We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Gaelan Andrade ("GA").

As a multidisciplinary creative, Gaelan has found many avenues to express his vision. While young, he had a strong desire in fashion, leading him to create his own streetwear brand. Soon After falling out of love with this passion, he found refuge through running his family's print shop and creating stickers. Eventually he left with a vision to start his own design company after noticing he had a knack for working with clients. With no formal education in design; His background has improved his ability to fully immerse himself into a discipline with no fear. An unconventional approach to his interests reflects in the way Gaelan welcomes each project.

Gaelan Andrade Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Gaelan Andrade.

Designer Interview of Gaelan Andrade:

DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

GA : greensociety is a design farm based in Portland Oregon. We aim to improve the quality of life through inspiring how people think and live with everyday design; we accomplish this by elevating environmental & socially conscious design works of up & coming creatives and realizing our own projects done in house or with a client.

DI: What is "design" for you?

GA : Design is a responsibility to give value and create solutions to better the world.

DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?

GA : Things that give the opportunity to open my mind or the minds of others.

DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?

GA : The first project i've worked on for a client was a packaging label for a hair product.

DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

GA : I'm constantly working with new platforms for different projects. I am most affluent in Adobe Illustrator

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

GA : after a nap

DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

GA : The story

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

GA : an eagerness and excitement to share it with others.

DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

GA : To be in tune with yourself and the world around you. For the sake of progression and knowing what worldly issues need to be

DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

GA : It's rapidly progressing towards an emotional state. The best teller of the future, are today's trends. Today I see a wave of creativity to the point to where it's not a novelty anymore. People are accepting that they are all naturally creative and this can lead to people putting their ideas together as a collective for the needs of the whole, versus individuality as seen in previous generations.

DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

GA : Inspiration comes from the needs of others or my own adversity. The best way for me to feed my creativity is by putting the time into whatever it is that interests me at the moment.

DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?

GA : My style is naturally minimal and simple. I even find it difficult to use color in my graphic design projects. When there is a new project in the works, my approach is usually very well thought out as far as scope of work goes; once I get my hands dirty I am sporadic and ideas come through my head like a waterfall.

DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?

GA : I live in the city of Portland Oregon. Although it's the city there is a ton of nature and clean air. Because it's a growing city there is a lot going on all the time, and it's easy to get sidetracked. This type of atmosphere can be motivating at times and requires balance to navigate through the noise to stay in touch with yourself.

DI: How do you work with companies?

GA : I dive in

DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

GA : Allow the designer to listen to convos that have nothing to do with design. This helps the designer get a feel of what the company is about and encourages them to feel apart of, ultimately leading to projects that specifically benefit the company.

DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?

GA : plan, outline, and begin working

DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

GA : My macbook pro, apple earbuds, apple mouse, smartphone, sketchpad

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

GA : Wake up early and lift weights or practice yoga. After this I wash up eat and begin my commute to the city. I work either at a clients office or at my coworking space depending if I am contracting or not. Usually I go to an event in the evening if not I work until night. Once home I unwind with an episode of anime or video games then. Before bed, I wrap up the day by studying/ practicing new design techniques and trends or work on my digital art which I exclusively post on Instagram.

DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

GA : I am a young designer myself, so advice I give to myself is to remember to have fun and listen to your intuition at all times.

DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

GA : A positive is working in a profession that allows me to be creative all the time. people putting g

DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?

GA : Work on something once and take a break from it

DI: What skills are most important for a designer?

GA : flexibility

DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

GA : Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Sketch, LiveSurface Context (which i've used only during free trials), Design Love by David Airey, Pinterest, Dotted Sketch book, Toggl App, and a pomodoro

DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

GA : Bursts of creativity and short pauses of doing either meditation, napping, or video games.

DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

GA : My longest project took 2 months total (60 days), shortest about a day. it all depends

DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

GA : "How much do you charge for a logo?" A question I don't like

DI: What was your most important job experience?

GA : Running my families print shop

DI: Who are some of your clients?

GA : Startups like SCOUT MILITARY DISCOUNTS, non profits like Hispanic Pros, or small business like Lexi Johnny's hair oil

DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

GA : Project development that directly impacts business or is dependent on design.

DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

GA : Depends on clients, but so far it's been with at least one other person.

DI: How can people contact you?

GA : Via twitter @pranawzrd or Instagram @greensocietypdx