What Do You Look For in a Designer?: Jason Bacon, UNKL / Big-Giant
Enter a caption (optional)Jason is co-founder with Derek Welch of urban vinyl supergroup UNKL, as well as the design consultancy Big-Giant. From their base in Portland, Oregon, UNKL has created some of the most celebrated characters in the urban vinyl genre, including UniPo,HazMaPo, and Sug, while Big-Giant has created print, identity and packaging for clients ranging from Lego and Sega to Starbucks and the U.S. Olympics.
1. What do you look for when hiring a designer?
Balance and diversity. Obviously the work has to be great, but so often we meet designers who are very one-dimensional, and don't have the ability to talk about their work or sell themselves. In the end, being a designer is about selling your ideas, whether you are selling your ideas to clients, your peers internally, or to a creative director.
If I had to pick between someone who is an unbelievable designer but can't interact with people or talk about their work, and a designer who is good, but incredible with people and can sell, I'd pick the latter. In the end the work needs to be absolutely solid; however in a studio our size we need a highly versatile staff, and because we spend so much time together, chemistry is very high on the list.
2. Is there a particular "tell" that signals a good or bad fit?
I think the biggest tell for a bad fit is when a designer piles on a ton of excuses while running us through their work, or frames up a project with a comment about how bad or difficult the client was, or how stupid the project itself was. It happens a lot more than it should. I think you can identify challenges within a project, but good designers know how to turn negatives into positives. Sometimes limitations can be a blessing, and showing you have the ability to turn a less than ideal situation into a success is very valuable. We often see people showing work that they don't believe in, only because it was produced. I'm impressed with people who show that work and then follow it up with what their ideas are.
As for a good fit, I love it when people show us personal work. I enjoy seeing who they are as a designer beyond work, and how passionate they are about a creative endeavor that is simply a labor of love. It shows me that they are more than a nine to five designer. We always say that if you are truly a designer it's who you are, not what you do.
Our studio encourages all of our designers to take time at work to create for themselves. It keeps everyone fresh and ultimately it shows up in the work. Some of the coolest work I've seen has been personal. They had a great idea and created something completely amazing because they had to get it out of their head, and it takes a different level of dedication to follow through on a personal project.
3. What is your best interview "horror story"?
I don't know that there is one that stands out, but there have been a few interesting characters roll though. One of my favorites was the person who never opened their eyes except when they looked away; little tough to connect with them. There have been a few interviews where the designer trash-talked every teacher, client and former employer: those make for short interviews. I think the hardest interviews are when the person looks like they are about to collapse from nerves. They're sweating, shaking and have their hopes and dreams pinned on becoming a designer. That is hard to watch because I'm pulling for everyone.
4. Do you have any specific advice for recent graduates, or people just starting straight out from school?
Keep creating. Expand on your good ideas and improve on the work that isn't up to par. Never stop improving your work and then share it with everyone you can. Get their thoughts on your work. Gauge their reactions. Sharing helps refine the work, but it's also important because word of mouth is very powerful.
The other thing is that getting a foot in the door of someplace you'd like to be is ridiculously valuable. If you have to take the crappiest job they have to offer, it's worth it; everyone that I know who is successful started at the bottom. There's nothing better than paying your dues to get the respect of others, as well as fully understanding the entire food chain in the creative world. It's important however to make your intentions known so that you don't get pigeonholed. Then follow that up with some very hard work. You'll learn a ton and probably meet the people that unlock the next door for you.
5. What is the single, most valuable piece of advice you could give to those on the hunt?
Be prepared. Know what you want to say about your work beyond the basic project description. When someone is interviewing they should think of it as a client presentation. If they struggle showing their work to us, then they will probably struggle when presenting to one of our clients or to our internal team. If you feel great about what you have to offer because it is as good as it can possibly be, you have thought through every detail and are ready to talk about any aspect of your work, you can't go wrong. That confidence will come through and make it much viable to hire you.
6. Regarding creative employment, what do you know now that you wished you knew then?
People want you to do well and they want to hire great people. Every interview I've helped conduct for my own business, or in other positions I've held, we always walk into it hoping to be blown away. It makes your day when you are and disappoints you when aren't. When you impress someone you might not open the door at that very moment, but down the road a new opportunity may present itself. In addition, it's often such a small, interconnected community that you may have opened a door somewhere else.
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