JESSE KANDA
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
VANCOUVER, CANADA

Jesse nice to meet ya, how r things?

Things are dandy, thanks!

Can you give us a brief intro as to where your from and let the good people out there know what your doin?

I was born in Japan in 1987, and I lived there for 12 years. My family then decided to move to Vancouver, Canada – which is where I live and work now.

Growing up did you ever figure that you would be an artist?

I always knew I’d at least create recreationally, but I don’t think I even knew that it could be something you could make a living off of. Not that I do though, because I work as a designer and not an artist.

How did you initially get into art – when was the first time you were truly inspired?

Initially, probably my mom when I was little. With digital art and design, I got into those when I started playing with Photoshop when I was around 15 and found many talented artists through the Internet.

Did you get any formal training for this sorta thing – does it help?

I got formal training for interactive design, but they didn’t teach anything that had to do with creativity. So no, artistically it didn’t help at all. It helped a lot with my personal direction in life, HTML/CSS, flash, marketing, etc. After my first year I quit the program because I figured I’d learn more in a work environment.

Your kinda a greenback right now - what has been your best and worst experience so far in the industry? What do you hope to get out of it business wise and on the creative side?

That’s really impossible to say! All my experiences have been good, I guess. What I hope to get out of this is to just keep improving creatively and technically.

We love you photo collaborations and design work, especially with your friend Emilie Bjork photos along with your own. Is this where you see you work heading? What’s the story behind these imaginative pieces?

Thanks very much, I’m sure Emilie would be happy to hear that. I have no idea where my work is heading actually. I just hope to continue to stray away from what other people are doing. Each piece has a different concept, so your best bet of finding out is just to look at the titles and stare at the work for a while.

What distinguishes you from other designers?

I’m me. That’s it. No matter how I’d answer this question, it would sound egotistical. I don’t know every designer, nor do I completely know myself – so I guess I have no idea.

How do you seek out a design for something – what is your design process?

It depends on the project but I generally look at the problems and try to come up with solutions for them. Then I use my judgment as to how to set the visual mood with color, texture, etc.

5 quick questions

Favorite colour? None

Best band right now? The Rapture

#1 pet peeve? Arrogance

A reward for a hard day’s work? Get crunk!

If ketchup is good on french fries, how come it isn’t good on mashed potatoes?
I can’t tell you why ketchup isn’t very good on mashed potatoes, but I can tell you what IS good on mashed potatoes: ham and salt.

You are supportive some great art movements right now; Beautiful/Decay ( http://www.beautifuldecay.com/ ), NLF Magazine ( www.nlfmagazine.com) and your own Honey Eat Your Salad ( http://www.honeyeatyoursalad.org ) What is you favorite project that you have worked on so far and who do you look to for inspiration from within your industry? What gets you stoked?

My favorite project is of course my own – Honey Eat Your Salad. It feels really good to give back to the community and gain more recognition from the public. I look not only to great artists for inspiration, but great musicians, philosophers, fashion designers, actors, janitors, and people in general. Peanut butter gets me stoked.

What do you do for fun in your spare time?

Eat, shop, go to shows, party, snowboard, watch movies, chase girls.

Any regrets?

I regret getting a tattoo of a foot on my face.

Seriously, wik! Time for the question we’ve all been waiting for; any tips for those aspiring to be great graphic artist? (What kind of tips do you have for those dealing with hustling up clients and staying inspired and fresh?)

Don’t be a follower. If you want to imitate someone to sharpen your technical skills or just to see if you can do it, great – but keep that stuff to yourself.

Looking back in 5 years where do you hope to be as an artists? A penny for your thoughts?

In 5 years I hope I’ll be saying “wow I was so horrible back then” instead of “I wish I was still that imaginative”. Yeah, I hope I never peak.

Good times man, All The best!

Thank you very much for the interview! It was fun!