Jump into the creative mind of Will Paterson

It is always great to meet designers who are not only masters of creation, but also give back to the creative community. Will Paterson is one of the designers that not only rocks his skills but shares his knowledge of design as a YouTuber.

Faith, dedication and true inspiration is what sets Will apart and makes him one of the most brilliant creatives creating content via social media!

What made you decide to become a designer?

This is an interesting question, I first decided to get into design when I saw people in my church promote the youth events by creating flyers and posters. I found this really intriguing. My dad had a copy of Photoshop Elements and I started making my own… yes, this was a cringe.

I later became friends with a young person who had a YouTube channel with content centered around creating art and design. We became friends and he showed me some of his work. This inspired me to dive even deeper into the Design World.

After a while, I moved away from design and started studying business administration at a tech-college. As some might know already, I didn’t do well in school at all. I felt the education system was broken for kids like me and I did not feel motivated.

I left college in my second year, as I got the feeling that I should move onto something new. At that time I felt that my faith called me to become a designer.

I spent the next few years learning and studying at my parents, whilst a lot of my other friends moved onto university. And there you go! That’s probably the most concise way that I can explain how I became a part of the creative industry.

Were there any designers that inspired you early on in your career?

I remember very early on that “YouTube” designers were the people who inspired me. I didn’t really know any really good designers that I wanted to model my career after. I recall viewing some amazing work and then trying to backward engineer the designs in order to discover the process used to create them.

I didn’t really have anyone that inspired me per say, design was just something that I felt called too.

Where did you study? And what should one look for in a design program when applying to schools?

I get this question a lot and I’m proud to say that I’m completely self-taught. I educated myself through the use of books on graphic design and online courses and practice… a lot of practice.

If you’re looking for a design school, just make sure you’re choosing a school that understands the need for experience as well as the education. Most design agencies are not looking for new graduates who know all the theories of design, they’re looking for those who already have a client base and have proven themselves in the industry.

Have you faced any obstacles in your career and if so how did you overcome them?

I can’t really think of any generic obstacles. But one that I can think of… that I still battle every day in my work is Imposter Syndrome.

Obviously I didn’t have a formal education in design. I teach design based on my work and expertise with different clients. This is probably the main reason why I feel Imposter Syndrome.

The way that I overcome this every day is by battling through it. Imposter Syndrome will tell you that you’re lying to people about who you are. It will tell you that you’re not qualified to do the work you’re doing or that you can’t make a video on design because you did not study it at a university. The best way to get rid of Imposter Syndrome is by reminding yourself of your achievements… even if you did not attend a design school, you still accomplished them!

Another big challenge to anyone in the freelance industry is discipline, if you’re not disciplined enough to be your own boss then you will have a major disadvantage.

What do you enjoy most about creating Logos and Lettering?

I enjoy the process when working on hand lettering and logo design. I like the ‘rules’ and enjoy learning how things should be done while challenging my creativity in the process.

By far the best feeling is when you’ve finished working on the best idea you’ve ever had yet.

You have worked with several clients, what can one expect when working with clients?

The first thing to expect when working with clients is deadlines.

Deadlines are important to clients and it’s even more important to keep them. When you don’t get your work to the client on time you’re losing… you’re not only losing them but also time and money.

If you don’t keep your deadlines, this will tarnish your reputation within the industry and will also impede on your chances of having repeat work with those clients.

When did you start streaming and creating content? What are the benefits? How did you develop your community?

I started streaming on YouTube in 2012, I wanted to show others how I achieved effects in various creative software. Slowly, I started also talking about the design industry and not just creating tutorials.

The benefits to streaming are having a platform to promote your work whilst getting paid. The best way to get your work in front of potential clients is by promoting your work on the websites that they will visit. Instagram and YouTube are the channels where the majority of my client base discover my work.

It’s insane to think about, but when you stream your work online, you can earn money by sharing the work that you enjoy creating.

I developed my community with consistency. Consistency is an important factor when ‘making it’ online and if you want to create a following you need to be on top of things. Uploading content frequently will improve your chances of having others follow you and your work!

What's your favorite tool in Vectornator?

My favorite tool has to be the Pen Tool.

As a hand lettering artist and a logotype designer, having the full functioning pen tool in Vectornator has changed the way I work.

Now with my iPad, I can create designs on the go… where in the past I was chained to my laptop and PC.

I use the Pen Tool when vectorizing my logotype design work, it makes the process so much easier than having to transfer my work onto my laptop or PC. It’s just a lot more natural having this ability on the iPad, where I can draw and then vectorize.

Do you have any interesting projects coming up that the Vectornator community should keep their eye out for?

You should wait... it's a surprise!!

Thank you, Will.