[You're reading part 2 (of 3). Read Drew's. Read Adam's.]

Recently, we received an e-mail from design student Suzanne Schmidt asking us to answer a design questionnaire. We decided each of the three of us would answer the questions separately, and post them publicly on the Oxide News site.

Joe Sparano. Photo by Adam Nielsen

How has your job/position changed since you first entered the professional field (if it has)? Are you where you imagined yourself?

Fresh out of school, I had a pretty finite view of what day-to-day life as a designer entailed, and I was perfectly happy with those options. Now, not only do I expect those options to keep expanding, but we’re actually pursuing some very atypical design challenges (big picture, non-graphic stuff), and I can’t wait to see where those lead us. I’m further than I imagined myself then, but not where I think we should be now.

What’s your fallback career; what would you be doing if not this?

LEGO set designer. Failing that, a staff writer on a TV show.

Who are some of your influences?

I think good problem solving is cross-disciplinary, so my influences come from all kinds of places. (And yes, I really do think all of these people do the same thing we do every day): TV writers (How I Met Your Mother, Lost, Smallville, House); songwriters (Trent Reznor, Paul McCartney, Clint Mansell); comic book illustrators (Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, Bruce Timm, Roger Langridge); and tons of other geeky stuff.

What inspires you?

FFFFound!. LogoPond. The Brothers Brick.

What’s unique to your workflow? Are there any “rituals” to your process?

I’ve learned that the best way for me to start a project is to study the information we’ve collected and immediately write down the meaningful threads of consistency. Then, I just walk away for awhile. When I come back to the table, I’m usually half-way to something good.

What’s the biggest challenge you face when starting a new project?

I’m totally worthless if I don’t have a specific problem to solve. So, if a project is too ambiguous to nail down, I break it up until I find the bits that are solvable. Eventually, we’ll get to the big stuff.

What is your favorite tool(s) that you use?

Remember the Milk.

Do you have any “go to” typefaces? If so, what are they and why?

I try not to. I think it’s really important to find a typeface that matches the project. That search can be a lot of fun.

In your opinion, what is one of the most abused design gimmicks popular right now?

Enough with the hearts and cute little birds, people!

Outside of design/illustration/your work, what are some of your other interests?

I watch a lot of TV, but I’m a connoisseur, so it’s OK. Also, LEGO, cycling, piano, and comic books.

What was one of your most rewarding projects? Most disappointing?

Rewarding: I’m really proud of the work we’ve done for Film Streams, and I feel like the partnership has been great for both sides. Disappointing: I wish one of the great logos for Meadowlark Recycling would have seen the light of day.

What one piece of advice would you give to design students?

Read Oxide’s Hey Students! series. :)