INTERVIEW: Liz Timmer

LIZ TIMMER, Illustrator // Faile
Our second guest to Aesthetic Observer this semester, is Liz Timmer; illustration graduate from the University of Arizona, currently living and working in NYC at Faile. When Liz isn't working, or personally visiting all of the bodega cats of Brooklyn, she posts things she makes on her Tumblr.

How did you gain recognition with illustration and hand lettering?

The best way to gain recognition is just to get your stuff out there. Put it up on every website, social media platform, tumblr, and what not.  

How did you land your job at Faile?

I got my job off of the AIGA website.

Do you think finishing school would have been more beneficial to your career?

I’m guessing you’re asking about graduate school and not about a school of manners. I remember hearing this girl talk once about why she went to graduate school and this is how I now think of graduate school. She was working at a design firm and her clients only wanted the worst designs from her. She was doing what she loved but was just going in the wrong direction and decided to go to graduate school to help her figure out the right direction.

Books or websites you find inspirational/informative/beneficial?

Any Gestalten book, Mike Perry’s books, Louise Fili and Steven Heller Books, especially “Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age” and the websites I love are BeHance, The Fox is Black, FFFFound, I also love looking at #foundtype on Instagram.

Toughest part of your job? Best part?

The toughest part of my job is spending all day working on photoshop or painting and then going home and trying to work on my own art. The best part is that we are always working on something new, so it’s never too boring at work.

Does/did Faile ever get in trouble with their public works?

I think they used to back in the day but now people ask for the murals.

How do you match a type/lettering style to certain pieces?

It’s a lot of guessing and trying out different things, there is no real method.

What sort of materials or programs do you use?

Tracing paper, water colors, .005 micro pens and photoshop.

Do you think school prepared you for the job you wanted/have?

In a way yes, I loved all my art classes but my design classes were more geared towards doing corporate logos and pamphlets which I wasn’t interested in doing.

What was the transition from college to real-world like?

Pretty smooth for me, I was lucky to get a job about a week after I graduated. It can be a bit scary and a little hard at first, but its good to be surrounded by a group of supportive people.

Is NYC the design mecca it’s billed to be, or is that all hype?

It definitely is.

Why NYC? Why Faile?

I applied to every job outside of Arizona and Faile was the place I wanted to work for plus New York seemed real exciting.

Job-finding/getting tips? What do companies/studios look for in a successful portfolio?

A strong portfolio is always good. It’s also great to look into the company you’re applying to and tailoring your portfolio to what they are looking for.

How important are internships?

Very important.

How difficult was it to land a job in the design industry given the current state of the economy?

It’s a definitely difficult, it takes a lot of hard work and determination but cream always rises to the top.

Without going into to many specifics, how is the compensation/benefits? Do you believe bigger cities have better jobs/more opportunities?

There are more jobs in bigger cities, but there are also more people and more competition. Most creative jobs in New York seem to be fullance (full time freelance) meaning companies just pay essentially full time employees freelance fees, leaving them to take care of their own health insurance and taxes.  

In what direction do you see the design industry heading? Any major shifts to new technology or ways of thinking?

I think that there is so much technology at our finger tips that design is shifting towards making everything appear handmade with minimal technology needed. There is also this 90’s revival of  design that looks like it was made in MS Paint, but I think that’s just a trend.

Is print really dead, and would you recommend focusing on interactive and web?

I don’t think print will ever really die but I do think interactive design is the future of design.

What does your creative process look like?

Very messy, a lot of tracing paper.

What sort of non-design, non-illustration courses did you find beneficial?

Print making and Art History.

How long did it take to develop your personal style?

I think I am always working on my personal style, and I am totally fine with that.

Most difficult aspect of design/illustration?

Trying not to compare yourself to others and beating yourself up if you don’t feel your work is good enough.

Artists/designers/other people, places or things that influence your style?

Steve Powers, Friends of Type, Louise Fili, Sagmeister and Walsh, sign painting, Anthropolgie window displays, the color green, and a nice script capitol G

The one, most crucial aspect of design is…?

Ideas.