Design Something.

Kadeem Montgomery was born and raised in Greater Portmore, Jamaica.

He describes his interests of design and art from:

“Always loved anything to do with art and I was always seen drawing cartoons at a young age.”

Check him on Flickr Here

Check him on DeviantART Here

Check him on Behance Here

Find his Personal site on Tumblr Here

1.  You have a varied educational background, what was your first taste of art & design when growing up in education, what (and where) first lead you to study art & design?

Living in Jamaica I began drawing at a young age coming home from school drawing anime such as Dragonball-z I loved that show. I did a art in high school but it did not work out because of the teacher and the school I guess I wasn’t inspired by my surrounding. It wasn’t until I left school in 2007 that i found out about Photoshop and began to experiment with it trying out new stuff and teaching myself various techniques. During that time I also did cape art and design in which I got a grade one (1)  for some creative work in also 3d design and sculpting.

2.  You have many accounts on various design and social networking sites, which do you find most useful and why?

Well right now I would say Behance because a lot of creative directors and freelance designers are there, that give great feedback and sometimes tell others about your work

3.  Which communities (such as twitter) have you turned to when you need advice or feedback on designs, do you turn to particular people for this feedback? Are there any people you have built up a relationship which you would recommend?

Well I recently been chatting with Kevin Williams on DA where he is known as Methodologi.
He lives here in Jamaica and has given me some good advice, his work is amazing and some time in the future I hope to be as professional as he is in his work.

4.  What has been the worse experience since being a working designer?

I’d have to say working on my Myspace learning to read css and flash. Another experience is dealing with cheap clients I know everyone has one of them.

5.  If you had a closed client book and an indefinite amount of time for vacation or free time, what would you spend this time doing? Is there anything you have a great ambition to do in the future?

Well i would definitely go play football that’s all I did before I started to do graphic design probably tryout for Manchester United. But in the future I hope to have my own studio and be that go to guy that everyone wants to do there graphic and promotional work

Which is your favourite piece of Kareem’s work? Do you like his style? What other artists inspire you?

You may be interested in the following Interviews and related articles as well:

Inside the Mind of An Expert: Karen Mcdade – Freelance Online and Print Media Designer

Designers In Profile: Jared Nickerson

Please 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.

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Will Christmas and New Years all happening in what if often a hectic time of year, many of us wake up in the afternoon of the first day of a new year and tell ourselves we won’t drink again, or we will go to the gym at least one a week for that year. But do any of us actually stick to these resolutions?

In the design community we are a different bunch of people and interesting eclectic mix of personalities. I wanted to see what the design community thought of being their New Years Resolutions, whether design related or otherwise. I want to say a big thank you to those people who responded to my messages and I look forward to any responses made in the comments below!

You may be interested in the following related articles as well:

What are Designers Thankful for this Thanksgiving?

My New Year Resolution for 2010 is …

bkmacdaddy: Web and graphic designer

I resolved many years ago to not make new year’s resolutions but instead to strive to continually improve, grow, learn and give.

crflores84: A rising designer trying to find my footing

I’d love to see the widespread popularity of minimalism with the simultaneous death of clutter and disorganization.

FredzGraphics: Freelance artsy dude

I haven’t given it much thought to be honest but I guess it would be to either take some courses or go to school to learn graphic design. =)

designthatrocks: Creative Director for Design That Rocks

My design resolution for this year is to do more creative/inspiring things in my life. This year was thin on concerts and events, which greatly inspire me to be and think more creatively, so this year I am going to attend more shows and events!

McConnellDesign: Web, print, brand design studio

Our design resolution this year will be expanding our blog audience and client base through awesome posts and great design!

gaksdesigns: Freelance Graphic Designer, Illustrator

My new years resolution for 2010 would be, to put out more personal work, better management of my time and to finally get my site/sites up and running.

sarahspooner1: Trainee designer, interested in logo design, illustration and digital art.

My design new years resolution will be to create my own website so that all my work is in one place.

mistygirlph: Graphics/avatar design, blogger.

To be able to make more designs and try to influence more people to bring out their creativity in a medium that they love

kalstudio: Designer. design & architecture affectionado.

To learn a new design app or something related; to schedule some time each week to draw or sew.

trudesign: Graphic, logo, web designer from VA(NY).

2010 will be an iconic year. More color, more design, more awesome than ever before. Take my skills to the next level. I resolve to develop my color use, continue to learn and hone my design skills, and increase my involvement in the community at large.

designshard: Lover of Typography, Web Design, CSS, XHTML , Illustration, Rock Music.

Try to make the best designs out of the the worst possible assets and not settle for anything less.

noellebydesign: Long time Graphic Designer/Visual Artist.

hhhmmm…. design resolutions? To continue acquiring knowledge and transitioning my Graphic Design degree into Interior Design.

francoispham: French graphic designer and illustrator. Games, music, manga, football, cinema, photos and drawing. PC user for now.

For 2010, I would like to experiment new ways about webdesign. I want to finish the next blog about stories and illustrations to, aswell as draw, draw, draw.

robertoblake: Ever since I was young I always knew I wanted to become a visual artist. Learning about Photoshop put me on the path to achieving that dream.

I think getting featured in more publications is one of my resolutions, and finding a cause I can put my designs behind would be the other.

mathewballard: Graphic designer, amateur photographer & random person.

That one is easy. To get my new website launched and get more freelance gigs then I did for 2009. Also, to become a stronger programmer.

nymphont: Dweeb. font geek. freelance designer. single mommie.

Personally my new years resolution for design is to start using my domain (nymphont.com) and to stop procrastinating on design projects.

myinkblog: I am a designer, blogger, twitter’er, wordpress’er, silverstripe advocate, blessed father and husband.

Improve the usability of the sites that I create and write better code.

GraceSmith: A 26 year old Freelance Web and Graphic Designer in ♥ with web standards and social media. An unashamed Apple Fangirl.

As a designer it would be to spend more time creating and developing my own projects and work with a wider range of talented designers and developers. Outside of design, I would like to focus on becoming a better photographer, as this summer I bought my first DSLR – a Canon 350D. I want to keep progressing and learning in all aspects of photography as it’s something I have developed a real passion for.

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

You may be interested in the following Interviews and related articles as well:

Interview With Creator of Nymphont!

Interview With Creator of FudgeGraphics!

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.

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Check out his Design Portfolio here!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed for the best in design blog posts every week of the year!

Tareq is a web / motion/ graphic designer who has been working in design since 2002, he has a high level of experience with the Adobe Suite programs as well as cinema 4d. He has also been featured on great sites such as Abduzeedo and DeviantART. I found his work over on the Behance network.

His Behance network profile is here,

His Personal Website can be found here.

His typography inspired designs and amazing illustrations are what make design as appealing and inspirational each and every day. Take 5 minutes to look at his work and be inspired for the rest of your day.

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.

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Check out his Design Portfolio here!

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS Feed for the best in design blog posts every week of the year!

Daniel is a Bolton born designer, but soon outgrew his small beginnings to work in the big city of London. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, Daniel did spend a small amount of time in the US working at the famous Walker Art Center. But bigger things were ahead for him back in the Nation’s capital, when back in London he launched foundation 33. This has since merged to become the creative agency we know as boymeetsgirl. In recent years Daniel has turned to working under the banner of Eatock ltd, which he continues to work for today.

You may not immediately think you know any of Daniel Eatock’s work but I’m sure you have gazed your eyes upon his work in some form or another. His work has been for many big name clients from The New York times to Channel 4, but the bulk of his work he creates is self initiated. The work evolves from being a small self initiated brief onto his website and then spreading onto being featured in gallery exhibitions.

The first works of Daniel Eatock you may not know about is that he has designed the big brother logo’s, and I think they are great how they developed and evolved over the many he has done. Each time he has come back to redesign the same premise of the single eye, he has made the design new and fresh giving it a great edge each time.

His other projects which are often self initiated are often completely left field and are something you can often look at and wonder why the hell he has decided to further this idea. But in a weird way these are the ideas and projects I love the most. He thinks completely out of the box and don’t forget that these projects more often than not appear as exhibits in galleries worldwide.

A great book Daniel Eatock has created is called “imprint” this is the first monograph of his work, the book chronicles the personal and commercial projects he has worked on. The projects blur between the bizarre and the commercial, and are a great chronicling of his portfolio of work. The book has a very scattered nature which reflects his website as well, but all has been carefully put together by the man himself. The book chronicles small events like pictures of the week large scale projects involving thousands of people. Each book created also in accordance with its title contains a person thumbprint from the man himself, could he be more personal?

Article written by Jared Thompson

Follow Jared (@Jthompsondesign) on twitter!

Resources:

• Daniel Eatock’s Website
• Design Boom Interview
• Icon Eye Article
• Beautiful Decay Article
• One Friday Article
• Youtube Video
• Cool hunting Article