Time to meet Nelson Chow. He was the Art Director on the print magazine, WordPress Designer on the website, and all-around GOAT (greatest of all time)! Let’s get to know the man behind the big ideas.
Where did you get your start as a designer? Was it something you have always been into, or was there something specific that kickstarted this passion?
Shout out to Microsoft Paint for making me into the designer I am today. I was always interested in drawing and I wanted to move from paper to computer. I messed around with MS Paint because it was the only design software I had growing up, and I pretty much spent hours and hours creating visuals. I love to do portraits of people in MS Paint and that’s where I ultimately began. Although what I produced in MS Paint was pretty decent, I needed to level up to a new software and that is when I started to pursue the Adobe Software programs.
Where do you get your ideas from?
My ideas spawn from my surroundings; Design is everywhere you look. If I see something I like, I will try to imitate it and then improve on that idea/add my own twist to it. The famous quote by Pablo Picasso, “good artists copy, great artists steal” is my design mantra, and I follow it by heart in my design process.
What is the biggest design challenge you face?
The biggest challenge I face is originality. It’s hard to be original and come up with something new because everything you see influences you. One day you will be creating something thinking it’s original and then out of nowhere you remember where you got that initial idea from.
You have $500 to burn, all your friends are busy and you have the whole day to yourself, what do you do?
Invest the money into my RSP account. I mean this barely covers the cost for a pair of Yeezys.
What is the one thing you’ve always wanted to do/try/learn that you haven’t yet?
One thing I’ve always wanted to do/try/learn is to become a YouTuber and get into videography. I’m a designer and I love to create, I’m confident in designing and creating graphics, but video and animations is something I want to get into because it’s that extra sprinkle on top!
What is something that is really popular now, but in 5 years everyone will look back on and be embarrassed by?
Nothing. I don’t believe in embarrassment. Believe in your flyness and conquer your shyness!
