Questions and Designers for Interviews

I found six designers I would be interested in contacting, four of whom are freelancers. The other two are in-house designers:

Freelance Designers

    Josh Cleland – Designer and Illustrator
    Website: http://www.clelandillustration.com
    Email:  josh@clelandillustration.com

    Keela Garrigues – Graphic Designer
    Website: http://www.garriguesgraphics.com
    Email: keela@garriguesgraphics.com or kgarrigues@gmail.com

    Andrea Henning – Graphic Designer
    Website: http://andeelynndesign.com/wp/
    Email: andrea@andeelynndesign.com

    Melissa Delzio – Graphic Designer / Creative Entrepreneur
    Website: www.meldel.com
    Email: melissa@meldel.com

In-house Designers

    Bryce Williamson – Graphic Designer
    Harvest House Publishers in Eugene, OR
    Website:
    Email: iBryce@gmail.com

    Kat Larson – Graphic Designer
    Dark Horse Comics in Portland, OR
    Website:
    Email: katl@darkhorse.com

Interview Questions

I came up with 8 general questions. Most of my questions are geared toward freelancers, but they will be tailored to each individual designer anyway. They are also a bit long and could be made a bit more concise. I’ll see what people think during Wednesday’s class:

General Questions for Freelancers:

1. For some reason, I imagine freelancers working by themselves all the time. When you are engaged in the creative process, do you prefer to left in solitude? Or, do you like to be around people when you work – like at a coffee shop, for instance? Is there any particular environment in which you find it easiest to work?
2. A lot of people tell me they are afraid of freelancing because it is hard to get paid. On top of that, there is the question of how to manage finances once money starts coming in. When you were first starting, how hard was it to manage finances? Do you have any helpful tips for prospective freelancers?
3. I imagine that freelancing requires highly developed time management skills to strike a good balance between work and leisure. How do you set a work schedule that is efficient while still allowing some time to rest? How would you differentiate between work and leisure as a freelancer?
4. Even though we share the title of “designer”, each of us has a unique gift or passion that falls underneath that category. My passion, for instance, is illustration. I prefer pushing a pencil over a mouse anyway, although I am skilled at both. What is your passion, and how do you integrate it into your creative process?
5. When searching for freelance graphic designers to interview, it occurred to me that there are hundreds of them out there – just in Oregon! It seems like a highly competitive market. How do you get yourself noticed? What kinds of things beyond your website have you done to promote yourself and your work?   
6. With technology causing the world to “shrink”, so-to-speak, it is opening doors for designers to work for clients clear across the country – even across the globe. Indeed, collaboration can be done remotely with email, Skype, and gotomeeting.com. How do you see the role of travel in the life of a freelance designer? Is it even worth it anymore?

General Questions for In-house designers:

1. Unlike freelancers, in-house designers are surrounded by coworkers. Also, unlike design studios, those coworkers are typically not other designers. As the designer for a company, how do you incorporate them into your creative process?
2. How much creative freedom do you feel you have as an employee?