Hollander – our March designer – is a person, whose works are valued not only by the clients, but also by many professional designers of our community.
You have been on DC website for almost a year. Did you quickly get used to the platform?
Yes, I got used to this platform pretty quickly. I used to have a similar experience with local websites and enjoyed participating in the contests. So DesignContest was not a surprise for me. By the way, DC website is very user friendly and this was one of the points why I started working here.
Several designers who previously gave us interviews indicated you as a leader and said your artworks were examples for other designers. It is a huge reason to be proud! Do you give advices on DesignContest forum?
Wow, big thanks for that! That was really unexpected for me. I didn’t know that  till you showed me their interviews.
As for advices, no, I don’t give them. I can only express my opinion in votings and that is all. Perhaps, it is just some lack of vocabulary.
What was your feeling when you won a contest for the first time?
If we are talking about DC so there were no crazy jumping or fireworks. Just thought “Oh, ok, I need to move onâ€. I got more excited when I won second and third contest almost simultaneously. At that moment I took a decision to stay here for a long period of time.
When clients eliminated your entries, was it oppressive or inspiring to go on and try another idea?
For sure, it is not pleasant when client eliminates the design you spent time on. I am trying to keep calm. Especially when I see worthy designs. Another point is when poor designs stay in the contest.
I can claim I am an experienced designer but frankly speaking, I still don’t get how the clients choose the winning design sometimes.
And it is also weird when the client was not active during the contest but at the end of it he suddenly appears asking for tons of changes. Or when the client gives no feedback at all. In such cases I sometimes think he doesn’t need quality.
Efficient logo is not only what designer does. There should be a dialogue. A collaboration. A brief. Even if there are a lot of requirements there still will be a good result when designer has a feedback from the client.
What inspires you most of all?
There is no some particular source of my inspiration. There are just things that help working. Like peaceful atmosphere, music, enough sugar in my coffee (smiling). I can’t name something in particular. There should be a mix of things. Willing to work and understanding of your mission are more important I think.
Before interview you’ve said your work takes almost all your time. You are always in front of the computer. Have you ever worked outdoors?
I prefer to have some rest being outdoors. Creative process doesn’t mean being in front of the computer all the time. You can catch a lot of ideas being outdoors.
Do you think you would be a strict moderator?
That’s a hard question. I believe creating something 100% unique is no longer possible today. Sometimes I understand I’ve already seen this or that thing somewhere. I guess it is easy to take a decision when there is 100% match of two designs. But what if there are some differences. Are those differences enough to consider this design unique? That is a great responsibility.
Of course using other designers’ ideas is not acceptable. And I am talking not only about logo shape but also about font and color.
Share some sources you use for inspiration
There are no some specific sources. From time to time I just check different contests and mark those designs I liked. I have also bookmarked Ñmockup, several websites with fonts and cool we-color palettes.
Will you change your design profession for something different? Let’s imagine you already have all the necessary skills. What would be your job?
Well, actually I am a mechanical engineer but I have never worked as an engineer. And those skills helped me a lot sometimes. If I am not a designer then I prefer to deal with some construction and building. But that should be a huge project, something that people will remember for ages.
I always ask the following question. What would you recommend to DesignContest newbies?
If design is just your hobby there is nothing to advise. But if it is not then prepare to work hard. Be ready for both success and defeats. There will be more defeats than winning designs.
One more advice. Your design is for the client but sometimes some designers on the client’s side have to do some further work with your design. So please do your design as much perfect as you can.
And no rules violation of course!
