Designer of the Week Maurice Cherry has something to say. He delivers much of his message through his passion projects—which include notable projects like the Black Weblog Awards, Revision Path and 28 Days of the Web—and he’ll be saying more (in person!) at HOW Design Live 2016 in Atlanta. There, he’ll deliver a session called “Where Are The Black Designers?” and explore the topic of diversity in the design community. (Psst! Hurry now—you have fewer than 10 days left to save up to $440 on your HDL registration!)
As the founder and principal at Lunch (formerly 3eighteen media), Cherry also helps clients craft and deliver their messages—in ways that foster relationships with underrepresented communities. Past clients and collaborators include Vox Media, NIKE, Mediabistro, Site5, SitePoint, and The City of Atlanta.
Name: Maurice Cherry
Name of Firm/Studio: Lunch
Location: Atlanta, GA
Design school attended:I didn’t attend design school! My undergraduate degree is in Mathematics from Morehouse College, and my Master’s Degree is in telecommunications management from Keller Graduate School of Management.
How would you describe your work?Good question! I do a little bit of everything at Lunch—design, coding, admin stuff, etc. My day-to-day work consists mostly of working on new business, overseeing design direction for projects, and consulting with clients.
Where do you find inspiration?Mostly from music. I’m a former musician, so something about the rhythm and textures of music really inspire me to create new things.
Who are some of your favorite designers or artists?I’m a big fan of hand-lettering, so I dig the works of Vaughn Fender and Ade Hogue and Marcus Williamson and Raquel Rodriguez. Sarah Huny Young is someone who’s work continually inspires me and pushes me to be a better and more thoughtful designer. Brittany Holloway-Brown, Nneka Myers, Asia Kendrick-Horton, Chris Barker, Darhil Crooks, Kevin Karanja, and Paul Davey are all artists who are pushing the boundaries of representation in illustration, layout design, and more. I could go on all day!
[Love hand-lettering too? Check out these 25 stunning hand-lettering projects!]
Do you have a favorite among all the projects you’ve worked on?Revision Path has probably been my favorite project out of all the ones I’ve worked on. It’s not the biggest project, but it is the most personal. Design is something which is for everyone and by everyone, yet the mainstream design community does not reflect or showcase that level of diversity. Revision Path is one small way of showing just a fraction of who is out there if you step outside of the box.
Is there a project that stands out to you as having been the biggest challenge of your career so far?Well there’s one project I’m working on now which I can’t say too much about—confidentiality agreements and such—but it’s helping a new startup design their team and their culture. It can be easy to look at design as something which exists in an ethereal or digital way, but being able to design how people work and the processes they use and how to shape a culture which makes them work as their best selves is quite a challenge. I’m loving every minute of it.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?I truly want to make an impact on this industry as it relates to making sure more Black designers are seen, heard and recognized.
What’s your best advice for designers today?Be nice! You would be surprised at how far having a positive attitude will take you.
Design Inspiration Exploration
Staying inspired is one of the most challenging problems that designers face. In this course, you will learn six explorations on how to stay inspired when you’re stuck in a creative rut.
Empower yourself to find & seek, alter, gaze and feed your creative soul. We will complete several exercises that will help you on your inspiration journey. Getting a new perspective will show you that you can push through creative blocks by changing up your creative routine and surroundings.