Fred catching waves in Hawaii in 1985.
Were you always on a path to design? Or were there some twists and turns?
No, I started out as a computer technician in the Navy. After making more money painting surfboards part-time than I did working full-time in the Navy, I decided to look at other career options. At one point I was going to be a biology teacher.
How did you get started with design?
I’ve always loved art, and I started doing airbrush art when I was just a small boy. As I got older, I used to paint surfboards and windsurf boards. My formal education in design started in 1989 when I studied graphic design at Portland State University. I graduated in 1993 and started work as a multimedia graphic designer in Portland. I started my own multimedia business in 1999.
What prompted you to work for ESD 112?
You came to ESD 112 with 30 years of design experience. Have you grown as a designer since then?
You’ve pretty much done it all over your long career. What kind of project do you most enjoy executing?
Okay, so what’s your least favorite type of communications?
My least favorite is print. It seems like such a shame to cut down beautiful forests just to print out a newsletter that could have been sent digitally.
Fred and his daughter taking photos in the mid-2000s.
How has technology evolved since you started designing?
When I was in college, they were teaching physical paste-up and hand-lettering. I remember butting heads with a professor because I wanted to use my computer for typesetting, and he said it “wouldn’t be fair” to the other students. I said, “Yeah, well when I’m a designer they will be my competition, so I’m not really interested in ‘what’s fair.'”
I’ve always loved technology and been a bit of a tech-geek. Just ask Melissa or Heidi how much I love to talk about my video equipment! Digital photography has been a game-changer. We used to have to wait weeks to get our photos back from the developer. Now we can review the screen after every shot. If the shot’s not right, no big deal, make adjustments and keep going.
What are you most excited about in the design industry?
AI is the future. It’s already changing how we work in Photoshop and Illustrator. We used to spend hours cloning and fixing photos to work within our designs and website. Now we just push a button and AI does it all for us.
What inspires you?
What have you done on your bucket list? What’s still left to do?
Fred flying his drone at Dougan Falls.
What are your favorite ways to unplug and decompress?
If you could change one thing from your past what would it be?
I would have moved back to Hawaii after I got out of the Navy. Every day in Hawaii is like a dream come true!
Well, we are glad that you live in Washougal instead, Fred. One final question: If you had to get a tattoo, what would it be and why?
I would get a pair of butterflies on my chest, in honor of my father. He got his in the Navy before WWII. Sailors used to get tattoos of chickens and pigs because supposedly they can’t drown. It must work because he was one of the only survivors when his ship was sunk in battle.
