Over the past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to chat with numerous great web and graphic designers from around the world. These people all have a few things in common: they are all talented designers, they are earning money by doing what they love, though most importantly they are all under 21 years of age. I highly recommend taking a read through the interviews as they are quite insightful and who knows, you might learn a thing or two.
Name: Blake Tallos
Age: 20
Website: http://www.cssispoetry.com
Hometown: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Currently Reside: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
I started designing websites when I was a freshman in High school. I did a few projects for my school and it brought a lot of attention onto me and people were pleased with my work. I became more interested in this field and have learned a lot from it.
What made you want to be a designer?
I wanted to become a web designer because I love the challenge it gives me on a daily basis. There’s something new every day. Meeting new clients, learning new techniques & skills. Last but not least I get to manage my own working hours.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
There really shocked. Sometimes, I think it’s a bad thing though. Like they think I dont have the potential to finish their complex project because of my age. They do realise that I have great potential though.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
My normal day is waking up, checking my email. Checking out the latest post’s, threads, and blogs, on http://www.sitepoint.com I don’t really have a schedule per say. I just go with the flow of things. Whatever work I receive I don’t stop doing it until my client is happy with the results.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years? I see myself graduating from college getting a degree in Computer Programming & Graphic Design owning my Company and making lots of money. Or I build up enough skills to get employed by a Web Design Company.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
A lot of my inspiration comes from looking at other sites. Just recently, I get inspiration from magazines, newspapers, (Layout ideas). The most interesting designer I believe by far is David Walsh. – http://davidwalsh.name/
PC or Mac?
I’d have to say I am a PC Fan. I love not being restricted in which hardware products I choose to put in my computer when building it from scratch.
Name: Greg Cooper
Age: 19
Website: http://gre.gs
Hometown: Dufftown, Scotland
Currently Reside: Coventry, England
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
I started at around the age of 14 which was obviously at the time an after school affair until I left at the age of 16 where I spent a year out working on various websites. I got my first full time professional job as an Interface Designer at the age of 17 which I spent a year doing before I left to open my own web business.
Great! And you run this business with a partner?
Yeah I run my business alongside Simon Fletcher who is 17. He worked with me for about 8 months at my previous job and when it didn’t work out we both left to open our own.
That’s cool. What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
The last design which I’m allowed to show would be our updated holding page at www.zood.com
What made you want to be a designer?
I was speaking to my step uncle when he linked me to a site his friend and himself were running, which made me realise that anyone can make these things. So that night I spent learning how I could make my own as I wanted to make a fan site for my favourite football team.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
I’ve never really had any clients as such because I’ve only ever worked full time or building my own sites. What I could say is from the point of view trying to get investors. Being so young it’s difficult to get the respect from investors for my websites, so you have to play it tough to show them you’re not just a kid. Obviously they’re used to people with degrees and past business experience coming to them for money, so it is even worse when a 19 year old with no degrees or business experience knocks on their door asking for large amounts of money to support his business. Saying that there are more and more people who are beginning to realise that the younger developers/designers are the people they should be working with, as they are now the people who will push home the next generation of websites and technology.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
A normal day for me is normally filled with discussions about business aims and finance, then (at the moment rarely) some work in Photoshop concepting out new designs for Zood before once again discussing the future of the business. Due to the being still rather early it’s all about the business side of things more so than the website side of things. We need to have the financial backing to stay alive at the moment so it’s critical that we aim for that, which is difficult for someone like me as my old day to day routine normally meant 8-10 hours in Photoshop and Coda. Still there is no schedule in my day, it’s usually just making sure I’m awake for any meetings we have and getting enough done in the day.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Investing in 19 year olds with business ideas that I like and driving my E-type Jag everywhere and anywhere.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
I don’t have any people who inspire me however websites such as Tumblr, Virb, Vimeo and software by Panic inspire my design style. I’ve never been a follower of design in terms of reading blogs and looking at websites just for the sake of design, I’ve only ever picked up design from sites I interact with and use for my daily life online. Which is what I contribute to my rather niche design scale.
PC or Mac?
Mac
Name: Hristijan Todorov
Age: 21
Website: http://www.hristijantodorov.com
Hometown: Skopje, Macedonia
Currently Reside: Skopje, Macedonia
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
Even though it might sound like a cliché, I really got involved into design as a hobby at a young age. I attended high school for architect technicians and there I discovered even further the beauty of graphical design. I started working on my first projects related to web design soon after (at the age of 17). After graduation (the year 2007) it was an easy and natural choice to make, and I started to work as a web designer for living. My previous experience had provided me with the necessary direction in which I had to develop as a web designer, and my extensive portfolio can testify to my professional growth since.
That’s cool. What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
My latest design can be found at http://www.hristijantodorov.com/portfolio I have many new projects who I’m working right now but they are not yet in the portfolio since I lack some time to update it However the latest design that is in my portfolio is http://www.thefxnetwork.com/.
What made you want to be a designer?
The very field of web design encompasses all the related skill sets that I find interesting. It provides a creative outlet but it also requires programming skills as well as market related research, analysis and customer psychology.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
To be honest the Internet often provides the required level of anonymity, and age is seldom the concern. On the few occasions that the issue was raised the feedback has usually been very positive.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
Being a freelancer provides me with flexible working hours. Depending on the complexity of a given project work-hours can range from 8 to sometimes even 16 hours a day. However I prefer to work early in the day and use the afternoons for research and skill improvement which usually leaves me the nights free for an active social and lifestyle.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself as leading a group of designers and web developers, hopefully running my own successful studio that would be implementing design solutions that are fully compatible with all the standards of design and web development.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
I frequent the web designer internet hubs and there are too great a number of excellent artists and designers to number individually. In spite of that, I’m most impressed by the work of 2advanced Studios (http://www.2advanced.com) and especially their Creative Director Shane Seminole Mielke (http://www.shanemielke.com/about.php). They represent the goal to which I strive and that is clean seamless integration of web technologies and design by utilizing the latest standards, technologies, accessibility, optimization and high quality art.
PC or Mac?
PC
Name: Zac Groner
Age: 17
Website: http://www.dartstudios.net
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Currently Reside: Battle Ground, WA
What made you want to be a designer?
I spent a lot of time using computers, and I eventually made my own website, then I spent time learning how to use Photoshop, and on until it just became something I did as a hobby.
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/942597/logo2.png
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
Actually, they surprisingly don’t mention it very often. It has happened a couple of times, and they normally tell me that I’m ahead of most people my age.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
I go to school, I am the teacher’s aide in a Web Design class, and then I come home and work on stuff and watch TV and the normal stuff I guess.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Working for a web design studio of some sort, or working as a designer for a website or company. I’ll probably be rich and famous and own a goat.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
Daniel Burka from Digg.com is pretty awesome, I get most of my inspiration from design blogs and Nathan Charrois from cetan.ca that is also under 21 and sure loves top lists.
PC or Mac?
PC, I’m not much of an apple person.
Name: Jacob Cass
Age: 21
Website: http://www.justcreativedesign.com
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Currently Reside: Newcastle, Australia. Moving to NYC January 2010.
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
It was a hobby throughout high school and once I started at University, I could say I “went professional”.
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
Probably a car wrap design. I wrote about the process here:
http://justcreativedesign.com/2009/08/25/car-vehicle-wrap-design/
What made you want to be a designer?
It seems I always enjoyed art and graphics throughout my schooling so it seemed like a natural path.
What do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
If the work stands up for itself, age doesn’t mean a thing. I actually use it to my advantage – having a “fresh, young approach”.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
I usually wake up about 10am, have breakfast at my computer, check & reply to blog comments emails, Twitter, Facebook then start on design work.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
31 years old.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. Literally. As for an inspiring designer, Paul Rand is one of my favourites.
PC or Mac?
PC. I also did a poll of this on my blog which attracted hundreds of comments from PC and Mac Fan boys.
Name: Jenny Patel
Age: 21
Website: http://www.inkyblakk.com
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Currently Reside: Rochester, NY
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
I decided in high school to design as my hobby, perhaps a little later than most; about 15, though no-one really could pick me out of a crowd as an artist. I was pretty shy and way into science and maths, so those took up a lot of my schedule rather than art classes. At the same time, I also decided to enter the Rochester Institute of Technology for college in the New Media Design program, which is where I’m at now. Since I’m a college student in the need for money, I’ve been doing some freelance while I study and finish up my degree. It’s going to be my career anyway, might as well throw myself in as early as I can to gain experience faster.
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
I designed a website my brother is going to be developing for his friend who is a fantastic photographer. So although the website isn’t published yet, I have an image that I can link to: http://cias.rit.edu/~jxp6099/filedump/cory.png
What made you want to be a designer?
When I was in grade school, I wanted to be a fiction writer actually. I think I always knew that if I did that, I wouldn’t make enough money to support myself. I also liked drawing as a kid, so I decided to keep practicing and turn it into a career someday. Then one day I met a New Media Designer out of Full Sail, and that sort of set me on the path. My practical sense told me that this would be a decent career I wouldn’t get bored of and start to hate. I wish I could say something meaningful here, but I don’t like to dress things up. I made my decision based on the prospect of financial security.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
Generally speaking, I always image its worse if they meet me. I might be young, but I look much younger. A lot of people, including close friends, will say that I look 12-14 years old. Usually, when I’m working with a client who hasn’t met me previously, I try not to mention my age. If someone does find out, I’m usually met with surprise, but that’s about it.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
I don’t really have a normal schedule. Usually I wake up, go to class, work on designs for clients or the class during and in between, then I head home, and work some more.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope to be working at a small agency of some sort, probably in a city major enough for public transportation to be prevalent, and preferably working in web design and development. I want to make enough to live comfortably (and pay off all my school debt fairly quickly).
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
I follow agencies such as MK12 (http://www.mk12.com/) mostly because of their work in the movie, “Stranger than Fiction”, Big Spaceship (http://www.bigspaceship.com/), Digital Kitchen (http://www.d-kitchen.com/), Hillman Curtis (http://www.hillmancurtis.com/), Dumbwaiter Design (http://dumbwaiterdesign.com/) not just because many of the Dumbwaiter Designers are my instructors, and I also admire many of my classmates. Among them are the most talented and creative people I have ever met. I also get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. I look at things around me in real life; I look at TV, the internet, games I play. A lot of my strongest inspiration comes from me doodling in my sketchbook.
PC or Mac?
Windows. I’ve used the Windows OS all my life, and I know my way pretty well around a PC’s hardware pretty well. I even built my new rig for the 3-d modeling and AfterEffects I wouldn’t be able to do on my laptop. Besides that, Macs don’t really fit well into my budget…
Name: Matthew Craig
Age: 21
Website: http://www.mattcraigdesign.comHometown: Toronto, Canada
Currently Reside: Toronto, Canada
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
I have always been the artistic type. Ever since I was a kid I have always been drawing, painting, and creating. I started to design digitally about 10 years ago… my older brother owned a popular website which inspired me to want to start creating and working with the web. He taught me the basics of photoshop and as the months turned into years I found that I had developed a passion for digital design. Being in high school I never really knew what I wanted to do seeing as there are hundreds of things one can choose from. I decided that since I loved design and had never taken a formal course on it, I wanted to pursue designing as a career. Four years later here I am working corporately doing web and graphic design and loving every minute of it. Design is my oxygen.
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
I have done many designs since my last freelance peice of work. I usually pump out 2 designs a week, but few ever make it to my portfolio. The latest design that decent enough to show and that is avaliable to view is at (http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs42/f/2009/087/0/2/Pixels_Cubed_by_Kurmysta.jpg)
What made you want to be a designer?
The web always has and always will continue to intrigue me. I have grown up with it; watched it grow. I wanted to be a part of something that has drastically changed our lives in such a profound way. Websites, design trends, and web languages are always changing and thus as a designer it keeps things fresh. You can never learn everything about web design which means you can never get bored of it.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
I never actually tell clients how old I am unless the directly ask me. The common misconception among most people is that experience only comes with age. I however preech that experience comes with knowledge. Some clients prefer to work with a young individual and some dont. What works for me is to provide the best working relationship I can between the client and I, and to ensure that their needs are met. This, I find, makes age irrelevant.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
I work a standard 8 hour day from 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. Weekends are usually spent working on random projects I may have including my websites, catching up on design articles from around the web, and being apart of many design communities.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
It’s very hard to imagine where I’ll be in ten years because the web is changing so quickly. I have always wanted to dive into more of a programming role to round myself out as a web designer/developer. I would like to get into developing web applications or perhaps even designing some. I have also always wanted to own a design firm working with other talented designers and developers. Finally I absolutely will be continuing my education throughout the years in order to keep on top of the rapidly changing web design industry.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
There are many influential people out there in the community that inspire me and my work. One thing I love about the design community is that information, know-how, and inspiration are so commonly shared between people. I am inspired by everything: nature, typography, traditional art, objects, colours, emotions, music… I could go on and on.
PC or Mac?
I use both. I prefer using a Mac. I have a Dell laptop for home-use, and I have a Macbook Pro that I use for work (which also duals as a PC).
Name: Nick Barrett
Age: 18
Website: http://www.kerplunc.com
Hometown: Brighton(ish), UK
Currently Reside: Brighton(ish), UK
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
4 years ago as a hobby, only recently in the last year as a living
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
My last client work would be http://simonfreedman.com/ for a London Osteopath, Simon Freedman. My last design is internal, but it’s not public yet…
What made you want to be a designer?
Nothing really, it just happened. I started off editing blogger templates and here I am four years later making entire websites and loving it.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
Some think it’s great, some think it’s ridiculous and others just don’t care.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
No set schedule, I’m on a gap year currently so I’ve got lots of non-web stuff to sort, which takes up time, design fits around it I guess, I’m not too booked up right now, to allow myself time.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully running my own design company but … bigger 
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
Lots of my inspiration comes from css galleries, although they are kinda crap, my new project might help that 
As for designers, Collis from envato is amazing, as are Jason Santon Maria and Elliot Jay Stocks. I don’t tend to directly follow designers, but their designs.
PC or Mac?
MAC only, windows sucks.
Name: Michael Rei
Age: 20
Website: http://www.entry5productions.com
Hometown: Hamilton Ontario, Canada
Currently Reside: Carleton County New Brunswick
What made you want to be a designer?
Roughly around the year 2001, this was about a year after getting my very first computer. At the time I was invested into online gaming, one game in particular, Starwars Galactic Battle Grounds (a RTS). I saw in the community that a lot of the clubs/clans had websites, which blew me away, as at the time I thought having a website was something only someone with a lot of money could do (funny sounding I KNOW!) Which inspired me to create a clan/club of my own and then started on my own website for it. From there it just progressed, until the day someone whom was starting a hosting company seen talent, and got me to do some projects for him. And it flourished from there you could say.
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
http://www.entry5productions.com/portfolio/Web-2009-100BestRapSongs.html
http://www.entry5productions.com/portfolio/Web-2009-RoosRoom/index.php
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
They think it’s outstanding. Most of them that come to me for the first time never seem to ask my age. Seems I conduct myself, my business and my work at such a professional level it’s a thought that never dwells on their minds.
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
I’ve played around with many ideas and different ways of going about it. Because of my connectivity issue, running one of those popular systems where teams and users can login and plan and schedule things, create tickets etc isn’t the most productive thing for my situation. So I’ve had to become creative. Trying some of the funniest and oddest ways of keeping track of things such as using my iPhones notes app to schedule, Google calendars, etc. So far, everything’s been top notch, even before all those great gadgets and services, I just went at it and never missed a deadline.
As far as a day today routine, I’m always active on communities when not working (trying to get work of course and just lend a helping hand to those in need). When I do have a project, I pretty much hammer on it around the clock until it’s complete. It gets interesting though when you have multiple projects…
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
That’s a good question, I’ve thought about it a lot the last few months, especially considering the circumstances that are always changing. My hopes are doing exactly what I’m doing today, but of course at a broader and much larger scale: my own studio office, with great staff producing great work for great clients. Of course though, I’m sure we all like to imagine as well in 10 years we own a large home and drive a Lamborghini as money is flying out of our pockets as we speed down the road.
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
That’s another great question. Back when Flash websites were all the rage, 2Advanced.com was the big dollar ticket for inspiration for everyone that was in that circle of communities, though other inspirations were Billy Bussy and Andy Davis. They are icons in the childhood of my passion (design) you could say. But in the last 4 years web design has changed and standards have become expected that’s when the whole Flash scene died and CSS took over in my world.
Inspiration I get now usually come from checking out what other designers are doing, like stuff on CSSremix.com, etc. I think their great ways for designers to see the ever evolving design wave.
PC or Mac?
PC… I’m dying to get a Mac though. I got no problems with PC’s… Just want to try something different.
Name: James McDonald
Age: 19
Website: http://www.james-mcdonald.com
Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland
Currently Reside: Glasgow, Scotland
When did you start designing as a hobby and then for a living?
When I was in school I always loved my art class and graphic communication. When I was a kid I always wanted to be an architect for some reason? I think it’s because I knew there was a lot of money to be made from it!
However, around 2003 when I was in high-school, my friend introduced me to Photoshop 7.0 which I thought to be absolutely amazing. We started designing e-feds (basically online wrestling portals) and then about two years later in 2005 I started designing for a minimum amount of cash.
What was the last design you created? Can you link us to it?
The last design I done was for a good friend of mine David (@brandingdavid on Twitter). Basically the website is an online job centre for designers & developers like us to find jobs. It’s called HireVine, unfortunately I cannot show you the design right now but it should be online soon at http://www.hirevine.com
One design I recently did that I can show you is http://www.labtweets.com
What made you want to be a designer?
Good question. I think from a really young age I wanted to be in a profession were you could be creative. I was always drawing as a kid, so I think my parents knew straight away that I was going to be in that kind of field. I’ve always believed in being passionate about what you do and you’ll enjoy your life better.
So what do your clients think when they realise how old you are?
I’ve never really had anyone comment on my age, maybe a couple of people and they’ve seemed surprised. I don’t know why lol
What is a normal day for you? Do you have a schedule?
If I have nothing planned for the day like seeing my girlfriend or spending it with my friends, I usually try and get up around 9am and get a nice breakfast then showered. By around 10am I’ll start on any work I have.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope to be successful. Possibly own my own business (es).
Is there anyone in the design world who you admire or anyone who inspires you? As well, where do you source your design inspiration from?
I really admire how Gary Vaynerchuk (http://tv.winelibrary.com) approaches business; he always seems to be two steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to new media and the introduction of new “game-changers”.
My design inspiration comes from a lot of things. I’ve always been a big wildlife fan. Watching it on the discovery channel and other channels like that from a very young age. So I would say nature inspires me a lot of the time. Sounds a bit weird, but I find wildlife and nature very calming and subtle, which kind of describes my design style. Other inspiration obviously comes from online, new media, technology etc.
PC or Mac?
I work on Mac.
Are you a web designer under 21 years of age and didn’t get featured in this article? Be sure to contact Mathew Carpenter via Twitter for your chance to be interviewed for our next article!
Leave Your Comments Below