San Francisco-based designer Morgan Knutson has spent 15 years of building digital products and his latest challenge is building a bank called Zero. In a new video interview, he shares what impact Dribbble has had on his career, how design plays a role in his life, and where he finds inspiration.
What does design mean to you?
I’m Morgan I’ve been designing for about 15 years. I’m currently building a bank called Zero. Design to me is a craft with many different outputs. It’s basically a list of dos and don’ts that you learn and discover and pack away into your rulebook of taste.
What impact has Dribbble had on you?
Dribbble has been huge for me. Like most people, I began my career working on things that didn’t get a lot of exposure or a lot of attention. Dribbble allowed me to show off all these things that I was working on and allowing people to get into the details of my decision making. The amount of exposure I received is directly correlated to the advancement of my career. What’s also interesting are the support and competitive dynamics. There are all these designers creating incredible work. Being able to watch all that and follow it made me want to make my work better. The culture of critique enabled me to sharpen all of my skills. But honestly one of the best things that came out of Dribbble for me is all of the lasting friendships to this day.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in everything around me—especially in figuring out how other things work. I’m currently working on building a bank and just got back from South Korea and visiting our manufacturing partner and I was really inspired by the intricate, delicate and complex machinery that they have to get the job done. I was inspired to try to simplify some of that process.
How would you describe your work.
It’s tough to describe the type of design work that I do because I’ve always thought that a person should try to learn as much as they possibly can and be proficient in enough things that they can tackle anything that comes at them. I’ve worked on software products, physical products, events, illustrations—I’ve even designed a terrible typeface.
What role does design play in your life?
Design plays a pretty significant role in my life and in terms of how I think, the environment around me, even my children. This morning my daughter pointed to a logo and asked “What’s wrong with that logo?” My 8-year-old is often wanting to design and craft little things for her doll, toys, and furniture. Meanwhile, my 4-year-old is often on Minecraft designing buildings and castles. So even when I’m not at work I’m often creating and using the design principles that I use throughout my day today.
Follow Morgan on Dribbble and on Twitter.
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