Recently, Arbenting was lucky enough to twist Andrew Houle of My Ink Blog’s arm into doing an interview with us. We were so excited when he agreed that we immediately sat down and put together a list of ten questions that we felt were befitting this honor that Andrew had bestowed. His answers were nothing short of spectacular, and we are proud to present them to you, as our first ever online design interview.

Question 1 - Thank you so much for agreeing to the interview. When did you first realize that you wanted to work in design?

First off, thank you so much for the opportunity to do this interview, I’m quite flattered! I’m so amazed at the doors my blog has opened up to me. It’s been a joy to work along side and meet fellow designers like yourself. To answer your question, I really can’t pin point a time when I first realized I wanted to work in design. In high school I began to get a passion for traditional artwork. I really enjoyed sketching and working in oil paints. I also liked viewing the work of great artists. One of my all time favorites is M.C. Escher. His work is flat-out brilliant. I also loved to play around in whatever paint program I could get my hands on. In college I took some design classes, but my desire to truly study design began with a job at a fine arts gallery. That’s what afforded me the time and opportunity to surround myself in design; to learn and grow.

Question 2 - How much has the landscape changed since you first made the decision?

I think the biggest change is in the software and tools available. Going from Photoshop 5 (give or take a version) to the CS3 suite is night and day. As designers we have so many tools and resources right at our fingertips. Today we are only limited by our own creativity. Certainly, another big change is the progress of the internet. Getting help on just about any topic is just a quick Google search away. However, the great thing about design is that two designers can be handed the same project, with the same tools, but come up with two completely different designs. Our results are molded by our creativity, surroundings, and experience. It’s amazing how often I look back at my old designs and am discouraged by things I would do much differently today, now that I have more experience.

Inspirational Image by Andrew Houle

Question 3 - What are some of the positives you’ve seen from the community?

The design community is so uniquely helpful! I was always so skeptical of using social media sites. But the network of designers I’ve positioned myself with has opened up doors that simply would not have been available otherwise. It’s through these avenues, that I’m doing this interview. It’s also how I heard about my new job that I’m starting this week. The design community is really the only community that I can think of, that will go out of its way to help one another within a competitive field. Liam McKay of Function wrote an awesome guest post on MyInkBlog called “Why I Love the Design Community & Industry”. It’s a great post that really sums up how we all feel about the design community.

Question 4 - What are some of the negatives?

I really haven’t found too many. Whenever I need help on something I can usually find a post already written about it. Or, if I ask about it on Twitter, I usually get a response in a couple of minutes. The community as a whole is very talented and willing to help. The only negative I can come up with is the amount of time I invest in design related things. Sometimes it gets difficult to fit everything in.

Question 5 - What are some of the trends you see shaping the future of design?

With web design I think the future will be more and more interactivity. The improvement of modern browsers and the robust JavaScript libraries available are helping to make more sites dynamic and interactive. jQuery, Mootools, etc.. are making it easier for the average designer to build slick, feature-rich designs quicker. With graphic design, the tools and resources available are contributing to higher quality work. Advances in monitors, printing and color tools push these incredible designs.

Business Card Design by Andrew Houle

Question 6 - What are your hopes for the future of My Ink Blog?

Mainly, I want to continue growing and learning, both with my blog and personally. In the short term I have a bunch of plans to improve the look and functionality of the blog. If time permits, I may even implement a few Long-term, I’d love to become a full-time freelance designer and blogger.

Question 7 - Do you see a lot of promise coming out of the design blogosphere?

Absolutely! I learn something new everyday, just checking my reader and viewing my favorite sites. The more active the blogging community is, the more we can all benefit.

Question 8 - What would your average workday look like? (or rather…read-like?)

Right now, it’s crazy! I’m in a big transition period, trying to pack and finalize everything in order to move this week. Barring the craziness of the last few weeks, I ideally like to get up and grab a cup of coffee (my first of many). Then I check my feeds, email, and social sites. Next up, I plan out what I feel are the most important tasks of that day. I write a list and begin tackling as many items as possible. Of course, this is mixed in with a full-time job, family and friends, so all of these things make finding time very difficult. What I don’t get to that day, I try the next one

Poster Design by Andrew Houle

Question 9 - What do you think are the challenges that are holding the design community back?

I think you did a great job of alluding to some of the problems with your guest post on MyInkBlog entitled “Out of Touch or Setting Trends?”. Sometimes the design community as a whole (myself included) can get bogged down by following along with the current trends. It’s only by testing your limits that you can begin to produce unique and ground breaking ideas. However, this is not to suggest that we can’t learn from the designs around us. We are all inspired and can learn a great deal from other designers.

Question 10 - What kind of advice would you give to an up and coming designer looking to break out into the scene?

Don’t get into design field unless you have a genuine interest for it. If you are passionate about it, then success will come much easier. Never stop learning and pushing yourself to get better. Lastly, I’d say be patient and try to take criticism constructively. We all, at some point will have to handle rejection. If you can brush it off, and use the criticisms to your advantage, you will grow and improve.

Thanks again Angie for the opportunity!