Extended Play

Give us the elevator pitch on what you do.

I'm Joseph. For the past 4 years, I've been designing graphic systems, websites, printed materials, apps (digital products for the fancy ones), and other things for brands, institutions, and individuals under the name extendedplay.

Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?

I studied at The Design School at Arizona State University. I grew up in a middle class family in Phoenix, Arizona and was beginning university in the shadows of the financial collapse of 2008. There was no way my family could afford any of the private art colleges, and I was a music kid in high school and thus didn't have a portfolio of work — I was limited to the in-state public universities. Little did I know, this initial perceived inconvenience would end up being one of the best surprises of my career, as Arizona State has one of the best nationally ranked design programs for public universities in the United States. The rigorous focus on excellence in typography and composition, along with the tight-knit relationship of the relatively small (under 1000 undergrads) community in The Design School made for a tremendous experience.

During my time in university, I worked part-time for a commercial printing shop during my second year, and then part-time for one of ASU's departments for junior and senior year, with an internship in New York City at Piscatello Design Centre mixed in the summer between junior year. The diversity in opportunities were really useful — understanding what goes on in the production processes before I was really making work that merited production was a huge help. Working for a university department that had to follow a strict brand standards document encouraged me to pursue more intriguing ideas and compositions as opposed to resorting to the gimmicks that young designers fall into. And finally, interning for a summer at a studio that gave me the opportunity to work on projects from websites to identities to eight foot tall glass etched museum donor walls was something mindblowing in and of itself — all of these were done in tandem with my education and helped guide me and my interests through my initial years post-graduation, and eventually lead me to starting my studio.

Whats your take on internships? (do you take interns now?)

Internships can be invaluable, or they can be completely awful — it all depends on the environment of the studio and the attitude of the managers. Some studios view interns as a cheap (or free) means of getting grunt work done, and I find that superbly embarrassing. Students and new graduates are coming to the greater design community with curiosity and a desire to grow in craft and practice, and to see that passion so quickly extinguished by managers with a penchant for emails at 4:20pm asking for a 69 page keynote by tomorrow morning — it's heartbreaking, especially since many in those scenarios are not receiving compensation. Managers need to understand that taking on an intern will take time away from their normal tasks, and that's not a bad thing. Whether I'm working with my students at Cooper Union, or with an intern at my studio, taking the time to consider the "why" in design processes and communicating those to someone else furthers not just their understanding, but yours as well.

We've been really lucky to have worked with two tremendous interns (Charlie and Stephanie) the past two summers and will definitely be having another summer intern position next year, with the possibility of adding spring and fall internships as well. We treat our interns as if they were a junior designer. Interns work directly with staff on client projects and are involved in client communications and meetings. We want them to walk away from the internship with a command of the tools, an understanding of the processes, and a few noteworthy portfolio pieces. And obviously, we pay them for their efforts and make sure everyone's keeping sane hours, having fun, and eating more than coffee.

What do you look for in a great portfolio?

Many students aren't presented with opportunities to make work similar to the studio's output (big website design/builds), so instead I focus on a few key points. Are the projects shown executed in a way that is both made and presented in a considered way? Are any trends appropriated the projects shown, and if so, was it pushed further than just basic application? Having a breakthrough off of someone else's breakthrough is how design (and humanity) progresses, but ripping on a style without pushing at all is a sure-fire way to ensure your portfolio blends in with everyone else's. Is the portfolio itself presented in a simple and navigable manner? I know everyone wants to do the craziest javascript thing possible, but it's okay if the layout of the portfolio itself is a humble design executed at a high level. And lastly, does the internship application follow the instructions? We don't ask for anything crazy — just a link to their portfolio website or PDF and a sentence or two about what makes them the right candidate, in lieu of a long cover letter. Surprisingly, we receive many long cover letters, which seems like a lot more work. It is easy to write lots, but more challenging to write a little while still meaning lots.