Amie Colosa on how to overcome lack of confidence as a web designer/developer
Amy Colosa lives on Long Island, NY and specializes in responsive website design, graphic design, email templates, and Wordpress development. Her curiosity never slows down and she digs a good cup of black coffee along with a challenge.
As a designer with experience in Wordpress development, how has having this knowledge and understanding of code shaped your design process?
It’s influenced my design process by providing great versatility. I have the flexibility to directly code a piece of something to better communicate the idea instead of a prototype that might not be as clear.
At work I’ve become the designer to developer (and vice-versa) translator. I can catch things in the design process that might end up being a time sucker or not possible in the development phase — that helps streamline things.
How do you stay inspired or generate new ideas under pressure?
I stay inspired by variation and changing up my routine. Being in a new environment or taking a break to explore a new place fuels me. I like to find inspiration out in the world as opposed to looking at similar work — and avoid getting stuck in an internet black hole.
What made you decide to start your own online store Chin Up Prints, and how do you make-time for it on top of a full time job?
The idea for it came to be when I was working a job in New York City that I was commuting 2+ hours each way to. I had a lot of down time on the train and would have my laptop and sketchbook with me.
It was an interesting time in my life when I was really pushed out of my comfort zone and I started creating typography based designs around the inspiration I was feeling.
I was always crafty and loved making things with my hands and wanted to have my own little t-shirt line someday — that was the main motivation for the shop. I’d start off with typography prints and grow into featuring screen printed shirts.
Nowadays, I spend a good amount of time working on designs for the shop on my lunch break & weekends — it’s a nice break from looking at a screen all day. If I were to go home and work on a freelance web project, that would be a lot less motivating. The fact that I can switch gears/media is refreshing, and as much as I love the web there’s something super exciting about creating something that will be tangible.
You’ve got such a diverse skillset — your projects range from web design to editorial and print. What’s your background?
I actually got into design back in the day when the blogging platform LiveJournal was super popular — I taught myself Photoshop because I wanted to make fan graphics of shows and bands I liked (eeee so embarrassing!). I also taught myself how to code so I could customize my blog.
Eventually I realized that I really enjoyed creating graphics and wanted to learn more about actual web design, so I took a beginner graphic design and web class in high school. Once I learned I could make this an actual career, I went to study ‘interactive digital design’ in college (which was an all-encompassing graphic design/web/motion major)
I kind of fell into web design professionally over print design because I had a knowledge of and interest in web development. I’m definitely a designer first, but I have to say I enjoy both design and code equally. Depends on the day really :)
As a designer do you ever experience lack of confidence or fear of failure?
Definitely. More so lack of confidence then fear of failure. You can learn a lot from allowing yourself to fail.
I still have confidence issues from time to time but I’ve learned over the years to better trust myself — confidence speaks volumes. If you don’t believe if your work, no one else will!
You’ve done a few freelance projects alongside your job. There’s a lot of behind the scenes when it comes to freelancing — paperwork, negotiation, price setting etc — is this something you’ve learnt along the way?
Oh yes, for sure. When I first started out and was offering blog design & development and I WAY undercharged myself. Looking back I’ve learned to value my skills more. I think if I did more research on freelancing I would have been better prepared but I kind of just jumped into it at the time.
What book would you recommend for someone new to design or development?
‘How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul’ is awesome for new designers. Reading blogs has been very helpful to my career — it has allowed me to be aware of trends, get advice from other people in the industry, and keep up with the changing world of the web. I’m planning on writing an Ebook at some points about web development for designers :)
What is The Creative Series?
The Creative Series is a publication run by Femke that highlights the under-deserved creatives of our industry. If you’re interested in being featured or want to submit someone, please reach out to Femke on Twitter.
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About the interviewer
Hi I’m Femke — a designer, writer and podcaster who overlaps between a day job, freelancing and side projects. I love to help other creatives be the best version of themselves. I’d love to get to know you more, say hi on Twitter 👋
