Today’s interview is of Calvin Lee, a great friend of mine and a sophomore attending Princeton University. Currently, he is deciding a major between Finance or Computer Science. At Princeton he is a manager at the Student Design Agency, helping to oversee a 25-member team that produces over 200 pieces of work for university-affiliated organizations each year.

1) What was your first graphic design project and how did you end up pursuing this passion?

Calvin: When I was 7 my brother installed Photoshop on my computer, and for reasons beyond me I started playing around with it, making pictures of pokemon or something like that. Throughout middle school and high school I started making more and more stuff, but to be honest, I have a hard time considering anything I did before college as graphic design. I never took it to be a serious pursuit until I came to Princeton, where I began to learn exactly what a profound art form it is. Before, I would just slap things together that I thought looked nice with little consideration for concept or meaning… so when I started working at SDA, I started to appreciate the artistic side to graphic design that often is overshadowed by the commercial aspect of it.

2) Why do you feel that design is such an important part of society today?

Calvin: We’re really busy people, and these days people are always in such a hurry that it becomes difficult to communicate to them, despite how socially significant the message may be. Design is important because it acts as a vehicle to convey those messages in a very quick and immediate way. People have little time to listen to the news or what other people have to say, but a good design can catch one’s attention and communicate in a very profound way in just a few seconds. While design is an art in itself and that aspect is to be appreciated, I think that the reason it’s so important is because it’s such a potent means to speak to people, and that’s significant when you have really important things to say.

3) Are there any graphic designers who have had significant influences on you?

Calvin: In terms of professional studios, Pentagram (www.pentagram.com) and Winterhouse (www.winterhouse.com) have always been an inspiration – they’re constantly pushing the bounds of graphic design and producing some really incredible work. But I’d have to say that the most significant influences have been those that I’ve worked with since coming to Princeton and SDA, the most notable of whom is Andy Chen (www.andychendesign.com) who founded SDA and has really been inspirational in terms of changing the way I look at design and life in general. I think coming from a classic Chinese family has put me in a unique situation, because while graphic design or the arts in general may seem like a silly pursuit in the eyes of many Chinese parents, seeing Andy truly choose to follow his passion and go into graphic design has been extremely empowering. I’m not saying I plan on going into graphic design, but I’m able to better appreciate the value of pursuing what you love without regard to things like peer expectations or financial considerations – to me, that’s the most rewarding path one can take.

4) What are your future goals for design?

Calvin: All I can do really is just hope to keep learning about design and becoming better and better. I really hope that I can use design to make a difference, really. In the short-term, though, some members of SDA and I want to establish a graphic design curriculum at Princeton. It’s been tried before and didn’t work out, but we’re going to keep trying.

5) Do you have any advice or tips for aspiring graphic designers?

Calvin: If you’re just starting out, just play around with everything. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Play with tutorials and imitate designs you like. Look at design blogs and really have an open mind about it. You can’t take anything for granted – throw out your first impressions of a design and really question how you look at a design. For me, exposing myself to different styles of graphic design has allowed me to be more open-minded about my tastes – before all I liked were things that looked trendy and flashy and all that jazz, but if you really stop to consider what a design is trying to say, it becomes a lot more meaningful and rewarding.

Also, typography is really important! Knowing how to lay out text in a way that looks nice is often something that designers (especially beginners) take for granted, but at the highest levels of design, it’s really what sets studios like Pentagram apart. It takes a lot of practice, but it can really take your designs to the next level.

Be sure to check out his design portfolio at:
www.calvinclee.com