CreativeMoxie: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into design?
Sean A. Metcalf: I am a young designer currently living and creating in Atlanta, Ga. I enjoy people, traveling, reading, and of course, designing. My story of how I got into design is fairly unorthodox and its not your typical tale of a designer. It actually was not until a few years ago that I discovered I was an artist and made my commitment to design. Prior to, I was a golfer. I grew up in the game as my father was a teaching professional. Ever since I was a boy my goal was to achieve a golf scholarship so I could attend a good college and from there hopefully turn professional. I got my college golf scholarship, which eventually lead me to SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design). This was the moment that my life forever changed. I was put into an environment I had never seen before- everyone so passionate about creating art and learning more about their craft. I was marveled, very curious, and eager to learn more. Without any experience, I would get these problems, asked to visually solve them, and along the way be instructed how to do so. In art and design, there’s that sense of having a problem and the only thing you can do is go out and find the answer. And the moment you find it, you know it right away- that eureka moment. That’s what I loved about design and keeps me hunting this day on.
CM: You recently graduated college, what is the biggest challenge you face as a designer fresh out of school?
SAM: There was a small hump transitioning from college to the working world, but I quickly got over it. When I was in school, I would have complete creative freedom to take on any execution to solve a problem. Now, coming out of school there are new perimeters to work under, which mostly lead back to clients. Michael Bierut once had a quote: “Clients are the difference between design and art.” Solving problems are different now because before design was evaluated between my professor and I. Now that clients are a part of the process, there are new perimeters to work under. Clients can be your best friend though. The more questions you ask the more you start to define the problem and those perimeters, which eventually leads to a great solution.
CM: On your website you primarily use black and an orangish color. Why did you choose those colors to represent you?
SAM: I’m pretty enthusiastic towards design and when designing my website I wanted it to reflect that. I thought the black, orange, and white represented that well.
CM: Do you ever get in a design funk, and if so what things do you do to get out of it?
SAM: Usually if I get into a design funk its probably because I’ve been using the computer too much. Staring at the computer for too long will really take it out of you. So I try and sketch and finalize my ideas as much as I can on paper first. Also, I run and workout often to keep my mind clear as well.
CM: How do you promote yourself?
SAM: I try to stay connected with the design community through Twitter, Behance, Dribbble. I’ve never really viewed this as self promotion though. I keep my focus on doing good work, learning more, and sharing it through these sites. I think if you’re a designer and are passionate about doing great work, opportunities will always present themselves.
CM: Any advice to graphic design students?
SAM: Experiment and try new things. Strive to make every project better and more unique than the last. If you do this at the end of the end of the day your box of crayons will be bigger and more colorful. You’ll be a better artist, designer, and have all the right tools to succeed.
Find out more about Sean:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Behance
LinkedIn
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