You may know Mark by his moniker, BigBlueCurrant on DesignCrowd and our sister site, BrandCrowd. Mark Curran is one of DesignCrowd's most in-demand designers so we've asked him to share with the community some insights into his design practice and the influences that shape his work. Today the spotlight is on Mark, let's get to know him better! Enjoy, and tell us who you'd like to see profiled next in the comments below

How much training/experience do you have in Graphic Design?

I've been designing and coding since 2008. Initially I learnt my skills via evening classes, web tutorials, DesignCrowd and opportunities friends had given me to design their websites, logos, stationery, wedding invitations etc. This all still applies and I am still learning but now I have good experience and a growing portfolio to boot. DesignCrowd has been a great asset in enabling me to get experience with dealing with clients, improving my skills and has also generated additional work.

What type of design is your specialty?

Right now, I'd say my speciality was working in the smaller spaces like logo and stationery work. I enjoy this type of design because it is the birth place of new ideas, it's how an idea, product or service will be presented to the world and branding is an exciting part of the development process to be involved in.

What does your workspace consist of?

My home is my workspace and I have recently ordered an upgrade for it. It's an i5-processor based PC with two monitors; one 24" screen and one smaller 17" screen, generally split for design and code respectively. I'd say that being constantly stared at by a Wedgwood speckled glass owl paperweight makes my workspace unique. That and a Big Lebowski rug mousemat.

What hobbies do you do outside of design?

Sport is my way of screaming off the edge of a cliff and I play Football and Squash on a regular basis. I prefer high intensity sports that make me feel exhausted afterwards; Squash is great for that. Music is an alternative creative outlet for me and I sing, play guitar & write songs in a band that occasionally plays the local circuit.

Links to your top 3 favourite designs in your portfolio and why they're your favourite.

My own 3 (to 4) favourite designs would probably have to be:

Island Power

It's one of those where the name does all the hard work, I just had to apply the design to it.

Knickerbocker Gory

I like designs that cleverly disguise one element within another and this is probably my best design to date illustrating this. It's a kitchen knife styled to be a Knickerbocker Glory.

NoMarginForError.net (Web Design)

The NoMarginForError website design satisfies the coding side of me. It's pretty simple and uses CSS coding to coin the phrase. I've set up a web page for this to demonstrate it.

Globalponics

It's a nice simple design which incorporates what the business is about; growing plants using methods such as hydroponics, which uses water solutions and not soil.

Tell us who your favourite BrandCrowd or DesignCrowd designer is, and a link to their most noteworthy designs, and why you like their work.

I'm more familiar with the work of logo designers on DesignCrowd because I'm quite new to BrandCrowd. It's hard to pick one because each has their own style but I'm always impressed by the work of Elisha Leo, Inspiral, BlueJet and Redcrackers to name a few.

On BrandCrowd, I'd say my favourite designer is maliciadigitalThe detail in the simplicity is wonderful and I think I can learn a thing or two from their work.

I particularly like:

Fright by maliciadigital

Coffee Bites by maliciadigital

Briefly describe your design process.

Well, I like to get the customer involved as much as possible from the outset and get a good understanding of their needs. Then I'll go away, sketch a few ideas and put them to screen and then it evolves from there. It's very important to remember that a client's needs come first and regular client-designer interaction is also key. Of course, sometimes there'll be blank canvas opportunities and they're fun, they could go one of two ways!

Describe the major influences on your style?

I would say there was one major influence that stems from being in bands and writing music. I've always believed in the principle of "less is more", like don't overdo a chorus, don't play guitar if it doesn't need to be played and I believe that's a principle I carry over into my designs. Trying to keep things meaningful, creative and yet simple is how I like to work.

Where do you draw your inspiration?

I draw my inspiration from learning. The fact is that I always want to be better so I look around, try things out and see where that takes me. I didn't imagine I'd be getting this interview back in July 2008 so I must be doing something right.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Working on it

Links - DC or BC profile + other social links

Written by Jo Sabin on Thursday, March 15, 2012

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.