My name is Derrick Usher, and I'm going to be totally honest: the purpose of this site is to help me find a design job now that I'm done with college. I realize that my site isn't slick and shiny; you'll find no frame pops, gradients, downtempo techno music, Helvetica, or usage of the word "Solutions". Please don't get me wrong; all of these things have their place in the contemporary design marketplace, but I've always liked the Rothko concept of the "small, singular place" and all that it entails.
I like things that are handmade. Things that don't even physically exist in the technical sense can bear the signs of handcrafting. Digital media authorship has existed long enough to transcend its initial novelty; things made on a computer no longer have to flaunt their origins. Design is a process and a craft and a calling all rolled into one, and it can do so much more than sell teenagers energy drinks and cell phone service.
Well, I don't want to start off by boring you. Anything you need to know about my experience and education can be found by clicking the "RESUME" tab, and selected examples of my work thus far can be found in the "DIGITAL" and "PRINT" sections.
(To fill up the rest of the page, here are some fun facts about me. There will be a quiz.)
1.) I'm entering the design world at least eight years later than probably 98% of my contemporaries.
2.) I'm prone to fits of conversational excitement, in which I am inclined to SPEAK IN CAPS LOCK.
3.) I tend to geek out about little tiny things, and grow them into big tiny things.
4.) Before realizing that I was terrible at it, I wanted to be a writer.
5.) Sharp cheddar, Miracle Whip, and Oroweat oat nut bread? Best sandwich ever.