Five to inspire with Jesse Gresham
Designer @ mParticle
Who are you?
I’m an art director, designer, and musician living in Brooklyn, New York with my wife and two dogs. I studied graphic design in college because I always needed design work for the bands I played with. After college, I moved to New Orleans and started my career in advertising. Then I moved to New York and worked at a boutique luxury branding agency. I’m currently a designer at a tech data company called mParticle. Right now I’m supporting our marketing team to create branded conferences and experiences to facilitate tech conversations around agility and growth. They’re attended by some of the fastest growing companies: Airbnb, Spotify, Foursquare, Gilt, Venmo, etc.
What’s a typical day on Jesse life like?
I usually snooze for about an hour every morning before I actually get up. Then I get ready and walk the dogs.
I walk to my local coffee shop, Seven Point, on my way to the subway. I like people watching a little on the subway, but don’t want to be creepy so I end up staring at subway ads while I listen to various podcasts. I saw Abbi Jacobson from Broad City on the subway today, actually. I ended up doing a double take, then thought “Oh, shit. Did she notice me recognizing her?” You gotta play it cool.
I get to work usually around 10:00 am. My job entails a mix of meetings, critiques, design and concept work.
I try to get to the gym every once in a while since I have a sedentary job. My body pretty much hates me, but I just received a new gym membership. Fingers crossed.
Usually, on the train home, my wife and I play the “What’s for dinner?” game. Then I’m back to listening to podcasts or music on my way home. I’m a big fan of infotainment. I try to listen and learn anytime I’m cleaning or doing work around the house.
I like to play bass when I’m alone, or with fellow musicians.
I have drinks and game nights with close friends.
I walk my dogs to prospect park.
I binge watch tv shows regularly.
How would you define good design?
I’ve been trying to define my own design principles lately. It’s hard to pin down certain aspects of design (besides the basic principles). Here’s a rough work in progress:
Good design brings clarity to an idea.
Good design should stimulate the senses. (Jinsop Lee TED talk)
Good design takes hard work.
Good design isn’t always less. It’s just enough.
Share something you’d really like to do — but haven’t done yet. What’s keeping you from doing it?
I’d like to start writing. I feel like good design needs a reason to exist. It needs a voice. I think I haven’t started because I’m afraid of sounding stupid. I feel like a lot of people have a deep fear of being outed as a fraud. Most people I meet, seemingly have it all together on the outside, but tell me they secretly feel like they really don’t know what they are doing.
I guess to look on the bright side, if I start writing a blog, no one will really be paying attention anyway. Eventually, I might find my voice and connect with people going through the same challenges.
How do you imagine your life as a designer 10 years from now will be?
I think the industry is moving towards a greater balance of intuition and data led design. Currently, most design decisions are made from intuition and past best practices. I think there is a growing shift to adjust design systems to allow for a more scientific approach. I’m all for this, as long as there is a proper balance. We’ll need to leave room for happy accidents and experimentation.
People and/or designers that inspire you? (personally and professionally)
I get a lot of inspiration from TED talks and podcasts. Here are a couple TED talks that have really stuck with me:
Timothy Prestero: Design for people, not awards
Jinsop Lee: Design for all 5 senses
I’ve been really inspired by the stylish work coming out of PSA Creative. I had a chance to meet one of the founders and learned about their backgrounds and where they are headed in the future.
I’ve also got my eye on a friend of mine, Matt Johnson, who’s doing some beautiful photography. I love his designerly eye, and drive for simplicity. He’s been featured by Cereal Magazine and did a 2016 campaign for Cuyana. Look for more great things to come from this guy.
Steven Neff is a close friend of mine that I love having personal and design conversations with. He’s a thoughtful product designer at Squarespace.
I’ve also been shaped by past professors and everyone I’ve worked with. It’s interesting how people can make you see the world from a different angle.
Where can we find Jesse Gresham
http://ww.jessegresham.com
https://www.pinterest.com/jessegresham/
https://dribbble.com/jessegresham (there’s nothing there yet, but soon to come)
