"On the Couch with...", have the honor to present the first interview with one of the most successful Designers of our Community, Ryan Ford aka $liquisoft. Let's get start the party.

First of all Ryan, thanks a lot by giving us this opportunity. We know you have a busy life, so, I will be brief, I promise… For the first question, tell us a little about how it was and how is your life now.

I assume you’re asking about what I was doing before deviantART and what I’m doing now. Before I came back to work in February of 2008, I had been doing a lot of work for design agencies. At the time I felt it was the direction I wanted to head in, but after a while I realized that I didn’t care about the companies I was doing work for. Ultimately I had no real effect upon any individuals’ lives, and it seriously demotivated me. Working for dA is different, because I have a distinct motivation to better the site and thereby better everybody’s ability to share their creativity with others. Art is very much at the core of my being, and I do everything I can to support and encourage the arts. That’s why dA is perfect for me.

How was your first experience in Deviant Art? How did you know the Community? Tell us a little the experience of being an Admin in DA?

I was originally brought on as a basic staff member during the first year of deviantART’s existence. It wasn’t an official job, but rather more of an honorary status symbol. At the time, the site was still relatively small, and so there wasn’t too much needing to be done. After a while, the site grew and it became clear that it needed some design direction. I was asked to take on the role of Creative Director, and I established the entire creative department. Being Creative Director is an interesting job, because I’m able to touch almost all areas of operations within dA. It can be stressful, but it’s also quite rewarding.

Did you feel, in a certain way, that being an assiduous member of the Community you evolved at a practical level??

Well, I think it’s safe to say that dA had a large influence on my development as an artist and designer, and I think in some way I’ve had an influence on its development and evolution as well. Being an early member, I definitely see things differently than most members would, since I’ve seen every single bit of history the site has gone through.

Design encompasses several categories. Which category are you most comfortable with? Any reasons for those choices?

I am comfortable across most areas of design, and I enjoy most as well. I do a lot of identity design, web design, skinning, print work, etc. The one area I don’t really touch is industrial design, as designing physical objects isn’t something I’ve ever studied in depth. Out of all areas of design, though, I think the one I enjoy most is identity (logo) design. I find it to be very challenging and also very rewarding. I think my affinity for it is based upon my love of symbols and simplicity, two things crucial in logo design.

Tell us a little about your creative processes. What are your influences?

I don’t have any standard creative process, mostly because I prefer creativity to flow naturally and not be the result of any specific procedure. Sometimes I’ll get ideas and immediately and try to build them, and other times the ideas don’t come naturally so I have to start sketching and writing. But more often than not, I let the ideas come naturally and it works well for me. When designing anything at all, I am very critical of the placement of objects and their particular styles, and unlike many people I do a lot of self-critiquing during the process of design (instead of creating an idea, then critiquing it, and then going back to tweak it). I find that I come up with better results if I do things this way.

As far as influences go, I’m actually very influenced by interior design and furniture design. Mostly because of modern shapes and textures. I try to look at design (especially web design) as a dimensional medium instead of treating it like a flat plane, and as such I try to incorporate elements that imply space and depth without being too obvious about making 3-d boxes.

From all your work, have you had some that are special to you? Tell us a little about him.

I’ve always liked the Collaborative Conservation Network logo I made several years ago, and in fact it continues to be one of my most acclaimed works to date. Its creation was very much a fortuitous fluke; it took a stroke of luck to discover that certain shapes integrated with each other in that way, and I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to recreate anything like that since it’s not something one can plan.

Which artists can you refer to your main influences? Someone from the Community?

When I was younger, I was heavily influenced by George Smith (`precurser) and Wilhelm Steiner (`deaddreamer). They were doing things that I couldn’t touch, but I did my best to emulate their visionary works and in the process discovered a niche of my own that allowed me to develop into what I am today.

Everyone knows the hard relation between designer/client. Tell us how do you lead with this relationship?

I’m a very open and honest person, but I try to keep working relationships as professional as possible. I treat clients with the respect they deserve, and I expect respect in return. I also work very hard to educate my clients about the process of design and what sorts of expectations are reasonable. Many of the people I do work with today are the same people I began working with 6+ years ago.

Have you ever regret for following the uncertain life of a designer? When was the worst moment you had as a designer?

I’ve never regretted being a designer. I’ve wanted to work in an artistic field for much of my life, and I’m fortunate that I get to be imaginative for a living. The worst time I had as a designer, though, was probably when working with Curve Communications (an agency I worked with for about a year). The owner of the company was completely clueless when it came to modern design, and instead led from a point of view that was decades old. It was extremely frustrating to be given directions that implied that I didn’t know what I was doing, and my work was constantly left unused. The owner also tried to direct me on web design, yet he hardly knew how to use a computer himself. Overall a very frustrating and demotivating experience, and I’m glad I no longer work with him.

Did you ever were a target of theft? If yes, how did you lead the situation?

There have been many instances where people have stolen work from me, but the majority of these situations were free of malice. In other words, the thieves didn’t realize they were stealing. Rather, they were trying to copy my work because they thought it was quite good, and were using the work in mundane situations. Still, in every situation I come across I issue a Cease and Desist, and I’ve always found people willing to comply if they’re spoken to nicely and respectfully. There was one time, though, when I found that Orange (the European mobile company) was distributing one of my pieces of artwork via their phones.

Well, the conversation is awesome Ryan but we have to put an end. But before we finish, do you have any advice or suggestion for who is starting this profession?

For those interested in becoming designers, it’s important that you put function first. So many people focus entirely upon attractive special effects and completely ignore the purpose behind the work they’re creating. Design, by definition, is art with function in mind. If you ignore function, you’re not a designer.

Thanks Ryan for your kindness and availability.

“On the Couch with…” had the honor to start the first step with one of the most referenced Designers of the Community. We hope this project continues and does not end here. We are open to new suggestions and proposals to give continuity to the project.

Thanks for everyone who read it and special thanks to $liquisoft.

^{Well, this is my first oficially interview I ever made Don't be so critique!!}