Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Lauren Gallagher, a Chicago-based graphic designer, currently working as the Lead Designer for Cards Against Humanity. I also help curate our office gallery space with the Chicago Design Museum, and assist in running a small printing press.
What hardware do you use?
I usually start a design project by writing a list about the brief in my sketchbook, which is usually a Field Notes or Moleskine. Then I move onto sketching. I like using colored MUJI pens so I can include grids or directions within each sketch. After that it depends on the project, but I do all of my digital design work on a 15" MacBook Pro. If I'm working on a print piece for Cards Against Humanity or for myself, I might print in-house on our HP DesignJet T520 or risograph it on our RISO EZ391U.
And what software?
Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop for design, Sketch and Sublime Text for front-end, Slack for communication, Bear for note-taking, Flow for project management, Pocket for saving online articles, and Spotify for music-listening. I'd like to learn Cinema 4D or Blender to start incorporating 3D into my practice.
What would be your dream setup?
To be the honest the Cards Against Humanity office is pretty close to ideal. The office functions as a coworking space for local writers, podcasters, game designers, web developers, photographers, puzzle makers... the list gets longer and weirder. I love getting to know them, their willingness to share their knowledge and talent is invaluable. It's my favorite part about working at Cards Against Humanity. The only thing I'd want is a more spacious print studio for everyone to share.