Jessika Gouveia

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Jessika Gouveia ("JG") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

JG : I graduated in graphic design in South America. After working as a junior designer, I moved to Europe, where I worked as a web/graphic designer while obtaining my Master's in 3D Animation and Motion Graphics. I kept pushing forward—more and more invaluable experience—and after going managerial I decided to take the ultimate career leap by moving to Asia in 2011. I had a fantastic time Asia, working multi-language with people from all over the world, while at the same time being able to contribute my own global POV along the way. I had the opportunity to work in 2 startups building products from scratch and managing designers from Taiwan and 4 provinces of China. After 4 years in Taiwan I decided to take the next step and move to United States. Currently my focus is designing On-demand Knowledge centered products, on both app and web platform, improving users productivity and learning with the help of AI.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

JG : I wanted to create beautiful compositions

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

JG : I can't imagine being something other than a designer

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

JG : I wish I could design more apps

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

JG : Try to learn as much as possible, always keep yourself up to date and experiment a lot

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

JG : Hard work and perseverance

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

JG : I think a really good design inspires emotions

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

JG : Good design makes life better, less stress less friction so people can focus in what is important to them. I think everyone should invest on good design, not just for aesthetics but to make life a little easier for everyone

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

JG : I would design apparel for dogs

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

JG : To create a design system that will allow me to better manage design at scale

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

JG : I don't think that there is a secret recipe, more of a gut feeling that can be verified with user success

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

JG : I think PhotoStudy is my greatest design, helping young people access help in Education has been great and rewarding.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

JG : Read a lot of books, not just about design but about strategy and business. Focus on the user with a lot of research. Test and iterate as much as possible, and repeat as many times as you can.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

JG : I wanted to study Architecture at some point

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

JG : My family and friends are my biggest supporters. My Mom could do anything she put her mind into, she was a great inspiration

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

JG : Working in different industries and different countries

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

JG : Language barrier and cultural differences, designing a product for the Chinese market was challenging but rewarding

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

JG : AI assistend Knowledge

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

JG : To continue helping people with my designs

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

JG : World class designs

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

JG : Educational projects, the feeling that I'm helping people in some way is satisfactory