Odopod is one of the best and most awarded agencies around, It's based in San Francisco and is formed by top designers, developers, strategists and in general very inventive people. They're responsible for works like: IWC, Sony Tablet S and many more amazing works. We've had the pleasure of talking to their creative director, Jason Hardy.
Interview
Awwwards: Please tell us a little bit about yourself: who are you, where do you come from and where are you going?Jason Hardy: My name is Jason Hardy, I am a Creative Director at Odopod in San Francisco. I originally come from Nebraska. I’m not really sure where I’m going, probably to get a sandwich or some coffee.
Awww:What did you do before becoming a designer / developer?
JH: I went to school for Journalism and intended to be a writer. When I graduated there were no writing jobs where I lived (surprise!) so I took a basic design job instead. I had always been interested in design, mostly through skateboard magazines and album art, the typical influences, but never really thought of it as an option for making a living. Once I went down that path, I became pretty driven to learn as much as I could and never really looked back.
Awww: In your opinion, which is the future of the Web? (HTML5, Responsive Design, Mobile...)
JH: I tend to be technology agnostic in how I think about the future of the web. I think it’ll be something that we haven’t seen yet. Or at least, that I haven’t seen yet. So I try to remain open to wherever the web goes. It’s more fun that way.
Awww: Where do you turn for inspiration?
JH: It’s hard for me to shake my journalism/print designer background, so I’m always buying magazines. I often turn there for layout and typography inspiration. When it comes to digital, I stay up on the usual blogs and whatnot, but a lot of inspiring work catches my eye because someone sends me a link or references it in a meeting. That being said, I also try to cut the cord and find inspiration in “non-graphic-design” things, like photography, music and film.
Awww: Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?
JH: I’ve always admired Nessim Higson’s work as well as JD Hooge’s work. I’m always impressed with Code and Theory and have been stoked on the work that Ian Coyle and Duane King are doing. I like a lot of work that isn’t strictly digital as well, stuff by National Forest and Official MFG. CO. In my spare time I am a freelance designer for The Criterion Collection and through that I’ve been exposed to a lot of amazing designers, one of which is Neil Kellerhouse who’s work I greatly admire.
The people who tend to inspire me the most are my friends and the people I work with. There are too many to name, so I’ll just leave it at that. You know who you are.
Awww: Tell us about a unique story or funny anecdote related to your work.
JH: When I first started playing around in Photoshop, back in the day, I remember applying a bevel and emboss effect to some type and thinking, “This looks so real!!!”
Awww: Which are you for: Mac or PC?
JH: Mac.
Awww: Which is your favorite software?
JH: Hmmm, not sure. I guess Photoshop? I don’t really LOVE any software, but I probably use Photoshop the most. That and my RSS reader.
Awww: Which city do you live in? Is it a good place for designers?
JH: I live in San Francisco, and yeah, I think it is a great place for designers. There is a lot of cultural inspiration and opportunity out here. One of the things that I really value is variety of people. You meet people who are into all sorts of stuff. I’ve learned so much by working with user experience designers, writers, developers, musicians and just generally creative, open-minded people. It changes the way you think, which for me, has been a good thing.
Awww: Which technologies are you excited about?
JH: I tend to get excited about any new technology that makes its way into what I do. When HTML5 and web fonts became more prevalent I was super stoked on what that enabled us to do. Now with responsive design and mobile platforms, there are new opportunities emerging, which is pretty exciting. I’m also enjoying the shift that a lot of clients are making from focusing on “marketing” to focusing on utility. But honestly, I’m most excited about the fact that I don’t know what’s around the corner. It keeps you on your toes and makes things interesting.
Awww: Tell us about your latest project.
JH:We’re doing a lot of cool stuff for Tesla Motors right now. I wish I could tell you more, but its top secret.
Jason Hardy
Odopod, a Nurun company
Odopod Office
Odopod Team