After reading their interview at Fuel, I was inspired to get in touch with the guys behind Drifting Creatives and have my own interview. They’re on a design tour from city to city, meeting designers, and working with small businesses who don’t have a huge budget to work with bigger firms. Did I mention they’re fresh out of school? Check it out:
I know you guys both just graduated from Texas A&M, aside from that what is/are your background(s) as designers? Did you enroll knowing you would major in design, or was it just by chance?
Gavin: I went to Texas A&M because I thought I wanted to design video games. Then I spent a semester in Duesseldorf, Germany. I traveled all over Europe and soaked up tons of incredible art and design. I think studying abroad shifted my life a bit and maybe focused my interests a little more. When I came back to the states, I joined AIGA, found the library, started going to design lectures/conferences and got a ton of help from a really great professor (Donna Hajash). Later on I interned at a local marketing firm and continued to do some freelance work.
Martin: My family is full of artists and I have always had a passion for art. So I went to Texas A&M knowing that I wanted to do something with art or design. I worked at a few firms while in school and was lucky enough to work at Always Creative (a local design firm) for a while. Those guys are constantly pushing me and really helped me to fall in love with design.
What designers/agencies/creatives do you guys look up to?
Martin – Eduardo Recife, The Decoder Ring, Pentagram, Collision Theory, Jeff Finely, Sons of Nero
Gavin – One Fast Buffalo, KarlssonWilker, Mason Baronet, Shy the Sun, David Carson, Dirk Fowler, Nicholas Di Genova, Brad Eastman
I just finished reading NEVER SLEEP, a book by the guys behind dress code (http://www.dresscodeny.com/). They have been working as a team more or less since art school. Do you think your partnership has made you guys stronger as designers? Why, or why not? Do you plan to continue to work together after your Drifting Creatives tour?
Design is fun. Collaboration is way more fun, which is why we so want this to be an interactive experience for everyone. This is about connecting with people along the way, sharing experiences and learning as much as possible. Working together has really helped us grow. We have similar styles, but they are different enough that we tend to push each other to think in new ways. Our goal is to travel as “drifting creatives” as long as possible and then start our own firm.
How long do you plan to drift?
We don’t really know, which is part of the excitement. Basically as long as we can get support from the design community, we can keep on drifting and helping whoever will let us.
This is an awesome time to try and reach out and help small businesses, how have you guys approached trying to find clients? Is it a day by day process or do you have clients already lined up for each city you plan to visit?
It is definitely a learning process and we are still in the beginning stages. We first started thinking door-to-door would be a great way to make some personal contacts. Fail. We are now at a point where we basically cold call small businesses before we get to the city. Part of the problem is convincing owners that although we might sound like solicitors, it is really a great opportunity for them to get some design work for cheap. We’ve had a ton of help from friends, networking on twitter/facebook and our sponsors, Fuel Brand Group and Desired Hearts. St. Louis rocks, we are headed there next and we’ve had some great responses. Looks like we are going to be real busy while we are there.
It seems like in the last few months my fellow classmates and I have heard nothing but pessimistic news about life after school, it’s really inspiring that you guys have ‘created your own way’ rather than listening to all the hype. How have some of your classmates fared in this job market? Any specific stories you’d like to share
A few of our friends have found some part-time work, a couple were lucky enough to find full-time work. The rest are going back for another round of school.
What has been the most unexpected moment of your adventure thus-far?
When we were planning for Texarkana, AR we started cold-calling restaurants. We landed a job on the third call. Crazy lucky and super unexpected.
What has been the most memorable?
This experiment is really just getting started but it has been one crazy rush after another. We really haven’t had time to process anything.
What is the best advice you could give to aspiring designers/creatives
Martin – Think epic! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Design is about doing something new.
Gavin – Brutally take advantage of your library.
A big thanks to Martin and Gavin for taking time out to answer a few questions. If you are interested in following their tour, or getting in touch about hosting them in your city, visit their website; driftingcreatives.com.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Cathy // Jun 3, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I’m Martin’s mom. I’m so proud of him (and Gavin), not only for the talent they have, but for their guts to go out and give this thing a shot. He’s always been an independent thinker and that’s sometimes hard for a mom to take, but I know he will be a success at anything he does. He’s a hard worker, responsible, and kind in addition to being creative. Way to go guys!
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Can I just say that this is the cutest and my most favorite comment I’ve ever received on the blog? Positivity is inspiring!
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2 Ytalo // Jun 12, 2009 at 1:39 am
Hey guys… you inspire people… so keep on with the blog… and hi from an AIGA aggie!
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