photo of computer: Kenneth Fish. photo on the desktop: espn.go.com
Aaron Draplin is the man behind the Draplin Design Co. He is as nice and generous as he is gruff and opinionated. I had a great time doing this interview with him. Like his design work, I find his answers thoughtful, thought-provoking and thorough. *Please note - Aaron sometimes uses "bad" words. If you find such words upsetting you probably shouldn't read past the period at the end of this sentence.
KF - In doing my research about you, I see you've had a lot of different jobs and have been in and out and back into design school. What is it about "design" that interests you so....
AD - I just love making things. Or, to sound a smidge "academic": I love solving visual problems. There's just something incredible about a friend/client bringing you this little project/idea/problem and plopping it into my lap to solve it. What does our company look like? What does our band's logo look like? What could it look like? Why? What color? What font? For how long?
I love answering all the questions. You do a little bit of analysis, then you roll up the sleeves and get down to work. I like to think stuff through just enough and then throw caution to the wind to see what I can come up with. Closest thing to magic I know, really. Plus, there just so much "busy work" to this stuff, and man, when I am super busy, I feel alive! I love how it consumes my whole damn day. I mean, we get to make so much cool stuff. I'll forever be thankful for just that.
KF - ...and are you happy with how things have worked out so far with DDC?
AD - Hell yes! Let's get down to brass tacks here:
01. I get to work for good friends, colorful clients and the occasional yahoo.
02. I believe in every product I get to help out on.
03. I make an incredible living doing something I love.
04. I make my own schedule, and abuse it wildly.
05. I get to go home to see Mom and Dad 3-4 times a year.
06. I see so many incredible things that inspire me daily. Blows my mind.
07. I feel great pride with each and every little thing I make.
Overall, I am one thankful motherfucker. I've been very blessed the last decade. Maybe I don't know any better! Ha....
KF - I want to chat a little about design philosophy with you. In my recent article about DDC I wrote "the folks at the DDC know how to sort through facts, fluff and hype in order to create an image that captures the essence [...]" Was I even close? Where do your inspiration and ideas?
AD - That sounds pretty good to me! Hell yes. I like things that are authentic, even if they are simple. If that calls for a simple solution, so be it. If it means layering sh*t [pls note - I was forced to alter this text -KF] on, then you gotta answer that call too.
I find beauty in the most banal things, or, overlooked things. Like instruction booklets or an icon describing how to avoid getting yer hand caught in a lawnmower's blades. These sorts of things were designed with pure function in mind, without any consideration for aesthetics, and, man, how beautiful is that? The things that stop me in my tracks the most are the things where you get the feeling some designer had to make it, but still solved it beautifully.
Photo: ©2009 DDC Merchandise Archives
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