What led you into design?
My background is in architecture. I studied it for seven years and got a Masters degree before pivoting into the digital realm! Although the outcome is quite different (physical buildings vs. digital products and websites), I find that there is a lot of overlap between architecture and digital design when it comes to the process and the mindset: focusing on the user, building up a system from smaller parts, creating experiences that are both beautiful and functional. Many of my architecture projects also involved elements of computation and interface design, so the transition to digital design felt natural.
What does a typical day look like?
I wish I could say that I wake up at 6am and head straight to the gym but (at least at the moment) that is not the case! I usually get up around 7, make some coffee and read the news, and then walk to the office while listening to a podcast (usually The Journal, which tends to be the perfect length for my walk). I really cherish this walk in the morning, it gets me in the right mood for the day. After work I am usually either meeting friends for a drink, hacking away on a side project, playing tennis, going to a movie or an opening, or just on the couch watching trashy reality TV.
What's your workstation setup?
Where do you go to get inspired?
In architecture, we often start the design process with “precedent studies,” looking at existing projects as references or bases for creating something new. I like to do the same with digital products. In order to see where we are going in the future, I think it’s important to understand where we’ve been and why. But unlike architecture, the canon of digital design hasn’t really been established, the field is too young. I think this is exciting, because it means we can still decide what’s important, what should be codified and what can be forgotten.
There’s a beautifully done book by Rob Ford which gives a pretty exhaustive history of web design from 1990 to 2018, and I highly recommend looking at it. Personally, it forced me to take a step back and contextualize my work within the broader story of digital design since the beginning of the internet. Also, a lot of the retro 90s interfaces are just really cool. It’s surprising how visually diverse the web was back then compared to now.
What product have you recently seen that made you think this is great design?
A few years ago I came across a book from the 70s called Nomadic Furniture by James Hennessy and Victor Papanek. I think it is somewhat of a cult classic in the design world. It’s basically a manual of instructions for how to build unusual DIY furniture pieces from readily available materials. Not to get too meta, but it’s the design of the book as a product that allows its users to create their own products that I find most interesting.
What pieces of work are you most proud of?
As I’m sure is the case with many designers, it’s hard for me to look back at my work proudly without seeing things I would do differently now. However, I’m proud of modelgram, a platform I am building for sharing 3D models online. It’s the first digital product that I’m designing and building completely on my own, and it’s been a really interesting learning experience. It’s still very much in progress, but you can sign up for the beta.
I’m also proud of the website for Halfday Iced Tea I designed a couple years ago while working at Same Same Studio. It was really fun working with the brand designed by Someone & Others and transforming it into a playful but functional digital experience.
Also, I finally have my own website, which I am proud of, after many years of not having one despite designing and building them for a living!
What design challenges do you face at your company?
As a design engineer at wild, one of my biggest challenges is aligning goals and expectations between designers, developers, and stakeholders. What are the goals of the feature, how can we create the best user experience, and what’s the best way to achieve it from a technical standpoint? A lot can get lost in translation in the process of bringing a product to life, so it’s important to stay in sync and make sure everyone is on the same page.
When building my own products, I have kind of the opposite problem. As a solo builder, I have to wear many hats: designer, developer, marketer, founder. This can be quite challenging, but I’ve always enjoyed learning as I go and picking up new skills along the way.
What music do you listen to while designing?
Any advice for ambitious designers?
For people starting out and still looking to build their portfolios, my number one piece of advice would be to create your own projects. Don’t wait around for a client to come to you. Build your own case studies and, if you’re interested, don’t be afraid to learn a little coding to bring them to life! There are so many free resources out there on YouTube and elsewhere. I did this when I was first transitioning from architecture, and the projects I did myself helped me to get real projects with real clients.
My other piece of advice would be to talk to people. Find people in the field who you admire and just reach out to them. Usually they will be happy to talk and give advice and if you stay in touch, these connections can lead to jobs and projects in the future.
Anything you want to promote or plug?
If you work with Rhino, I’d love for you to test out modelgram, I’m still in the building process and user feedback is super valuable.
If you want to chat, get in touch! www.daniels.link / @danielmaslan / danielmaslan@gmail.com
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