At Vireo, we work with a variety of contractors who are experts in their fields, allowing us to excel at any project we tackle. Peter Murphy is our go-to designer. He has nearly a decade of experience in graphic design, promotional marketing, and brand development.
How did you get started as a graphic designer?
I was always a visual and creative person and enjoyed art and design growing up. I took a graphic design / new media course right out of high school for a year at McKay Career Training. Then got a job at a print shop in Prince Albert called P.A. Fastprint. Shortly after, I moved back to Saskatoon and got a job as the lead designer at a label firm called Custom Labels Inc.I have been there for the last nine and a half years.
How can a client help you do your work better? What kind of information should they provide?
The client can help by providing a detailed description of their company and the overall goals they want the design to accomplish, let me know what brands or designs inspire them or that they are drawn towards, provide a target demographic, colour preferences or existing brand colours I need to keep consistent throughout the design, and the feeling or message they want the artwork to convey.
What is your process for designing? How do you get ideas?
Depending on the design, first thing I do is research the client, as well as other industry trends for that company. Then based on information provided, I decide what kind of design I would like to portray. I then research some sites (Dribble, Behance, etc.) to get ideas or inspiration (if something hasn’t already come to me). I then come up with a few different concepts. I usually roughly sketch out beforehand, then try to transfer or retrace the ideas on screen. Most designs start in black and white, then I integrate the colours afterward based on information provided or what I feel will work best for that design.
Do you have a favourite design project of all time? If so, why does it stand out? If not, why not?
To be honest, I don’t really have one favourite; there are too many. But I would say there are three to four designs that have truly stuck out through the years. The most memorable to me would probably be my own logo, as I know how many years and variations it took to get what I wanted. As well as the hidden meaning behind the Heraldic Lion and the link to my family heritage, that no one really knows about but me!
What do you enjoy most about your work?
The best part about what I do is usually the reaction or praise you get from the client, when you work so hard on something and feel it is great, and the client reciprocates these feelings or is “wowed” by what you came up with. That’s what makes it worthwhile in my opinion.