Mariah Nissenson interviews Jane Wong
Q: What subfield of graphic design do you work in?
A: Most of the graphic design work I do is pretty minimal but all leads towards content creation and for the purposes of social media.
Q: By content creation what do you mean?
A: I’m creating graphics in Canva to be posted; things like upcoming events I’m taking all that information and putting it into some sort of infographic. Some other graphic design materials could be on pagers like flyers or different organizations as well.
Q: Were you in between any other majors and what was the final piece that pushed you towards graphic design?
A: So I actually wasn't a graphic design major at all in college. I ended up doing a lot of different Communications internships in college and I picked up graphic design skills along the way and just kind of kept that going.
Q: Have you built a portfolio?
I have a short portfolio that sometimes I will send to clients if they’d like me to see a certain thing but because graphic design is not my full-time job I'm not really trying to promote a certain thing as my work or something like that.
Q: What projects or skill sets would you say you're most recognized for in terms of graphic design?
A: I’m most known for incorporating different themes and messaging quite well. So in graphic design it's not only the copy like the text that needs to be in certain things but also, you know, how can I through different imagery, different color, different shapes target a certain audience make that feel heard, make my messaging seem more professional, more community-oriented, and other things like that.
A: How would you say you try to target an audience? What are some techniques you use?
I’ll try to use things that I know that this specific audience is interested in. For example, if it would be a soccer based audience I would use phrasing that I know is common in that realm. I would use colors pertaining to a team popular in that area, you know, more subliminal messaging.
Q: What are some of the projects that you have most enjoyed?
A: I would say one of the projects I most enjoyed is some of the stuff that I'm actually doing for CPP (Colombia Pike Partnership) has been a whole different redesign of just the logo, the graphics, the entire look of the organization. So getting to implement something completely fresh and with a lot of different elements to be used in those is always a lot of fun to just be like I have all of these options to play with.
Q: How do you simplify designs so they communicate exactly what you want to say?
A: I'm always starting with everything that I want possible. Like multiple drafts, I throw in everything that I can and then continue to take away things and ask for feedback from someone who isn't my direct supervisor but someone on my team and see if they can still get what I’m trying to say and continue to take away until it's just the right amount.
Q: What have you noticed that sets graphic designers apart from each other?
A: I would say everyone has a different individual style just based on how they think and how they create. You can see different influences depending on where people grew up if there's a certain time period there more in tune too, like a certain vibe. Some graphic designers I've met are definitely more grunge or doing a new american style or using a lot of very specific shapes that I would say pertain to aesthetics different than mine, similar to fashion with a lot of trends that come and go.
Q How do you approach the design process?
A: Similar to what we were talking about before, it's everything possible. I often find myself making different mood boards or just taking, before a really big project or campaign I’m about to start, a couple of days to brainstorm in a few different ways by journaling, brainstorm by doodling, brainstorm by looking online at other examples, and then when I feel I have the most information possible starting at a very maximalist approach and then going from there.
Q: Have you used illustrations in graphic design?
A: I have before for my personal work, not necessarily for clients. It's mostly, in the platform that I’m using, pregenerated or part of our brand kit already and then manipulating those images to make sure that everything stays stream lined.
Q: Are the clients open to building new illustrations?
A: It kind of depends. It depends on who the client is. If the client is someone who has a very specific and known brand like they're already known for certain things there's not a lot of room for me to be creative versus a newer organization or an organization who has claimed that they already need a lot of help are more likely to want my specific ideas.
Q: What might lead to a revamp of a logo?
A: It could be a lot of different things. It could be that the logo has been around for a long time and is outdated, or it's no longer speaking to audiences. I feel like the most popular commentary for an organization or company is the people that they serve, their audience, will start to make comments and then it will be like time for a new brand design. Or new leadership in an organization is common to want a new brand redesign as well.
Q: How would you work with a team to make sure you’re addressing all points of a logo or another project?
A: I love working in a team especially when we're all doing similar work because there is always something that I am missing that someone else has a really great idea for because graphic design relies so much on the creative process. It's very interesting. That's why when I say take a maximalist approach I put down every idea and then some teammate will say, “I have that same idea, I think looking at this would be really great.” And then I feel assured to go in that direction.
Q: Would you say the work in graphic design is more collaborative or independent?
A: I prefer to work in a collaborative environment. I think that it really depends. So for me I work as a marketing contractor, it's freelance so I’m typically working by myself because I’m selling just me to other clients on a project by project basis versus if you were to work at a graphic design firm or doing graphic design full time then it's more a group dynamic.
Q: As a freelancer how do you make sure you're heard above other freelancers trying to get similar jobs?
A: It's really just conveying what you have to offer to the project and it's hard because when you're interviewing you don't want to give away your ideas for free before you get hired. It's trying to strike that perfect balance and almost selling the client on myself first and my designs thereafter.
Q: Do you show your designs while you're interviewing?
A: It kind of just depends on what it is. Even right now my projects I'm not hired specifically as a graphic designer I'm hired for marketing which umbrellas that. So I pretty much talk about the types of things I’ve made in the past for other clients and other projects that I’ve done and thats usually sufficient for the level of work that I advertise I can do.
Q: How do you make room for your thoughts and skills as part of a team while also ensuring your coworkers' work is depicted too?
A: Sometimes that can just show itself up by having a few different options for the client to choose from. I think that, especially when I’m starting a project and I’m unfamiliar with the client, unfamiliar with the brand, I’m sending a few different versions from something that might have been purely my idea, all my own individual vision, and then showing another draft similar to what they have been doing in the past and what I think is pretty straight forward with their brand. That's another opportunity to use what your teammates have suggested.
Q: Do you work with other designers separate from graphic design?
A: It depends on the project. For example, the things I do for CPP there is another marketing contractor with me. I actually started on the CPP project with her or working for her and now I work directly for CPP. But we still work together and I have a lot of respect for her and we work quite well together.
Q: What would you say your style is?
A: I would say it's very community centered. In my graphic design work I would say I'm always trying to spotlight people in the community, the direct audience, and trying to share their stories.
Q: As AI use increases, would you say there’s less job security in the field?
A: I feel that because of the nature of my work, marketing, I’m more worried about AI in different areas because I also do a lot of writing. I’m more worried about the writing aspect of my job versus any digital imagery. I think that question also pulls into your own personal beliefs. I think that AI is here to stay and designers that are able to spit out what is the true vision will have more sustainability in their jobs.
Q: How do you combine writing and images?
A: Sometimes for images, like in a post, the writing is purely in the caption. They are two very different entities and maybe the image is telling one set of information and the caption is going into more detail or a different sort of combination. Words within a graphic are a different set because again it's how much. They’re used very minimally. I think it really just depends.
Q: How do you see graphic designer abilities co-existing with technology and design?
A: I see technology just as a tool to amplify your own graphic design abilities. I think that as someone who didn't receive a ton of professional training in graphic design, and that's not something I necessarily studied, technology and other platforms, online resources, and other designers have been a great resource for help.
Q: Does graphic design go beyond branding?
A: Yes. Graphic design can range from logo to posters and printed designs, but when I think of graphic design it's everything online. Things going into a website, a webpage, things going on to social media, anything that people are seeing online.
Q: You mentioned printing, what are some examples?
A: Some examples are posters, recently for a client I had to design bookmarks because they are an education based organization. I mentioned earlier one-pagers so like flyers, those have a bit more text on it because they are trying to explain something too. I’ve done merchandising as well, designing merch for an organization that has a bit of graphic design on it depending on how intricate your work is.
Q: How do you go about having to replicate an idea for a client without any examples or guidance?
A: I feel like there is no answer to that. That is forever a long issue especially. Part of your job will always be trying to find out what the client is trying to articulate and that's why I said offering different options when you have the capacity, when you're just getting to know the brand, I found has been very helpful.
Q: What are some platforms that you use?
A: I use mostly Canva and Adobe.
Q: Would you say that other platforms are more used or beneficial than another?
A: I’m sure there are other platforms that offer more technical advancements, but for the level of work that I need to do and most of my clients, their audience is just the general community. It’s not a hyper specific that requires a higher sense of professionalism. I’m able to get away with just using those few things and to be quite honest I don’t need graphic design work to dominate what I do.
Q: How might you network in the graphic design field?
A: I think that's hard depending on if you're working full time for a firm versus freelancing. I would say, especially in the city or wherever you end up, there's always a lot of in person and online forums.
