Interview with Grace Smith

To start things off, would you introduce yourself and tell everyone what you do?

Sure, i am a 26 year old web designer and owner of a small but perfectly formed studio called Postscript5 based in Northern Ireland. I work with individuals and companies based in mainly in the UK and USA on a diverse range of projects from branding and blog design to application UI’s. I am also involved in several personal projects including CSS Loaf (cssloaf.com) and Theme Thursday (themethursday.co.uk) as well as writing on my design focused blog at gracesmith.co.uk

What does a typical day for you look like?

I usually plan my tasks each evening (using TaskPaper) for the next day, this enables me to evaluate exactly what i need to accomplish and means i have a clear picture of how my day will look. I find it helps keep me focused and efficient. A typical day means having breakfast and a read through my RSS Feeds (in Google Reader) and morning news at 8am. I also use this time to go through my emails so I’m ready to start work around 9. I work through my prioritised tasks until around 10.30 when i have a morning break (at least one cup of tea is involved in this!) I also use this time to return phone calls or contact clients. I work through to 1pm when i stop for lunch and then finish at 4.30pm. I usually leave the office for lunch and meet with friends/family as i feel it helps re-fuel my creative energy for the afternoon. I finish earlier than most because i like to take 20/30 minutes to plan my next day, prepare invoices and generally tie up any loose ends from the day’s work. My work throughout the day is usually a combination of design and development work (in Photoshop/Coda/Mamp etc) mixed with communications, for example in Skype and Basecamp. This is a typical day but of course every day is different, as i do consulting work i may be out of the office for most of the day or there may be client meetings scheduled throughout the day but it serves as general overview of my day to day routine. In the evening i would spend time on my own blog, writing posts and brainstorming for future posts/series. Of course, I would also be on Twitter as it’s an amazing resource for creatives and I have some great tweeps who I chat with. I try to keep both the evenings and weekends free of any work related activites and use my time on personal projects instead as I find it’s important to set work boundaries and keep a good work/life balance.

What do you find allows you to be most productive?

In two words – Space and Apple. The freedom of my office space in the comfort of my own home is one of the main aspects that I find allow me to be productive. Alongside this are my iMac and Macbook which are set up to suit my creative process and workflow. Apple products power the hub of my business and I find using them has increased my productivity and efficiency since switching from a PC over 2 years ago.

Is there any particular setting, creative enhancing techniques, you have to help you get in your element?

In terms of techniques I find using my Moleskine to begin most projects helps get me into the creative flow. I start by jotting down the main points and goals of a project and continue using my Moleskine throughout the early stages of a project to brainstorm and ultimately sketch out the actual UI [User Interface] of a design. I’m a Moleskine junkie but really it could be any notepad (fellow Moleskiners you didn’t see me write that), it’s the physical act of putting pen to paper that i find allows me to experiment and think outside the box than if i were just typing on a keyboard. What do you most enjoy about design? A combination of the challenges and possibilities. Each design is a culimation of research, conversations and experiments and while the design process may be similar on projects, the outcome is always different. Each design brings its own set of challenges and end goals and as designers we take linear information and create an interface that aims to overcome these challenges and reach the goals set out at the beginning. It’s the mixture of the two that i find exciting and enjoyable.

When you started to design, what was the hardest obstacle to overcome? How did you overcome it?

Personally it was confidence in my own abilities. I had a love for art and design from a young age and always felt I had a good sense of aesthetics, but when I was beginning to think of freelancing I reasoned no-one would be willing to work with an unknown designer like myself. Being involved in a printing company straight after university definitely helped build my confidence and within a year I felt confident enough to launch my own site and business. Working within a team, taking myself out of my comfort zone and being around clients is how I overcame my lack of confidence. Being able to express your thoughts and ideas is half the battle, having confidence in what you are saying is the other half! I’ve reached a point over the last few years where i am very comfortable with the skills and knowledge I possess although I continually try to further myself in each of these areas.

Do you have any recommendations for freelance designers just starting out or that may find themselves stuck in a rut?

For designers just beginning their career, having a solid portfolio is essential. Either work on a reduced fee basis with local charities or businesses to build your portfolio or create your own briefs to show what your capable of to potential clients. The next step is to become involved in the local business and creative community, attend networking events, making sure you have business cards of course! Immerse yourself in the online community through sites such as twitter, industry blogs (for example freelanceswitch.com) and forums. Focus on creating a reputable and accessible brand. Don’t forget to constantly improve your skills and knowledge and keep reaching out to meet new people and build your brand and client base. For designers stuck in a rut, it’s important to free yourself creatively. This could mean taking on a completely different type of project than you’re used to or taking up a new creative hobby, for example photography or painting, whatever will ignite the passion you have for design or art. Spending time with other freelancers and designers is a huge help in this. You can bounce ideas off one another, talk through your situation and get advice and support.

Final question, what one thing would you say inspires you and your work the most?

In one word: life. It’s hard to pinpoint one exact thing that keeps me inspired, it’s a combination of my whole environment as well as the people around me. Although I should mention that I’m hugely into photography at the moment, having just purchased my first DSLR recently and find going on photo walks and spending time with other photographers to be truely inspiring.

Thank  you Grace for your insight and helpfulness! I’m sure this was helpful for many of our readers.