An Interview With Our Graphic Designer, Jose Constanzo
Written by Courtney Raguso, Social Media Content Creator
Graphic design plays a key role in the success of your business because it’s something that can make or break your online presence. Good design can do wonders for your brand, while bad design can make it look stale and unprofessional. Graphic design plays a lot of roles in the visual aspect of your business, including the logo, website, content and anything that can be branded, like your packaging or even apparel. There are many reasons having a graphic designer on your team can be hugely beneficial and even be an investment for your business. For one, it helps you establish your brand identity and help your brand stand out from the crowd. It gives you a way to show off your brand’s unique edge and establish brand recall in the eyes of the customer. This is important because it’s what will be associated with your brand, and you want a good and lasting impression. It also helps establish credibility over time for when you’re creating content. When you provide your audience with high quality content that maintains consistency, your channels will come across as more legitimate and trustworthy because of the nature of what you’re putting out. We decided to interview our talented graphic designer, Jose Constanzo, to see what he has to say about his role as our graphic designer here at MSM. Here is what he had to say to our questions.
What, specifically, about graphic design appeals to you and why?
“I just love to be creative, to embrace and develop structures, new forms, and shape concepts into something I believe my client and everyone else will love. Making a reality out of an idea motivates me, inspires me, and also knowing that I’m helping someone makes me enjoy what I do with passion and discipline. And when they tell me how much they like my work, that’s very fulfilling.”
As a graphic designer, how do you manage the demands of clients without stepping on anyone’s toes?
“I try to adjust my workflow by being very objective with the graphics, attempting to understand what the client really wants. Sometimes concepts and ideas may not be expressed as clearly as I would want them, but I try to learn the client’s likes, dislikes and the brand psychology to get things done properly.”
How do you work cross-functionally with developers, copywriters, project managers, etc.?
“I try to be very clear about everything we’re working on with my team. I am very specific and love to detail and suggest new and creative ways to make things work. I love working as a team and enjoy brainstorming, debating and creating new concepts from scratch. The more original and unique it comes, the better.”
How do you incorporate feedback into your designs? What’s a time you received hard criticism for your work?
“Feedback takes me to what the client really wants. When there’s a smoke screen with the concepts mostly, their approach leads the graphic, and they’re very necessary. A hard criticism I had in the past was with proportions in a graphic. I struggled to set the proportions correctly when dealing with some angles, but even though the critiques were tough, they were also necessary, so I basically studied more and trained doing mockups until I got it right.”
How do you deal with feedback?
“My approach with feedback is to try to get the client’s idea, concept or taste, compare it with what I have done, and look for a way to integrate everything so the graphic has everything they like without compromising the composition in the process. This is referring to readable copy and proper branding and elements.”
Describe your creative process. What are the major steps?
“I like to run the composition in my head first. I like thinking of more than one way to get it done, taking some notes if necessary, and starting. I try to visualize the completed graphic before starting it. Personally, it helps me to be more objective about it. Of course, all of this process has a pre-learning session about the client: branding, graphic applications, brand communication, etc.”
What software do you use? What software are you most comfortable working with? Do you have a favorite? Why?
“I normally use Adobe Photoshop, although sometimes Adobe Illustrator, but it all depends on what the client wants or needs to get done. Both software have all the necessary tools and the industry standards.”
How do you keep your design skills current?
“Looking for new references, trends, color palettes and schemes, and design styles occasionally. I also follow on social media and websites like Behance top designers from around the world so i can keep learning different techniques as well. I often practice some of those techniques and try, not just to perfect it, but to own it, adapting them to my personal style. I also check tutorials on Youtube on how to do new approaches, use new tools, how to illustrate better, etc. That way I can grow by being better each day at what I do.”
What is one aspect of the design that you give the highest priority?
“There are two essential aspects, at least for me: the composition and the color palette. That’s my starting point. Making a dynamic composition with a good color scheme, very appealing to the eye, very catching, readable, comprehensive, that works for my client’s purposes for his business, that’s the goal.”
What do you think makes someone a good designer?
“The ability to adapt to the concepts, ideas and also possible problems that arise, and knowing how to solve them in a simple, aesthetic and optimized way. A good designer must always listen and guide the client to the best solution possible. But also, a good designer is capable of taking negative feedback and learning from it.”
Unique brands that do well online have high quality visuals that express what they’re about to the world. Design is a communication tool that can be used as a way of self-expression, and is a form of art that can be used to make your story that much more interesting. Graphic design offers a level of versatility that other specialties do not because you can use it for so many different things, from your social media graphics to your website and even effective marketing materials like brochures, business cards, menus, and banners. The list goes on. Good graphic design cultivates a positive brand identity by reflecting a company’s vision that permeates everything from company websites and communications to business cards and staff apparel. A good designer will know how to incorporate your values, brand personality, industry and staff to tie all in one visual representation. Creating a powerful visual identity isn’t easy and involves creating the right visual representation for your brand. Implementing quality graphic design into your business will help increase the efficiency of your success because good design is attention grabbing, while consistent design builds trust. These two elements go hand in hand with marketing and if you want it to work, you’ll have to hire a skilled designer. If you need help finding one, you know who to call!
At MSM DesignZ, we put in the time and energy needed for success, so you can ensure you are using every dollar for maximum return. With over 20 years in the business, we have watched marketing evolve from traditional to digital. Whether you need a website refresh, more attractive email, or a quality online presence, we can do it all. When we take on a client, we put in 110% and treat every brand as if it’s our own. We will always continue to place our clients’ needs at the heart of our operations. From web development to social media management, we’ll work directly with you to build a personalized strategy to not only retain but also gain business. We are assisting in all areas for our clients. Visit our contact page at https://www.msmdesignz.com/contact/, and we’ll work with you to devise a custom plan that will keep your brand alive and well. We look forward to working with you!
Sources:
https://smallbiztrends.com/2021/03/invest-in-graphic-design.html