Drew Melton奉行Chuck Close的那句話“靈感屬于業(yè)余愛好者；剩下的我們只是來上班，然后開始工作”，正是這樣的心態(tài)讓他成為了一位頗有名氣的設(shè)計師。他的字體排印、插畫以及整體的設(shè)計感令人印象深刻，同時也激勵了許多設(shè)計師。他都和我們分享了什么呢？

Drew Melton

Narkii：

您為何熱愛字體排印呢？

Why do you love typography?

Drew：

我無法具體說我熱愛什么，但我一直對設(shè)計、建筑和藝術(shù)感興趣，雖然我并沒有每個都擅長。我發(fā)現(xiàn)字體設(shè)計和排印很好地平衡了這三者。字體需要時時關(guān)注技術(shù)層面的問題，但它同時也非常具有表現(xiàn)力。好的字體設(shè)計平衡了審美與功能。

I couldn’t really say what I love specifically. But I have always had an affinity for design, architecture and art. Though I am not really good at all of those things separately. I find that lettering and typography is the ideal balance of the three. Lettering has to work on a very technical level but it is also very expressive. Great lettering is a balancing act between aesthetic and function.

Narkii：

您如何成為一個字體排印設(shè)計師呢？

How did you become a typography designer?

Drew：

說實話有點偶然。上大學(xué)的時候，我一直對Herb Lubalin的作品很感興趣，但是由于某種原因，我太愚鈍了，沒有明白他的作品有多么依賴于偉大的字體設(shè)計。在輟學(xué)并開始自己的工作室之后，我一度喪失了熱情。連續(xù)三個月我住女朋友家（現(xiàn)在的妻子）的地板上，然后才開始探索。

Kind of by accident to be honest. I was always attracted to the work of Herb Lubalin when I was in college but for some reason I was far too dense to understand how heavily his work depended on great lettering. At one point after dropping out of school and starting my own studio I burned out. I lived on my girlfriends’ (now wifes’) floor for 3 months and just started exploring.

Narkii：

您最喜歡哪種類型的設(shè)計呢？

What types of design do you appreciate the most?

Drew：

我喜歡肯定的設(shè)計。我知道這聽起來有點模糊。但是，我職業(yè)生涯中一個重要的部分就是去學(xué)著相信我的雙手和直覺。 如果不這么做，會浪費很多時間來苦惱，作品會失去優(yōu)勢。當(dāng)你看到帶著信心創(chuàng)作出的作品時你就會明白。 

I love design that is sure of itself. I know that sounds kind of vague. But an important part of my journey has been learning to trust my hands and my intuition. If you don’t you’ll waste a lot of time agonizing and your work will lose its edge. You know when you see work that is created with confidence.

Narkii：

您之前有導(dǎo)師嗎嗎？他們是如何幫助您走到今天的呢？

Have you had a mentor? How did they help in getting you where you are today?

Drew：

當(dāng)談到藝術(shù)和手工，我最喜歡的人之一就是Jake Weidmann。當(dāng)我碰壁時，Joshua Bullock和Sean McCabe讓我可以繼續(xù)前行。他們都非常有才華，而且是很好的人。去交朋友—他們不會僅僅把你當(dāng)做“通訊錄”上的一個名字。到現(xiàn)在，我的許多非設(shè)計師朋友常常給我的工作帶來很多鼓舞。

Jake Weidmann is definitely one of my favorite people to talk to when it comes to art and craft. Joshua Bullock and Sean McCabe keep me going when I hit a wall. All of them are so talented but more than anything they are just good people. Make friends-They will take you farther than “contacts”. Many of my “Non-Designer” friends have been some of the most inspiring people to my career so far.

Narkii：

什么能幫助您提高效率？

What helps you be productive?

Drew：

避免注意力分散—當(dāng)我有一個小而整潔的桌面，上面盡量少有那些會讓我分散注意力的東西，這種情況下我的狀態(tài)最好。哦，還需要有很多陽光。陽光讓我感到開心，富有效率；住在洛杉磯在這方面對我來說就很棒。

Disconnecting from distraction-I do my best when I have a small, clear desk space with as little distraction as possible. Oh, and lots of sunlight. I need sunlight to be happy and productive; living in Los Angeles is good for me that way.

Narkii：

對您來說，作一名設(shè)計師意味著什么？

What does it mean to you to be a designer?

Drew：

就是與客戶合作帶有商業(yè)目的的產(chǎn)品。對我而言，藝術(shù)是關(guān)于表達(dá)，而設(shè)計是帶著商業(yè)意圖的溝通。這可能不完全準(zhǔn)確，但這是迄今為止我最好的解釋。

Working with a client on a product for a commercial purpose. To me, art is about expression and design is about communication with commercial intent. This may not be completely accurate but it’s my best explanation so far.

Narkii：

對于剛?cè)胄械脑O(shè)計師，您有什么建議嗎？

Do you have any advice you’d like to share with people who are new to this industry?

Drew：

學(xué)習(xí)基礎(chǔ)知識。不要試圖耍小聰明，盡量不要和其他偉大的設(shè)計師比較。它會阻礙你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的聲音，真正發(fā)展你的技能。那是我早期犯的一個很大的錯誤。我忙于工作，沒有耐心真正去學(xué)習(xí)好的排版，字體和設(shè)計的基礎(chǔ)知識。最好的作品不會給人造成過多視覺上的混亂。我們有必要朝著好的作品努力，但把它們當(dāng)做燃料就好，不要讓它們破壞了你自己的作品。

Learn the basics. Don’t try to be clever and try not to compare yourself to other great designers. It will keep you from finding your voice and really developing your skills. That was a big mistake I made early on. I got caught up on busy work and didn’t have the patience to really learn the fundamentals of good layout, lettering and design. The best work is the work that needs the least visual chaos. It’s necessary to keep up on great work but use it as fuel and don’t let it derail your own work.