Gray Magazine: The Mitchell Files
Gray Magazine recently noticed a trend that there seem to be a lot of creatives with the name Mitchell. So of course, they decided to dedicate a feature to interviewing some of those creatives living and working in the Pacific Northwest. Our very own Gage Mitchell, happened to be one of those creatives. Read below for the full interview, or click here to see the shortened online version.
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1. How would you describe your personal design/interior design aesthetic?
What are/have been your influences?
I want to say Form Follows Function, because as a branding / graphic designer, I have a purpose for every aesthetic choice I make on behalf of my clients. However, I don't really like that phrase because Form can influence Function, and vise versa. So I guess my design aesthetic is the harmony between form and function. If the brand needs to be beautiful, I make it beautiful. If it needs to be earthy, or playful, or sexy even, then that's how I design it. Or at least that's how I hope the finish product comes across.
My influences go as far back as my parents, who got me started in the fine arts – drawing, sculpting, painting, you name it. The next major influence would have been my coworkers and bosses at The Design Shop in Denver, CO and Eye Design Studio in Charlotte, NC. I learned a lot about hierarchy, typography, and conceptual thinking from all those good folks. Today, though, I'm inspired and blown away by design gods like Matteo Bologna and Louise Fili, who have such finesse and charisma in their design that it makes me sick.
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2. What is your favorite thing about the creative industry in the Pacific Northwest? What do you think sets us apart?
I'm relatively new to the PNW, so I don't have a very deep perspective on this one. But having lived in a few other places, I can tell you that restaurants here go all out with their interiors. The amount of ridiculously beautiful spaces in the Seattle area is down right impressive. Otherwise, as far the creative culture in general … comfort. I would say comfort sets us apart. And by that I mean the sense of fashion here. Designers in most cities are known for having style. Here, everybody dresses like they might go hiking in a rain storm at any moment, including most designers. I'd love it if we could get the dress code of Seattle up to same level of the aforementioned restaurant interiors.
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3. What excites you about design right now?
The amount of power we designers have. The world is changing, and as the designers of objects, spaces, buildings, packaging, and the like, we hold an unusual amount of influence and power in our hands to make the future better. More sustainable. More beautiful. More functional. Just all around better. And I'm looking forward to being part of that change.
// See the digital magazine here.