Meet Bradlee: Our New Office DJ

Bradlee is the newest member of the Modern Species family and our first ever intern. He is an illustrious young designer who is pursuing a Design BFA from Western Washington University. Bradlee approaches every project with a wide smile and positive energy that can be seen within his design solutions. When Bradlee isn’t clicking away at his work computer he can be found looking for Seattle’s best boba, binge-watching RuPaul’s Drag Race or just cackling loudly in a public space... and he keeps our office playlist fresh and hip and on the daily.

When did you know you wanted to be a designer and what influenced your decision?

I have been drawing since I could hold a pencil. So, I’ve always known that I wanted to do something creative. Discovering the world of design came to me as I started to get more involved within my community. In high school, I loved helping out with community service groups and non-profit organizations which led me to one of my first leadership roles. I joined my school’s Key Club and within a year ran for the district position of Lieutenant Governor which I was elected to. One of my monthly tasks was to create a newsletter to update my division of six different high schools on what was happening within our Pacific Northwest district. This quickly became a task that I grew very fond of. I loved branding each newsletter separate from one another and playing with typography in compelling ways. During this same time, I was working to create t-shirt designs for a non-profit group in my hometown of, Longview, WA that leads empathy talks and workshops in high schools around Cowlitz County. These first two real design jobs I had showed me how art and design can work together to inform people and create lasting impact on them as well.

Who are your favorite designers and what do you like about their work?

Just to name a few of the greats that I love: Michael Beirut, Paul Rand, Josef Muller-Brockman and Saul Bass. As for contemporary designers I am constantly inspired by the work that Sasha Velour is creating, from her magazine to her one dollar drag videos she is making. I think she has a very intellectual and visually stunning way of representing queer culture. She has this stunning three issue publication called Velour magazine. It has a very deconstructed layout and pushes boundaries with the way the user interacts with the magazine which I find very compelling.

If you had to pick 3 foods to eat every day, what would they be?

This peculiar curry Ramen that I make, Lavender Almond Brownie ice cream with a fudge ripple (this isn’t real but I want it to be) and a Greek-style chicken sandwich from Souvla.

If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?

I really want to go to Berlin. I have never been to Europe before and Berlin is an epicenter of queer history, stunning design and really good food.

What is your spirit animal?

Ilana Glazer from Broad City combined with a slim pug

What book should everyone read?

The Politics of Design by Ruben Pater

How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Well Jolene Creighton wrote an article answering this question using science “And as Cornell University reports, a wildlife biologist once measured the inside volume of a typical woodchuck burrow. From this, they estimated that, if wood filled the hole instead of dirt ‘the industrious animal would have chucked about 700 pounds’ worth.’”

Drop a wisdom bomb on us.

Here is an exerpt from How to Be Happy Happier by Adam J. Kurtz “’Your Thing’ can start to feel like the ‘only thing,’ but there’s just so much to experience, learn or invest in. This doesn’t mean a career change. It’s just nice to remember the world has plenty to offer. Travel more, read more, learn new skills & try new thing.”

Joshua Yu

Joshua is a project coordinator and spreadsheet geek at Modern Species.

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Lunch & Learn: Breaking Bias — Privilege Walk