Drew Frist, LA-Based Multidisciplinary Designer

We were pumped to catch-up with Shillington New York graduate Drew Frist, who’s now based in Los Angeles working as a multidisciplinary graphic designer. Drew “champions creative, compelling and crafted design solutions that seamlessly work across all media.” Today we hear about Drew’s recent work, freelancing in Los Angeles and “keeping a tight Instagrame”.

Could you walk us through a recent professional project?

I had the pleasure of working with CHA:COL, an architectural team out here in Los Angeles. A husband and wife team. Their logo needed a reboot, and they also wanted to extend that to a flexible template suited for portfolio & project work. It was great fun working with other designers. They brought up Russian & Swiss period design, and we were off! Well, there was a fair amount of development, but I carry a soft spot for brand and identity work. We finessed several rounds of designs, and settled on one that fit their company and carried that through the other collateral.

 Who’s your dream client?

A fellow graphic designer once described my “look” as luxe or high-end. I think what he was pinpointing was how spare and type-driven my work has become. And when things are minimal, there isn’t a lot of room for misalignment, wasted space, or carelessness.

I work really hard to achieve precise, crafted design solutions for clients.

I think it equates to a look or “feel” of quality, and that is something I appreciate in design and strive to achieve.

How is life in LA? What’s the best thing about the West Coast creative scene?

Life in Los Angeles is good. After two years, I’m settled. The sun, the sand, the mountains. It’s all here.

As for the creative scene, that’s another matter. It’s all around and also super decentralized. You can’t grab a coffee without passing someone polishing a screen play at a nearby table…but it is a little harder to find the graphic design tribe. Not sure why. There seems to be more of a design vibe in downtown and the east side. As for the west side, where I am located, we’re getting more Silicon Beach-y by the day. I take what I can get at AIGA events and CreativeMornings.

You joke that you “keep a tight Instagrame”. How important do you think social networking is for designers?

I think it’s pretty critical. A) You get to let people know that you’re adept at another form of visual storytelling. B) It gets your name out there. I started with Instagram like anybody else—keeping in touch with friends and sharing moments. But it’s turned into something more.

About year ago, an art director at a large media group out here was prepared to give me a digital art directorship based on the photography on my portfolio. Take Pinterest and Behance. Upload your designs and try to get them pinned/shared. Or, become known as a great curator of existing work and imagery.

Just get your name out there. It never hurts; and it almost always helps.

Could you share a career lesson you learned the hard way?

Don’t turn in anything to an art director or supervisor before you’re ready or happy with the work. This is when forehead-slapping sorts of mistakes surface. The timeline may not be yours, but the work is. Makes sure you pleased with what you produce.

Any pointers for young designers looking to launch a freelance career?

Creative agencies like Creative Circle are fine, but be sure to establish a few clients or work outside of representation. Not only do you (oft times) get to command a higher hourly, but you understand and take on the role of being the boss. It’s forced me to ante up on self-direction and project management a couple of times. And I’ve gotten good at it.

Why did you choose Shillington?

Hands down for the schedule. I knew I had roughly three months in the fall to complete any sort of NYC bucket list before my move to California. Shillington was on that list, and I have just the right amount of time to complete the full-time course.

What was the best thing about the course? 

The best: the people. Instructors, staff, and the students. I made good friends in class, and that sharing of ideas and team work mentality is pretty wonderful. It’s a special thing to work with people who challenge you AND that you still want to and have lunch with.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for a new Shillington student?

Find stuff that you love and clip, pin, journal, and/or whatever it. What’s been a boon to my workflow is having a big library of inspiration, thumbnails, type, and mockups at the ready. It speeds things up when a project, let’s say a web redesign, comes in and you have a hundred web sites that you can reference, share with a client, and take design cues from.

What would you say to someone in the industry who’s skeptical of the course?

Try me.

Check out Drew’s full portfolio and be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram!

Curious about kickstarting your career at Shillington? Visit www.shillingtoneducation.com to learn more about studying in New York City or five other campuses around the world.