Interview with Sean Kane

Hello Sean! Let’s get to know you more. Can you tell us something about yourself?

My name is Sean Kane, I'm a graphic designer based in Adelaide, Australia. I’m 28 years old, so I grew up in the late 80's/early 90's which certainly comes through in my work.
I'm fairly new to Graphic Design, but have a long history in the print industry. As well as design, I also love cooking, travel and beer :)

What influenced you to become graphic designer?

I have always been interested in drawing and dabbled a bit in traditional art when I was younger, but never really liked the whole academic side of it and lacked motivation to continue studying.
After putting education on hold, I landed a job as a printer and worked in this area for about 6 years, during which time I worked overseas in Ireland and England. I got sick of printing badly designed work, so when I returned to Australia, I made the decision to do a graphic design course and get a formal qualification. This was the first time I had used Photoshop properly, but I picked it up quickly, using techniques I learnt in traditional methods.

How have you evolved as a designer since you first started?

Some of my early work lacks direction, I just messed around in Photoshop or Illustrator until something looked cool, letting the computer do most of the work. The effects were simpler and my knowledge of type was pretty bad, I just used other people’s fonts. I look at that work now and have a bit of a 'What I was I thinking?' moment.
Nowadays, I take a back-to-basic approach and always sketch out ideas on paper first.
I use the computer as a tool to bring those ideas to life. I think this gives the design some kind of grounding in the real world. Once the design has been translated into the digital world, I spend more time on the small details that make up a piece and less time using a 'hit and miss' approach because I have a clear plan laid out on paper.

What is a typical day like for you?

The first thing I do on any day is take my Welsh terrier for his walk. I'm lucky enough to live in the Adelaide Foothills, a very picturesque part of the world and this always clears my mind and where any creative ideas I have come to mind. Plus, the dog will give me dirty looks all day if I skip this part! It's then time for coffee, check Emails and a few websites to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world before I get settled in. By the time I get started on the computer, I'm ready for some tunes and I sort of get into a 'zone' and stay there until its time for a break in the evening.