Devin Imamura
www.advancedmethod.com


Location: Seattle, WA

Tell us a little about your background.
I was born in Seattle, WA on March 13, 1977. I grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Washington State University with a business degree. After college I started a small multimedia company called Advanced Method. I am currently the Creative Director for the company and am the lead designer. In just a few short years we have landed major clients including AOL, The Seattle Seahawks, Philips, Nextel, Hasbro, Toy Biz, Etc. Here are a few examples:

AOL - www.advancedmethod.com/aol
Picis - www.advancedmethod.com/picis/final
The Seattle Seahawks - www.advancedmethod.com/seahawks

Design Education:
I have never had any formal design training, but I am a sponge for good design. However, I believe a designer's education is continuous. I am always a student to design. Whether it is a display in a showroom or a new ad in a magazine, design is everywhere. In my opinion, a designer should always be learning and crafting his/her skill to be the very best.

How did you start out as an artist/designer?
During college, I started on the path to web design and development on my own. I read books, researched online, and learned from professionals in similar fields. By studying design from many mediums and asking questions from professionals, I was able to learn a lot on my own. I believe
designers are born not taught.

What inspires you?
In life there are many forms of inspiration: In business it's my father, a true genius in the business arena. Although he doesn't always think I'm listening to him, I am. In design it's my Uncle Henry. His designs are the foundation of my skill. In life it's my family. For without their love I would not have the confidence to design or start my own business.

Describe your style of design:
I describe my style of design as clean and functional. My specialty is incorporating video or motion graphics within the interface to create a unique user experience. Thus, it is my responsibility to design knowing that it must flow with the video. Since we do not use typical media players such as Windows, Real or Quicktime, the video and the design around it are seen as one.

What are your thoughts on Macromedia Flash?
I love it. But there is nothing worse than bad flash. I believe that Flash allows an individual to create a unique experience unlike any other on the web. There are no boundaries with this medium. The only boundary is your imagination.

What would you add to your workstation to increase productivity?
Dual monitors and the new AMD 64 bit chip. So nice...

What do you do besides design?
I also love to create music, play lacrosse, watch movies, and zap (play video games).

In two years where do you see yourself in the Design Industry?
In the same creative director role. Only the web will not be what it is today. It's my job to make it different.

If you had to choose one, what is more important for a designer: artistic qualities or design education?
Artistic qualities. Anyone can go to the Art Institute and get a design degree. They pass those things out like AOL installation discs. Artistic qualities are not taught. They come from the inside of the designer. It consists of:

1. The eye: To be able to look at your own work and know when it sucks and the ability to fix it
2. The love: To be able to have the passion about what is being created
3. Creativity: To be able to think outside of the box
4. Innovation: To set an industry standard where other designers use you as inspiration

Do you have any new projects coming up that you can tell us about?
Right now I am starting on a project for a new AOL premium service. It will offer a free one-month trial and show the features of the new service. I am also working on a new office directory for The Seattle Design Center. It will be a touch screen 37" LCD display. Although we just have a demo completed, it was showcased by Smart Technologies (they make the touch screen overlays) and Sharp, recently at a large retail tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Other projects will be working on include online productions for ADP, Onvia, and Embassy Suites.

In your opinion, what defines a good portfolio?
A portfolio that includes work with business with various brand strategies and ideas. A good designer will be able to work with any company's brand to build a design that is functional and beautiful at the same time.

What differentiates your style of design than that of today's New Media Designers?
I try to create clean functional & design. I'm not sure how to explain why my style is different. I think the thing that differentiates me is that I can design for any target market or brand strategy. It doesn't matter if it's for 60 year olds or 21 year olds. I'll design it appropriately to whom it is meant for.

As designers (or people, in general), we all have habits that we can't seem to shake off. What are some of your bad design habits?
Watching Simpsons or Southpark episodes while I work.

What growing trend do you see in Flash that you feel will stick around for a while?
Flash Video and Audio. Also XML and database integration.

What program that you currently use would you like to see changed and why?
I would like my Outlook to automatically send thousands of spam e-mail's back to the bastards that send it to me. Only my e-mail's would contain viruses. That would be nice.

Do you prefer technologically advanced sites or sites with simple but good design?
Both. They can both be very intriguing.

How is it working for big corporate companies like AOL, Nextel, Philips, etc.?
It is nice to work with large companies for a few reasons:

1. You don't have to worry about payment. But you might have to wait for it.
2. Once you get in one department. You can get in others.
3. They already have a strong brand and messaging completed for their service/product.
4. They make awesome portfolio pieces. But, you still have to be careful. Sometimes they can be very difficult to work with. As a rule with anyone, if you get a bad feeling in your gut don't work with 'em.

Do you have any cool design tips?
Sometimes the best way to learn design is to teach it. There are many people who are eager to learn from those who are better than they are.

Final comments:
A stubborn designer will never become successful. But a successful designer can be stubborn.

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