Augusto's in the hot seat!

As a Creative team member for nearly two and a half years, Augusto Reis (aka ¢a-r) has been one of the driving forces behind the deviantWEAR designs that we’ve come to know and love. Responsible for a few of deviantWEAR's best selling items, I recently chatted with ¢a-r to learn more about what makes him tick.

$Heidi: You've been a deviant since November 2002 and a Creative staff member since December 2005. Do you remember how you first stumbled upon deviantART?

¢a-r: ~Blinky1, ~mudsley, ~bryn, ~geezpot, myself and a few other guys used to participate and chat at this site called bloomonkey.com that *phayce was also part of. ~bryn introduced us to this art website where we could upload our work for free (which was kind of hard back in the day), so we all set up accounts and moved here along the way.

$Heidi: How long have you been active in design? Where did you get your start?

¢a-r: I consider myself to be very lucky. I always liked to draw as a kid. I used to draw everywhere; it really makes me happy. One day I was drawing near a playground and my friend said, "You should work in publicity or advertising". I was only around 11 years old at the time, but that comment always stuck in my head. When I got closer to college, I found out that it was designers who were responsible for creating things and started down that path. To sum things up, I started graphic design at 15.

$Heidi: What do you enjoy most about designing deviantWEAR?

¢a-r: I've got to say, it's definitely reading comments on the product pages. It really makes my day! I love knowing that people like a design, that they've added it to their favorites, and I really love it when they buy something and are so happy with it that they come back to comment and post pictures. That's the real reward. But everything is fun, the whole process, especially when the whole Creative team gets involved.

$Heidi: Where do you find design inspiration?

¢a-r: Music, big brands, Firefox's favorites, and, of course, deviantART. There are a few guys out there that inspire me a lot, so it's always great to browse a little before you start on something.

$Heidi: What's most challenging about designing deviantWEAR?

¢a-r: Everything is challenging, from starting the design to picking out products and colors. But the most challenging has to be preparing files for printing.

$Heidi: How does it feel to know that deviants all around the globe are wearing your designs?

¢a-r: Gratifying! That's the best part of it all. It really makes me happy to see people enjoying what they are wearing. I love t-shirts so that's kind of the feeling that I want for myself and for people who are wearing it.

$Heidi: Do you have a favorite deviantWEAR product?

¢a-r: It's hard to say. I have special feelings for each. It's too hard to pick one, but if I have to ... the Fella plushie. Hah!

$Heidi: What do you feel are the most important skills for a shirt designer to have?

¢a-r: Having patience and never stop the learning process.

$Heidi: How do you continue to better your skills?

¢a-r: Pushing limits! I try to learn from design tutorials, by reading design magazines, and when I have time I like to take classes.

$Heidi: List three words to describe yourself.

¢a-r: Persistent. Organized. Loyal.

$Heidi: Favorite movies

¢a-r: 300, Saving Private Ryan, and anything by Pixar

$Heidi: Favorite TV shows

¢a-r: Lost, Prison Break, and Friends

$Heidi: Favorite foods

¢a-r: Fast food, Mexican and Japanese

$Heidi: What music is currently on your playlist?

¢a-r: A bunch! 4294 songs to be more specific. I like a lot of styles from new metal, to rap metal, to hip hop, and even soft tunes that I don't know how to describe.

$Heidi: One thing you can't leave the house without?

¢a-r: My wallet!

$Heidi: How do you relax when you're not working?

I wish I could say that I go wakeskating everyday, but I'm not really practicing right now so I'll have to buy a surf board. That's what I should/want to do on the weekdays. On the weekends I like to go out with my girl, hang out at bars, and sometimes we go to some concerts. Just have a good time with her.

$Heidi: Anything you'd like to share in closing?

¢a-r: I'm really happy and proud of where I am right now. Never give up on your dreams. Something might look impossible, but nothing really is.

It has been really fun Heidi. Thank you so much for this space and for all the support.

And I would like to take some advantage of this interview and invite people to make suggestions and critiques for deviantWEAR.

Thank you all!