Nick Pagano is a web & graphic designer, born in New Jersey, but mainly raised just outside of Houston, Texas. He’s had a passion for design since he was young. His first works were fan sites and graphics for his favorite bands. (Geocities and Microsoft Paint were the tools of the trade!) That passion never faded, and for the last 13 years, Nick has created beautiful, usable design solutions for a wide variety of industries and companies, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, in 11 countries. His work has been seen in Photoshop Magazine, Photoshop Creative Magazine, and Digital Arts Magazine.
Q: What art made the most impact early in your life? And what art — any medium — moves you today?
A: Graffiti, tattoos and street culture. The same things that impacted me early in life still move me today!
Q: Would you say that you have always had a clear vision for your life?
A: I had no idea until I was about 16. Then once I figured out you could design things for a living, all I wanted to do was creative things. And I have ever since.
Q: How do you fuel your creativity in other aspects of life?
A: Living life, trying different things, traveling and meeting new people.
Q: Everyone gets “writer’s block” or “creative funk”. What’s your slump-buster method or approach?
A: To get over creative block, I work on older projects that I was excited about, but didn’t get time to finish. Sharpening old ideas generally leads me to new ideas about other stuff. That and browsing inspirational web sites.
Q: Q: How did you eventually make contact and find yourself in orbit with Orrbitt? And do you like puns?
A: There is almost nothing on this earth I hate more than puns. They are an affront to humor in general, and the lowest form of human communication. 🙂 That being said, I had been looking for a new team to join for a few months. Nothing seemed like the right fit, until I read the Orrbitt listing. I wanted the job so much, along with my resume and cover letter, I sent a little design piece of me longing for a job at Orrbitt! After a great interview, or two, I joined the team!
Q: In a state of creative output, what are you listening to?
A: It depends. If I’m in the planning and sketching phase, I generally listen to Dark Synth Wave. If I’m in the executing phase of my design, I tend to listen to history podcasts.
Q: How would you describe your job to a group of five-year-olds?
A: “You know those cool designs on the front of cereal boxes? I basically do that, but for science companies!”
Q: Aliens, yes or yes?
A: One time I saw two UFOs in the sky at the same time. That was decades ago. So, yes.