Who is Calvin Lee and Why He is Important!

I had the opportunity to chat with and get permission from Calvin Lee to post some information about him and his work.  He is a very successful web designer from Southern CA.  I follow him on twitter and consider him a web guru! Read him, know him, follow him, and ask him if you want the best in web design! Here is the interview by Dave Harfield, with permission from Calvin.

Five Questions with Calvin Lee of Mayhem Studios

by Dave Harfield

So who’s Calvin Lee? If you’re a designer who’s into social media then you really ought to know…

He’s Principal & Creative Director of Mayhem Studios, an award-winning design firm located in Los Angeles, California, developing identity and brand recognition for the business sector across the United States. He also serves on the Creative Latitude Management Team and boasts a twitter following currently pushing the 20K mark. If that’s not enough then Mr Lee also features in the new book by Steve Gordon jnr titled 100 Habits of Successful Freelance Designers: Insider Secrets for Working Smart & Staying Creative.
Calvin recently took time out from creating identity and branded collateral pieces, annual reports, brochures, logo design, advertising and interactive web sites to share his thoughts and experience with Web Designer magazine. Thanks Calvin.

Links
http://www.mayhemstudios.com/
http://twitter.com/mayhemstudios
http://www.mayhemstudios.com/blog 
Creative Latitude Management Team
100 Habits of Successful Freelance Designers: Insider Secrets for Working Smart & Staying Creative

Describe yourself in five words?
Spiky haired designer with Twitter addiction

Which design tool makes the biggest contribution to your creative output and why?
Photoshop is the most used in my creative process. The reason: I’m able to quickly and easily layout a design in a rather short amount of time. The tools within Photoshop are incredible. The ability to restack the layer order, non-destructive filters and effects. Photoshop also has the ability to drop in vector graphics without losing quality. Making changes are a breeze, really speeds up my process.

Tell us what you consider to be the most useful technique in the design/development process?
I always start any project with research, more information the better. Then sketch out small quick thumbnails of my ideas with pen and paper. This really helps me with developing the concepts and layout. I use a pen, so I can’t erase. The point is to explore, as many ideas as possible and not having to worry about how it looks. Once I have the concept nailed down. I jump on the computer.

Web creatives love designer fonts. What’s your favourite and why?
Avant Garde has been my favorite font since I was in college. It has remained my favorite to this day. Avant Garde is elegant, classic and clean. I also like how it’s a bit wider then most fonts, it gives you a much better readability.

What is the one tip that you would give to anyone trying to get into the industry?
Networking is one of the most important tools in finding work, clients and projects. Get the word out to friends, family and anyone you know. Let them know what you do and you’re looking for work. Most times, someone has a connection that will get your foot in the door.
Also sign up for social media websites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Bizik and portfolio sites. From my experience, Twitter is the best way to network and connect with potential clients.

Best Buy and Twitter

This morning on one of the local Sacramento area news stations, they put out a question to their viewers.  To paraphrase the question was "What do you think about Best Buy using Twitter as a qualification for hiring future employees?" Apparently Best Buy wants to make sure their future employees are "social" and have some sense of technology. In short Best Buy wants to have their future hires with a minimum of 250 followers on Twitter.

Most of the viewers who responded were against such hiring criteria.  The most famous reply was "I don't even have a Twitter account, so there is no way I can qualify for that job.... and I think this is discrimination"  I can understand the frustrations of those who would not meet that criteria, but I can also see where Best Buy is trying to "stay current with the times..."  Twitter is large and is growing. I can give first hand experience on this one folks.  A couple of months ago,  I thought Twitter was something that Ashton, Oprah, Shaq, and a few other celebs did to keep the public updated.  Since I have joined, I have seen how this thing can be beneficial, both socially, educational wise, business growth, and research.  I am an advocate of Twitter!

Best Buy can institute their own criteria for job qualifications and I think this is intelligent on their part.  Imagine having an army of employees with large follower bases.  Whenever there were sales, specials, new merchandise, announcements, and grand openings, the "army" could tweet this information to their followers.  The reach is staggering and potentially more effective than some other forms of advertising.

People of Facebook and MySpace, don't discount Twitter. Maybe open up your horizons and use Twitter as another means to stay "connected" to your world.  It could actually help you land a job!

July 17, 2009 and I am bullish on Sacramento

David Ohara

Twitter - @dwo34

Twitter

Every time I clicked on the news, read the paper, looked at magazines, I always heard the word "Twitter" In late April, I decided to take a look at Twitter and what these 140 characters were all about.  I had a MySpace page, but never really used it as a way to stay in touch with people.  After a few days of Twitter, I became amazed at the reach of those 140 characters.  I started to meet some very nice and interesting people from all over the United States and abroad.  

In a social sense, Twitter is a powerful tool, for I can attest that lasting friendships and bonds can be formulated. I now have some new friends in Hawaii, Washington, Oceanside, San Diego, Denver, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Las Vegas, Texas, and Canada.  These new friends were all met through Twitter.  

In a "connecting" mode, Twitter has helped a family member get reconnected with a long lost friend.  A friend in Hawaii and I were chatting about things and it just so happens that she lost contact with one of her best friends growing up.  Through the power of the 140 characters, I was able to get the two back together after many years of separation.  Twitter has the ability to get the "Six Degrees of Separation" down to one.

Twitter for networking and business, is also a great tool.  In my couple months of Twitter, I have met some potential clients and service providers that my clients can use.  But more importantly, I have been able to call on the knowledge, experience, creativity, and common sense of my peers.  I can pose a scenario, question, or problem I am experiencing and I will get numerous replies on how to tackle my issue. Yes indeed, those 140 characters can be so beneficial.  People from all over have generously offered marketing strategies, new programs, referrals, links to sites that are beneficial to clients.

Not to brag, because I like to be modest, through the help of some great Twitter people: @ModelSupplies, @krystynchong, @webaddict, @TamaraSchilling, @prodigybullies, @SamuraiStyles, @KrazeApparel, @OliviaWilder, @AlohaArleen, @MelissaKeyes, and others, I am ranked in the top 5 in Sacramento for Twitter. Although, that's not my goal, I certainly feel proud of that accomplishment and makes me feel good that I am reaching people.

I also want to start offering reviews of businesses, restaurants, service providers, movies, cars, etc. so that people can have first hand knowledge.  The power of Twitter has so many avenues to help people.

As my profile says "I am dedicated in providing a SMOOTH real estate experience" and Twitter will help me accomplish that goal.  You may find me on twitter @dwo34. Come on in and I'll introduce you to a lot of wonderful people.  You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish with 140 characters.

Have a great Thursday

David Ohara

@dwo34 (Twitter)