When clients need an image boost or image make-over, they come to Eriq Chang for help. Eriq Chang of Eriq Chang Studio works with large brands and advertising agencies rebuilding brands from the ground up. Eriq’s broad range of high profile clients include: Facebook, Disney, Warner Brothers, RuPaul, Intel, Microsoft and more! Below are some of Eriq’s highlighted projects including the design and retail packaging for 1428 Film’s Nightmare on Elm Street documentary DVD “Never Sleep Again”.
Marketcircle: What do you love most about being an art director and graphic designer?
Eriq: My favourite part is watching people’s reactions and their excitement level change through the power of great design. The process is very collaborative. They’re involved beginning to end, and the feeling of ownership is extremely rewarding.
Eriq has always made organization a priority because he likes knowing where everything is, so when he found Daylite in the Apple Store, it was a perfect match!
Marketcircle: What makes Daylite a good Mac CRM and project management software for someone in your industry?
Eriq: Daylite is simply great business software. In addition to storing all of my client information, it allows me to keep track of where I am on each project. As an art director, I always have about 15 things going on at any given time. Managing communication with vendors, artists, art directors, agencies, clients, etc. can be a daunting task. On a single project, the collective crew can reach well over 40 people. Daylite organizes everything and everyone I need in one centralized place. It integrates everything I love about Evernote, calendaring and even keeping track of relationships, which is important in a studio environment. In Daylite I have a visual representation of every project I’m working on and that is a huge help – the ability to see every production phase on any number of projects. To be a successful artist you need to be a smart business person. And any good business person knows that teams and relationships are key. I find Daylite invaluable, it helps to organize my thoughts and makes things easier.
Marketcircle: What features in Daylite help you the most?
Eriq: My favourite feature in Daylite are the ‘project pipelines’ – they’re essential! I like that they’re so easily customizable – every designer has their own process. I’ve customized my pipeline to include initial client meetings, design phases, implementation phases – and any number of steps that suit my workflow… this way I always know where I am on each project. I also find the opportunity feature to be extremely helpful as well because I’m able to look back and see what where improvements could be made. Groups are very helpful when I’m working on a big project with a large number of artists involved. I can group everyone that’s involved in a project together and send out a mailing in one step… that way I won’t forget anyone important. I’m working on an art book about a celebrated gaming company, Sierra On-Line – they produced memorable games like King’s Quest & Space Quest back in the 80’s and 90’s.. and the project involves so many different people! Since it’s an archival project, I am required to keep track of people that are contributors of art, print and sample vendors, and any number of jobs related to the publishing process. I am able to group people in Daylite with ease. Groups also help when working with different creative agencies – for a visual person, it just makes life easier.
Marketcircle: How did you feel about Daylite when you first started using it?
Eriq: It took me two days to learn Daylite inside and out – only because I am obsessed with how things work. It is an extremely powerful piece of software that gets better the more time you spend learning how it works. The ability to connect people with other people, viewing how relationships are built – that’s what makes this software really exciting.
Eriq enjoys keeping a tidy workspace, and surrounds himself with things that inspire him.
