Justin Mezzell

“我看很多的漫画书，喝很多的咖啡，时不时也喝点超棒的啤酒或威士忌。现在我是Pluralsight的一名UI/UX设计师，同时也是插画师。”来自美国的Justin Mezzell这样介绍自己道。这位非科班出身的设计师，一路走来并不容易。按照他的话说，整个过程都是挑战，他用“掺杂了很多失败”来形容自己的风格，因为他总在不断试错。

Narkii：

是什么让您对插画和设计产生兴趣呢？

What got you interested in illustration and design?

Justin：

我一直都对创意性的工作感兴趣，早些年我都用来探索如何才能使之具体充实起来。我在戏剧，音乐和电影制作上花了大把时间，而在此期间我就一直悄悄地用着盗版的Photoshop。这些都在我意料之外。大多数时候，它是我用来制作假电影海报或是为我自己的小故事进行视觉叙事的出口。很大程度上我都不知道我在做什么。

I had always been interested in creative work and I spent the earlier years of my life exploring just how I could flesh that out. I invested considerable time in theater, music, and film production, all the while quietly playing around with a bootlegged version of Photoshop. I never really expected any of it to take. Most of the time, it was an outlet for me to create fake film posters or create a visual narrative of my own little stories. Largely due to the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

突然有一天，一家当地的杂志就找上我，给我提供了一份实习。对于这份实习，我其实是非常不够格的。长话短说，它最终成了我职业生涯的一个决定性的举动。

At one point, a local magazine reached out to me for an internship. An internship I was highly unqualified for. Long story short, it ended up being one of the most defining career moves for me.

Narkii： 

您的风格是怎么形成的，您又如何描述它呢？

How did you develop your style and how would you describe it?

Justin：

如何定义我的风格，我其实是希望灵活一点的。也就是说，我倾向于在Illustrator的网格中进行探索。如果要用简短的话来回答你提到的风格，那就是五个简单的词：“掺杂了很多失败（with a lot of failure）”。不仅仅是指商业上的失败，更指我个人的。我做了很多尝试。

I should hope that there's some flexibility in what I would define as my own style. That said, I do tend towards exploration within the confines of the Illustrator's grid system. The short answer for just how I found what you might refer to as my style in properly summed up in 5 simple words: "with a lot of failure". And that's not limited to commercial failure; it's far more personal. I experimented a lot.

Narkii： 

当您开始一个新的项目，您典型的设计流程是怎样的呢？

When you start a new project, what is your typical design process?

Justin：

对我来说，我想了解我的客户从哪里来，而不仅仅是他们要到哪里去，所以我会花些时间去研究他们曾去过哪。这里的“去过哪”可以是一些老公司先前的网页，可以是他们曾建立或参与过的旧的视觉系统。这有助于我了解他们想要什么，以及想要避开什么。我在项目早期就会开始动手画，对于我想要做出来的东西我就会感到兴奋。在很多方面，我学会了相信我的直觉。

For me, I like to know where my clients come from, not only where they're going, so I'll spend some time looking into where they've been up until now. That could be old campaigns previous web pages, any older visual systems they've built or been a part of. It's helpful in navigating what they want, and what they wish to steer clear of. I'll want to start throwing down pixels pretty early in the process, as it helps me get excited about what I'm building. In a lot of ways, I've learned to trust my gut on some things.

Narkii：  

工作之余您的灵感来自哪呢？

What inspires you outside of work?

Justin：

其实就一样东西：故事。我对故事概念的强大怀有敬畏之情。比起逻辑辩论，它能影响我们更多。经验可以塑造我们的思维，这是其他东西无法做到的。故事是一块画布，我们在上面可以有效地，带有希望和意义地去分享这些经验。但故事不一定就要是虚构的。我们的生活就是故事之一。实际上，正是那些和工作无关的对话带给我最多的灵感。和一些大师喝上小酒畅聊就是最简单的让我进步的方式。

Really what it comes down to is one thing: Story. I'm in awe of how powerful the concept of story is. How much it can affect us in ways that logical arguments can't. Experiences can shape our thinking unlike anything else. Story is a canvas by which we share these experiences in a, hopefully, meaningful and effective way. But they needn't be fiction. Our very lives are part of those stories. In fact, it's conversations that happen outside of work-related conversations that inspire me the most. Sharing a beer with some great minds is the easiest way to get my slow one moving.

Narkii：   

您在团队中还是一个人工作更好？

Do you find you work better in a team or alone?

Justin：

很有意思；换做是在一年前，我会给出和现在全然不同的答案。一个人单干非常容易。你不用花很多力气去说服别人，取而代之的更多实际的行动，也少有竞选之类的事。但有行动不一定代表富有成效。自从与团队一起工作后，从概念发想到完成的整个过程都是团队在起作用，我爱上了这种状态。有时可能有点凌乱，但却是值得的。

It's funny; I would have totally answered this question so differently a year ago. It's incredibly easy to be an army of one. There's less convincing, more actionable "doing", and a lot less politicking. But just "doing" something doesn't mean it's more fruitful. Since working with a team, I've come to love how it affects the entire process from conception to completion. It's messy, at times, but it's also so worth it.

Narkii：    

您最喜欢设计界的哪方面呢？

What is your favorite aspect about the design industry?

Justin：

我喜欢的一点是，我们是在一个面向大众的环境中工作，并且我们也形成了一个似乎具有无限监护和多样性的庞大社区。通过业界我认识了许许多多厉害的人，这些人热衷于学习，同时也热衷于分享他们的知识和资源。

I love that we're working in a public-facing environment, and we've shaped such a large community around it with a seemingly limitless supply of tutelage and diversity. I can't tell you how many incredible people I've met through the industry that are just as eager to learn as they are to share their knowledge and resources.

Narkii：   

职业生涯中您学习到了什么呢？

What lessons have you learned in your career? 

Justin：

现实中，我学到太多，我都可以把它们写成一本精装书了，不过我可以给你一些陈旧的细节。我能分享的就是一些我常常提醒自己的事。

1. 你的作品不代表你的全部。你所能留下来的绝不仅仅是一堆像素。

2. 珍惜时间，多和你爱的人在一起，而不是和那些爱你作品的人。

3. 时不时就要将工作停下来，并且真正地把电脑关掉。以后你可能会感谢我。

In reality, there have been so many that I could fill a few hardcover books, but I'll spare you the probably stale details. What I can share are a few things that I've come to remind myself every so often.

1.You are not your body of work. Your legacy should be more than just a bunch of pixels.

2.Value your time with those you love, not just those that love your work.

3.Stop working occasionally and actually turn off the computer. You can thank me later.

Narkii：   

作为设计师，您面临过哪些挑战呢？

What types of challenges have you faced as a designer?

Justin：

有一回，我需要从打印机里打印点东西出来。出来后页面都被冲刷了，颜色全不对，尺寸也一团糟，然后我需要处理卡纸。不过真正的挑战是整个过程。我并非出身在一个从事创意工作的家庭，我是家里从事设计的第一人。这对我来说是全新的领域：我没有受过专业教育。但是我学习了。我也遇到了非常棒的人，他们愿意支持帮助我，和我讲像素与色卡结合会是什么样子。

One time, I had to actually print something from a printer. The page was all washed out, the colors looked wrong, the scale was a mess, and I had to avoid a paper jam. But for real challenges, I'd say the entire process. I didn't come from a creative family, and I'm the first one in mine to do design as a career. It was a completely unknown realm to me: I never went to school for it. But you learn. And you meet amazing people who are willing to come beside you and show you what it looks like to co-labor in this world of pixels and pantones.

Narkii：    

最后，对刚刚起步的设计师说点什么吧。

Any final messages to those just starting out? 

Justin：

一直以来大家都说，要努力工作，没错，是这样的了。不过，也要时不时停下来提醒你自己，工作并不是全部。记住，你所取得的成功，比起打击你，更不能定义你。你的作品有可能做一些好的事，但是你本身却有可能做一些伟大的事——而且还可能和你在屏幕上画的像素没有关系。

You'll always be told to work hard, and that's no lie. But also, remember to stop from time to time to remind yourself that work isn't all there is. Remember that your success shouldn't define you any more than it should break you. The work you make has the potential to do good things, but you, yourself, have the potential to do great things—and it might have nothing to do with the pixels you put on a screen.

带着意图和目的是利用你的时间。当你跌倒时，当你开始在想自己是否是一名黑客时，其实这都是对自己要做出点什么的一些误导的尝试，记住，每个人都曾体会到失望。拒绝被这些失败定义，反过来通过它们吸取经验，取得进步。如果你这么做了，有一天获得了成功和认可时，也要提醒自己，路还长着，这不是尽头。

Use your time with intention and purpose. When you fall, when you start to wonder if you're a hack and this is all just a misguided attempt at making something out of yourself, remember that every one of us knows the burn of disappointment. Refuse to be defined by it. Instead, choose to be refined by it. And if you do, one day, meet with success and recognition, remind yourself that you're not at the end of the road yet.