#WinningWednesday: Stay True To You, Don’t Be Swayed By Trends

Tom Lane, also known as Ginger Monkey, is an independent illustrator, letting artist, and designer currently living in Bristol, UK. From packaging designs to playful typographic posters, Tom has an extensive career during the last ten years working with big clients from companies such as Nike air, Coco-Cola, Sony Ericsson, and more!

Tom Lane

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Tom is the type of designer that everyone would love to have as a friend as well as a fantastic artist to collaborating with. Not only is he hardworking and produces gorgeous work, he’s also very humble about his origins and how he came to be where he is today.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work on some great projects for big brands, but I wouldn’t like to think they’ve changed me at all.”

He’s worked in the design industry for over ten years because he enjoyed it, he doesn’t see it as work. That’s a winning attitude to have since nothing ever feels like work if you’re having fun!For him, it’s what he loves to do and spends most of his time and energy on completing projects. He loves great design and knows that in order to survive in the industry, you have to be passionate.

“The challenge is to progress and move forward whilst staying true to your tastes and interests. I try not to be swayed by trends and what other people are doing too much whilst staying relevant and fresh. I find that aspect takes constant attention.”

Mechanical pencil, tablet stylus, or Calligraphy tools?

All designers love to play with their abilities and experiment with new ideas, and Tom is no different in that aspect.

He likes to sit with his sketchbook and play around until he has several solid ideas he could clean up and work with and then send to the client for approval. If you don’t enjoy playing with your craft, Tom feels that you lose something in the process.

When I asked Tom what he liked to use, he admitted that he had three tools that he used more often than others. He was a designer that had no issues with using both modern digital tools as well as the older pen and pencil method, he told me.

“I’m currently focusing on my lettering so I’m drawing a lot of type with my mechanical pencil and I like the process of building and designing the letters and structures.

I will then save some work up and spend a good chunk of time at my computer vectoring. I like the precision the computer gives you and the finishes I can produce.

Once I have these projects completed I’ll be back experimenting with the calligraphy tool that I love for their versatility, the flow you get into when producing the letters, the speed and the sensation of the brush or pen on the surface. “

Personal branding as The Ginger Monkey

Images Source: Behance/Tom Lane
One of the most important pieces of a designer’s portfolio is their personal branding. It is a way for a designer to have a signature that they will become known by.

Universities and several smaller colleges challenge designers early in their education to create a personal brand that they could then use on all their projects as a signature.  You want it to be memorable and unique to stand out above all others in the industry.

Tom’s handle of “Ginger Monkey” made me curious and apparently, I was not the first one to ask Tom about his “Ginger Monkey” name. He had taken his small project from school and created his brand from it that he’s used ever since.

 “An old girlfriend called it me so I used it in the personal branding project whilst at university. I set my business straight from university and it crossed over and stuck.”

Know who you are

“Be humble, for you are made of the earth. Be noble, for you are made of the stars.”

Above is Tom’s favorite quote, and it says a lot about the quality of his character and spoke more about the type of business man he is.  Designers need to understand that where they come from and how they act will influence both the jobs offered to them and the how others will perceive them.

So I leave you with this advice:

Be humble and act noble; don’t back down from what you believe you deserve and don’t let your successes go to your head.

All images: http://gingermonkeydesign.com/portfolio/