Karen McDade is from South Africa, her portfolio of work includes, web,print and experimental digital imaging. Established as a freelance communications designer she specialises in designing online and print media and has the opportunity to work with some major clients worldwide. Including clients in the United Kingdom, USA and in South Africa; she has worked and designed artwork for National Geographic, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet to name a few.
Visit Karen McDade’s Website Here
Find her DeviantART Profile Here
Follow Karen McDade On Twitter
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Recently i got the chance to exchange a few messages with Karen Mcdade and I hope you enjoy her responses, please don’t forget to comment at the bottom of this article.
1. What did you study at university/college and was there a specific reason you chose to study these areas?
I studied Communications Science and English as majors, as well as Philosophy and Psychology as minors at the University of South Africa. I was also fortunate enough to get a scholarship to study Communication Science and Philosophy at Charles University in Prague. My initial interest was in the advertising aspect of Communication Science and that slowly migrated to more of the design aspect of advertising. I now work exclusively in the graphic arts field. I had been learning to use Photoshop even before I started studying and for the most part, I’m an entirely self-taught graphic designer.
2. You have a great educational background and nine years of design experience behind you, has there been a situation in your learning (and working) which has made you step back and think this is something which I am going to remember for the rest of my life?
I remember being so excited the first time I saw one of my designs published in an established graphic arts magazine. That would be a moment I remember fondly.
3. Is there a particular piece of work or group of design works, which really made you, think id love to do what that person can do?
I occasionally see amazing art where I think to myself, “wow, I wish I had thought of that”. I try not to get too focused on any particular artist or style of art as I want to try focus on developing my own style. I think it’s important for artists to try hone their own artistic form so they can distinguish themselves from the masses of other designers out there.
4. You cite Deviantart as your favorite online community to showcase your work, what makes Deviantart stand out the most for you?
I like the ease of communicating with other artists in DeviantART and it’s a great platform for getting honest feedback about your work. The community is very engaging, much more so than some other portfolio sites out there.
5. What has been the worst experience in the design industry for you?
Not getting paid! lol, I’m a freelancer – it happens. I’ve also had my art ripped off and sold without my consent. Luckily neither of these two happens too often. I’ve also had my share of difficult clients and times where I’ve had creative blocks but that comes with the territory, so I can’t complain.
6. You have also had the privilege to work with big name companies such as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. How did these great jobs come about? Did you have one, which you think has been the most beneficial for you?
I get a lot of work through my website and one day I got an email from my site asking if I was interested in doing this kind of work. Having well-known brands can go along way to establishing your credibility as a designer, and especially as a freelancer. It’s good work if you can get it 
7. What software/hardware 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?
I use the standard Adobe packages, most notably Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. My hardware set up consists of an iMac connected to a MacBook Pro and a Cintiq. I can spend hours doodling around in Photoshop on the Cintiq – it’s such a natural and intuitive tool for creating designs.
8. Do you think you can ever truly switch off as a designer, or do you find yourself thinking of the next idea all the time?
Hmmm…. well I think it’s good if you can switch off as a designer and give your brain a break. Whether that actually happens or not is another story. I can be arbitrarily standing in a queue in a shopping centre, staring at magazine covers – not necessarily reading the text, but trying to suss out how well the retoucher managed to retain the textures on the models skin. I also carry a small cybershot camera around with me in case I spot a great texture somewhere, or see a clever design I want to remember. That said, I think it’s good if you have other interests and hobbies. Diversifying yourself can only make you a more original artist.
9. Which people in the social media community (such as twitter) do you find the most useful and great points of reference when in need of inspiration or to source an opinion from?
I have lots of great contacts on Twitter who are full of useful information. A few of my favorites are @robertoblake @Designely @DavidCousens @JThompsondesign @designblend @FeryKloucek @TipSquirrel @Minervity @An1ken and @designthatrocks… I can go on, but we’ll be here all day.
10. If you had no clients to please and no work in your to-do pile, what would you do with all that free time?
I would work anyway. I like working. I would do free designs for charities and small start-ups that need corporate ID’s but couldn’t really afford it. I would also create cool-looking graphics for my fiancé – he’s a programmer and creates awesome games in his spare time. His latest project is an open source online MMO-style pseudo-hacking game ([link]). That one is going to be fun to design. 
It’s been brilliant to get a response from such a great artist as Karen McDade, I have been a fan of her work for a while now. No doubt I will continue to be so in the future and would like to thank her immensely for her time and input. Especially under such a large workload and other problems!
Thanks Karen, hope everyone has enjoyed this interview.
Don’t Forget To Leave Your comments below!
Article written by Jared Thompson
Head writer of Design Something Blog, currently studying Product design at the University of Central Lancashire in his final year. He has interest in minimal, clean and simplistic design styles.
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Article written by Jared Thompson
