Ask a Designer: Frank Chimero
Q&A with the award-winning designer, illustrator, and writer | Framer.com
I met Frank Chimero after his stellar talk at last month’s weird one-day conference hosted by Bakken & Baeck on a tiny island in the Oslofjord. He spoke about how a single tweet of his regarding a universal New Yorker cartoon caption turned into a viral sensation and then ultimately made its way into an actual issue of the New Yorker six days later. Truly a New Yorker’s dream, or one of mine at the very least.
“Hi, I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” — Frank’s universal New Yorker cartoon caption
Intrigued by this story, his sense of humor, and his incredible public speaking skills, I knew immediately that he’d be a great person to talk to about career advice, mentorship, and the like.
How did you find design?
My story is fairly common for someone my age: a long time ago, a local kid had friends in bands, but had no musical talent, so he downloaded a bootleg copy of Photoshop, and learned to make stuff for his music buddies.
Which hobbies or experiences have made you a better designer?
Here’s what I believe: Reading and meditation open up your head and re-establish a better pace of time versus the frenzied internet. Cooking balances out the sensory experience of design work by giving you texture, smell, and taste. Personal loss forces you take your job a little less seriously. Self-reflection and good relationships help you see yourself as a part of the family of things. These don’t necessarily have much to do with design, but if I take care of my whole self, the part of me that is my job follows. Nothing else has ever worked.
How have you dealt with failure over the years?
Projects (especially digital ones) are so often ambiguous, complicated, and long that I find myself gravitating to the opposite once things wrap up by drawing quick and loose. Perhaps it’s me taking safety in my first creative instinct. I’ve had two large failures in my career and both times I’ve run away for a while to draw. I guess that makes it a pattern.
What do you think your greatest strength or weakness is as a designer?
I am a design generalist who is usually looking for patterns, so my greatest strength is synthesizing and clarifying things for people. But, a strength in one area is a liability in another, so I’ll never be able to do certain kinds of complicated work, because I am not a specialist. It’s a good thing there are all kinds of people.
Do you have a design mentor or someone who has influenced your work a lot?
Roman Duszek was one of my professors in university. I took him for every class I could. He taught me typography, how to evaluate ideas, and rigor. I’m forever thankful.
What advice would you give to designers just starting their careers?
One: avoid debt. I know this gets harder each year, but be vigilant. Live slim. The beginning of your career is about possibilities, and heavy financial burden will very often put you down a path with the least creative light. If time is money, then protecting your wallet is protecting your days. You need that time and attention to keep growing and learning in many different directions.
Two: do the simple things well, because the simple things happen every day. This is everything from sleeping without your phone at the bedside to your typography skills to how you treat other people. It all matters.
This is the first piece in a series about beginnings and getting started, for designers and non-designers alike.
