Janette Duong
www2.hawaii.edu/~jduong


Location: Honolulu, HI

Tell us a little about your background.
My parents emigrated from Vietnam to Hawaii in 1980. I've lived in Honolulu all my life, except for the last two years of high school which were spent in Lahaina. There wasn't much to do over there. On the weekends, students would cruise up and down Front Street and/or hang out at the local Foodland. Christ, it was a hard two years.

Design Education:
None whatsoever. I was going to UH for a few years, but their art department sucks "donkey balls", so I left. I'm not sure I'll be going back. Most of everything I know comes from online tutorials. I'd like to
take this time out to thank all those good designers who were kind enough to share their knowledge to help scrubs like me. Thanks y'all!

How did you start out as an artist/designer?
During my freshman year, I took a computer class, and one of the projects was to create a website. Although it was horrible, I got a decent grade and it sparked my desire to always create something a little better than the last. Fortunately, I've come a long way since that first site. The thought of animated rainbow dividers still causes me to break out in a cold sweat. *Shudders*

What inspires you?
Kickass designers who make it all come together. More specifically: b-man.dk. He makes me want to improve myself and strive to be at that top level also.

Describe your style of design:
Mostly clean lines. I also use a lot more flowers than I realize which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I should strive to expand whatever little creativity I have.

What are your thoughts on Macromedia Flash?
I think it's great. I've only recently started using it, so I still have a lot to learn. And as you can see, [there is] not much to say.

What would you add to your workstation to increase productivity?
A small fridge filled with caffeine drinks and a floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with designer books. That would be sweet.

What do you do besides design?
Play video games, download Naruto comics, re-read Jane Austen books, watch a lot of TV and browse Fametracker forums. Exciting, eh?

In two years where do you see yourself in the Design Industry?
Probably interning somewhere, or better yet, have a stable 9-5 job. It'll be great to get paid to do what I love. I can easily spend 10-15 hours at the computer and the time just flies. Another possibility would be finally receiving my degree and end up working at Kinko's. That would not be good.

If you had to choose one, what is more important for a designer: artistic qualities or design education?
I think education will get you the interview, but ultimately, it's the artistic quality of your portfolio that will decide whether or not you'll get the job. So I guess my answer is artistic qualities. I hope I'm not offending anyone who's currently slaving away at school. I couldn't do it, so I really admire those who can. What's most important, though, is to never stop improving yourself. It's my goal, anyway.

Do you have any new projects coming up that you can tell us about?
Currently, no new projects. I'm trying to learn PHP right now. I'll keep you updated on the status of my hair.

In your opinion, what defines a good portfolio?
A good portfolio includes projects that were well thought out and well executed, and it should highlight the designer's skills and abilities. For online portfolios, the look and style of the portfolio should not compete with the content. And finally, portfolios that are hard to figure out you know the ones where the menu is behind the dancing monkey and you have to click on the monkey's every third hip thrust to get to said menu won't be on my Favorites list. YMMV.

What differentiates your style of design than that of today's New Media Designers?
Nothing. I'm just like every other clone out there. Just kidding. My sites usually include clean lines, even the most chaotic ones. And while I'm not the most innovative designer, I like to mix up styles and try new things.

I see that you applied some cool graffiti designs to your personal site. How did you go about choosing the design scheme?
My boyfriend was a tagger so I was downloading some graffiti fonts for him. I found a cool one and was like, "Ooh, this is mine. All mine! MUAHAHAHA!" Then I proceeded to Photoshop to work out the kinks and details for the site.

Does Japanese anime influence your design work in anyway? If so, why?
Yes it does. I occasionally incorporate anime in my web layouts, wallpapers, etc. In my opinion, anime is generally under appreciated. Most do not consider it a serious art form because to them it's essentially cartoons. Some of my past art professors look down on it, which is unfortunate. Just because it's popular doesn't make it easy to create. Some of the most amazing artworks I've seen are in anime art books.

How did you come up with the name of your personal site: pixelsix?
Ah well, everything else was taken. And "six" sort of rhymes with "pixel," so I went with that.

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?
My friends hate it when I can't seem to leave well enough alone. I'm always "tweaking" everything. It's the Martha Stewart in me. I can't help it sometimes it needs to be perfect!

It seems as if you are an avid Naruto fan. If you were given a choice, which Naruto character would you choose to be and why?
While I'd like to be Kakashi-lay back, cool and reads dirty books I relate more to Hinata. She's really shy and lacks confidence, but slowly she's gaining more faith in her abilities.

Do you feel that Hawaii is becoming a highly competitive arena for designers as yourself?
Yes. Even though we're a small state, we're becoming a more highly competitive arena as more people move here, either from out of state or overseas, and we are exposed to diverse cultures. This offers new and innovative ways of designing. And sites like Pacdesco help further this by allowing designers to come together, share new ideas and inspire each other.

Final comments:
Purple monkey salsa. Thank you and good night!

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