Charlie Isslander
Product Designer from Prague
25 years-old designer from Prague with a passion for collectibles and design made in Japan. Lately I’ve been working on couple of mine side projects including something for pets.
When your friends or parents ask you what job you do, how do you answer?
That is a very easy question for me to answer, because all my relatives and friends are touched by design so it’s not so hard for me to explain them usually what exactly I’m working on.
What is your background, and how did you train?
I’ve started as any other designer working in studio, doing stuff on regular agency basis and delivering not quite good looking work, but all of that leads to bigger clients and bigger projects, I remember one of my biggest achievements I did down the road working for Andrej Babis, one of the richest person in Europe, even though working with him was kinda hectic, because his time was limited and our presentations most likely ended before we met.
I trained myself on client work, not really that type of designer doing stuff for fun/ to train, that’s really rare to see from me.
What can the web do to make this world a better place? How has the web improved your life (if it has)?
Think the most important thing that can web be is informative, lots of people look for interesting facts and news all the time same as me, and thats why web making world better place. You are always informed and can look up for any kind of thing you need.
Can you show us three examples of interfaces that in your opinion have improved human life?
I really like the wheel, iPhone and Google Glass.
On quora.com some time ago, there was a long discussion in answer to the question “what is the most intuitive interface ever created?”; according to Felipe Rocha it is the nipple. In your opinion, what is it?
To be honest, I have a favorite quote about this one by Zigelbaum,
“The best interface we ever made is the air between two people speaking.”
What is your typical workday like?
Now it will sound pretty odd, but there’s not thing like that in my life, I’m trying to not have anything typical or how I would rather say stereotype, because that will only lead to creative burn, so I’m trying to enjoy everyday, usually being with my girlfriend and lately with my newborn daughter, besides that I take a break for few hours and design stuff, so it’s not basically any kind of strict hour workday, but more of a vacation, where I have time for my family and also for my passion, design.
My typical morning starts at 11 AM, my usual “get out of the freaking bed” time, when I go over all the emails on my phone and news. After that I go straight to launch, no breakfast or something, that’s not common in my life somehow. It comes up together with my work hours that are mostly oriented on US clients, if I have any, because most of my time I’m trying to invest in startups helping them in various design solutions.
What is the most stimulating and challenging project you have accomplished?
Lamborghini Cafe in Miami, definitely one of the most challenging projects I’ve done so far, 5 years ago when I was working in a studio with a bunch of people, we were asked to design interior and identity for Lamborghini Miami Beach. Trying to break off Aventador and fit it into interior in a decent way so it looks minimalistic we ended up using pattern on walls that looks 3D like.
Definitely the most challenging experience I ever had, designing stuff from CZ and hoping it will look great, it’s really different from doing UI or stuff that will be online, because you can always update it and fix it real quick.
Among existing digital services, what is the one you wanted to do?
Ableton. It’s not entirely digital service, it’s like 50 / 50, but music always affected my life and Ableton is working on some pretty neat stuff lately. I had some cool talks with guys few weeks ago and will go there just to check the office for sure one day.
Many designers make the mistake of starting a project directly from Photoshop: is there a perfect design method? What is your approach to the creative process?
Why mistake? To be completely honest, I never sketched on paper, you can’t find single paper at my apartment with UI or web drawn on it, because that’s not how it works for me. Usually I just gather the inspiration and cumulate it in my head a wrap it right in Photoshop, most of the time it’s already a final piece.
“Design” is an important part of our analogic life. What is the role of the designer in our digital life?
I think that the role is simple, design and solve things, think them deep through and attract people to use them on everyday basis, or at least like them.
Do you believe it is important for a designer to have a deep knowledge of matters such as User Experience, Interaction Design, Product Design, and Front-end Development?
You really can’t think of being a designer with focus on one part of industry will be the thing. Having even minor knowledge of any other like development is definitely plus and enhance your career a lot, because you are aware of mistakes for example.
How do you make a difference between User Interface and User Experience?
“A UI without UX is like a painter slapping paint onto canvas without thought; while UX without UI is like the frame of a sculpture with no paper mache on it.”
I must use this quote, because it’s the most accurate.
What is your relationship with developers? There are people that have a relationship of continuous confrontation and others of deep friendship: where do you fall with respect to this question?
Usually I hate working with developers, because they are lazy and not so talkative, lately I’ve found couple good ones I work with on daily basis if needed. So I really don’t have any problems with that until they screw anything.
The key to keeping them on right track is preparing them assets in any terms of just making notes over your design or slicing it, showing them examples of animations or css stuff, you can never count on someone else so much, because they have no idea what you have in mind until you show them.
How do you think that your career and job will evolve over the next 5 years?
I’m really looking forward to be a millionaire that will just spend time with family, and that’s what I’m trying to achieve almost whole my career. Being pretty sure it will happen over the next five years.
What do you think about Dribbble? Is it a good way to get a job? What’s the best way to find a job as a designer?
Dribbble was, is and will be the easiest way to find jobs and showcase some type of work, but for me it’s already dead. I left it because I had a feeling of loosing the grip I had and wanted to discover what the life will be without it.
The one thing that makes me proud about my decision was when I got email from some guys over there, telling me that deleting the account was the worst decision I did in my life and I’m really dumb that I did it. They were really insulting me via emails and then, 2 weeks later I got email from them again, to design stuff with them, so sick people.
But that’s just my opinion on it, if you are young designer looking for jobs or just willing to grow, definitely go there and learn from good people, but don’t look for popular, look deeper for real quality.
What book would you recommend to a Junior Designer?
It will be cool if I answer any of the books from Austin Kleon, they are good, but not kinda cup of my tea, talking about the known facts and sum them in book is nothing that will add me any value. I was not reading any books until last year, I mean design related ones, because otherwise I’m pretty addicted on reading.
If you really wanna have some serious books to read, take a look at Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design, this book really have some actual design in it and can really affect the way you feel the design. Another one would be Hello I am Erik, this book totally opened my eyes and showed me that the design is not about one thing, it’s a substance of various ones.
Sticking with the advice: how about tools for design? What about tools for project management?
Hah, this is the most common question that people asks me about, how do I handle all the stuff and what apps I use for it, sorry I don’t have any, my brain manages it well.
A famous quotation of David Carson (noted American graphic designer) says: “Graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does”. Will User Interface Design save the world, before, at the same time, or after graphic design?
I think they are working side by side well.
Website : http://www.charlieisslander.com/
