Amber Sellers from Brooklyn, New York talks about how she got her design “cojones”

Amber Sellers is a web designer from Brooklyn, New York in the United States. She studied in a number of places, most notably Hyper Island in Sweden and enrolled in their program. Amber didn’t start working on web design projects until she interned in 2005 and continued to develop her skills. Her career into web design was not a straight path. When she started out after graduating from the University of Arizona she started as a technology consultant and later a business analyst before getting into web and digital design. I had a chance to ask amber some questions about her experiences to date, her experience at hyper island in Sweden and how she made the switch from the more analytical career she had before to where she is today.

Luc @ SWD: How did you originally get interested in designing and when did you start designing websites professionally?

Amber says: I’ve always been a fan of rave flyers growing up in high school (not that these were the best designs in the world, but they got me thinking). This started my appreciation for creative visual design. I never thought about creating myself or having it become a career until after I had graduated from college. I found myself putting a little too much effort into making my PowerPoint presentations and Visio user flow diagrams. I was spending a lot of time online and totally wowed by the Flash micro sites that were coming out at the time. It finally clicked that I wanted desperately to be a part of those. I bought a Mac and started taking online courses in how to use Photoshop. From there I started making rave flyers, business cards and magazines for friends. I learned HTML and Flash and starting making websites for small businesses on my nights and weekends.

Once I built up enough to create a decent portfolio I thought about applying to design schools. I went through interactive portfolios I admired and Hyper Island in Sweden kept popping up. I kept putting them on the “no” list because at the time you had to know Swedish in order to attend (this is no longer the case). However, they kept popping up and after some research they seemed like an amazing interactive digital media school. I hired a Swedish tutor and hoped for the best. Somehow a miracle happened and I got in. I attended Hyper Island form 2004 – 2006 in Crew 10.

I wouldn’t say I professionally designed websites for big name clients until I started my internship at Domani Studios in New York in 2005 (while attending hyper Island). Although, those learning years before I started school is where I got my chops and started to build my toolset.

Luc @ SWD: How has your experience as a business analyst made you a better web designer?

Amber says: Although I’m concerned with design aesthetic, my analyst years opened my eyes to the importance of the user experience and user centered design in general. I strive to make websites completely intuitive and to help make people’s lives easier.

Luc @ SWD:  How did your educational experience at Hyper Island shape you and what did it teach you that you didn’t already know?

Amber says: Hyper Island was a strange and magical place. There are no teachers, tests, or homework. What they teach is how to teach yourself. This gave me some “cojones” to go out and tackle challenges. They also focus on throwing you into the fire with real projects so you learn on the fly. I worked in teams where I had to focus not only on design, but I got to be the project manager, the tech lead, and the client account manager at different times. Experiencing all the team roles really helped me appreciate my other team members and see how projects work as a whole. I also learned a little patience, how to give and receive feedback, and how to be punctual, as Swedes tend to exude these qualities.

You can read more about my Hyper Island experience here: http://bit.ly/2kgpk8

Luc @ SWD: How do you go about starting a design project and do you ever suffer from the dreaded “blank page” that some designers face from time to time?

Amber says: I first layout all the content to see how it will flow best in a grid (a sort of undesigned wireframe to make sure everyone is on board with layout before I start polishing it). Then based on the client’s brand and messaging I start adding typography, color, images and shading/gradient nuances. I do sometimes need inspiration at the start or even half way through if I do not love it. I’m always bookmarking URLs of great work and portfolios I admire and turn to them for inspiration (not as whole, as in copying them, but trying to capture the essence of design trick or flavor that I can work into my own piece).

Although it is very painful to do, sometimes I have to just throw out a design that isn’t working and start from scratch again. Usually this unleashes something wonderful the second time. Sometimes I need to just walk away and sleep on it and it comes the next day. It helps to have a great team too. Sometimes I’m lucky to be working with talented CDs, don’t be too shy or arrogant to ask for feedback. It’s not always the mess of “design by committee”, sometimes great minds can build beautiful things together.

Luc @ SWD: What are you most prized tools to use on a typical design project?

Amber says: For me, hands-down, it’s Photoshop. Sometimes Illustrator, but pretty rarely now the PS has Smart Objects and I’ve learned to use the shape point selector tool. The Layer Comps tool, Smart Objects, and grids have changed my life. I highly recommend working with them if you haven’t already!  I’ll get into InDesign when I need to create a deck with titles (I know, fascinating). Sometimes I’ll get into Flash or basic HTML to create a demo of how things will work to pitch a design. This will sometimes wow clients with sexy movement so they can see how things will come to life.

Since I use mainly Photoshop, I must admit the tutorials psdtuts.com is a major tool for me too. Photoshop is always changing up their game and it’s a great place to learn new tools you don’t normally use and to beef up your design tricks.