What is your origin story \u2014 how did you come to do what you do?<\/h3>\n
I always loved art and drawing and stuff like that. But more than sketching as a kid, I would always draw letters, I would always be more interested in custom lettering and creating custom posters for myself along with cartoons. I wasn\u2019t as interested in \u201cfine art.\u201d And at some point, I realized that there\u2019s a job for that: graphic design. And so, I pursued that in college (Oklahoma State, in Stillwater, Oklahoma) and really learned how to generate ideas. I learned how a strong concept and telling a story through design and branding was the most important thing, not just making something look pretty. Then I got into the thought process that goes into it, the discovery and the research, the ideas and the iterations you have to come up with to arrive at the best results. That whole process became really intriguing for me. It\u2019s really exciting and rewarding for me to be able to do that with brands.<\/p>\n
What brought you to NYC?<\/h3>\n
I grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and came to New York at the end of the summer right after I graduated from college. I didn\u2019t have a job lined up before I got here. I had the money I made over the summer. My portfolio. My resume. I freelanced for a while, did a couple of long-term freelance gigs. Then for several years I worked with two different agencies, which were good learning experience. Both of those were good first jobs to have. But my second agency job, I got burned out on agency life. Especially a large agency that has lots of corporate clients. That\u2019s when I started freelancing full time, just a little over a year and a half ago.<\/p>\n
How long have you been in NYC?<\/h3>\n
I\u2019ve been here for about 8 years. I can\u2019t believe it. On one hand it feels like I\u2019ve been here forever, but in other ways it\u2019s gone by so quickly. I live in Stuyvesant Heights, where Bed-Stuy kisses Bushwick and Crown Heights. It\u2019s not Bushwick, it\u2019s not Bed-Stuy; there are lots of families that have lived here for a long time.<\/p>\n
Talk to me about your approach, your process.<\/h3>\n
I think that the core of it is asking the right questions. Why are you creating this product or service? What are you offering that is special to your customers?<\/p>\n
I recently did a logo for a friend that\u2019s a photographer. And last year I did a full rebrand for an agency that specializes in higher education marketing. With each of those clients I have to ask:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What makes you different from everyone else?<\/li>\n
- What are you offering of value to your audience?<\/li>\n
- What sets you apart?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
So, with that, my approach is to explore. I do my research and dig in during what I call my discovery phase. I explore other brands in the same industry and world and make note of what they\u2019re doing that\u2019s successful, not successful \u2014 and see where my client fits in. That\u2019s the first step. Then with that, generating ideas, and eventually creating a full look and feel for the brand that fits and visually sets them apart.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lgbt-1-danil-1-300x170.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lgbt-2-daniel-300x150.png\")
Design by Daniel Nolen<\/em><\/p>\nWhen do you know if something is working or not?<\/h3>\n
Being a designer, I’m constantly noticing everything I see in the world \u2014 from design on the train, in the city, online. I can automatically sense when its design isn\u2019t genuine, when it\u2019s just trying to be trendy but there\u2019s no heart to it. I can see that it\u2019s not really saying anything besides using a trendy font or illustration style. I have a filter up all the time for that kind of design, where I think: \u201cI see what they\u2019re trying to do here but it\u2019s not really working, it\u2019s kind of hacky.\u201d<\/p>\n
However \u2014 when you see something that is truly original and really works, it hits you right in the gut, in the heart. One of my favorite brands is the Criterion<\/a> collection. They create really beautiful merchandise and DVDs for really high-end films. They\u2019re very selective of the films they choose, they select very well-made films, foreign films. Their entire brand is incredibly consistent in conveying a very intelligent look and feel that is indicative of the quality and value of their product. Criterion has a specific audience and offering, and they are not sacrificing the integrity of what they\u2019re trying to say \u2014 they\u2019re very true.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a day in your life like?<\/h3>\n
Usually I wake up, start the day, and make coffee at 7:30 or 8am. I try to read something before I look at my phone or answer emails, because that helps ease me in and I\u2019m not immediately flooded by stimuli\u2026 ooh, I\u2019ve got to get this done. I sometimes write in my journal or meditate and then eat something.<\/p>\n
Then I move to replying to emails \u2014 as a freelancer I am often in conversation with different clients about current or future projects, as well as looking for new opportunities. After that, I go to my little home office and start working on projects.<\/p>\n
I usually save personal projects for later after I\u2019ve finished my \u201cwork\u201d work. I try to take a break after lunch, go for a walk, get a coffee. At night, I like to go to happy hour or theatre.<\/p>\n
How does community figure into your work?<\/h3>\n
Since I do work alone most days, it is important for me to make a point to reach out to fellow artists and designers even if they’re not graphic designers. I have a lot of friends who work in tech \u2014 web developers and web designer. Even though our roles aren\u2019t the same, they can ask me about design stuff, and I can ask them about their areas of expertise. It helps to have people you can trust who will give you feedback and also support, if you just want to vent.<\/p>\n
Aside from design, I have a lot of other projects I work on, whether theatre or music related. Making a point to get together and collaborate is really important for me, because that\u2019s not something I get to do in person a lot. Being able to collaborate and share that with others helps recharge the part of my battery that doesn\u2019t get recharged when I\u2019m working at home all day on my own.<\/p>\n
Consciously seeking out these communal moments has helped me grow as a collaborator. Working in an agency all day, especially in a cubicle under fluorescent lighting, you\u2019re trying to make yourself comfortable all day, you\u2019re trying to drown out everyone else\u2019s noise so you can work, create a comfortable space for yourself and your team. But a lot of times it\u2019s so difficult because there\u2019s so much happening. It\u2019s loud and it\u2019s crowded, and you have to commute, and you have to go find lunch\u2026it\u2019s busy busy busy<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Whereas working for myself at home, while I do feel the need to get out of the house and it gets lonely, it\u2019s easier for me to be aware of that. I am more conscious now about seeking community and collaboration because I\u2019m not in the middle of all the extraneous noise that\u2019s so present in so may work environments.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/daniel-3-300x233.png\")
Illustration by Daniel Nolen<\/em><\/p>\nHow long have you been a part of Creative Circle, and what does being part of the CC community mean for you?<\/h3>\n
I\u2019ve been with Creative Circle officially for four years or so. Within that timeframe, I had some longer-term gigs so was not working with them as often as I have been the last two years. These past two years, I have been in regular contact with Creative Circle and they\u2019ve found me some really great gigs that have led to other great projects. It\u2019s really nice that people who are looking for jobs for you know your strengths and what you can contribute. I think that\u2019s where Creative Circle is so valuable, they really get to know their clients and their candidates.<\/p>\n
What are your biggest challenges doing what you do?<\/h3>\n
The biggest challenge? Definitely financial. I\u2019m a full-time freelancer and sometimes it can be challenging to find enough work to support myself. It\u2019s important that I stick to my guns so that I can keep working on my terms from my home office.<\/p>\n
Right now, the most important thing for me is being able to call the shots and do the projects I want. Having the freedom to do that is so rewarding. But what comes with that is having to hustle, the \u201cI need to find a job for when this gig ends.\u201d<\/p>\n
How long do your gigs tend to last?<\/h3>\n
The ideal ones (and many I have gotten from Creative Circle) have been longer term, by season or by project. The majority of my projects are between 3 weeks and 3 months in duration, many of which have led to other work.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/daniel-4-300x200.png\")
Design by Daniel Nolen<\/em><\/p>\nWhat\u2019s one thing you wish you knew before you started?<\/h3>\n
For me personally, I was scared. Scared to not have a regular paycheck, benefits \u2014 having to take care of all that myself. I think that that fear really kept me from taking the leap and doing what I really wanted, which was full-time freelance, or working for myself. But as they say: leap and the net will appear.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s sometimes been stressful and uncomfortable, but the thing I would have told myself: \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it will always work out, even if it\u2019s stressful and you\u2019re anxious. You\u2019ll make it work out. You\u2019ll learn something from it. Ultimately, it\u2019s all worth it because it\u2019s what you want to be doing. You\u2019re going to be happier doing this.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
Who (or what) inspires your work?<\/h3>\n
I’m such a fan of so many things. I love music and going to the theatre. There are certain actors and writers and artists I’m obsessed with. But I think what really moves me is looking to other people who have a really good work ethic, who have been successful even through difficulties and challenges, but have come out the other side wiser, more successful, and better at what they do. I think that\u2019s what ultimately inspires me across the board. It reminds me not to take the easy route, to stick to what I believe in, and trust that that will ultimately yield the most satisfying results.<\/p>\n
I love Saul Bass<\/a>, who\u2019s really well known for his movie title sequences and film posters, he did a lot of work with Alfred Hitchcock. Talk about a storyteller, his intros for movies like Psycho and Vertigo, he sets the scene, it\u2019s like a mini-movie before the movie. He uses a very bold graphic style that I\u2019m drawn to \u2014 that\u2019s very similar to my own style, which is perhaps why I\u2019m visually drawn to his work. He has also done a lot of recognizable logos that are simple and giving the most amount of information in the simplest way possible, which is the challenge of logo design.<\/p>\n
Paula Scher<\/a>, a NYC-based graphic designer. Her work is very modern, bold, and colorful. She does a lot of branding for the City. She\u2019s done a lot of recognizable New York logos, the NY Ballet, The Public Theatre, the Citibank logo. Her work has so much energy and is so fun to look at, it\u2019s so unique, yet it can be translated across a bunch of different mediums. Her branding for The Public Theatre, every year she and her team revamp it. And all the stuff she does with Pentagram<\/a> is amazing. I love Pentagram too.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Daniel-5-300x232.png\")
Illustration by Daniel Nolen<\/em><\/p>\nIn what ways do you see your work evolving over the next year? Any projects that you\u2019re working on that you\u2019re really excited about?<\/h3>\n
This is outside of design, but I\u2019m directing a cabaret show<\/a> for a friend of mine, Christy Yin. She\u2019s a singer and a dancer. Christy knew I had experience doing cabaret shows and asked me to direct her debut! We just met today and had a really great work session. I was struck by how similar the work process was to collaborating on a design project, it\u2019s really \u201cwhat story are we telling, how are we going to do that, with the right amount of information, so it\u2019s not excessive, but enough to lead the audience.\u201d You have to remember not to expect them to know anything we are not telling them.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a similar process to branding or creating a website, you\u2019re creating an experience for the audience. Collaborating with one or more people is really fun and exciting. It\u2019s the creative process in motion. The show was scheduled to be at the Gallery Players<\/a>, an off-Broadway theatre in Brooklyn, March 13, 2020 \u2014 and we look forward to making it manifest when the timing is right.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Daniel-6-300x101.png\")
Illustration by Daniel Nolen<\/em><\/p>\n