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AMA: I’m Mig Reyes, a designer at Basecamp.

almost 9 years ago from Mig Reyes, Exploring art, technology and design at Basecamp.

  • Mig ReyesMig Reyes, almost 9 years ago

    Jonathan,

    Good question. I really enjoy when I find moments of serendipity doing the work as opposed to looking for inspiration for the work.

    In my classes I teach, I encourage every student to study great work that has come before them. Chew on it, figure out why they did what they did. I still do this, too. But I’m always asking two things:

    • Why does it have to be this way?
    • What if we did this weird thing instead?

    So in a recent example, I worked on the Basecamp.com signup page. Here’s the dialogue to myself:

    • What if this still illustration of the man moved instead?
    • What if it was more fun, and he made funny faces on errors?
    • Oh, also, what if I learned enough JavaScript to do this on my own?

    And questions like why can’t I do this on my own? and why the hell does everyone squish their browser to see responsive design shaped projects like jQuery.wanker.js.

    So, those moments of connection happen when I keep digging, keep asking questions, and connecting things that never seem relevant before.

    1 point
    • Jonathan ShariatJonathan Shariat, almost 9 years ago

      Thank you for your response.

      I totally agree. I think the best designers are a bit annoying to work with (at first) because they are always stopping to ask questions and challenge assumptions. They test very restraint to see if its solid or mailable.

      0 points