A better tomorrow – Blog

Nachgereicht, das Interview zu unserem Contest Winner “Floating fishy business“.

Hey Matthijs. Just a short biography, please.
… well, this is me

And what is the history behind the „Floating fishy business“ design?
… i was drawing some rough design ideas, where scuba divers were involved. And at first i only wanted to make the bag with the giftwrap around it, but it was much more fun to incorporate an actual fish looking at the distressed divers in the bag. i once had a fishtank with two goldfish, but that was almost 25 years ago… hmm, since then i never met a goldfish again

Where are you now located? Tell us about your current business and projects.
… besides working on all sorts of graphic designs (shirts, bookcovers, websites, game graphics) i also work at an architectural office in amsterdam. so basically, i’m designing stuff in 3d as well in 2d.

Well, what would you suggest to a newbie, who just starting his or her career as a designer?
… practise a lot, and try different ways to create your design. Use several programs, to find out which suits you the best for different type of designs.

Who are your favorite designers and artists around the world? Why?
… that is so hard to answer. There are a lot oft them, but i saw the animatronics petshop from banksy in new york last year, that was really awesome. never saw such freaky stuff together

What do you think about communities these days?
… i really like them, because it’s the easiest way to get in touch with people all over the world, and get the needed design exposure. but it takes up a lot of time to be really active there

Do you work on Mac or PC? Why did you choose this platform?
… i have both, but for my designs i only work on a pc. my mac is a small laptop, while my pc has a big monitor and mouse pen, and that works way better!

Do you play videogames?
… yep, i’ve got a xbox360, and have played a lot of shooters (no halo please!), but i can also enjoy gta-type of games very much

What are your hobbies?
… holidays, browsing the internet, going to the movies, eating out, having drinks with friends and photography

What is THE place on earth you would like to visit?
… i am going to australia on holiday in a few weeks, so i’m really excited about that right now

How many hours do you work, and what is stress for you?
… about ten hours a day, sometimes longer and even the weekends, but i rather keep my weekend stress free, i also got hobbies you know

Latest movie you liked?
… i saw the first episode of the matrix for the …time, i really lost track of the count

What’s your favorite sites? Why?
… there are a lot of dutch sites which i visit regulary, but i also keep track of international design sites. where ever i am, i can use my iphone to read all my rss feeds about all sorts of subjects. Hard to pick one, because i’m totally hooked to too many rss feeds… just recently discovered the awesomer (http://theawesomer.com/) & inspire me now (http://szymon.tumblr.com/)

Any plans for the future?
… to build and to get stuff printed