Elliot Jay Stocks
Who is Elliot Jay Stocks?
A designer (primarily for web but also for print), an illustrator, a speaker, and an author.
Do you have a personal Brand?
Yes, although nothing fancier than my own name.
How do you find design inspiration and colours for a new project?
A variety of sources, although I try and look outside the web for inspiration to avoid becoming stale. I collect everything in LittleSnapper and then make moodboards for the client using certain images I’ve collected that are relevant to the project. Once a pattern becomes clear, we often then draw colour scheme ideas from those images.
What does your typical day look like?
Get up around 7.30, have breakfast with my girlfriend, get to my desk around 8.30, answer emails and do general admin stuff, settle down to work around 10.30, have lunch and go for a walk around 12 or 1, crack on with work until about 5.30, answer a few more emails, cook dinner with my girlfriend at about 6, do some personal work / email catch-up / procrastination-induced client work catch-up until between 7 and 8, and then relax with a movie or TV show until bed at around 11.
What do you do in your free time?
I write and record music under the Sourhaze pseudonym, draw, watch a lot of movies, and go for long walks in the countryside. Oh, and daydream about eventually writing a sci-fi novel.
Current favorite apps?
The Hit List, LittleSnapper, and Ableton Live 8.
What OS do you prefer?
Mac OSX.
Small picture for your Workplace?
Favorite: Color, Font, Language, JS Framework?
Right now my favourite typeface would be FS Clerkenwell. Language: CSS. JS Framework: jQuery (surprise surprise). No idea what my favourite colour is.
Name something that has inspired you recently?
My mate Mike Kus’ approach to colour in web design.
What do you prefer (and why)? Freelance work or full time employment?
Freelance by far. I will never go back to full-time employment.
What are your personnel projects and goals for 2010?
Do less client work (and more product-based work), get more illustration jobs, release the next Sourhaze EP, release a new version of my site, expand the business, buy a house, and blog more often.
