DJG Design

I am looking at Kansas City as an option to move to after I graduate this spring. Your work caught my eye in Print’s design annual. I really dig your style. I am curious if you have any advice on the job market in KC…I am really open to any leads at this point. I appreciate any advice you are willing to offer me about meeting people in the city and seeing where it is I best fit in. Thank you for your time. Keep up the great work. Have a good one.

- J.W.H. / Graphic Designer

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J, Thanks for your interest in my work. And thanks for the kind words and for finding me in PRINT. I am currently filling out a mountain of paper work for this year’s Regional.

Kansas city is a great town to start in for music graphics. I’m in my sixth year here. I was great friends with many musicians/bands when I moved here and met many-many more through those relationships. So, that was a huge plus with my little quest for working independently in the music scene. I dropped out of college and dived right in. i had a plan and an action and starting reaching my goals right away…and some higher than I imagined.

However, there are some drawbacks to it. I’ve never been able to do it for full-time income. There is not much money in independent music. I’m sure you’re aware with this. Unless you can get in with a label with a good budget for art/design, or unless you know bands who pay well. I’ve had full-time jobs, and at times worked 60 hour weeks on top of another 20 or so with design. Now that I’m getting older I can’t stay up all night like I used to and I’m married now and generate my schedule towards more important life things. Still, I somehow manage to juggle everything. I do a lot. But, if you do something enough it becomes a part of you. So, that’s why I’m able to crank out so much work, i guess. Because I literally have to crank it out. And I’m always hungry for more. It’s a disease and a part of me. I learn a lot about myself by doing it. At least I hope so. Sometimes it destroys me and and sometimes I hate it.

Lately, I’ve been in desperate need of a break. Maybe take a step down and do some things itchin’ at my back. Personal projects, stuffed animals, paintings and books. A new web site too. I need to start selling some things. Maybe. Or, maybe i’ll just make a bunch of stuff for only me to see. But, i’ll always be dabbling in music stuff. I really enjoy it…and i’d like to push it into other realms.

Anyway. I don’t really have too much advice other than work hard, have a lot of patience and expect to starve. And don’t be shy to really pour yourself into your work.

Being that Kansas City is a small market it’s easy to meet people and easy for your work to be seen. Especially if you’ve got something to say. I used to be better at meeting people…I don’t get out much now and I’ve got many social anxieties. I don’t even like to hang up my own posters and I don’t go to concerts much anymore. I don’t like to go to art shows, even my own openings. Anyway, people kinda come to me these days. And especially with the internet. It’s really strange how many people have found me on here from different continents. It’s really random and I’m very humbled by it all. So strange to me.

At one time I struggled with the idea of the artist. It seems that there is a certain persona that comes with that. A certain look and all of that garbage. It’s not about that. I’ve learned to really just put myself into it and be honest with myself. I could care less about art scenes and all of that. My favorite artists are folk ones. People that just feel like making things of their life. Anyway, all of this may be b.s. in the end, but here is my agenda: I am a human being first. I am a human being who happens to make things.

I’ve never had to advertise. And everyone has been very nice to me and very interested in the work i’m doing. It’s really strange to me, especially on the national and world level. I just enjoy it and am thankful to have it. I have a basement clubhouse and I love to spend time down there developing a bad back and poor eye sight.

…I see you’ve already developed a good-sized portfolio of professional looking work. Keep it up and keep pushing your own craft…these show your range as a designer and come across as fresh. I noticed the illustrated background on your website and the hand made type. I would suggest incorporating more of these elements in your work as well. Things of this nature become very immediate and feel very human and put one’s own thumb prints into the work.

One of the best things that ever happened to me was when my computer crashed and I lost the ability to use my fonts. I was already experimenting with building my own type at the time, but then I had to push it further. I love to illustrate with type only. It’s a powerful tool. I build the majority of my work completely void of the computer. If I need another piece of paper I grab a piece of tape. I love to illustrate too. Anything to get my hands dirty. The computer is just a tool for me. Though, it’s not all about doing it all by hand. It’s good to be versitle. I see you can do clean layouts…it’s a lot of copy, but you’ve made it interesting while being clean. Nice.

Sometimes you gotta play ball. I tend to play in the made-up rover position. Ironically, this is where my baseball coaches would put me when they were feeling sorry for my pine-riding abilities.

Anyway, I could talk and talk and not really say anything. And I have not the answers. I kinda hit things at the right time and now I’m trying to find the time. I’ve got to get back to the ever-looming day job.

Get your stuff out there in the open, keep up the good work and work ethic. Please contact me if you have further questions or anything. I am always up for not doing my day job work.

Take care.

-djg