INTERVIEW: Christian Rice, Handsome

all work is copyright Christian Rice and Handsome

CHRISTIAN RICE, Designer // Handsome
Influenced by the emotive power of design on the human psyche, Christian Rice's contemporary style is clean, well-conceptualized, and accessible by all. After acquiring his bachelors in Philosophy from Queens College (Canada), and his masters in Visual Communications from the University of Arizona, Christian followed his aspirations to NYC, where he designs for Amika, and continues to grow his own company, Handsome Clothing.

SCHOOL
other than design courses, were there particularly interesting or beneficial classes that you took?
As a graphic designer you should be taking photography courses and a web design design class that teaches you coding. Knowledge of these, especially photography, is expected of graphic designers now.

As a person I would recommend taking philosophy classes. At the very least it will make you a better citizen of humanity. It has also been a constant source of inspiration for me.

what was the most helpful thing you learned in college? in your first year in the job world?
Learning how to present and speak about my work. The work should be able to stand on it’s own, but communicating the thought and process that went into it can make believers out of non-believers. It can also further solidify peoples position who believed in the work before you spoke. I’d recommend taking every opportunity to present and speak about your work in a school environment. It’s a safe place to make mistakes and actually receive feedback. After school, the only way you’ll know if you’ve done something wrong is if you don’t get a call back and you’ll never know exactly what you did wrong.

is it better to have a physical portfolio or a digital one?
If you really had to pick one I would go with digital. Every company I applied to asked for a URL to my digital portfolio along with my resume.  You need it to even be considered in the first place. However, I think it’s important to have both. I interviewed for 2 companies after I graduated. The first interview I didn’t have my physical portfolio with me. I didn’t get that job. The second interview I had it. I got that job.

what was the first step you took after finishing school to get into the profession?
First, I finished all the personal projects I had been meaning to. Then I took a few freelance jobs that would help fill out parts of my portfolio I felt were lacking.  The last thing I did was redesign my website and resume. I made everything look as current as possible and made sure to highlight my most important work and the work that I wanted to do in the future.

how did you feel in school? prepared and ready? intimidated? lost?
I think everyone feels all of these at some point.

what was more useful, school or on the job experience?
Get ready for the lamest answer ever... ready? .... both are useful.

You should think of school as a safe place. A place to freely experiment  and ask questions without worries about getting dropped by a client or not having enough money to pay rent. You have time to develop and learn new skills while in school. If you use school like this than it can end up being more useful than job experience.

will specializing in a single area of design be helpful or hurtful as a graduate?
I think at this age that it could be more hurtful than helpful. It’s nice to have one specialty that you really shine at but I think to find that you have to try a lot of things and see what stands out naturally. So many disciplines are expected of graphic designers now that I think you would really be limiting your opportunities by focusing on one thing. However, if you’ve spent a lot of time on one thing and it’s clearly where your passion lies, go for it; just make sure you are one of the best in the world at it.

how long after graduating did it take to find a job? did you need to relocate?
It took about a month from the time I started sending out my resume to when I was sitting in an office. I was always planning on relocating to NYC so I can’t really say if I needed to or not. I would imagine it did help with me finding a job so quickly though.

do you format your portfolio to cater to the place you are applying? how do you decide what to include and what to omit?
I didn’t format my digital portfolio. My goal was to show the best examples of work I had in each different category of design. So I made sure to have a couple posters, some websites I had designed, some logos, some t-shirts, some photography, type heavy work, illustration heavy work, more serious projects, some lighthearted ones, etc. 

I would recommend formatting your physical one though. It should be easy to tell what work would be relevant to a certain company. You shouldn’t walk into an interview without having a strong knowledge of the company and their past work. That being said, if you have a piece that seems like it is not relevant but you think is great work, you should leave it in. You never know when a company may be looking to expand into new territory.

does the addition of a master’s degree help in getting work? if so--how important?
I really can’t say but this is how I think of it... often times these decisions come down to two relatively equally qualified candidates. In these cases it’s always better to be the one with the masters than the one without.


 
WORK
what are the best ways to get work? be seen? advertise yourself?
I think the best way to get work is to make work. The best way to be seen now is the internet and make sure that work is being displayed on your website. Submit it to blogs and websites. Just ask for their opinion, if they like it they’ll post it.

which clients do you tend to work for? which ones do you avoid?
I tend to work for friends and friends of friends. I’m not a big networker so I tend to stay within my own social circle. I avoid people who keep flip flopping on what they want or like something of mine that I don’t. This is a good reason to constantly update your portfolio.

where did you meet your partners?
I met my business partner AJ in high school in computer class. We both hated our teacher and had no idea how to code. Our greatest achievement in that class was coding a Canadian flag that slowly moved across the screen. I remember us doing this but AJ thinks we failed at that project too.

did you apply for jobs based on where you wanted to live, or based on the job itself?
I applied based on both. I knew I wanted to live in NYC and I also knew my style and personality would only be appreciated by a certain type of company/person.

how do you deal with the pressure of deadlines? and how fast are real-world projects compared to college projects?
I have no idea how to deal with the pressure. Does curling up into a ball and rocking back and forth while crying count? I don’t know. Maybe I cope by having this feeling and then realizing how useless it is and moving on with life.

Real world projects are almost always faster than school projects. One of my teachers at the UofA would sometimes give us a project at the beginning of class and give us an hour to complete it and then present it to the class. I thought this was crazy and that it would never happen in the real world. It happens all the time.

what is the best way to understand, precisely, what a client wants?
Ask lots of questions. Ask stupid amounts. A lot of the time the client doesn’t really know what they want when they first approach you and by asking questions over and over it helps solidify what they want so you don’t have to do tons of redesigns. I always ask them to send me examples of similar things they like too. Visuals help fill in blanks that words can leave.

do you ever do any free work, just to get your name out there? what is the best way to promote yourself?
I did it for friends and charities. It’s OK to do it when you are just starting, especially if you have the time. However, I wouldn’t recommend it unless it’s for a charity or a cause you believe in. There’s a saying that “if you don’t value your time, no one will.”

how often are you forced out of your own style to please clients?
Often. It’s very rare that you’ll be able to do something completely your own. Even if it starts out that way they’ll usually ask for re-edits and changes that may go against your tastes. All clients want to feel a part of the process and that they’re being listened to. It’s not always bad though. Sometimes by collaborating, it will push you in new directions that you didn’t think of before and add to your design repertoire.

what are a project’s typical time-window for completion? how many different projects do you work on at once?
It varies a lot. I get everything from, I need this done in the next 5 minutes to spending months on one project. I’ll almost always have at least 3 projects going on at once.

what do you do regularly to advance your career?
Read and reread. It’s a cliche but it’s true, you’re not done learning when you finish school. I’m constantly trying to keep up with new styles, techniques, tools, language.

best route: applying everywhere or having connections?
You don’t need connections or to apply everywhere to get a job. I only applied to the jobs that I felt I was suited for and were interesting. I didn’t have connections anywhere. Before applying to a place, take an honest look at yourself and your work and ask yourself if you would be happy there, if you feel you belong there, and if you think you can contribute something to them. Chances are that if you really think you belong at a place, they will too.

do you modify your look/style to meet the customer, or do customers come to you for your style?
Clients that have contacted me did so because of a certain style. I’m happy to accommodate different styles though. I always look at it as a chance to expand my skill set.

do you often work alone on projects, or with a team?
Alone. Like Sarah Palin I like to go rogue. Wait... I’m not like Sarah Palin in any way. Maybe I should start working with a team..

how do you know what to charge for a job?
For a while I would just make up prices depending on how much or how little I actually wanted to do it. If it was a client that I got along with and they were doing something I wanted to do or learn how to do then I’d discount it. If it was something I wasn’t interested in or for a client I didn’t think I would get along with I’d ask enough that even if everything went bad, I wouldn’t regret taking the job.

Now I have an hourly rate that I’ve figured out based on a variety of things like what my expenses are, what peers are charging, how long I have been doing graphic design, how in demand I am at the time, as well as who the client is and how much I want to do the project.

 
PERSONAL/DESIGN PROCESS
what is the one thing you struggle with the most?
Getting started.

where do you find motivation/inspiration for personal projects? do you do personal projects?
I always feel like I need to be creating work and if I go a long period of time without doing I feel like like shit. It’s just something within me that I can’t help.

what is your process for choosing a typeface? any favorites?
Every typeface has a certain personality just like people. My favorite font, Futura, is similar to my favorite type of person; beautiful, modern, clean, versatile and a little quirky.

Are there any cultures or countries that inspire you creatively?
I’m mostly inspired by European design - mainly Swiss and German.

what music to you listen to when working?
I try to listen to music that fits with the style of whatever I’m working on. Some favorites are Aphex Twin, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Daft Punk, Elite Gymnastics, Mozart, Sigur Ros, Prince, Explosions In The Sky, Bon Iver, Clams Casino, Sam Cooke, and Al Green.

what is the single most important/valuable thing you’ve learned in your experience?
In life? Don’t complain; you’re going to die, so be happy now.

In graphic design? Make work that enriches your life.

what brainstorming techniques do you find most helpful?
Taking a long hot shower or going for a walk.

how did your personal style develop/evolve?
I think it developed naturally just by making work. I feel like only now am I really understanding/seeing my personal style.

many of your projects have a social commentary, care to elaborate on your interest in the subject?
It probably has something to do with my philosophy background. I do so much work that is meant to sell things or to make things look pretty that I feel a wanting, or maybe even an obligation, to balance it out with something more substantial. I think graphic designers have a great power to communicate with people on a different level than spoken word. As citizens of the world we should strive to make the world better and use our talents to do so.