Don't Ever Ask

Soundtrack: “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones

If anyone ever tells you that patience does not pay off, they are fools and you should probably not listen to them. Ever.

Case in point: my career in graphic design has been a point of contention for many people. I have had friends flat out tell me I will never be successful in this field so I should not even try.

And they were wrong.

Case in point: I now work for a multimedia and design firm that will most definitely make my career. In fact, there is more a 75% chance that this job will make my career. And here is why: it is different than any other design company on the planet. Sure, every design firm is “different”. But usually this difference is trivial and in the end the product is the same. The company I work for is called NeverAsk. I think that is a cool name, personally, and the idea behind it is just as cool, if not cooler. The company is dedicated to creating realities that are different than the norm. From interactive and game design to graphic design, NeverAsk does things differently. Everyone in this group of people have distinct and unique personalities. It is what makes this company so great, and it is what will make it so successful.

If I sound like a walking advertisement, I apologize. I am sure those of you who know how long I have waited to enter into this industry outside of the freelance work I have been doing are excited for me. And I have to say, I am excited for me as well.

Speaking of “this industry”, things are pretty exciting for the design world. While there are some big problems like bad typography, bad layout, and overall bad attitudes about design, these problems have caused the real designers in the world to push for stricter design guidelines across the board. And I think I echo many people when I say the following: if you are a bad designer, you aren't a real designer and you should just stop trying. Seriously. Stop fucking things up for those of us who actually have an ounce of talent. Stop exploiting your hobby, which you should probably stop doing as a hobby. And stop using god awful typefaces like Arial, Verdana, and Comic Sans. Arial is a poor bastardization of Helvetica (with some nods to Monotype Grotesque thrown in). Verdana was made strictly for screen, and it's not even very good for that application. And Comic Sans is just... wrong.

Anyway, enough of the tirade. What matters is that there are people like NeverAsk out there trying to put an innovative face on an industry that remained stagnant for so long.