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Interview with Monica Maccaux |
Home > Designer Interviews > Monica Maccaux |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Monica Maccaux (MM) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Monica Maccaux by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MM: I have always been artistic, since I was little and always knew I would be an artist in some shape or form some day. I was trying to decide where to go to college when i was in my Junior year of high school, and requested a bunch of catalogs from art schools in the USA. I received one from Pratt Institute, and was flipping through the catalog and landed on the Communications Design section. I knew this was what I wanted to do, as it was a balance of digital and analog, and I could convince my dad to pay for me to go to school for it. He never would've paid for me to go to school for Fine Arts, so I had to find something that fit the bill. I ended up going to school at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY for my undergrad BFA degree in Communications Design, Graphic Design. I later continued my studies at Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles, CA and received my MFA in Graphic Design. That is where I discovered type design, through the mentorship of Sibylle Hagmann and Greg Lindy and fell in love with the discipline.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MM: Blue Taco Design has a diverse client base ranging from small business owners to large corporations. I do work for Lawyers, Pharmaceutical Advertising Agencies, and small local clubs to name a few. My practice focuses on print, digital, and apparel design, along with the occasional font production work.
FS: What is "design" for you?
MM: Design is solving problems- figuring out the best approach and solution to a clients needs or desires.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MM: I really enjoy package design, apparel design, and designing typefaces.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MM: My most favorite design (as of late) is probably the cycling kit I designed for the 2016 Colavita Women's Cycling Team in Las Vegas, NV. I used bright colors, so that the girls would stand out on their bikes while out cycling in traffic. The design has patterns that elicit dried pasta (spaghetti), and also incorporates bold color and shapes, along with the signature 'long pony tail' that a lot of the girls on the team have that sticks out under their helmets while riding.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MM: It was probably a logo, along with an advertisement, but it has been many years, so I am probably not quite accurate.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MM: Apparel, and anything 3D/packaging/apparel. It's fun to be able to design 2D, then see the item come to life while someone is wearing your design around town.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
MM: When I am the most busy, and have a lot going on. When I have a lot of time, with no deadlines I find it hard to get motivated.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MM: The technical/output side of things usually, and then I work backward. The concept is very important, as well as looking at other work that exists for inspiration.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MM: I am pretty happy when I am designing, and it's a great feeling when the client likes what you did. I am proud when someone wears one of my designs (in a t-shirt, cycling jersey, swim suit, etc) and they say they love the piece of clothing and the design.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MM: I feel very accomplished.
FS: What makes a design successful?
MM: It communicates to the end-user in a clear and concise way.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MM: Legibility, usability, practicality, feasibility. And, does it fit the subject matter?
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MM: The role of the designer for society and the environment are that of responsibility for the impact of the design, good, bad, or neutral, as well as how it impacts the environment- paper waste, soy inks, etc. If a designer can design a piece or product using less paper or materials, or using recycled paper, then they should take the initiative.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MM: The future of design will be all-encompassing campaigns, which are fluid and can operate on multiple platforms and reach different cultures, income brackets, and technological skills. It will be based off of real-time user-feedback, and modified and customized to the users' needs.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MM: Grad school, August 2012. I don't exhibit much, but do participate in award competitions, and have a few of those planned for the upcoming 2018-2019 year.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MM: Design inspiration comes from the world around me- weather, plants, the sky, shapes of clouds, being out in nature. I stay creative by not giving myself any boundaries or pressure when coming up with a new concept or idea.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MM: My design style is clean, clear, and whimsical at times. I try to balance the imperfections of life in my illustrations, while still keeping a clean graphic style. I like Swiss design, and try to follow their principles of using grids, simple color palettes, and clean easy-to-read typography.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MM: I live in Reno, Nevada, USA. I am inspired by the surrounding mountains and Lake Tahoe area, which has a huge beautiful blue lake surrounded by the majestic high sierra mountains, which have greens, blues, and whites when there is snow. The wildlife and nature are big inspiration for me. Some pros to living in the USA are the many famous graphic designers who live here, and who inspire me. There are also different design styles (east coast versus west coast) which are fun to explore and compare/contrast. The cons of being in the USA are that the government isn't very supportive of the arts, like other European countries (for example, Holland) so it is hard to get grants and support if you are on your own- you have to follow a business model, get clients, and do the work. There isn't as much time for exploration or experimentation b/c of this.
FS: How do you work with companies?
MM: I am very good at communication, and getting work to my clients in a reasonable time. I listen, I advise, and I synthesize their requests and try to do what they want, and also something they might not expect. This has worked well for me.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MM: Communicate as best you can the timelines, deadlines, exact needs and wants, and be clear about payment and the best modes of communication. Anything can be solved with good communication, and clear instructions.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MM: Sketching, digitizing, playing, many versions, edit, boil down to 3 options.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MM: 1. LG 36" curved monitor 2. Wacom tablet 3. Apple ipad/Apple pen 4. Suunto Sport Ambit watch 5. Go Pro
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
MM: Wake up, take out my dogs for a walk, check email, go to campus to meet with students, teach a couple classes, answer emails, do client work, do admin work, work on grants, work on curriculum development, program development, take dogs out a few more times, go to bed.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MM: Work hard, be humble. Earn your stripes- there is no skipping the line when it comes to Graphic Design skills and learning to become a professional designer. Start from the bottom, and work your way up. Learn as much as you can, be open for criticism and try to push yourself creatively.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MM: No negatives. So many positives- you get to do what you love, and earn a living from it. Keep learning and growing throughout your career, and you can always learn something new- esp with the changing technology.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MM: Does it communicate clearly? If not, then try something else. Variations are key, keep exploring.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
MM: A little bit of technical, plus a lot of creative, and a little bit of business knowledge is a good balance. Being fluid, agile, and easy to change gears or ideas quickly.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MM: Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat), FontLab Studio 6, Glyphs. Microsoft Excel, Word, and some PowerPoint. I refer to many designer books- Paul Rand, Michael Beirut, Paula Scher, Tibor Kalman, David Carson.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MM: I try to work within a certain time frame, take breaks, and try to be efficient by reviewing the notes about what the client wanted, and also go back and clarify anything that wasn't clear before starting the work. If it isn't clear from the beginning, then it's hard to be efficient with time management moving forward.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MM: It depends on the timeline. Sometimes it can be done in 1 day (a logo for example), other times it can take years (a typeface, for example). It just depends on the deadline, budget, and if it is self-driven, how much time I can devote to personal projects.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MM: How much to charge for client work. This is an un-answerable question in my book, as it totally depends on the clients' budget, timeline, and business size. It's like asking how much a flight from New York to Los Angeles is on any given day. It varies with time, service, airline, stops, etc.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
MM: Learning on the job in design and advertising agencies. Working with other team members, in small, medium and large shops was invaluable experience. Working 24 hour shifts in advertising, and seeing the process that happens to make a pitch come together with presentation boards, look book, etc. Teamwork. Working in different cities, in different types of firms on different clients.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
MM: Age of Learning (Los Angeles), Crimes of Beauty (Las Vegas), Colavita Women's Cycling Team (Las Vegas), Chesini (Verona, Italy), Glue Advertising (New York), TedxUniversityofNevada (Reno), Donner Lake Swim (Reno), Harvard Westlake School (Los Angeles), Autism Care West (Las Vegas).
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MM: Package design, and typeface development. I love 3D design, and being able to see it in form when it is finished- either as a package, or as apparel that someone is wearing. I also love typeface design, as it is technical, but also creative at the same time, and I am designing what language looks like, which is pretty interesting.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MM: Continue building a Graphic Design Major at the University of Nevada, Reno. Design more typefaces. Write papers about type, and typeface design. Speak at conferences. Travel and get inspired by other countries.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MM: I mostly work on my own. Occasionally I have a lot of client or team involvement, but mostly I am on my own.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MM: I am currently working on a grant for an initiative I would like to implement in downtown Reno, NV. It focuses on raising awareness for people to clean up pet waste, and be responsible for their pet and take care of the surrounding parks, sidewalks, and public spaces.
FS: How can people contact you?
MM: Email, phone, or by post.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
MM: I think this pretty much covers it! Any other questions, please get in touch!
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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