PM—Hey Nick, how’s it going? How’s life in NZ?

ND—Kia ora! I’m sitting here typing this in my new city studio, feeling optimistic about the future. After working from home for too long, I think splitting my studio time between home and city is my future. I’m glad the pandemic is coming to an end; everything feels alive once more.

PM—NZ looks like a beautiful place, I’ve always wanted to travel there. There seem to be a lot of talented designers in NZ too. So how did Grafik come about?

ND—It is! We have some world-class designers here in New Zealand, in typical Kiwi fashion we punch well above our weight. Before starting Grafik, I worked for about ten years as a designer and developer for multiple agencies and startups. Moving up the creative career ladder, I soon realised that the end game would likely involve me transitioning into a managerial role — away from the tools. I had always dreamed of working for myself and did not want to manage people, so this scenario was the kick I needed to make a leap of faith.

PM—Wearing all the hats in the studio can be challenging, how do you stay focused and organised? What tools/software keep you treading above water?

ND—Currently, I’m enjoying making websites within the JamStack architecture. Headless + Nuxt + Netlify has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the web — it’s just so nice to develop with clean and efficient technology within a modern stack. I use Illustrator & InDesign for design work and Figma if the project is large and requires a clickable faux prototype. Otherwise, I can dive into code straight away and make something — using the browser as my design tool.

PM—What are the benefits of being a designer/developer in 2022?

ND—Wearing both hats, I can deliver a result without the cognitive dissonance present in a team. Strategy, design and development are all tightly coupled. That part of the project where the designer sits down with the developer and get’s them to move things one pixel to the left? I don’t do that. I believe that a thorough understanding of the medium results in a better end product and user experience. Would you hire a print designer who knows nothing about the limitations of print?

PM—You design and develop some really clean websites. Do you prefer designing or coding?

ND—Thanks! I’ve always tried to keep my output simple and easily understood. I prefer designing with code, but I also realise this is an approach that most clients may not suit. To me, it’s all the same thing; while designing, I am also thinking through how I would code or animate a feature, then how it could work on mobile etc.

PM—How do you think we will interact with websites in 2030?

ND—I’m hopeful that the internet is still relatively open and unregulated — with a move away from walled gardens. I’d like to see more custom websites where people or brands express themselves. And much less social media.

PM—What are your thoughts on Web3 and the Metaverse?

ND—I like the promise of data security, scalability, and privacy. A shift away from big tech and AI advancement is an exciting prospect. Not so keen on hanging out in a Metaverse (lol); I honestly can’t see this ever taking off — do you remember Second Life? Augmented reality has a much better use case as it incorporates technology into the real world instead of replicating or replacing it.

PM—I love the identity and website you did for Porter Packaging. How did that project come about?

ND—Cheers, like 99% of my projects, it started with an email. Porter was an intriguing client as they initially wanted a new website. But after working with their new identity (that they had recently commissioned), it became apparent it was not a good fit. So from that point, we re-looked at the project scope, and I recreated the identity. After the launch of the new brand and website, Porter’s business really exploded with an influx of clients — vindicating my suggestion to re-do the identity. Two years later, we had to part ways, as I could not logistically support their new business requirements as a one-person operation. In a way, our collaboration became a victim of the website’s success!

PM—Where do you get your inspiration?

ND—I get my inspiration from print design. I have a decent library of books that give me great ideas, plus an unhealthy obsession with collecting PDFs.

PM—What are your thoughts on all these no-coding sites?

ND—Old farts like me have seen this all before. The latest incarnations all produce the same kind of website — low craft, low customisation and hard for the client to edit. Remember GeoCities? Please don’t allow yourself to get attached to these types of tools, as they will eventually let you down.

PM—Haha GeoCities, what a time to be alive. So how do you kick off a new project and what does your work process look like?

ND—I hold a discovery workshop, where we run through some fundamental questions — encouraging the client to take a step back and examine why they have a website and how it can help their business. Apart from that, I don’t follow or believe in too rigid a work process as I have found it kills creativity.

PM—What tunes are you currently bumping in the studio?

ND—Not much bumping, try banging? I’m on a trip back to the 90s thrash, particularly this album.

PM—Good old Slayer, that album takes me back.🤘🏼 How has the industry evolved since you started 20-odd years ago?

ND—Coding was the only way to do it when I started making websites. Often websites were made for a set screen size or specific browser. They were not considered essential — like collateral alongside business cards and flyers. Fast forward to now, and we have complex responsive design that is required to work on different screen sizes / operating systems and browsers, all while being the first and most crucial point of contact for a brand. The difference is staggering.

PM—How do you go about finding new work?

ND—I’m fortunate enough to have a steady stream of work, so I can be selective with the work I take on. I choose projects where I can be creative and know the client will put as much effort into the website from their end as I will from mine.

PM—What is one lesson you've learnt running a design studio on your own?

ND—If you’re thinking about starting something on your own, “waiting” until the stars align will never happen! I started Grafik shortly after purchasing a house, then becoming a Dad and moving on to a single household income. Perfect timing does not exist, if you don’t do it now, you never will.

PM—Where do you see your studio heading in the next five years?

ND—I’d like to think that I would still be challenging myself and learning as the web evolves. But who knows, if the right full-time opportunity arises outside of Grafik, I may take it. I’ve never been motivated by money, or really had a business plan so to speak — to me it’s about the work and ensuring I am still starting each week feeling fresh and excited about what I am spending a good portion of my life doing.

PM—Well said, I totally agree. Random question, did you ever buy any naughty bits and bobs on Silk Road back in the day? 😛

ND—LOL, I feel like I missed that boat or perhaps it wasn’t on my radar. I did have a copy of “The Anarchist’s Cookbook” on a 3½-inch floppy disk in the 90s. Napalm is surprisingly easy to make.

PM—What advice do you have for designers looking to get into the creative industry? Should they be focusing more on code and digital design these days? And how would you recommend a designer to up-skill in coding?

ND—If you are just starting out, work on anything and everything. Use your friends and connections to generate projects. You can slowly build your portfolio over time even if it's badly paid. Be prepared to eat shit and get your hands dirty; there are no quick paths to success. Learning code as a designer will give you a significant advantage over your peers. You’ll have a better understanding of how a website works, and tighter control of your output. I believe websites contain three attributes — form, function and feeling. A designer will focus on the form, and a developer the function. How a website ‘feels’ 90% of the time gets missed. This is where a designer/developer can add immense value with interactivity, and animation. It may feel daunting, but I believe any designer can code. There is an infinite supply of free resources out there. If it scares you, at least give the basics a shot. Building a static HTML/CSS/JS website (without a framework) will teach you a lot about how websites work.

PM—Do you think AI will ever replace designers?

ND—Possibly, we are already seeing some creative disciplines start to be challenged by the emergence of DALLE-2 and Mid Journey. But I’m sure there will still be a demand, maybe even a premium for “human made”.

PM—Plug 3 IG accounts our readers should follow.

ND—@grafik.nz, @drunkpeopledoingthings, @kookslams.

PM—It's been rad to finally chat with you mate. Is there anything you would like to shout out?

ND—Thanks Damien! If your readers feel inclined, check out my work at grafik.co.nz and make sure to sign the guestbook. ✌🏼