ThisIsInspired Talks Shop with Terri Nakamura

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ThisIsInspired will be sitting down every once in a while with noted artists and designers – finding out how they got started and what gets them inspired. Each interview gives you the designer’s perspective and angle on their work – and on creativity in general.

Who Is Terri Nakamura?

Terri Nakamura, currently keeping busy at Nakamura Graphic Design in Seattle, WA, earned her B.A. in Art History from the University of Washington in 1976 and has helmed graphic design and branding projects for clients ranging from Boeing to Safeco. Her creativity has earned her over 30 professional design awards. ThisIsInspired was able to catch up with Terri on Twitter (@TerriNakamura) and ask her about creativity, work, and what gets her inspired.

The Interview

ThisIsInspired:
First of all, I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you’ve handled some high-profile projects – including design for web, collateral, as well as brand. So question Number One is, What made you fall in love with design in the first place? Was it a childhood passion or more business prospect?

Terri Nakamura:
I’ve loved art since kindergarten. When I was 16 or so, I had a part-time job after school working for the U.S. Coast Guard public information office. A kind journalist there suggested graphic design as a way of integrating art and creativity so I might actually someday be able to earn a living. He showed me how to research, write, & crop photos, and I created a brochure for a US Coast Guard icebreaker. When it came back as a printed piece, I was hooked.

ThisIsInspired:
You’ve done work for some very familiar names; Besides the contrast in client size what differences, if any, are there creatively in a large project versus a small one?

Terri Nakamura:
The small projects always seem much more demanding than the large ones and there is an inverse ratio of remuneration. Large clients respect your time and expertise and understand the value of services. Small clients have conservative resources, are often not sophisticated in working with a designer—making them scattered or indecisive or unable to articulate what it is they really want or need—and they sometimes ask for the moon, not thinking about the added hours of time required.

ThisIsInspired:
A lot of designers point to a specific period or movement as their muse or influence. Are there any design periods or schools of design you particularly like? Art Deco? Bauhaus? Moderne?

Terri Nakamura:
Of the choices you suggested, I would say Bauhaus. I gravitate toward simplicity and functionality because I like a clean look and feel, but I will do what makes the most sense to achieve the objectives of whatever projects I have in my office. I like to make information accessible to the reader in an anticipated fashion. I rely on “the grid” to make order of practically everything I do, and I’m a strong believer in headlines, subheads, photos and captions to quickly tell a story to a reader who is willing to spend only a few minutes looking.

ThisIsInspired:
If there is a specific period of design, what makes it grab your eye?

Terri Nakamura:
I don’t get to do work in this genre, but I love stuff from the 60s and 70s and what came out of the grunge period. I also love the work of David Lance Goines, but is it appropriate for a lot of work? No.

ThisIsInspired:
You have a whole career of design under your belt. Having a portfolio like yours doesn’t come easy, to say the least. What roadblocks, creative-wise, have you had to jump along the way?

Terri Nakamura:
The worst thing for me is having a complete mental block about where to start on a project. In the beginning of my career I guess you could say small client budgets were road blocks because they could so severely limit what could be done—but at the same time they were also catalysts to be more creative. Extremely tight deadlines can be roadblocks if you don’t have enough time to invest in the creative process. When I first started my business, a copywriter wisely told me, “Terri—you always do the very best job possible at the moment.” The “at the moment” part of that advice has always felt like an escape hatch for me.

ThisIsInspired:
Let’s say – hypothetically – you have a project lined up and all other tasks are off the table for the day. You know it involves your best creativity; How do you start the creative day? (eg: Make coffee, open the sketchpad and doodle project ideas or start with a calm breakfast not thinking about the project at all…)

Terri Nakamura:
I would make myself some coffee or tea, read through the creative brief if I’ve been provided with one, review meeting notes and take another look at samples that might have been identified as relevant or attractive during the course of “discovery.” If I have a concept for how a piece will fold or how many pages it will be, I’ll do thumbnails showing possible information distribution, and even construct small dummies, delineating the info on each page/spread/panel. It helps me figure out the visual flow. Then I start thinking about the overall look and feel, fonts, color palettes, imagery, etc.

ThisIsInspired:
We all have our “muse.” But even if we both love a certain type of music, for example, we’ll also both have our own ways of using it for inspiration. Whereas I might put it on and sit on the porch, you might put it on and open a moleskine. What’s your ‘muse’ (as it were) and how do you call it up?

Terri Nakamura:
Jazz, R&B, hip hop, alternative, classic rock – it’s all there in my iTunes Library, on my Pandora stations or on Blip.fm, where I am a “DJ.” I have my Harmon Kardon speakers straddling my monitor, bump up the music and usually begin with thumbnails on paper.

ThisIsInspired:
Everyone and his brother (it seems) “has Photoshop” or “knows HTML” but rarely it’s the outright skill that makes a design work. Our own unique personal aspects come into play as well, whether it’s a knack for choosing a palette or a good way with copywriting. Could you name three components of your work that make it uniquely Terri? (eg, you were able to help it be successful in a way, or ways, someone else may not have been able to)

Terri Nakamura:
Like all designers I use CS4 (Adobe Creative Suite), with an emphasis on Photoshop and InDesign. But I think I’m a different sort of designer because I make it my business to really understand the personality of my clients including learning their particular “language” and “behavioural” styles. It makes it possible for me to anticipate their needs, often before they verbalise it.

Also, unlike most designers, I actually read everything I design, so I frequently catch grammar and spelling mistakes and correct them. If a photo caption or headline is missing, I write them because even if a client elects to not use them, it gives them a clear idea of the word counts needed to fill the space.

Third, my knowledge of print & web production means my clients have someone who can facilitate their creations by liaising intelligently with printers and developers. Finally, this is a fourth point, but I am a fun, interesting and engaging person, so people enjoy working with me. Clients frequently become real friends, and they remain friends even after our working relationships have ended. Each person is special and I do things to make them feel valued.

ThisIsInspired:
The common last question. In your career you’ve been able to create designs for brand names we see in the supermarket every week – brand names that are almost household terms. Do you have any tips or pointers to those who would love to pursue a career in design?

Terri Nakamura:
If you are talking about freelancing, I would say relationships are everything.

“Given two designers of equal talent, experience and cost, people always choose the one they like best.”

Align yourself with a writer or establish relationships with people (public relations companies, internal marketing directors, advertising agencies or direct clients) who may be able to refer work to you. This means networking and always having a business card on you.
One thing I think that is always overlooked is explaining to your friends and acquaintances exactly what it is that you do. They know you’re some sort of artist, but by showing them what you are capable of doing, they can become inadvertent agents who promote your work. And by asking experienced people for advice, I think many will offer it freely. I remember being there myself, so I’m usually happy to help less-experienced people find their ways, and sometimes make calls and contacts on their behalf.

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I’d like to thank Terri for agreeing to an interview for ThisIsInspired. It happened pretty quick on a Monday evening, and she was right on the button and very professional in her response. So, Terri, thank you for your time and attention to detail.