From the Apple Mac IIGS to PhotoShop CC
Derek Soukup has been having fun with graphic design since he was in high school. Since joining the team at HenkinSchultz, he’s shared much of that talent, not to mention a growler or two. We sat down with Derek and asked him a few questions to get to know him better. Here’s what we found out. Enjoy!
1. As a graphic designer, where do you go for inspiration?
I pull inspiration from everything I come in touch with. I flip through magazines just to look at the ads. I look at product packaging while I shop, and of course there is Pinterest and Google. In the end, all of the exploring will get boiled down into a unique design.
2. How do you choose a color palette when it comes to a new project, such as a logo or rebrand for a client?
Most color palettes are industry specific as in red is good for food service as it creates energy, draws attention and stimulates the appetite. Green is associated with nature, health and healing so the challenge is finding the right hue and complementary colors that work together.
3. Do you have a favorite (famous) graphic designer that has or still inspires you? Why do you like them?
Aaron Draplin is the man! I could – and have watched him online for hours as he works at his computer building a logo or design.
4. What’s your favorite editing software?
I love Photoshop. It is the first design program that I learned. I started with version 5, not CS 5. Version 5.0. In the beginning I would alter photos like swapping heads on my friends or adding type. Then I found the cloning tool and learned that I had endless opportunities to change photos. Talk about fake news.
5. What’s your favorite thing about HenkinSchultz?
HenkinSchultz is a design first agency. That is emphasized by the fact that the main floor of the building is dubbed “the design floor”. Design is front and center, the focus of what we do.
6. Since you have been in the field, what’s your favorite advancement you’ve seen in graphic design?
In high school, I was doing page layout for the school yearbook. (We called it the annual but nobody knows what I mean when I say that word!) We had a school newspaper called Wildcat World and I wrote the sports column as well as did typesetting and graphics. We were using Apple Mac IIG’s to do type layout and then would “paste up” each page on 8.5” x 14” paper. We then would print and fold on the school’s black and white printer and distribute by hand. I didn’t realize at the time, but that was graphic design. My counselor didn’t either, so I didn’t go to school for it. Instead I was told “Derek, you are good with computers. You should go into computer science.” In the end, I taught myself design while learning from everyone and everything around me. It has been a fun journey.
7. Other than graphic design, what are some other passions you have?
It is no secret that I am passionate about craft beer. I’m an avid home brewer and have worked with some commercial breweries over the years too. I started home brewing to learn more about how it was made, but I have found out that what I love most is the community that has developed around craft beer. I have met some really great people.
8. What is one of your favorite projects that you have worked on here at HenkinSchultz?
My favorite project has just launched. Checkout this new twist on an old product that everyone with a smartphone has used, a phone screen protector. Screenflair brings personalization to your phone like never before by printing directly onto the screen protector. This patent pending manufacturing process has created a one-of-a-kind protector that will have people staring at your screen even when it’s off. They are easily removed and interchangeable to reflect your mood, season or sport you are currently in to.
