Interview with Stefan Hartwig
Date of Interview
January 30, 2010
Designer's Website
Designer's Twitter Page
City & Country of Residence
Sioux Falls, United States
Curently Working For
Electric Pulp
Type of Design
Web
1. Besides the usual online blogs and galleries, from what or where do you draw inspiration?
My inspiration sources change constantly. Sometimes it's music that I'm trying to capture visually, or a city that I visited, or a striking set of photos. Right now, I'm particularly enamored with old book covers and poster design. The visual impact and typography leveraged by the designers who came before us should not be underestimated.
2. Design-related or not, can you list up to 3 books that you've found beneficial to your growth as a designer?
The Americans by Robert Frank. Simply the most amazing photography book I've ever seen. The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst. Required reading for any designer. Pentagram Marksby Pentagram Partners. I like digging through the 400 marks in this book and trying to unravel the thinking behind them.
3. If you could name one tool/application/software/hardware that you can't live without (from a design perspective), what would it be, and why?
There's no doubt. It's Photoshop. It's my main app, and I've been using it for well over a decade. Getting up to speed with other apps would be a massive hit to my productivity and would definitely get in the way of the work. So, Photoshop it is. I'll take it with all its faults and quirks.
4. What would be your design "dream job"?
I've gotta say, any job that lets you be creative all day long. I've got one of those, which is really fantastic. But, if we're dreaming even bigger, I think working in a multi-diciplinary firm like Pentagram would be pretty much it for me.
5. What changes would you like to see in the design community in the next 5 years?
I'd like to see more collaboration across all the design disciplines: graphic design, photography, architecture, industrial design, etc.
Special thanks to Stefan Hartwig for taking the time to answer these questions exclusively for Interviews by Design.
Reader Comments for this Interview
- There are no comments for this interview.