Meet the Intern: Marquis Mathis
Swash Labs was thrilled to work with a design intern, Marquis Mathis, this summer. Marquis is a talented designer and always down to do whatever crazy tasks we threw at him each day. Read our Q&A with Marquis about his experience on the Swash team:
Where are you from?
I’m from Dallas, Texas — more specifically around the East Dallas area.
Where did you go to school, and what was your major?
I attended The University of North Texas in Denton. My major was Interdisciplinary Art & Design, Go Mean Green!
How did you become interested in design?
I've always drawn and made art since I was a kid. In high school we had graphic design magnet classes, which were the closest thing I understood to be art, so I naturally gravitated towards them. I’ve been hooked ever since.
What/who are your biggest design influences?
I would say my biggest influences are Jacob Rochester, Randy Perez, and Kel Lauren. I also take a lot of inspiration from old vinyl record covers and movie posters.
What have you learned from working with the designers at Swash Labs?
I’ve learned just how much design is incorporated into advertising, from internal graphics to deliverables. I’ve also learned how to handle time management more effectively because at any time you may be working on several projects for several clients all at once.
What surprised you most about working at an advertising agency?
What surprised me the most about working at an advertising agency was the friendliness, the pace, and the willingness to help each other, more specifically me if I didn't understand anything. There is a connotation of advertising agencies being a fast-paced, cut-throat environment and Swash was nothing like that. The pace is not slow, but it is more manageable than I thought it’d be and their understanding and willingness to help me was a pleasant surprise.
Do you have any hopes and dreams for your career going forward?
Going forward in my career I hope to keep working in the advertising field more and also branch out and try my hand at designing in other ways, such as the music industry and print. One of my biggest dreams as a designer is to see a billboard with my work on it one day in Dallas. So I'm going to do everything possible to make it come true.
