Interview Questions

Initial Draft:

1. When you were starting out as a designer, what advice do you wish you'd been given?
2. I strive to be a type designer but I've never really figured out how to begin creating typefaces and how to finalise them. Can you talk me through your process of creating typefaces?
3. I can see that you used to create really cool and illustrative animations. What made you progress to type design and do you still animate?
4. What helped you find your voice and passion as a designer?
5. Your projects seem to be really independently produced - how has working with Wieden+Kennedy changed your practice, if at all?
6. Before working with Wieden+Kennedy, how did you get your name out there, and did social media help with this? 
7. What's some really notable differences between practicing graphic design as a student versus working with an agency?
8. What's your typical week like as a practicing designer?
9. I find the biggest issue I have with developing my voice as a designer is procrastination and artist's block. Have you ever faced a issues like that, and how did you overcome it?
10. Who are some designers that inspire you?
11. Do you have any influences outside of design that inspire your work? 
12. Congratulations on the Arlene Schnitzer Arts Award! What were the images you used in your Portfolio submission and why?
13. In Glyphworld, you state that "Each stylized letterforms has been planted and nurtured by me. I am their author, I grew them—but they will continue to grow without me." Do you mind when designers use and alter your fonts, or do you celebrate this?
14. For your expressionist type movement, you state that "Legibility isn’t always a goal, use cases don’t really matter and monetary return doesn’t dictate design choices" which I wholly believe in as well. How did you find the balance with creating creative, expressionist typefaces and also being employable? 
15. What's the biggest inDesign file you've ever had? I'm always pushing the limits of how large my Illustrator files can be - my current one is a measly 280 MB, yet somehow, my laptop can't load it without crashing.
16. What's your favourite Glyphworld typeface and why? 
17. When creating Glyphworld, did you already know you wanted to turn it into a physical experience through an exhibition? Do you prefer creating design for print rather than screen?

These questions are based on my research, and have altered greatly from my initial idea of questions to ask as Maldonado has done many interviews, and details all her projects on her portfolio therefore I had to think harder and more specifically about questions that would be beneficial to me that I can't already find online.
The tone of the interview is quite friendly and sociable, as based on previous interviews, and Maldonado's tone of voice when replying to my emails, I've picked up that she sticks to this tone as well. I added some personal anecdotes that directly relate to a few of the questions as a way to keep the interview personal, and sociable - similarly to how a face-to-face interview would go.

The final changes would be to just avoid repeating similar phrases, and to place the questions in a better order.

Final Interview

1. When you were starting out as a designer, what advice do you wish you'd been given?
2. I can see that you used to create really cool and illustrative animations. What made you progress to type design and do you still animate?
3. What helped you find your voice and passion as a designer?
4. I strive to be a type designer but I've never really figured out how to begin creating typefaces and how to finalise them. Can you talk me through your process of creating typefaces?
5. Your projects seem to be really independently produced - how has working with Wieden+Kennedy changed your practice, if at all?
6. Before working with Wieden+Kennedy, how did you get your name out there, and did social media help with this? 
7. What's your typical week like as a practicing designer?
8. Who are some designers that inspire you?
9. What's some really notable differences between practicing graphic design as a student versus working with an agency?
10. Do you have any influences outside of design that inspire your work? 
11. I find the biggest issue I have with developing my voice as a designer is procrastination and artist's block. Have you ever faced a issues like that, and how did you overcome it?
12. In Glyphworld, you state that "Each stylized letterforms has been planted and nurtured by me. I am their author, I grew them—but they will continue to grow without me." Do you mind when designers use and alter your fonts, or do you celebrate this?
13. When creating Glyphworld, did you already know you wanted to turn it into a physical experience through an exhibition? Do you prefer creating design for print rather than screen?
14. What's your favourite Glyphworld typeface and why? 
15. "Legibility isn’t always a goal, use cases don’t really matter and monetary return doesn’t dictate design choices." I wholly believe in this as well. How did you find the balance with creating creative, expressionist typefaces and also being employable? 
16. Congratulations on the Arlene Schnitzer Arts Award! What were the images you used in your Portfolio submission and why?
17. And finally, what's the biggest inDesign file you've ever had? I'm always pushing the limits of how large my Illustrator files can be - my current one is a measly 280 MB, yet somehow, my laptop can't load it without crashing.