DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Designer works
in the wee hoursStacey Leong Mills finds it easier
to be creative after the phone stopsI'm a graphic designer with my own company, Stacey Leong Design, which specializes in graphic design for print and the Internet. It is a dream career, and I feel I am truly fulfilling my destiny.
As long as I can remember, I have loved art. When I was in the fourth grade at Makawao Elementary, I was placed in a gifted and talented art class. During the summertime, I worked on painting projects. My love of art eventually led me to the "big city" and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where I graduated with a bachelor's in graphic design. After working for designer Clarence Lee and Team Vision, an advertising agency, I decided I was ready to start my own firm.
My philosophy is to fuse the traditional concepts of design and apply them across contemporary media to create something unique for each client.
Going on my own brought a lot of perks immediately; including independence, creative freedom, flexible work schedule and personal pride in ownership. However, I also discovered drawbacks: Answering my own phone has been tough. When I am designing something, the interruptions can hamper the creative flow. And a lack of human interaction in the office made me feel alienated.
To help me out with the latter, I joined the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Together, the design professionals in AIGA support and promote our profession and exchange ideas. I am now president of AIGA, Honolulu Chapter. It is almost like a second full-time job, but the rewards far outweigh the commitment. I have learned so much from other design and print professionals, and nothing beats a solid network for personal and professional growth.
One of our goals is to support our local industry, so AIGA created the "Hawaii's 5-O" design competition last year to award excellence in print and Web design, to promote the industry, and to keep Hawaii business in Hawaii. I cannot understand why some companies still use out-of-state designers when we have so much talent and the technology right here. We just had "Hawaii's 5-0" 2002 Nov. 9, so it's been quite a busy past few months for all of us on the committee, but it was well worth it!
My typical day goes something this: Write & answer all e-mails first thing in the morning. Make phone calls to clients and vendors. Write proposals. Send out invoices and do miscellaneous other paper work. Do AIGA work. And finally, in the afternoon, when all the business-aspects have been taken care of and the phone calls have subsided, I am able to concentrate on the creative side of graphic design. It's typical for me to design into the wee hours of the night -- perhaps my most creative hours.
I am definitely fulfilling the destiny of that fourth-grader back in Makawao.
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