Today we visit the studio of talented Oregon Art Director and a member of our jury at Awwwards, Edwin Tofslie.
Awwwards: Please tell us a little bit about yourself: who are you, where do you come from and where are you going?
Edwin: I was born and raised in the wild and beautiful western state of Montana. This helped shape who I am as a person and honestly, keep me grounded in many ways. I graduated from the University of Idaho in 2003 and landed my first job at AKQA in San Francisco. I later moved to Oregon, where my lovely wife is from, to raise our daughters Lacy and Ashley. After some great time spent leading many brands as an Art Director and Creative Director, I set out on my own to start my own creative studio. I primarily work on my own, yet work with many other freelancers who allow me to take on projects that I would never be able to tackle on my own.
Awww: What did you do before becoming a designer/developer?
Edwin: My first full time job out of college was in the design field at AKQA. I have a failed engineering degree attempt to thank for that. It allowed me to find my true passion. I feel very lucky.
Awww: In your opinion, what is the future of the Web? (HTML5, Responsive Design, Flash, Mobile...)
Edwin: Well, the current state is HTML 5 and Responsive Design. It is already happening. The future I believe is something completely different that will be based more on how we design elements and pieces that fit together into beautiful interfaces and wrappers for devices such as the tablets, the future of internet / streaming TV, and future designs that will accomodate the blurry lines between app, tv, video and more. It will all morph together in the future. Our designs will have to be responsive, but in a more dynamic sense. Content is king and will be the start again, we will just be providing amazing wrappers that can morph into anything and everything.
Awww: Where do you turn for inspiration?
Edwin: We all are always inspired by what other great designers are doing in our field, but I find myself really following the industrial design field. It is the one area I would like to be in. Lately, I also have been inspired by the beautiful trend back to hand made products, created by skilled craftsmen. From hand made knives to hand crafted boots, it really brings me back to what true design is and how Americans build quality.
Awww: Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?
Edwin: There are so many, but these come to mind: Ben Cline, Diego Zambrano, Pentagram, Jonas Eriksson, Gmunk, Official Mfg Co., Brian Brooks, Jessica Hische, Sagmeister.
Awww: Tell us a unique story or funny anecdote related to your work.
Edwin: Not really a story, but most of the people I have worked with in the past are amazed by how fast I work. Even though inspiration and concepting takes time, when I actually break out the computer, people can't understand how I do it. Maybe someday I will screencast a design session for historical purposes that nobody will watch.
Awww: Which are you for: Mac or PC?
Edwin: Mac.
Awww: What is your favorite software?
Edwin: Photoshop through and through.
Awww: Which city do you live in? Is it a good place for designers?
Edwin: Hood River, Oregon. It is not a great place for designers to develop a career, but an amazing place for lifestyle and inspiration.
Awww: Which technologies are you excited about?
Edwin: The new push into mobile, tablet and even future media device application development and the design challenges that surround them.
Awww: Tell us about your latest project.
Edwin: I have been working hard for a newly funded startup, creating the brand and mobile application design from the ground up. It is a great experience. Will announce more when I can.
Awwwards: Please tell us a little bit about yourself: who are you, where do you come from and where are you going?
Edwin: I was born and raised in the wild and beautiful western state of Montana. This helped shape who I am as a person and honestly, keep me grounded in many ways. I graduated from the University of Idaho in 2003 and landed my first job at AKQA in San Francisco. I later moved to Oregon, where my lovely wife is from, to raise our daughters Lacy and Ashley. After some great time spent leading many brands as an Art Director and Creative Director, I set out on my own to start my own creative studio. I primarily work on my own, yet work with many other freelancers who allow me to take on projects that I would never be able to tackle on my own.
Awww: What did you do before becoming a designer/developer?
Edwin: My first full time job out of college was in the design field at AKQA. I have a failed engineering degree attempt to thank for that. It allowed me to find my true passion. I feel very lucky.
Awww: In your opinion, what is the future of the Web? (HTML5, Responsive Design, Flash, Mobile...)
Edwin: Well, the current state is HTML 5 and Responsive Design. It is already happening. The future I believe is something completely different that will be based more on how we design elements and pieces that fit together into beautiful interfaces and wrappers for devices such as the tablets, the future of internet / streaming TV, and future designs that will accomodate the blurry lines between app, tv, video and more. It will all morph together in the future. Our designs will have to be responsive, but in a more dynamic sense. Content is king and will be the start again, we will just be providing amazing wrappers that can morph into anything and everything.
Awww: Where do you turn for inspiration?
Edwin: We all are always inspired by what other great designers are doing in our field, but I find myself really following the industrial design field. It is the one area I would like to be in. Lately, I also have been inspired by the beautiful trend back to hand made products, created by skilled craftsmen. From hand made knives to hand crafted boots, it really brings me back to what true design is and how Americans build quality.
Awww: Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?
Edwin: There are so many, but these come to mind: Ben Cline, Diego Zambrano, Pentagram, Jonas Eriksson, Gmunk, Official Mfg Co., Brian Brooks, Jessica Hische, Sagmeister.
Awww: Tell us a unique story or funny anecdote related to your work.
Edwin: Not really a story, but most of the people I have worked with in the past are amazed by how fast I work. Even though inspiration and concepting takes time, when I actually break out the computer, people can't understand how I do it. Maybe someday I will screencast a design session for historical purposes that nobody will watch.
Awww: Which are you for: Mac or PC?
Edwin: Mac.
Awww: What is your favorite software?
Edwin: Photoshop through and through.
Awww: Which city do you live in? Is it a good place for designers?
Edwin: Hood River, Oregon. It is not a great place for designers to develop a career, but an amazing place for lifestyle and inspiration.
Awww: Which technologies are you excited about?
Edwin: The new push into mobile, tablet and even future media device application development and the design challenges that surround them.
Awww: Tell us about your latest project.
Edwin: I have been working hard for a newly funded startup, creating the brand and mobile application design from the ground up. It is a great experience. Will announce more when I can.
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