Oct 13, 2014 8 Questions With: Jordan Price
When I knew Jordan Price, he was living in New York and living as a fine artist, weaning away from shoe customizing. He had been a graffiti artist before that. A few years ago, he moved back to San Francisco and has been working as a UI/UX designer. He has recently been featured in various news outlets for a piece he wrote about his experience working at Apple which can be read at Medium.com, and last month he released a much anticipated photo sticker app Super Cool. I was able to wrangle him from his busy schedule to answer 8 Questions.
What are you currently working on?
I just launched a sticker app for iPhone called Super Cool. It’s basically Hello Kitty meets Bape meets Jeff Koons meets 80s Lisa Frank at an Apple Store in the projects. I designed, developed, and created hundreds of stickers for the app, and now that it’s out, I’m continuing to grow and improve the app. I’m adding more stickers and working with other artists so they can get their artwork in the app too.
How has your experience been launching your new app?
It’s been an absolutely incredible amount of work. I know from the outside, it seems like a really simple little app, and in a lot of ways, it is. But considering I’ve done all of this alone, it’s a very large project to take on. I’ve been working full-time the entire time that I’ve been building Super Cool. I also have a young daughter. I’ve sacrificed a lot to get this thing out: sleep, money, social life, weekends, etc. etc. At one point I was so overworked that I ended up in the hospital. I don’t think people will ever know or care how much energy has gone into this. Sometimes I wonder why the hell I do things like this, because it makes life so much more complicated. I am glad it’s out though.
What have you learned as an app developer?
I’ve been designing apps professionally for a number of years now, and I’ve designed apps for bunch of different startups and tech companies including Groupon and Apple. It’s been great, but I always felt a bit stifled creatively when working on someone else’s product and vision. There are so many more skills needed to launch your own product beyond just design: development, marketing, creating partnerships, management. It goes on and on. Am I an expert in all these fields? Hell no. But I know a bit more about them than I would have if I hadn’t pursued this.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up?
I really didn’t know. I used to wonder what I would be. I do remember there was a point in time that I thought being in the Coast Guard would be cool. I’m not sure why. Obviously that didn’t pan out. When I turned 13 I decided I wanted to be a graffiti artist. That turned out a bit better, but it never paid well. I did it for the love.
Where do you find inspiration?
Japan has been the most inspiring place I’ve been recently. It’s awesome. It has the urban vastness and sophistication of a place like New York City, but it’s better designed, cleaner, and there are awesome cartoons and mascots everywhere. Even the police force has a cute mascot. It totally energized me creatively, and I think you can see a bit how it has inspired my artwork.
How would you describe your job?
At my day job I design interfaces and user experiences for mobile apps. I work with a large team of engineers, designers, project managers, etc. It’s pretty cushy compared to other shit jobs I had when I was younger. Super Cool is a whole other thing. I wear lots of hats. It’s art and technology and business all smashed into one. It’s basically like running a small startup.
What is your favorite post-work destination?
Bed. I usually work too late. I’m actively trying to stop that.
If you could give some advice to your teenage self, what would it be?
I don’t know what I could tell myself that would be useful. I was having a great time when I was a teenager doing graffiti about 5 nights a week, so I would’t really tell myself to change that. I’d say that what you learn in school is way overrated, and the real learning happens by doing things. Working for big fancy brands is overrated as well. Getting internships and good mentors is super important and useful to figure things out quickly.
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