Interview with Tracie Sudesh

I have asked myself that for a good decade, but not until about 9 years ago did I realize that my father was the influence in my choice of becoming a designer. It was his sense of style, fashion, elegance and charisma that played a significant part in me appreciating design which inadvertently took the turn in my decisions to become a designer.

I work around these three aspects for every design process. Research, Objective and Goals. This evidently supports my accomplishments. I work on various platforms be it in digital or physical, in order for me to achieve a desired satisfaction. As I a minimalist designer, I am constantly trying to find solutions to simplify a design, be it physical or digital.

I am always very excited when I take on a project. The first thing I do is not let those emotions take over my adrenalin. I am very calm and relaxed throughout the process. Though as a design progresses, I do get excited, but that is already a different kind of a joy and yet, I remain calm. The process from inception to execution to deliverables is a painful process but really is a sweet journey. The final feeling is always euphoric when a product/project is accomplished but it remains temporary until the next modification, adaptation or iteration.

I believed the sense of finishing something that I have started and putting things in order have been instrumental in my design life.

I intend to collaborate with various design houses, agencies, product development companies working on multiple projects on a stealth mode. This will strengthen my relationship with the industry and push myself to keep up with various demands of the industry. I want to be remembered as a continuous contributor to society. It is all about making that small contribution that would make a significant change. I would like to someday have my own brand with a range of products.

Designing is very challenging. A well thought of design will always prevail. It is always important to have some principles in designing.

Conscious, ethical and responsible practice is key to a successful product, company, corporation, society and environment.

I start my day reading short news or articles. Then I head for a long run. This is the space I use to clear my mind and to think. I keep the day interesting by taking a lot of breaks. It keeps my mind fresh. Though nights are actively social, this is where I draw my energy and at times I get back and work if necessary. Of course, I run on a 4 to 5 hours of sleep schedule.

I am constantly in search for new trends across disciplines. I read, research online, travel, visit exhibitions, visit factories, meeting with suppliers and so forth. It is important in the various design jobs that I take.

First thing I look at it is the finish. Period.

This is a tough one. I always, find ways to simplify my designs and by doing so, it only means more modifications. I am constantly thinking about past projects and how I could have improved them. Though it may be more than finished for most which is 99.98% it is never finished for me. I have difficulty finding that 0.01%. It is hard to find peace with this feeling.

One of my biggest work that I am proud of was designing a menswear brand for a company that I was engaged with. I created everything from its concept to its branding to all its products in its retail stores in two countries. What make its even more interesting was, the store was opened in another country from where I was based and all that was done in the nine months. I worked and collaborated with various teams in various countries and continents. It was the never ending support, collaborations, relationship and effort that everyone involved contributed that made it a success. The end results were truly satisfying.

I do not have a particular favourite designer. I appreciate various designers from various disciplines and to mention one would not be fair to the other.

I am a fast paced person. I love life in big and crowded cities. It feeds me with energy and keeps me up. That said I do take a break from this to discharge every now and then. I live an active lifestyle and it constantly keeps my adrenaline pumped up. This definitely has an impact in my work. I guess the structure and detailing in my work is a representation of my lifestyle while the minimalism in my design is a reflection of calmness that I desire.

I work alone when I have to and collaborate when I need to. In order to achieve great things, we need to work as a team. One of the most important aspects on establishing a successful team is to be transparent and to be able to communicate effectively. I owe my accomplishments to everyone that I have worked, collaborated and engaged with. Though, I may not be an easy person to work with mainly because I have very strong philosophies on near perfection, nevertheless, I have built and maintain a successful relationship with all my vendors, suppliers, manufacturers, agencies, studios, colleagues in a global scale. I suppose, I must be doing something right.

I have always found ways to give back to the community from a very young age. I have volunteered, I have made regular monetary contributions and I have offered my services wherever and whenever possible. I get that same euphoric feeling as I do when I accomplish a project or product. I know I have helped someone in need and I have been a part of it in some small way.

A’ Design Award is a great platform to compete. There is no other design competition in the world that is close to this. The reason I believe so is because of its unbiased methodology. Its strict submission requirements are instrumental on standardizing its competition throughout the various categories. The platform also provides preliminary scores that guide participants on improvising their designs or submissions. The continuous effort to promote winning designs by A’ Design Award through various exhibitions around the world is fundamental to any designer’s career. I am honored to be recognized as the Designer of the Day.

I love exploring ideas, it’s very challenging. I wasn’t into a corporate job.

I chose design.

I design fashion, graphic, product, brand, concepts and I wish to design more UX projects.

To wait for the right time and be at the right place.

A good designer may not understand the structural and complexities of realizing his designs, compared to a great designer.

To understand it from the designers’ perspective. I look at its aesthetics and I try to understand its functionality. This is only to see the simplicity versus its complexity versus its quality

Superior quality and aesthetically advanced or timeless. It was well thought of, a lot of research was put into it and you know that it is not sub-standard.

I would like to design the user interface in automobiles and I would especially like to do it for Mercedes Benz.

A fashion brand in Spain called PROJECTNEGRO.

To be calm in high stress situations.

My logo. The absolute busts of the four Dobermann Pinschers sitting at its gradient form a visually strong signature element.

Try to be recognized for what you do. I worked towards gaining respect for my work.

In order for a product to function to its highest standards, it has to be complex in its structure with opposed features.

God, my family, friends, past employers, present employers, colleagues, clients, suppliers, factories, manufacturing partners, creative agencies, studios and production houses. My wife, kids and family are my biggest supporters.

My determination and persistence in life.

The need to prove what I was capable of

Clear and concise manner. One should provide the design and its solution.

To be advanced in design methodologies.

Being influential.

Responsible design ethics to be conscious about social and environmental impact.

There are two actually.

LUSTRO. It gave me the opportunity to collaborate with class A suppliers, manufacturers, agencies in all aspects and to grow something from concept to multiple brick and mortar stores internationally as well as designing every aspect of it, including its products.

LILA Exogen. It is a high performance sportswear that involved a lot of science and technology. It is the future for training high performance athletes. It is the only one in the world with proven results and success rate.

The medical technologies and solutions.

I see it moving towards an advanced digital world. World of cyborgs.

It really depends on its timeline and project, a graphic work can be finalized in a few hours.

I start by living in it by going out a lot, absorbing all the energy.

“Simplicity. The Art of Complex Design”.

Definitely design.

Evidently, in all aspects.

Word, Excel, Powerpoint.

Keynote, Numbers, Pages.

Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Bridge.

Balsamiq, Omnigraffle, POP, InVision, AxureRP, Sketch, Sublime Text, Github.

Mix Media, Sketching, Paper, Drawing Pens, Pencils, Markers, Sharpies, Colour Pencils, Pastels, Water Colours, Ink, Acrylic, Rulers, Scissors, Magic Tape, Post Its’, Spray Mount, Mounting Boards, Camera, Magazines, Books, Journals, Internet, Fun, Passion, Creativity & Competence and Be Alive with a Lot of Calmness!

It’s subliminal. So it’s very crucial.

How do I get a hold of it?

The amount of research put into it.

The automobile design industry. Yes, I believe in Co-design.

My mom. She told me when I was in college, “Design something that people would use”.

I always looked for details. I trained myself to understand the designer’s perspective.

Leornardo Da Vinci

I get even with the design and I come to peace with it.

My favourite colour, without a doubt Black. Place- New York. Food- Steaks, Thing- Porsche 911 Carrera and Brand- Mercedes Benz.

We visited a factory in a country a few years back. Our supplier picked us up from an airport and we worked all day. We started the evening slow and partied until 6am but we were up at 9am as we were about to catch a flight to another destination. Now, the supplier who picked us up only stayed with us until midnight. He decided to drop us off at the airport the next day. On the way to the airport, I realized that we were heading the wrong way and I asked him if it was another route. By then he realized that he was heading in the opposite direction to another airport 150 miles away. We decided to proceed and buy another ticket and we were laughing all they way to the airport. When we reached the airport, as we were trying to buy another ticket, we realized that our ticket wasn’t until the next day. So we were actually at the wrong airport on the wrong date. It was hilarious. That whole 14 days trip was a hilarious rollercoaster ride. I will never forget it. Was it worth it? Yes.

Celebrating it with my family and friends.

I don’t think so though I was quite detail oriented.

Closer to apocalypse.

You can reach me at:

Website: www.traciesudesh.com

Email: traciesudesh@icloud.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/traciesudesh

I am an independent designer at the moment as I started my life here in Seattle not too long ago. I am slowly getting back on the grid.

In order for a product to function to its highest standards, it has to be complex in its structure with opposed features.

I like designing details of a product focusing on it complexity.

E.g: in fashion, it would be the construction of a garment/shoe/bag/accessories. In product, it would be its mechanism or technical specs. In graphic, it would be its material technology. In branding, it would be its DNA. In UX, it would be its information architecture.

My logo. The absolute busts of the four Dobermann Pinschers sitting at its gradient form a visually strong signature element.

A Bag. I moulded the prototype out of paper and I couldn’t wait to see the first sample. The best part of it when it arrived was that the only change, which had to be made, was to increase the width of its strap. It moved my confidence level up a notch. It was also the day I knew I could design almost anything, if I worked with the right partners.

Leather/ digital technology/ product development with new age materials and techniques.

I get creative mostly at the wee hours in the morning and even then, it is mainly when I lay in bed to sleep.

Research and Development.

Calm, relaxed and alive.

I feel at peace only when the results are achieved.

Superior quality followed by acceptance and ultimately its successful sales.

I look at its aesthetics and I try to understand its functionality. This is only to see the simplicity versus its complexity versus its quality.

Everything, from design to development. It is every designers’ role to be conscious of every aspect when we produce something, from social responsibilities to environmental impact. We have to be aware of its consequences regardless of its location in the world.

I see it moving towards an advanced digital age. Most of the large corporations are focusing on various tools and methodologies to measure its users’ experience as it plays a huge importance to the acceptance of their product. These tools are very technologically advanced and the depth of what is coming is only the beginning. Since most individuals become the subject matrix of various products and as they are exposed to the professional and non-professional tools, it is only a matter of time when every individual would be a designer in his own field of work. However, I do believe, there will be a huge breakthrough in the medical field, the science of life and regeneration.

I get inspired by everyday people through the various cultures and my travels. Movement (busy cities, noise, lights, parties, events, etc). I need that juice to feed that adrenaline fix and when it reaches the height of it, I will let it flow.
Anything and everything. I could get inspired reading an interesting article in TIME magazine.

I am a minimalist Designer. I just cannot digest everything on a product if there is more than there should be on it. My approach to design would be ”You could show me a whole house and I may only like the door knob”.

I live in Seattle now. Not really, it really depends on the designer. If one designs without having a fair deal of knowledge of what is going on out in the other continents, he/she would be at a disadvantage when it comes to market acceptance. As for me now, I believe that I am in the right place to explore into the digital world but my disadvantage at the moment is, though I may have a good direct sourcing experience, finding the right people to do the job right is quite challenging. It can be a costly adventure exploring this all over again as I am confident of my sources in Europe, Asia and Australia.

I keep a healthy relationship by working hand in hand. I call, Skype, Facetime, email, fax and travel to discuss progress, issues and solve them. I am always with them every step of the way.

Treat them well. Understanding their design background and ideologies

I spend a lot of my time on research. I use various methodologies and tools. I work on a strategy and start sketching the most complex feature of my product. Then, I gather insights based on my idea from various focus groups. As soon as I see traction, I will approach my development partners and work on their production capabilities and the challenges we may face. I will continue working on the detailed specification drawings as soon as I know what to expect. Then, I will start liaising with other component partners and get their timelines and production details. As soon as I have compiled everything, I will make a trip to visit my production partners wherever they may be and proceed with the initial sampling. At this stage, usually, the production errors are relatively low. The initial sample will be used to gather more insights and feedback. Any modifications or iteration will be done at this stage.

This is what I would do if I do not have any meetings to attend or if I am not travelling: The first thing is to go for a run in the morning, minimum 5kms to maximum 12kms. When I get back to the office, I start my day with emails, reading articles, LinkedIn and Facebook. As soon as I am done with that, I roll up my sleeves and start getting my hands dirty with all the physical design work, which on a regular basis would take me deep into late in the afternoon. Then, I would usually have lunch at about 4pm or sometimes I would just skip that too and I would be done for the day. If I do not have any events or functions to attend, I would be out for drinks, dinner with family or friends. I start working again at night if I have to right up to 4 am and sometimes even more. I sleep about 4 hours a day.

Be open to criticism and opinions.

To be able to see an idea realized is an immeasurable satisfaction but to appreciate its acceptance and success is another thing. The negative aspects of being a designer would be to face challenges in terms of gaining traction, securing monetary support and production partners.

I focus on the solution. Design intelligently.

To understand the development and to know the quality one wants to achieve.

Word, Excel, Powerpoint.

Keynote, Numbers, Pages.

Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Bridge.

Balsamiq, Omnigraffle, POP, InVision, AxureRP, Sketch, Sublime Text, Github.

Mix Media, Sketching, Paper, Drawing Pens, Pencils, Markers, Sharpies, Colour Pencils, Pastels, Water Colours, Ink, Acrylic, Rulers, Scissors, Magic Tape, Post Its’, Spray Mount, Mounting Boards, Camera, Magazines, Books, Journals, Internet, Fun, Passion, Creativity & Competence and Be Alive with a Lot of Calmness!

I work hard and I play hard. This gives me a good balance in my creative world.

It depends on the product development partners. I have developed something across continents in less than 24 hours. I have even designed and set a pop up store in less than 24 hours.

What kind of design are you involved in?

Developing LUSTRO, a menswear fashion brand in Asia.

Any product that is complex in its structure, be it physical or digital because it keeps my mind going like a machine.

To focus on user centered design. To include all my past experiences and move towards another realm.

Both. Even if I were to design something alone, I can only achieve great heights with a team.

Website: www.traciesudesh.com

Email: traciesudesh@icloud.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/traciesudesh