Incredible World Of Jonathan BallMarch 24, 2010, Categories: Web design, Graphics, CSS, Flash, Logo & Icon Design |
1. Hi Jonathan! Would you please tell us shortly about yourself? What is your background?
I was born in Cardiff Uk in 1974. I didn’t take up art and design properly until I was around 28, at which point I decided to get a degree in graphic design. I gradually slanted more and more toward being an illustrator.
2. What was your favorite game when you were kid? Did you have an imaginary friend?
No imaginary friend around here. Favorite game, well I loved video games and had a few local chip shops and taxi ranks that had the latest arcade game sin them, game like bubble bobble, ghost ‘n goblins and pacman.
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3. Where you fond of drawing?
Yes I always drew when I was a child but stopped completely in my late teens and early twenties
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4. What was your favorite cartoon?
Ren and stimpy was great!
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5. What was your first graphics editing program you worked with?
I think it was photoshop, though could have been freehand MX, which I still rates as being better than illustrator in many ways.
6. Do you find formal education necessary for becoming a good web designer?
No, but it helps. Most the best designers are self taught to some level. There’s only so much you can learn in college or university. The most important things you’ll learn are probably learning the design process for client based work.
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7. What is your attitude towards plagiarism?
For we’ve seen some examples that could be fairly called plagiary of your artworks.
Getting inspiration from other worksis fine, as is copying for you own personal use or to understand a technique. Passing off something you have copied as your own work is not good. If a work heavily references another why not just mention it?
8. Is it important to develop your own style?
Yes very, people employ me around 90% of the time because they want “my style”.
You can be very technically skilled or a hard worker but if you have no recognizable style it is difficult for potential employers to identify a need for your work.
9. What inspires you most?
Having a good night sleep is the best, I’m always far more creative after a good rest.
Sounds a cliché but I get inspiration from all around. I just keep a lot of stuff in my head and let it all out when I draw.
10. Have you ever been involved in street art?
Not really, did a bit of graffiti at school, but nothing more than that.
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11. Where do those creatures you draw come from?
Somewhere deep in my head, where I jumble every thing up and then spit it out.
Difficult to say, it just that some shapes and form really appeal to me.
12. Do you believe in wonders?
I wonder?
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13. What advice would you give to beginning web designers?
Learn everything you can, be persistent and always seek to improve. It you are not turned on b great design yourself then do something else. If you love design then you will find a way to do it.
Arthur Johnson
Jonathan Ball is an illustrator and web designer from south Wales in the UK. Jonathan has developed his own unique and recognizable style that was appreciated by lots of designers around the globe and resulted in cooperation with such world famous companies as MTV, BBC, Channel 4, Sony Play Station, Doritos and many other.
