5 Unexpected Questions That You Should Expect in a Graphic Design Interview

A few months back I was given an amazing opportunity out of the blue. Our third year University design exhibition had appeared to be fruitful: I, along with 3 or 4 other students, had been picked for an interview with a highly prestigious and much sought after graphic design studio. It was actually probably close to my dream job, and without any effort on my behalf I had been plucked out of a large number of students and invited to attend.

The interview went shockingly. I was ill-prepared, tired, stressed, and though I knew that this opportunity wouldn’t come along again any time soon, I could not bring myself to participate at the level I needed to.

I was exhausted – physically and mentally. 2013 was a huge year for me. For the entire span of the year there was not a single time I was able to turn on my laptop without immediately bringing up the Adobe programs. The very name of the programs in the Creative Suite made my skin crawl. Towards the second half of the year especially, I began avoiding phone calls from my parents and family -because in the state that I was in they would have been more stressed out if I had answered than if I hadn’t.

It was by no means a bad year – but it was exceptionally busy, I felt like I was drowning. I began the year in early February as I had opted to take a summer course. Living out of home meant that I needed to work a lot more than I had time to, and the Government wouldn’t help me out unless I left my degree. I was working around 20 hours or so a week, which is not a great deal on it’s own, but when combined with going to the gym, cleaning around the house, making dinner, preparing all of my food for each day (being gluten intolerant means that this can be quite time consuming as most things need to be made not bought), avoiding my parents phone calls, trying to find at least a minute a day to procrastinate and of course all of the transport in between, it certainly adds up. Not to mention I had jobs that I felt that I was obliged to do for family members, as well as any commitments with my partner and his family and then on top of all of that was attending all of my classes and trying to complete the work to my painstakingly high standards. So busy should sum it up quite well.

And there is nothing wrong with busy. But the problem was that I was so busy, that when I got a virus at the end of February, my body wasn’t able to get rid of it until the end of July. And there is a definitely a problem with being sick and busy.

So when I arrived at that interview in December it is safe to say I was mentally ill prepared, and perhaps I didn’t mind so much at the time. Perhaps I didn’t have the energy to mind as much as I should have.  It was my almost dream job coming at the most terrible time possible. I felt so creatively, mentally and socially drained and all of this had led me to have quite a fragile, and negative mindset. Not to mention I dropped my standard for the second half of the year and hated half of my portfolio.

In my flustered state, I skipped part of my December intensive class to attend the interview. Wearing all black and sweating at the palms, I made casual conversation with the receptionist at the studio. If she likes me, I thought to myself, then perhaps she’ll put in a good word (note that she didn’t – or else I failed the interview so badly that it didn’t help).

1.    What is your favourite movie?

What I said: ZOOLANDER. Definitely. Without a doubt. Love that movie.
What went through my head: No, no! I was meant to say something cool and art house here, or so alternative he hasn’t even heard of it. Dammit. I could have at least said Roman Holiday. At least that has culture, and Audrey Hepburn.
What I should’ve said: A Clockwork Orange. The Graduate. Exit Through the Gift Shop. The version of Coco Chanel that has Audrey Tautou. Roman Holiday. Anything.

2.    What is your favourite colour?

What I said: Mint! But like, not straight mint. It’s mint with a bit of a blue through it. I don’t know the name of it though. It’s really nice, if you saw it you would understand.

Note: This was particularly bad: a definite low point in the interview. The interviewer then asked for the PMS colour break down and I laughed thinking he was joking but retrospectively he was not. Bad, bad, bad.
What went through my head: Oh no. Oh god. Just stop: stop the word vomit! Mint isn’t even your favourite colour, why did you say that? Why couldn’t you have just said Black. Black is safe. Black isn’t a lie. People like black.
What I should’ve said: I am not partial to any particular colour. I love all colours equally and never show bias.

3.    What is your favourite board game?

What I said: Balderdash! Interviewer: I have never heard of it, what is it? It’s kind of like trivial pursuit, but better. You just have to lie and make up answers the whole time and then if you lie really well you win once you make it to the end. 
What went through my head: Oh no. Oh no Oh no Oh no Oh no Oh no. That isn’t even my favourite, that is my second favourite at best. Pictionary, I love Pictionary. Why didn’t I say Pictionary?
What I should’ve said: Pictionary.

4.    Name a famous Australian?

What I said: Cathy Freeman
What went through my head: Shit. Don’t say Cathy Freeman. Don’t say Cathy Freeman.
What I should’ve said: Peter Alexander. Bloody Alex Perry. Shit, I don’t know, Ken Cato. Someone else. This is possibly the worst answer I could have said, it is so non-design related and typical even to the point that when I spoke to another girl who had the interview, she said that she tried really hard to make sure she did not say Cathy Freeman. Even Dawn Fraser would have been an improvement.

5.    What would you do if you had a day off?

What I said: Well, I said (as I played with the idea of having a day off at some point in the marathon of a year I had), Well, that would depend on what season I had the day off. Interviewer: Winter. Me: Oh that’s tricky – internally: I fucking hate Winter in Adelaide – but I guess I would exercise at the gym not outside, and then have coffee somewhere nice and perhaps see a friend if they had a day off too and possibly read a book (and then this carried on for a mile of word vomit, of all of the things I had missed all year).
What went through my head: A day off. That’s cute. I would have to fit my whole year into it though, is that possible? Should I say that I’m on team no-days-off? I am nailing this answer.
What I should’ve said: I would kick back and relax so that when I came back the next day I could work harder and be more inspired than ever.  

So the moral of this botched interview for my dream job is that you should consult your brain before talking and be prepared for absolutely anything in a design interview. Heck, I left it feeling more like I was making friend with a 10 year old than hoping to secure a job. And perhaps I would have left with more confidence if that was the truth. Because I make great friends with 10 year olds if I have to.

Despite my well picked outfit and neatly brushed hair, I did not get this job.

Beautiful juice box designs

This was a personal project tackled by Guilherme de Bernardo S. and what a beautiful project it is. 

So simple, so effective, so Nordic. And brilliant colours.

Shape your sofa: Petter Skogstad

This is really cool. I actually think this might have only been a prototype and I don't really understand why, because I think it's pretty great. 

Petter Skogstad has designed modular sofa pieces which you can move around and deconstruct as you like, allowing you to shape your own sofa and change this day in and day out. I also love the beautiful grey material that he has used for this.

Bul Clothing - parisian themed top

Okay so it might not actually be parisian themed. But it is striped, and it is beautiful. I spoke about this top briefly in my post about the Naomi Murrell pop-up store. And here it is, in a mini photographic series, modelled by me. 

I have basically been living in this t-shirt since purchasing it and have no regrets whatsoever - it has become an instant favourite. I bought it in store, but you can purchase it online here. 

Coffee Review: Taste Baguette

Located on Rundle street close to the mall, Taste Baguette sneaks in quietly near Cibo’s, occupying a tiny space in the area which has been transformed into a rustic café.

What I like about Taste Baguette is the way that it caresses the side walk so gently, with an open window displaying sweets and pastries acting as a portal from the outside world to the inside of their café. Also to be noted is the beautiful old door and rusted letters – the whole place is rather under spoken, but in a good way. Inside, they have made use of old scales and cash registers to add to the overall atmosphere, and I found myself intrigued by the decorative elements provided by these older times.

The overall interior layout is not fantastic due to their lack of space. The door space often becomes crowded and turns into a mess of people trying to place their order. But the staff are friendly so most people don’t make this into a problem.

The coffee was good and they used Bonsoy for their soy milk.

Taste Baguette scores an 8.5/10.

Shilla Clothing

I bought a new skirt a few weeks ago. It's made from jersey fabric and I got it in one of my all time favourite colours, grey. 

I have never bought from Shilla Clothing before but it was a pleasant experience. I really like their swing tags. 

Local Crush: Naomi Murrell pop-up store

The Naomi Murrell collaborative pop-up store on Rundle street in Adelaide is simply beautiful. This store is amazing for similar reasons as to the Hotel Minho review I did. The beautiful wooden tables and necklace stands are highlighted by the soft, cleanness of the white walls and geometric white feature lamps. This style is continued through for the clothes dresses and other pieces of furniture in the store. 

I was taken away by the store set up because so much effort had been put into this small little space, especially for a temporary store. Before I even entered the store I knew I wanted to buy things - and we all know that is a dangerous beginning. 

The staff member was very helpful when I was asking about the store, and she filled me in on the whole scenario explaining that it was a collaborative store involving furniture designers as well as Naomi Murrell who creates the jewellery that was for sale. The clothes are from a brand called Bul, which Adelaide doesn't have yet. This store is unfortunately only staying until the end of March, which is a shame because I think it adds a lot to the street. 

I have visited this store a few times, and each time have left just as happy. About a week ago, I accidentally fell in love with a striped top from Bul. And then I accidentally drove all the way into the city today to go and buy it. Woops.

Check it out for yourself below, or go in store if you dare. 

Hotel whhhhhaaat?

Hotel Minho ... I have no idea what that means, but I like it. 

This Portuguese hotel looks like an ideal place to visit. A clean, beautiful combination of textural wood finishes combined with clean, often 3-Dimensional whites helps to create a visually attractive haven. The icons are smart and simplified, helping to support the bi-lingual text. And that is just considering the interior and exterior walls, not what lies within them.

A quick flick through their website (which strongly reflects the style which they determined with their hotel) confirms that this is definitely the kind of place I would like to stay. 

When translated to English, their About Us description nails their design aesthetics, as well as I presume their service, "Stylish but unpretentious. Simple but sophisticated. Casual, yet refined. And typically always welcoming." Well as long as they are typically always welcoming, right?

I'm not sure when I will make it to Portugal, but this hotel is definitely on my bucket list if I do. 

Door to the future

Klemens Torggler, an Austrian artist, has created an origami-like door that folds and opens itself in a beautiful way. 

The main problem I see with the functionality of this door is that it would be directly responsible for my immediate dis-functionality in all areas, other than spending my days opening and closing the beautiful thing. 

Watch this video to see how it works.

Agenda: New Zealand Design

Brogen Averill worked on a collaborative project with 8 other designers across the world. I will be honest in saying I am not 100% sure what this is meant to be, or how it is meant to be used, or what it is meant to represent, but on a visual level I like it very much so. 

Find more photos here. 

Free Downloadable Font: Milano

Marco Oggian from Italy has designed a typeface to represent Milan. 

And, yep... the first is basically exactly how I would have thought to represent it also. I love that he explored it further to create a more crazy version of it with the same underlying structure. 

Looks great and love the sample images he has created to explore the possibilities of the typeface! Great colour choices also: they remind me of italian gelato. 

This font is currently downloadable for free here. 

Free Icons: Nautical Themed

Graficheria have released these beautiful nautical themed icons for free! I like them for their colours, and also because they are simple but beautiful. Click through for the link. 

You had me at Icelandic: OmNom Chocolate

This is just too cute. I came across this as per usual trawling through the internet.

Working with just cocoa beans and sugar, OmNom Chocolate (an Icelandic-based business), create dark chocolate which they then add any array of flavours (or items) to in order to experiment with the tasty, tasty outcome.

What can only be equally as delicious, if not more, would be the beautiful packaging design which accompanies it. I was taken by the illustrative style combined with well picked colours that adorned the exterior of the packaging, and I became captivated once I saw how they had treated the inside too. 

Their online shop isn't live yet, but once it is I will be very excitedly ordering this chocolate just to see the design quality first hand. 

To read an interview with OmNom themselves, click here.