Interviewing Cassie Medema

Cassie Medema first came on my radar in college when I found out that she had been doing design work for a band that I really wanted to do design work for. Though her skills wildly outmatched mine, it was at that moment that I knew I would have to do one of two things. 1. Destroy her design empire and erase her memory from the history books so that I could design for that band or 2. Interview her for my blog someday. Well, I was right and here is that interview.

In case you are wondering, the band is Joey Ryan & the Inks and they rock. Take a peek.

Introducing Cassie Medema: partner, designer at Funky Fresh

Tell us about your path to this point.

Leading up to college, I had all sorts of design-y jobs: creating floral arrangements, processing photos and retail interior design. I also drove a school bus while attending college for extra cash (I am still a proud CDL holder, with endorsements for passengers and air breaks, thank you very much.)

Right out of school, I spent a year and a half at a local Sioux Falls agency and then jumped to full-time freelance in October of 2006. At that time, my husband Dave and I relocated to just outside of Minneapolis for the next year where I bounced in and out of half a dozen or so agencies as a freelancer to help catch up on their overflow design work. Those experiences helped me gain knowledge as to how I could plug in where needed. I learned how to quickly adapt to new situations and surroundings and met a ton of inspiring people along the way. In late 2007 we landed back in Sioux Falls and I was able to continue freelancing, keeping most of my clients while traveling back and forth from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis. Fast forward two more years to May 2009,when Dave and I launched our joint venture, Funky Fresh. Now we have the knowledge base and skill set for web design and development on top of print.

What sort of goals or ambitions do you have?

To be someone who makes new things. To live simply.

I love to think in terms of appreciating what you have instead of always wanting more stuff. A clutter free home makes for a clutter free mind. I typically can’t concentrate on design if there is a mess around me. I also can’t be in a messy room for more than 24 hours without cleaning it and organizing it to perfection.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A professional house cleaner (see above.) I would also offer furniture re-arranging, as that was something I mastered in my own bedroom sometime during my middle school years.

What or who has influenced you?

My husband Dave, former classmates now turned best friends, local art girls, live music in small venues, traveling and my everyday surroundings. I’ve been really inspired by the self-made artists on Etsy.com. There are some amazing shops with stories of how they quit their day jobs to do what they love out of the comfort of their home and are loving every minute of it. Not to mention, making a decent living doing so.

What is your favorite and least favorite typeface?

LTC Bodoni26 as seen on cassiemedemadesign.com

Least = Marker felt.

Best part about the industry thus far?

Being able to surround yourself with others who think like you. Fueling others to create. Finding opportunities to make people think. The new opportunities for small studios to succeed. The worst that can happen everyday is that we get to start over.

Worst part about the industry?

The discounted value the average person places on design services.

What is the coolest thing you’ve seen lately or work that you’ve liked?

Jason Munn of The Small Stakes has been a consistent inspiration for screen printing over the last four years. His Insound 20 series where he created 20 poster and t-shirt designs for 20 different bands will be one of my favorite projects of all time (http://www.insound.com/insound20/). I’m a huge fan of mixed media collage and I pretty much love everything Tiphanie Brooke does (http://www.antigirl.com/collections/index/id/3/hearts). Her latest series of hearts makes me happy.

High point of your career/ favorite piece of work?

Launching Funky Fresh, May 1st, 2009

Advice for up and coming designers…

Buy a laptop. Work on what you love. Work on stuff you don’t love to pay the bills in the mean time. Travel. Surround yourself with people that inspire you daily. Find a mentor. Drink coffee. Learn from your mistakes. Start something wonderful and real.