Meet Our Very First atLarger
If you’ve been following us for any length of time–you’ve spotted Nathan Pyatte’s handiwork. (You’re actually spying it right now since he designed our website and blog. Nice, we know.) Nathan began his atLarge career at a kitchen table across from founder Anand Pallegar. He has seen the team expand from that Lakewood Ranch kitchen to a free standing building–a building it’s quickly outgrowing, in Towles Court. He has also worked on major projects for Orlando, Inc, Ruth Eckerd Hall, and the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau. We catch up with him in this Q&A to see what he has learned along the way.
How would you describe the transition from startup to being named one of Florida’s Top Companies to Watch?
The biggest change has been the increased brain power on projects. When I started, there were just two of us contributing which made things easier but as our projects grew we needed team members to tackle information architecture, workflow, and profound programming challenges. Each new team member added or deepened a speciality that has helped us create work that appears simple on the front-end yet is complex in terms of the workflow and logic happening on the back-end. That means more input and collaboration but it also means that we can execute projects today that would have been impossible for us when we first started.
Get all the facts. I review the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Then, I freak out. The level of panic is in line with the investment I’ll be making. Big project = big freakout. Big connection = big freakout. Big freakout = big success. Now, I’d worry if I didn’t freak out before I started a project.
Hillman Curtis who unfortunately passed away earlier this month. Mr. Curtis was my first introduction to interactive design. His creativity stretched from music to film to design and back again. And, it was all good.
Steffan Segmeister is one of the few people who makes me want to be a better person, not just a better designer. I’ve had the privilege of hearing him speak a couple times and his messages about creativity that actually help people and taking time off really resonated with me. His ads, branding, books, films, CD covers, posters, and furniture–yeah furniture–is kickass.
Amanda Wright also known as YahnyinLondon
Her speciality is sketchnotes though she moonlights as an illustrator. I admire her style and the way that she is able to communicate weighty subjects at a glance.
What advice would you give to interactive designers just starting out?
One of the biggest decisions you make is where to work. There’s not a wrong or right path but it will shape your perception of design. I appreciate working in a small agency because I have a lot of control over my work. It’s definitely more responsibility. Other designers appreciate the more defined role of a large company. Usually the structure of large companies means that you’re more specialized. You just have to figure out what works best for you.
An architect like George Costanza. I like the idea of designing something that becomes a tangible piece that could outlast me. With interactive design–there’s so much flux.
No related posts.