Jeff Fisher, author of "Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands" (HOW Books, 2007), is the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

A 30-year design veteran, he has been honored with over 600 regional, national and international design awards and is featured in over 100 books about logos, the design business, and small business marketing. His first book, "The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success" was released in 2004 and has been reissued as a PDF on CD from HOWBookstore.com. Fisher is currently writing a new volume, with the working title of "Logo•Type", on the topic of typography in identity design.

Fisher serves on the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council, and is a past member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, and UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. He also writes for HOW Magazine, other industry publications, and many webzines and blogs. In addition, Fisher is a nationally-recognized speaker, making numerous presentations each year to design organizations, design schools, universities and business groups. Graphic Design USA magazine recently named Jeff Fisher one of the design industry “People to Watch” for 2009.

Client: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | http://www.tinyurl.com/yapl2p

Hey, Jeff - thanks for taking time from your crazy schedule to do this interview with us. For those of you who might not be too knowledgeable of who you are, give us a little bio.
I’m Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. I work out of my home-based studio in Portland, Oregon – or wherever I may be with my PowerBook at the time.


Am I right in saying you’ve been doing this for a while?
I’m a design-o-saur. I will be 53 years old this May and have been working as a professional graphic designer for just over 30 years.


That's a long time in design. How did you start?
I have been artistic since grade school and had my first one-man show of my art while in junior high. While in high school, I was the first student in my school allowed to focus on independent study in art – all the time being told by many “you will never be able to make a living as an artist.”. While in high school I began executing contract art and design work for clients. I studied design and journalism in college, where I worked as the advertising designer for the daily college newspaper, had an internship as an exhibit designer at the university museum, and continued doing independent design work.

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Client: Micki King/Chameleon

That's tough to be told you wouldn’t succeed so young. Look at you now, though! What sort of things inspired you to pursue design and continues to drive you?
My identity design inspirations include many great designers – Milton Glaser, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Louise Fili, Sayles Graphic Design, Seymour Chwast, Michael Schwab, Rick Tharp and so many others. Day-to-day I am inspired by everything around me – books, art, gardens, architecture, interior design, nature, retail and restaurant design, and more. Visiting museums and art galleries is inspiring. Travel is a major inspiration – especially repeated trips to Italy and the Caribbean.


But you don’t only do graphics...?
In the past my artistic abilities have extended to screenprinting, photography, stained glass, jewelry design, pottery, ink drawings, painting and other disciplines. My passion (and therapy) is gardening and my home garden has been photographed for possible magazine articles several times, written about in newspapers and was the location for a local television gardening show.

In 2002 I was approached by HOW Books and asked to write a book on the business of design. That book, “The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success,” was released in 2004. It was recently reissued, in PDF form on CD, by HOWBookstore.com. In late 2007 my second book “Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands,” was published.

I am currently writing a new volume, “Logo•Type,” about typography in identity design. It is scheduled for release in early 2010. Speaking engagements have become a large part of my career and I make numerous presentations each year to design organizations, design schools, universities and business groups.

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Client: triangle productions!

What's it like being your own boss? What kind of hardships are there in working from home?
One of the major challenges of a home-based studio is keeping work and a personal life separate. I have always had a home office set aside from the personal living space of my home. In some cases it has been a separate room. When I lived in an industrial loft in the early 90’s, my office was an area walled off from view within the space. My current home office is the upstairs of my 1920’s bungalow-style home. When I purchased the home, one of the first projects my spouse and I took on was the installation of a French door at the base of the stairs. In the evening, when my work is completed, I come downstairs, shut the door and my business is closed for the day. That separation of space translates to a division of business and personal time, or hours, as well.


What are some advantages of working at home that you’re finding?
“Working at home” often is not that at all. My business is totally portable. I am responding to your interview questions from a beautiful beach home on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. Since first taking advantage of Internet capabilities in 1998, my traveling “office” has been in action from locales such as Italy, Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii and elsewhere. I may be found working from hotels, airports, vacation homes, or the residences of friends throughout the United States. There are few limitations to my “home” business.

The greatest advantage to having my own business is that I get to set the rules. My clients don’t dictate how my business is operated – I do.

Most often I don’t meet my clients in person at all. The majority of my business interaction is performed via the Internet and much of that work is with clients in other states and foreign countries. With little need for a physical business location for clients, a home office makes tremendous sense. I always tell others, "It's not that I don't play well with others; it's just that I want to choose where, when and with whom I play."

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Client: Holland + Knight Charitable Foundation | http://www.tinyurl.com

What kind of challenges are young artists finding right now?
One of the major challenges for aspiring designers today is that graphic design has been SO accepted as a viable path for one’s career. Universities, community colleges and design schools are sending thousands of designers out into the world each year. I always encourage anyone interested in a design career to focus on getting the best education possible - taking their own particular life situation into consideration - prior to attempting to go for the big bucks. The money will come later to those acting upon their passion for learning about design. Getting an excellent design education doesn't necessarily mean attending a "big name" design school. I've seen many incredible designers come out of community colleges, state universities and small design school programs - better prepared for the big, bad world than some students graduating from supposedly superior (and much more costly) design schools.

The Internet has created major challenges for the young designer. The newly educated design professional must compete with the mindset of those who feel having a computer and design software makes one a designer. There is also competition with “designers,” and “design” websites around the world charging ridiculously low rates for supposedly original designs. Bidding websites, and Internet “design contests,” result in a lot of substandard design work for minimal compensation and often the loss of rights to work. Businesses looking for designs for little or no pay post requests for speculative, or “spec,” work online on a regular basis. Crowdsourcing sites, and sites where designers may sell “unused” or rejected designs, lure the naïve in with promises of big payouts.

To be considered for what seems to be an increasingly limited number of design job opportunities, and make a name for oneself in the profession, an individual needs to be better than simply a good designer. The young designer – whether applying for a a traditional job or opting to go the independent route - needs to successfully convey a knowledge of design principles, expertise in using the tools of the profession, incredible talent and creativity, an understanding of the “business of design,” the ability to collaborate or play well with others, excellent written and oral communication skills, marketing and self-promotion abilities, and so much more.

A designer hoping for a successful, life-long career in design needs to take pride in their talents and skills, position themselves and their work at a level higher than the online challenge examples mentioned, and then reap the rewards of working directly with a clientele with a greater understanding of the true value of professional design services. Effective marketing, online and “real world” networking, and self-promotion - rather than undercutting the rates of others, participating in desperate chances for little or no pay, and devaluing one’s own work – will result in great career success and personal satisfaction.

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Client: DataDork | http://www.tinyurl.com/dj2yr

What sort of tips did you rely on when you started out?
The major tip I find myself repeating again and again is for designers to force themselves to get outside of the “design community” and experience the “real” world. Online and in the real world, designers seem to often congregate and primarily network with other creative types. While this may be a good source of inspiration and information gathering, there’s a big world out there that will add so much more to one’s design career. Design is a business and networking with individuals in different fields of business will improve one’s understanding of design as a source of making a living. Designers networking with designers also limits the potential client pool. Design professionals need to put themselves into situations that may result in more client opportunities.


Any final words for the community?
Many ad agency and design principals had a great deal of time to see unemployed designers like myself for the purpose of informational interviews. The interviews really started my career. One individual told me he could give me 20 minutes of his time for such a meeting. After an hour of his advertising industry anecdotes and advice, our discussion came to an end. I thanked him profusely and asked how I could repay him for his time and kindness. He responded with, “Always take the time to share what you have learned with those coming up in the industry behind you.”

I think all designers have an obligation to share what they have learned in this business with others. There is tremendous pleasure to be had in passing on what you have learned to the next generation of design professionals. There are no ‘trade secrets” in design. Sharing knowledge and experiences only strengthens the graphic design industry.

The design profession, and technology, are changing every day. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to always be learning in my chosen profession. I enjoy the challenge. If I wasn’t constantly challenged, I would quickly become bored with my “job.” The day I become bored with design is the time I need to find something else to do with my time. I doubt that will ever happen.

Those just leaving design school and heading out into the world need to learn that, no matter what they may think, they don’t know everything about design. Check that ego at the door. Hopefully school has given them the tools for a successful and satisfying career. However, the end of school is just the start of one’s design education. I’ve been working as a professional designer for over 30 years and, in the ever-evolving profession of graphic design, I am learning new things every day. I’d be bored if I wasn’t.

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Thanks for your time, Jeff. You’re definitely Designers’Couch’s favorite Design-o-saur!
Interview by James Costa