Interview with a Graphic Designer

One of my favorite things to do in this industry is interview people. It is great to get a deeper understanding of what other people do and how they approach online business. Plus, I think that you (the reader) can learn quite a bit from these interviews. Well, today I’m bringing to you an extensive interview with my friend Aziz Natour, from NetBuilders. He currently works as a graphic designer – covering the entire spectrum of multimedia.

1. Hello and thank you for the interview! Would you like to introduce yourself?

It is my pleasure! I’m Aziz Natour, a 17 year old freelance graphic designer and web developer residing in Shefa’amr, Israel. If I’m not working, I’ll probably be playing video games or watching movies and checking out what’s new on the web.

2. I know that you’re involved with a lot of graphics work. What sort do you do? (Themes and Templates, Logos, etc.)

I’ve almost covered every sort of graphic design, beginning with simple text effects to corporate designs. Commercial works include logotypes, web design, application interfaces, icons, mobile skins, advertisements, photo-manipulation, book covers and many more.

Additionally, I have had experience with digital art, making digital paintings such as wallpapers, illustrations and fractal art mostly abstract and surreal. You can see examples at my DeviantArt gallery here.

I believe that once you master the tools, nothing can stop you.

3. What was your original inspiration to start working with graphics? Did you ever take any special courses on the subject? How did you maintain motivation for your work?

Ever since I was a child I loved art and got into a painting course and painted many pieces. Soon enough I was fascinated by the computer graphics and spent countless hours on Microsoft Paint (it’s true!) as well as Microsoft PowerPoint, making animated presentations and whatnot.

By the time I became 11, my twin brother bought the latest Photoshop version at the time, it was Adobe Photoshop 7. I got so amazed by the program and of course, I was a newbie with no experience but messing around paid off. I started learning the basics properly with the help of online tutorials and later learned advanced techniques which substantially developed my skills.

At age 16 I decided to take my hobby to the next level and attended a professional college course in 2008.

4. What initially inspired you to begin doing work online?

I guess what most inspired me is the whole idea of working from home and earning money. For a young guy like me it seemed like the perfect job as I cannot acquire a real career yet and plus I love what I do. So I thought, “Hey, why not just do it?” and since I had enough experience I started taking offers and eventually made a profitable business.

5. At what point did you begin to receive a significant profit? Did you have to make any initial investments in training, software, advertising, etc?

I began to receive significant profits in 2009 after I acquired a college certification in the field. I started promoting myself around the web, especially on webmaster forums. I’ve launched my own website to showcase my work and impress clients.

6. Could you share your toolbox with us? What programs do you use to carry out your work?

I work mostly with Adobe systems, their programs lead the market. I use Photoshop for graphic design, Illustrator for vector projects, DreamWeaver for web development and Flash for flash-based projects. Although these tools are great, they are useless without a creative mind to make the best out of the technologies within.

I also recommend open-source free programs as alternatives, such as Gimp, Notepad++, InkScape and similar tools.

A powerful computer is also essential for work. You wouldn’t want your computer to crash while working on an important project. Additionally, a backup external hard-disk is necessary.

During work I tend to listen to music, it helps me relax and gives me motivation.

7. What were some of your most successful projects? Most creative/unique?

Surprisingly, one of my first icon packages, iZ3 (later, iZ3 Elite) reached a great success with over 130,000 views and 50,000 downloads worldwide and was ported to Mac format by a friend. I noticed that it is shared on dozens of websites even though there are better icon packs.

Another successful project is a series of websites for a company called CelestiaGames which has recently commissioned me. The designs received many positive reviews and feedback, which has lead to more clients.

8. Have you ever had any negative experiences with clients/customers? If so, could you tell me a little about how you resolved them? How important would you say that customer satisfaction is in your industry?

Yes. I have had many issues in the past with clients, Once a client promised to pay after receiving the work, however, he did not complete the payment and probably never will. I believe this incident helped me improve my business strategy with clients as I learned more about DMCA and legal actions and contracts. Nowadays I am more cautions and explain the work progress to new clients right from the beginning to prevent such issues.

Furthermore, some clients aren’t always sure about their needs and provide unclear explanations of their demands, which is why I tend to ask my clients many questions to help myself understand exactly what the clients want, as client satisfaction is my top concern.

9. Was networking with other people at all helpful when seeking clients?

Yes, actually! Networking is very effective – especially networking with clients. you need to be well-known around your community and if you do not work hard to gain fame and positive reputation you will not be as successful. I tend to check out what are my clients up to and ask if they require any assistance. This strengthens long-term relations with clients and lets them know that you care.

10. How did you build up your reputation?

Building a positive reputation is not an easy thing to do. It requires a lot of effort and hard work. For me, it took around 6 months to get known around the freelancing marketplace. I had first developed my skills and experience, attended college courses, and built up a solid portfolio to impress clients. If you have nothing to show your clients, I doubt that they will be interested in your service(s).

11. In what areas of multimedia do you deepen yourself?

I would consider myself more into web design and web development, because these are the services I mostly provide to clients (and are more demanded than others in the online marketplace). But that does not affect my expertise in the other multimedia fields, which include: advertisement design, flash (animation), general graphic design and interface design.

12. Do you prefer to work independently, or with a team?

From my own experience, both work styles have positive and negative aspects. In the one hand, working in a team can cause stress between individuals who literally battle on specific roles. In the other hand, working in teams can ease the workflow and produce better results in less time, in contrast to working alone.

I personally like to work alone because I get more freedom and privacy and there are absolutely no limitations and stressful deadlines.

13. How did you win the trust of your customers?

I have gained the trust of my clients by providing them exactly what they are looking for. Furthermore, I treat my clients with great respect and friendly communication and am likely to drop them a note once in a while to check on their status and see how they are doing. Not to forget that I also notify my clients about any changes in my schedule to keep them updated and not wondering, as being honest is the key to earning trust and success.

14. Do any prior customers come back to you for additional work?

Yes. I have many repeat clients who request more services occasionally, and we have built long-term relations. It is good to have repeat clients because you know your clients better and they know you as well, leading to a high level of trust and good relations.

15. If someone reading this has an interest in getting involved with graphical work, what sort of advice would you offer them? Do you have any tips you picked up over time that you could give to a newbie?

I would say that it is okay to copy others and learn their techniques in order to get better in design and eventually you will have your own style. This helps a lot and enriches your skills. I am not encouraging you to steal what people make, just do it for personal usage!

Moreover, I recommend experimenting with various software to explore new tools and ways to enhance your design workflow.

16. What do you think of your job?

I pretty much love my job! I love to design and create things which are visually appealing and attract others. I consider my job an important element in life because without design, the world would be boring and would lack new creative stylish trends and products.

For those who think that design isn’t much profitable, they are wrong. If you’re good at something and got what it takes to believe in yourself and skills, you will be very successful and happy in your life.

17. Last but not least, has your business been growing, maintaining a steady pace, or declining? Do you have any plans to expand your work in the future? Any new projects coming up?

The profits are increasing but slowly as I cancel some offers to focus on real life duties. I am planning to launch a new official portfolio to improve my presence on the web. There are other projects I have in mind, one of them is a gaming-related website which is still under development.