FRESH START
I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since I started Isaiah Hwang Design! Back in 2004, I was using a dusty old PC with barely enough RAM to run a Photoshop filter. Now here I am, 12 years later, sitting in front of my Macbook, with thoughts of nostalgia and gratitude at how far I’ve really come. Back in those days, I think I spent more time trying to get work than actually working on a project.
These days, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a more consistent base of clients I serve throughout the year. When I think back to 2004, I really can’t comprehend how I survived. Maybe it was all the hard work I put in or just plain luck? Maybe it was all the non-designer jobs I had to work just to survive?
All I do know is I kept working at my craft and didn’t let set backs and the lack of clients discourage me. Learning from mistakes and misunderstandings, I used each negative situation as an opportunity to learn about business, how to effectively work with people, and the need for getting things, like a deposit, up front before working with a new client. I treated each project as an opportunity to prove my value to my clients and each time they referred me, my business grew. Honestly, some of my best clients have come from a simple referral.
The blog will be a place where you can see what I’m working on, an insight into my creative process, and an opportunity to get to know me as a designer, photographer, and overall awesome human being. It will also have the occasional freebie, tutorial, review, and attempt at humor for you to enjoy, or cringe, or delete from your bookmarks to never be opened again. If the latter is the case, then I apologize for my future self. He means no harm.
So here I am now in 2016, relaunching this new site in hopes that it will help connect with more clients and boost the growth of my business. There’s no magic formula for success. And there’s no way I’ve got it all figured out. But what I do know, what I can control, is how I present myself to my clients, how I treat the projects I work on, and how a simple referral can change the business trajectory of a one man design studio in San Jose, California.
A quick trip down memory lane…
Back in 2004. Look at that tiny monitor! I can’t believe I could reply back to my clients on such a small screen.
Back when I had my office/photo studio in Santa Clara, CA 2011
Yes…I had an arcade in my office. I miss that good, old machine. So many great memories. Street Fighter II anyone?
I’m so sad the 3D gator foam sign got tore up when I moved out.
My current desk setup.