An Interview with crowdspring Designer, Dhian Kusuma

It’s not easy to create unique, memorable logos.

But, diligence and dedication to your craft can make all the difference.

This is true for Dhian Kusuma, (who goes by the username otnielz on crowdspring), a competitive logo and graphic designer.

We recently spoke with Dhian about his experiences working with crowdspring.

Dhian is a former computer programmer, father of two, Instagram addict and coffee-lover. In his time with crowdspring, he’s submitted over 6,000 designs to over 1,800 projects and been so successful that he was able to pay off 10 years’ worth of mortgage payments with just one month’s awards!

We talked with Dhian about his crowdspring experience, how he became interested in graphic design, his two young sources of inspiration, and his design process (spoiler – it involves coffee!).

The images in this interview are the winning designs from some of the projects Dhian has won on crowdspring.

1. Please tell us about yourself.

I started working as a graphic designer 11 years ago. I was in college and graduated with a bachelor of information technology as a programmer.

But, after graduating I decided to become a graphic designer because it turns out that programming is not my passion. So I taught myself and I’ve been living from my drawing ever since.

2. How did you become interested in design?

I liked to draw since high school and from there I became interested in the world of design.

I got to know the world of graphic design during my graduation thesis. I made a website, and learned I am more interested in designing the user interface than the web programming itself.

3. What led you to start using crowdspring?

I started out using the internet for online gaming and got bored because I simply spent a lot of money. Then I started thinking about how to make money from the internet.

I knew of crowdspring from my friend; and realized that I could make money from the work I enjoy doing.

4. What inspires you?

I’ve got a lot inspiration, especially designers from Indonesia.

But my biggest inspiration comes from my sons. When I’m stuck, lazy, bored with work, I just think about my sons. They need food, milk, school, sneakers, toys, vacation…and much more.

My sons are 6 and 2 years old.

5. How would you describe your style?

Clean – Simple – Effective

Logo and branding are my favorites. And I’m just learning more about negative space logos. Negative space designs push me into thinking more creatively in a simple way.

Less but more!

6. What is the design process like for you? How do you start?

Make the coffee, read the brief, make the mood board from Pinterest, sketching (brainstorming) and make it into a vector.

Black Coffee is the best! 2 cups a day.

After I read the brief, I open Pinterest and research some keywords. This helps me discover logo styles and helps me avoid creating a similar logo that’s been created by another designer.

7. What do you do in your free time?

Instagram and playing with my sons. 🙂

8. What is your most memorable project on crowdspring?

I remember in Dec 2015, I got a lot of winner notification emails. And from the projects I won in that month, I could pay off the rest of my home loan for 10 years. Amazing!

9. What is your favorite part about working on crowdspring?

Crowdspring has a playful email they send to the creative who wins the project. It’s called the “LUCKY DOG” winner notification. I love getting those messages. Thanks crowdspring!