What type of graphics do you make, and which type is your favorite?

I make all sorts of graphics, but the ones that you guys can request are covers, book jackets, banners and headers. Also make bookmarks and movie posters when I feel like it and a whole load of other stuff like birthday cards for my friends and club posters/ads as well as logos and CD covers.

My favourite formal graphic type is probably the book jacket, though, if it’s something sporadic and an I-feel-like-it graphic, I’d love bookmarks since I can definitely go crazy with everything.

How long have you been designing graphics?

I’ve been designing on wattpad for requesters around 6 months ago, though I began designing birthday cards for friends and posters for school clubs way earlier, around 2 years ago.

How did you start?

I began making general graphics when I got my dad’s old laptop, with photoshop cs6 already installed since he’s partly a photographer, so of course, curious me wanted to play around. At that time, though, I was mostly giving goatees to Harry Potter and pasting moustaches onto my friends’ faces. Hm.

I started making covers when I made a [horrible] cover for my story, and then sorta asked my close wattpad friends whether they wanted covers made by me, and I made them [albeit horrible]. I was inspired by @seventhstar and @RachelS8766 at the beginning to create a graphics shop, and it got pretty successful which I’m super grateful for.

What is your favorite part about graphic design?

I love the process of making the graphics. I love the way it relieves stress from schoolwork and lets me be free, and the way my brain looks for new ideas and crazy ways of putting stuff together—until I end up with something that I’m satisfied with. I just love the freedom and imagination in the process and it’s super addicting, let me tell you. [totally did not leave homework till the last minute when designing.]

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get inspiration from so many things, so be prepared for an explosion. Firstly, I get inspired by other designers on wattpad [a lot of them in this very guild so ahhhh], I get inspired by looking at awesome covers of published books. [tip: go stare at the six of crows cover. you will die.] I also get inspired by stories, so that’s why I kinda skim through a bit of my requesters’ stories before making their covers.

Now, to the weird stuff. I get inspired by the most random things such as if I see two objects’ shadows creating some interesting shape, I get excited and note it down, and later on I think of what I can do with that concept. I get inspired by my piano practice [i’d be playing a piece and suddenly think of an idea] as well as my singing lessons [i’d sing a few lyrics and a brand new idea comes to my head].

I’d also get inspiration whenever I see some extremely awesome stock that I have to use, or an awesome new font I need to try out. I got super excited when I discovered overlaying and textures, so I probably get inspiration from discovery of new photoshop techniques. Also got super excited with my Wacom tablet and created a few stuffies.

Pretty much, my inspiration can come from literally anywhere.

How long does a graphic typically take you?

I’ve never kept track of how long they take, since I typically do each in tiny bits of them whenever I have time, like on the train/bus, free time when I wake up early, in class when I’m bored af, etc. which ends up with it getting done in around a week, more or less.

But I’ll give it an estimate if I put all the bits together, maybe it’d take around 5 hours, depending on inspiration and amount of hard cutting involved.

What advice would you give aspiring designers?

Don’t give up, be open to suggestions & critiques, don’t be put down by anyone and keep doing what you love, guys. Graphicing rarely comes to someone straight away, and if you look at any awesome designer’s old covers you’ll realise just how much potential you have. It usually comes slow as you learn more and more, experience more and more, but don’t give up and don’t think you can’t improve anymore or you’re perfect — you always can.

A fun fact about yourself:

I am a zombie so you can tame me with brains, and I have a pet zombie called Meddy the Dog Teddy. Yep, I guess you can say life happened, but actually, death happened. Well, undeath.