Interview with Michael Paul Young

Hello! Thank you very much, that you found some time to answer our questions. The first question is really basic, we would love to know just a short biography about you. What is the career story behind you? So you live in Thailand now. What is the reason that you moved there? Are you planning to stay there for a long period?
Me and my wife used to visithere every year for a month of holiday, as her family still lives here. We had been living in Baltimore for along time, and were ready to leave that crazy place. Then
I proposed that we move to Bangkok, just for a change and more relaxed lifestyle than America. It has been almost two years now, and we are both really happy here. Although I miss a good Burrito from time to time, and would enjoy some rules on the road when driving, I think we will be here for a long time. How long, who knows...

What is your opinion about financial crisis and design? Many design shops are really low now on projects and many clients put their work on hold. Does it make any effect on you?
The game of doing design for clients is
typically in the clients favor, the designer being the whore that is. Its hard to get deposits on work up front, or get paid on time. You know, basic respectful business practices tthat make the world go round. The bigger the client, the harder it gets to own the rights to show the work or promote it as well. I think as a designer, atleast in America, there is alot of freedom and respect for the designers ideas, talent, etc. This is not my main issue with clients. A client asking for changes, well what do you expect, they are paying you for what they want. If they want a different color design, then give it to them. So with a finicial crisis lingering and already taking its toll, its going to be hard for designers, becuase designers typically bow down to clients and thier finicial requests. I mean, even before the crisis, its common ground for clients to say “ We dont have much of a budget on this project, can you give us a deal?” This seems to have become a common stance, and from the start gets a designer to work for cheap. It trickles down the ladder you know. You have monster ad agencies or broadcast firms paying people around $100-$500 for story boards, and do not guarnetee any extra payment if the job is picked from your idea. The client might even want your idea and a mix of 2 others, and the agency will never tell you, thus just you got whored out.
So yes, it will effect designers, becuase that low budget, will get even lower. The work will be more intense as well. For freelancers (which will grow in size due to layoffs) its going to be more competetive and rough. If you try to charge a higher rate, they will just go with the other guy who is a bit cheaper, no matter the skill level.

Personally, yes it could have an effect on my store, but since I typically dont work directly as a service to clients, it wont effect me in that fashion. Luckly we (YouWorkForThem) made moves in October to improve our prices, product line up and website which have prooven to people we are providing the best modern service and original products in the font and stock art game.

Since you have launched YWFT, what else do you do as a commercial work?
Typically, nothing. YouWorkForThem requires an abundant amount of time and focus to create the top level products we output. We process tens of
thousands of orders a year and this requires alot of service, most of the which requires our teams special insight and decision making. Not only this, but concepting, managing and developing products takes a clear mindset, something
clients needs can easily distort. From time to time, we might venture into a few client gigs, but it is no longer our top focus.

Do you think when you will be 60 years old, you will still do graphic design?
Yes.

I remember some years ago, when you Designgraphik was a very popular inspiration for young designers, I guess you had many emails daily from your site visitors. How it is now? Still got asked about photoshop tricks?
I get more emails about my cleaner designs for sites like michaelpaulyoung, commonwealth and youworkforthem. I do get an occasional email about what 3d application I use, which is still the same old 3D Studio Max. I think these days, hell even 4 years ago, there are so many apps, all so powerfull, its doesnt matter anymore. Nor did it ever really matter that much. Even with code, it all starts to look the same, function the same, minimal differences, advantages and disadvantges between the options at hand.

Do you ever plan to start a big design agency?
No.

Since you quit Vir2l, do you still talk to people you worked together?
Sometimes, but not often.

Do you have moment when you are low on inspiration? If yes, how you get
it back?
I think im never really low on inspiration or a drive to do things in art. But I do get burnt out and tired, and usually take a break by doing something else outside of art and design.

Who do you think is a leader now on web design market and why?
Webdesign, no idea. I don't want to sound too pompous here, but I would say myself and some other close designers and coders. Me and many friends have been doing this for over 10 years now, we have seen the boom, the bust and the rebuilding and what has worked and failed. As well, we have been apart of these teams, projects and ideas behind these ups and downs. It takes more than being a fancy with coder/designer to understand a good online design market, you need to understand your market and the reality of people. But there are so many facets now of the online design market, it's hard to sum up any certain leaders, becuase what applies in one area, would completely fail in another, just basic business. Everyone remember that Designgraphik was flash, Submethod was flash.
Recently you have launched your site on wordpress engine.

You don’t like flash anymore? What do you think? I never used flash for a large site, the biggest was WeWorkForThem’s portfolio many, many years back. So, its not a big departure from my methods or ideals to use php/mysql for a site, its just a smarter decision to me. I began hacking around with wordpress almost 2 years back, and did a few other sites using the same ideals, but in my own custom coding. I found Wordpress 2.6 was finally a good stable realase on Macintosh (for the admin), so I choose to use it for my personal site. These days, its much faster to hack something like Wordpress to your needs instead of wasting time writing the same thing yourself. Especially when the code is not the main focus or being repackged as the achievement.

What is your opinion about that many sites are very 2.0 now and there are less artistic projects. I mean people try to keep their sites simple and don’t care about design much.
Not sure, I think its just a personal decision. My
Designgraphik updates were never meant to communicate my portfolio or desire for clients. They were projects, personall expressions placed into the online medium. So if saying older projects like Designgraphik differ from modern portoflios, well the two are created for two totally different reasons, so its to be expected.

What are you working hours, do you spend lots of time in front of your computer? How do you rest? Yes, I spend lots of time working, thats how I am able to manage and produce all these projects. But the past few months, I am slowing down some, trying to unwind. I get really carried away and work myself to an explosion, and get really stressed out. I am very competetive and hard working, but this can backfir emotionaly and with others around me. So the past few months, im trying to unplug much more. I have cut back my work process about 20%, and I am menalty much clearer and ejoying life a bit more now.

If internet will die tomorrow, what would you do?
Read a book.