Balancing freelance and day job with Jade Tan
By day you can find Jade Tan at the Vend HQ office as a senior Product Designer. By night, she’s anything from a web and branding designer to illustrator or UX/UI designer.
Your Dribbble has such a range of projects, from icons to illustration to UX to identity. Do you have a favourite?
I enjoy so many aspects of design, it’s hard to nail a favourite! I specialise in UI/UX design, however under the moonlight I’ve designed a wide range of interesting things, from an app that teaches kids about the underwater world to 3D candles, juice labels to beer labels, and even cartoon illustrations. Design is the best opportunity to dream and create something that never existed before!
I remember back when I was a kid, in moments when I was deeply upset or sad, I would draw out alternate endings to my troubles and spin a tale. Friendly dragons, mini me the size of ladybugs, being stranded on Donut Island… Those magic felt pen drawings became elaborate doodles in my school textbooks, and now when I design I like to think about the story it tells. Particularly when designing technology — as our phones, tablets and laptops become such a personal, intimate part of our lives, there’s not been a time in history when we can reach out so easily to hundreds and millions, connect on an emotional level, to create deeply personalised and meaningful experiences. It’s such an exciting time to be in.
As a designer who freelances on the side of your day job, how do you manage your time?
One way that has been effective for me is to compartmentalise my work, freelance, and personal life. There was a time when I was very motivated to solve a set of complicated problems at work that it consumed me after hours, and I would be at my desk past late tackling it from different angles. I would go to bed, dream of the problem, and jump out of bed with an idea! That was great for work, but it obviously not at all for my personal well-being.
I also experienced a time when I had taken on too many side projects that I had little rest from weekdays through to weekends, which made me stressed and on edge trying to keep up. Not a great way to wake up in the morning. It took me a while to realise that I had made all these commitments, but none of them were to my own self. I turned away new work, completed outstanding ones, and took a good break from freelancing to recalibrate my life.
These two experiences really stretched me out on both sides, and while they were undeniably hard work that helped sharpened my tools, they were very detrimental to myself and the people around me. Don’t do that. Nowadays I compartmentalise, by distinguishing between screen time and off-screen time. Screen time is when I work, either at my day job or freelancing, and off-screen time is when I get outdoors, exercise, socialise and explore nature. Similarly, work is on my laptop, social on my mobile. Design time is a quiet zone, and I put my party hat on when the disco lights shine.
Where do you seek inspiration for your illustrations?
I used to look at Ffffound, Grain Edit, It’s Nice That, Designspiration… now I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. Inspiration needs management too! And Pinterest is a great tool and platform for both of that.
You’re a product designer at Vend, but you’re also freelancing branding, Identity, illustrations and UX Consultation. Seems like a handful!
It sometimes does! Well, here’s how I see it: Everyone’s journey has a story. It usually starts with a dream, and then a map to get to that dream. Sadly, I’ve seen dreams falter when the map seems too out of reach. Design can sometimes help you paint that map, it can help you see the reality in your dreams. When I work with mothers, students, entrepreneurs, teachers, developers… designs help them visualise their ideas, see their products come to life, see a brand that represents them and more. It’s incredibly rewarding. That’s why I love doing what I do.
You’re so active in the design community, whether it be giving talks at the local University or running the Auckland Dribbble meetup. Why is this important to you?
It’s so much fun to geek out with other designers! I love talking to people and hearing about their passion — the energy is contagious. Plus, hosting the Auckland Dribbble Meetup gives us a chance to hear about great ideas and throw a party!
You’re about to start a food venture! Want to share a little bit?
Yes! Last year, I made a trip to LA and discovered this amazing Hawaiian dish called poké — fresh raw tuna or salmon chopped into chunks and served with a palette of seaweed salad, hot steamy rice and a mix of delicious sauces and flavours. So simple yet it blew my mind.
Coming back to Auckland, we started experimenting and making it in our kitchens just to satisfy our craving. Eventually I thought, New Zealand needs this! So we decided to start a stall in the night markets here to give it a go. It’s been good fun and we’re trying out different things with it. If you’re curious, here’s what it looks like.
What advice would you have for a graduate who can’t decide between freelancing or seeking a full time job?
I believe the best way to gain the most experience in the shortest amount of time, is to put yourself completely out of your comfort zone. When I first started out, I was shy but I wanted to learn all that I could from as many as possible. So during my time at university, I put myself through as many internships as I could land — that meant sending introductions to any and every agency, even if they weren’t looking.
At one point I was juggling 3 part-time internships while studying. It was not easy, but that’s the meaning of getting out of your comfort zone. I continued on to a full time job as I was interested to work in a team. If that comes naturally to you, and if freelancing meant putting a whole new set of challenges in your way, then go for it.
If you’re unsure, apply for a full time position and learn the ropes, even if it means starting from the bottom. “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” — as Steve Jobs would say.
If you’d like to work with Jade, you can find her on Dribbble, Twitter or Instagram.
