Meet Zack Causey, Product Designer at MainStreet

Please introduce yourself, what do you do at MainStreet, and what were you doing before this?

Howdy folks. My name is Zack Causey and Im a Product Designer here at MainStreet. I currently live in Austin, TX where I’ve been for close to 6 years. I was previously a designer at frog, and in the past I’ve worked on everything from branding to editorial illustration.

Where have you lived and which place has been your favorite so far?

I’m from Florida originally, where I spent most of my life and went to school. Beyond that I’ve done a little time in Los Angeles and am currently in Austin. My favorite has got to be Austin for many reasons, including the music, tacos, friendly people, outdoor activities, and generally active population.

What led you to being a Designer?

I can pretty much thank my dad for that. When I was young we would watch old monster movies together (Predator, Alien, Godzilla, Terminator, Conan, The Fly, etc). I became obsessed with all the box art on the VHS tapes. My grandmother was also a professional quilter who always pushed me to do creative projects. So eventually that base of creativity and love of crazy box art pushed me to start making my own. The rest is history.

Why did you choose to join MainStreet?

I actually wasn’t looking for a new gig, but I knew someone at MainStreet who encouraged me to talk to the team. After meeting everyone and hearing about the mission I was super interested. The team seemed super smart, empathetic and had a great tight-knit relationship, which I love.

Do you have any pets and if so can we see pictures?

Don’t get me started. I’m definitely the annoying animal-dad. I currently have 4 pets; 2 old cats and 2 German Shepherds. They are all my shadows, they are glued to my side literally all day everyday. Don’t know what I would do without them.

Pen or Pencil?

Pen for sure. Coming from a screen printing background I’m used to illustrating with limited colors in a state of semi-permanence. I love lines and sketchy contours in any medium, especially comics. Nothing looks better than a crisp black and white illustration with that hand-drawn aesthetic. I actually have a huge album of amazing comic panels that Ive collected over the years.

Aside from Design, what else are you interested in?

I listen to music constantly, so live music obviously means a lot to me. I try to use it as an excuse to travel to new places and see old friends. I also rock climb pretty religiously, so that one of my obsessions. You can catch me outside every weekend here in Austin. Beyond that, I try to fit in video games into my schedule as much as I can.

What’s one meal you can’t stop thinking about?

This vegan miso ramen with kale noodles topped with a Kakiage tempura ball. This is from a relatively new spot in Austin called Sazan, it’s the really the good stuff.

What is your favorite of the 5 senses? Why?

I think the smart answer would be sight, considering Im a visual designer by trade. But my true answer is hearing. Music has soundtracked some of the most important moments of my life and adds a level of romanticism to every day activities. I don’t think I could give that up.

What’s one fact about you that tends to surprise others?

My wife and I have been vegetarian for about 1.5 years, that tends to surprise people recently. It’s super easy to be vegetarian/vegan in Austin, you could throw a rock and end up at a good restaurant that’s friendly to all diets.

A movie and/or tv series you’d recommend without hesitation to anyone?

Likely the Castlevania animated series on Netflix. I grew up watching anime and reading manga, so Im deeply embedded into the culture. But I notice many people want to start with an anime but are intimidated by them (either from being weirded out or too many episodes). Castlevania is an American produced anime (Austin based!) with a serious tone and beautiful animation, perfect for people who are new to the genre. I get a lot of positive reactions from first time watchers.

Favorite thing about working at MainStreet?

So far, the willingness of the design team to try out new ideas, shift focus and trust in each other’s ability to create great work. It’s such a relief when you can be in an environment where you can rely on the others around you to come to the table with a unique POV on design. Also everyone is funny so that’s a plus.