Self-portrait by Jeffrey Dennis

I knew this internship would be special from the beginning. The first question Drew asked me was: which superhero represented me the most? By default I chose Hulk because my first responses had been taken. But there was no reason to ever turn green. The internship was definitely a positive one. Not only did I get to work with three design all-stars that gave me the same respect that they gave each other, I also got to work on real-world projects and get a taste of how a design firm works.

I learned how professionals work through the creative process. I was encouraged to find out that they are human (only before they step into the phone booth located in the front room) and ask for help if they need it. It’s a team effort, but they do allow their individual strengths to show.

Coming from the UNO/Metro design program, I have always felt out of place. It was like I was on my own island and didn’t belong with “design people.” Oxide was the opposite; it felt like home. It felt like working with three friends. I actually enjoyed the 30-minute drive at 8 in the morning and was excited to Hulk Smash any design problem that Oxide assigned to me. Drew, Joe, and Adam provided a relaxed, professional atmosphere, which makes it very difficult to leave. If one could describe what a graphic design dream job is, it would be Oxide.

I will miss the weekend banter at traffic meetings, the trips to Bucky’s, and Taco Tuesdays. (I will NOT miss the Metro maps.)

I knew Oxide would make me a better designer. I knew interning at Oxide would make my design friends jealous. I knew Oxide would help transition me from student to a professional. But what I didn’t know was that graphic design is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Thank you Adam, Joe, and Drew for a truly unique experience, believing in my work, and allowing me to be a part of the Oxide team for the summer.

Note: Jeffrey Dennis was an intern at Oxide during the summer of 2010.

(Note: deadline extended — entries must be postmarked by 31 August 2010!)

I am excited to announce that Oxide Design Co. has been selected by Rockport Publishers to author Letterhead + Logo Design 12, the latest edition in their best-selling series. (Oxide recently had the honor of having several pieces selected for inclusion in Letterhead + Logo Design 11.) Oxide will be responsible for collecting and cataloging entries, judging the design submissions, designing the complete book, and writing all of the text. The hardbound book will be available at booksellers worldwide in the fall of 2011.

If you’re a designer, we encourage you to submit your best logo and letterhead work from the last two years. Simply download the call-for-entries, and be sure to send your work postmarked by the deadline. Please help us spread the word — we’re looking for the best of the best from around the world. (And be sure to check out Rockport’s other ongoing competitions.)

Front side of the Letterhead + Logo Design 12 call-for-entries

Reverse side of the Letterhead + Logo Design 12 call-for-entries

For those looking for behind-the-scenes design notes, this has already been an interesting project for Oxide. The call-for-entries had to be designed in less than a week, which effectively precluded us from developing a concept that could be consistent from the entry form to the complete book. It simply wasn’t enough time to create something with enough depth to be meaningful for an entire 240-page book. (Not to mention the one-color printing requirement, because Rockport physically mails out more than 13,000 of the calls-for-entry.) So it’s likely the visuals you see here won’t appear anywhere else in relation to the book. It wasn’t our ideal situation, since we feel very strongly about building design cohesion, but it’s a better solution than being locked into a concept that we only had a week to develop.

On the other hand, designing the submission form was a great exercise, because it allowed us to put some of our information design expertise to work. We completely redesigned the previous Rockport entry form in order to create the easiest possible process for the user — restructuring a confusing tangle of randomly-placed information into a set of intuitive, easy-to-follow steps.

Self-portrait by Adam Casey

It is hard to know where to begin for this post since there is more to talk about than just “Oxide is great” and “this internship turned my perspective of design and my design process around and sent it off in the right direction” — which is all true. My stay at Oxide never felt like an internship at all; there was never any prejudice towards me being “just” an intern. I have never had a better learning experience, and if it were up to me I would never leave. Today is my last day and it feels like the girl of my dreams just said “it’s not you, it’s me” which I reply “What did I do wrong?” Not that I did anything wrong, but like all great experiences, they have to end — and it says so in my contract. What makes this internship experience so great, aside from the learning and the knowledge absorbed, is that at the end of it all you still get to stay friends.

I started my internship a week or two before Adam Torpin’s second year anniversary; in his blog post he said “Since day-one at Oxide, I’ve felt like nothing less than an equal in all design-related discussions…” Even if I wasn’t equal to the level of design or knowledge that is contained here at Oxide, I was never made to feel that I wasn’t equal. Everyone at Oxide, including interns, collaborate to achieve the right solution for each individual client. It was during these times that I learnt the most and perhaps more importantly, raised my own expectations of myself. Oxide was what I wanted and needed my entire college career, and at a pace that I wasn’t sure I would survive. It is the advice and support that Drew, Joe and Adam gave that allowed me to move through the times I felt like breaking, it was this guidance that I needed to take my design to a better place.

My internship became about more than just design, it was also a test of my character and perseverance through a growing process that takes someone from being a student to being a professional. An environment like Oxide’s is the perfect learning platform to grow and develop; sometimes you need someone to say “that’s a good starting point” even when you thought you had just finished.

While I would still like to be interning at Oxide this summer, it has ended perhaps at the right time. The experience I have gained has given me confidence to move to another level of design. This is a confidence I never had going out of college and a perspective that I would not have gotten had I not gone to Oxide.

Note: Adam Casey (aka “Adsie”) was an intern at Oxide during the spring of 2010. View his online design and photography portfolios.

Adam Torpin. Photo by Adam Nielsen

[You're reading part 3 (of 3). Read Drew's. Read Joe's.]

Recently, we received an e-mail from design student Suzanne Schmidt asking us to answer a design questionnaire. We decided each of the three of us would answer the questions separately, and post them publicly on the Oxide News site.

How has your job/position changed since you first entered the professional field (if it has)? Are you where you imagined yourself?
I’m pretty new to the world of professional graphic design. A few years ago, right out of school, I joined the Oxide team. I really didn’t know where I was going to be when I graduated, but I am very happy to have landed where I did.

What’s your fallback career; what would you be doing if not this?
If I wasn’t doing design, I would at least want to be doing something creative. I’ve always been interested in pottery and photography. If I wasn’t creating some sort of art, I would love to be a projectionist at a small movie theater.

Who are some of your influences?
My parents definitely influenced my work ethic, which was instrumental in getting me to where I am. My high school art teacher Mr. Magstadt kept me interested in art, while one of my college professors Clint Carlson gave me a lot of confidence. To answer the question in a completely different way, Lester Beall is my all-time favorite designer.

What inspires you?
Whenever I see a great solution to a design problem, whether it’s graphic design or not, it inspires me to strive for more in my own work.

What’s unique to your workflow? Are there any “rituals” to your process?
I’m going to have to copy Drew’s answer here. Pencil sketching to get out any idea that we may have is a great way to start any project. Not only does it allow you to get all of the bad ideas out of the way, you can often find solutions in your sketches or each other’s sketches that you wouldn’t have gotten to any other way.

What’s the biggest challenge you face when starting a new project?
Often times when I start a new project, I will come up with a quick solution that I think I’m not going to be able to top. The challenge for me is setting that idea aside so I can keep searching for a more appropriate solution.

What is your favorite tool(s) that you use?
You really can’t beat a high quality mechanical pencil.

Do you have any “go to” typefaces? If so, what are they and why?
In school, I would definitely “go to” DIN, Akzidenz Grotesk, and Helvetica. I’m proud to say that I’ve moved out of that stage and now look for appropriate typefaces over my favorite typefaces.

In your opinion, what is one of the most abused design gimmicks popular right now?
Even if a design style is overused, that doesn’t mean it’s not appropriate in some cases. I suppose there are even instances where Web 2.0 is the right answer.

Outside of design/illustration/your work, what are some of your other interests?
I’m getting married this summer and would have to put hanging out with my fiancée at the top of the list. I also play ice hockey a couple times a week and have been getting back into running. This summer I plan on getting into photography.

What was one of your most rewarding projects? Most disappointing?
The work we did for Word Made Flesh was rewarding in many ways. Not only do we believe in their cause, we also had a great designer/client relationship. The trust they had in us as experts on design allowed for several really great solutions. The most disappointing projects I’ve worked on have been the few times that our clients chose not to trust us.

What one piece of advice would you give to design students?
If you want to get a job at a design studio you respect, dedicate yourself to learning everything you can about design — and I do not mean learn the software in and out. No one has ever gotten anywhere by doing the bare minimum.

Joe Sparano. Photo by Adam Nielsen

[You're reading part 2 (of 3). Read Drew's. Read Adam's.]

Recently, we received an e-mail from design student Suzanne Schmidt asking us to answer a design questionnaire. We decided each of the three of us would answer the questions separately, and post them publicly on the Oxide News site.

How has your job/position changed since you first entered the professional field (if it has)? Are you where you imagined yourself?
Fresh out of school, I had a pretty finite view of what day-to-day life as a designer entailed, and I was perfectly happy with those options. Now, not only do I expect those options to keep expanding, but we’re actually pursuing some very atypical design challenges (big picture, non-graphic stuff), and I can’t wait to see where those lead us. I’m further than I imagined myself then, but not where I think we should be now.

What’s your fallback career; what would you be doing if not this?
LEGO set designer. Failing that, a staff writer on a TV show.

Who are some of your influences?
I think good problem solving is cross-disciplinary, so my influences come from all kinds of places. (And yes, I really do think all of these people do the same thing we do every day): TV writers (How I Met Your Mother, Lost, Smallville, House); songwriters (Trent Reznor, Paul McCartney, Clint Mansell); comic book illustrators (Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, Bruce Timm, Roger Langridge); and tons of other geeky stuff.

What inspires you?
FFFFound!. LogoPond. The Brothers Brick.

What’s unique to your workflow? Are there any “rituals” to your process?
I’ve learned that the best way for me to start a project is to study the information we’ve collected and immediately write down the meaningful threads of consistency. Then, I just walk away for awhile. When I come back to the table, I’m usually half-way to something good.

What’s the biggest challenge you face when starting a new project?
I’m totally worthless if I don’t have a specific problem to solve. So, if a project is too ambiguous to nail down, I break it up until I find the bits that are solvable. Eventually, we’ll get to the big stuff.

What is your favorite tool(s) that you use?
Remember the Milk.

Do you have any “go to” typefaces? If so, what are they and why?
I try not to. I think it’s really important to find a typeface that matches the project. That search can be a lot of fun.

In your opinion, what is one of the most abused design gimmicks popular right now?
Enough with the hearts and cute little birds, people!

Outside of design/illustration/your work, what are some of your other interests?
I watch a lot of TV, but I’m a connoisseur, so it’s OK. Also, LEGO, cycling, piano, and comic books.

What was one of your most rewarding projects? Most disappointing?
Rewarding: I’m really proud of the work we’ve done for Film Streams, and I feel like the partnership has been great for both sides. Disappointing: I wish one of the great logos for Meadowlark Recycling would have seen the light of day.

What one piece of advice would you give to design students?
Read Oxide’s Hey Students! series. :)

Drew Davies. Photo by Adam Nielsen

[You're reading part 1 (of 3). Read Joe's. Read Adam's.]

I recently received an e-mail from design student Suzanne Schmidt at the University of Utah. The core of the message read as follows:

One of our semester assignments is to give a presentation on a current design firm that we admire and think others should be noticing. And that would be you guys. I love your work. Your designs have caught my eye, and I love looking at the latest projects by Oxide Design. I appreciated Joe’s recent post… reinforcing the reality that design is about creative problem solving. Would you be kind enough to answer some questions that would enlighten us student designers with some words of wisdom?

While preparing responses to her questions, it occurred us here at Oxide that perhaps others might find interest in the answers from each of the three of us. So we decided to post them publicly on the Oxide News site.

How has your job/position changed since you first entered the professional field (if it has)? Are you where you imagined yourself?
I have to say that I am very blessed to be exactly where I imagined myself. I come from a very entrepreneurial family, so when I started in design I always figured I’d start my own firm one day. I’d worked in a couple of small design firms after college and then — more than eight years ago now — took the leap of faith and opened Oxide Design Co.

What’s your fallback career; what would you be doing if not this?
My lifelong dream has always been to be a USPS postal carrier — working in an older neighborhood, where you’d still go door-to-door. If not that, I’d be installing landscapes for Greenlife Gardens.

Who are some of your influences?
In design: Haley Johnson (Minneapolis), Concrete (Toronto), Jonathan Ive (Cupertino), and the incomparable Edward Tufte.
In art: Ed Paschke, Erol Otus, Chris Ware, and Andy Goldsworthy.
In creativity and treating others properly: my grandfather Duane Phillips (who owned a pottery shop called Gray Turtle at 50th & Underwood here in Omaha) and Bob Kocher (my art professor and mentor at Coe College).

What inspires you?
The otherworldly vista of watching fascinating sea creatures going about their day a hundred feet underwater. Encountering brilliantly simple design solutions in the course of everyday life. The wild-eyed stare and unintentional (but always comical) facial expressions of my new baby boy Miles.

What’s unique to your workflow? Are there any “rituals” to your process?
The primary thing I do which I never thought would end up being considered “unique” is that I start every design process with a lot of pencil sketching. To me, putting a pencil to paper still activates the perfect part of my brain for problem solving.

What’s the biggest challenge you face when starting a new project?
Taking the time to step back and figure out what the true challenge is. It’s always such a temptation to just dive in and make something pretty, but all of us at Oxide pride ourselves on using design to solve the core problem, rather than just covering it up with empty decoration.

What is your favorite tool(s) that you use?
Lately, the new Sharpie “Pen” — fantastic writing implement.

Do you have any “go to” typefaces? If so, what are they and why?
The fraternal twins of Avenir and Gotham. Perfect, precise, clean, legible, geometric, brilliant.

In your opinion, what is one of the most abused design gimmicks popular right now?
At its core, it’s the same as it’s always been: adding bells and whistles to a piece of design to distract from the fact that you didn’t solve the true problem. Lately that’s taken the form of a lot of faux-reflected logos, and simulated three-dimensional bevels where none are necessary.

Outside of design/illustration/your work, what are some of your other interests?
Scuba diving. Creating things with Sculpey. And in the coming year I plan to spend more time gardening, cooking, and learning to sew stuffed plush creatures.

What was one of your most rewarding projects? Most disappointing?
One of the most rewarding was definitely working on condom wrappers for the MPower division of Nebraska AIDS Project. It’s a great feeling to find a perfect design solution and know that it’s also helping to make the world a better place. The least rewarding projects are all of the ones I’ve poured my heart and soul into and never end up getting produced; we’ve had a couple of great retail packaging projects that got shelved right before they were supposed to launch.

What one piece of advice would you give to design students?
Get an internship at a design firm. Even part time, for just a semester. It’ll teach you ten times more than everything you learned in class put together.