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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you:
Ben Johnston – Freelancer
Your current job:
Designer, illustrator & letterer
In which city are you located?
Currently in Toronto, but looking at a possible move to New York in 2014
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
Passionate
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
Macbook Pro, Wacom, coffee & sketchbook
What does your office space look like?
It’s a pretty simple setup. I just rent a desk space at Project: Rhino in downtown Toronto.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working?
I listen to a lot of podcasts and audio books. I find it distracting when I have to keep changing the music and find something I want to listen to. This way, I can just put one thing on for the whole day.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work
I use like Bootcamp and Asana to run projects more efficiently. I find with streams of emails for projects, things seem to get lost and forgotten about.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Read the brief clearly before you start to make sure you understand exactly what is needed, from there try and start sketching either on paper or straight on the computer. I find once I actually start messing around with ideas instead of spending time on tumblrs researching for hours, a clear idea/path becomes apparent.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
Work hard and everything will work out.
What is your best tip for saving time?
Plan your day.Make lists of what needs to get done. It helps to make sure you’re using your time properly and not getting too bogged down on the small stuff.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
I start the day with coffee, and always try and do some sort of physical activity to help de-stress at the end of the day. I find going for a run or ride always helps to clear the mind.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what can you not go without?
Sketchbook. I draw all my rough ideas before starting on the computer.