incredible and I particularly love the vibrant live music scene. I can only speak for myself, but I felt at home right away. The city is very open-minded.

6. You say you like Indie music how wide is your music taste and does this music inspire you when designing work for clients? Is there a particular band/style of music you love to listen to when designing?

Music plays a major role in my design process. As soon as I start up my computer I open iTunes. I often design for bands so it helps to listen to their music while working on their projects. It allows me to grasp the essence of the job. While working on other projects I like listening to folk and Indie rock. Lately I’ve been listening a lot to Jose Gonzalez, Iron & Wine and Damien Rice.

7. How much of a role does blogging take in your average working week, is there a specific time of day/week that you set aside to work online? Or do you just play it as it goes?

I don’t have a specific blogging schedule. Whenever I come up with a new idea for an article I’ll write it down in my moleskin immediately and work on it as soon as I find time. The time spent on the blog varies depending on my workload and inspiration.

8. You signal in your bio; Scott Hansen and James White as your two favorite artists of all time, was there a particular piece of work or group of works which really turned you onto design and decided to study and eventually make it your career?

I love every single piece of design by these two artists and discover so many outstanding designers while researching new featured artists for the blog that it is impossible to pick a specific piece as turning point. Everything just added up and gradually I fell in love with design.

9. With such a successful site, do you have other people, which help you in its day-to-day workings? Or do you undertake most of the work yourself?

No I don’t. Fudge graphics is entirely run and managed by myself. Except for Alec Schmidt who has written a couple of guest articles including the very first tutorial published on the blog. By taking control of everything, including the areas I had no experience in, I gained invaluable knowledge. Sure it took longer to get the Wordpress theme up and running, but it helped broaden my design and development skills.

10. What software do you use the most as a designer and do you have a particular favorite, which can find you spend hours on end working with?

That would be Photoshop and Illustrator. Many of my designs start of in AI as simple geometric shapes. Once the main layout of the piece is done everything is imported into Photoshop where I tweak the colours and add textures to give it a more organic look. Apart from the Adobe Suite I am a big fan of Billings, which lets you track your time and send invoices. Last but not least I use iTunes every day. Music and design go hand in hand for me.

11. What would you do on your vacation time, if there was no list client to complete work for and a free calendar was all you could see?

In that case I would travel. I didn’t have a real holiday for some time, just lying on the beach and enjoying myself. Also many of my friends are spread all across Europe due to university so I would go visit them.

Fudgegraphics is Franz Jeitz, who is from Luxembourg and is currently located in London where he work’s as a freelance graphic designer. Fudgegraphics was born in April 2008 and can be described as a design inspirational blog. It is a source of freebies such as photoshop brushes, textures and vectors.

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Article written by Jared Thompson

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!