Come along as we get to know Chris Dowding, a motion graphics designer who works on several government contracts, and is coming up on his one-year Pepperversary!

1. Do you have any nicknames?
Not nicknames exactly, but I’ve used a few aliases when playing DnD, or other TTRPGs.

2. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
I am the exact opposite of a morning person, so I usually wring out every last ounce of sleep I can before I have to start the day.

3. What is your favorite part about working as a multimedia designer?
The problem-solving process in After Effects is really engaging. There’s never a dull project, but I never feel out of my depth either.

4. How did you get started in this industry?
Kind of by accident! I studied Interactive Media and Game Design in college, but when I started using After Effects for real in an animation course, I just liked it better than most other tools we used.

5. What are your favorite tools of the trade? What are the worst?
In addition to After Effects, I’m a big fan of Photoshop and Illustrator, though I can be a bit nitpicky about some shortcomings of their integration with AE. By contrast, using programs like PowerPoint for animation feels extremely underpowered.

6. Do you have a set process when working on a new project?
I like to get a lay of the land, picture how things will go in my head, and then identify what areas might be the most difficult, or any areas where I don’t have a strong idea of how I’m going to attack them.

7. Rapid-Fire Round:

Caffeine or no: Nope

Sweet or savory: As I get older, I lean more towards savory

Favorite TV series or movie: Hunter x Hunter

Favorite place to travel: Road trips and/or national parks (see photos)

Hobbies: Board games, travel, and music

8. Okay, admission time… What company does an amazing job at creating videos for marketing purposes?
I go by a motto with design: If you don’t know what to do, just do something similar to Apple. It’ll never fail.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know Chris. As always, stay tuned for next month’s Pepper Talk to meet another member of our team!