Jamal Smith



Jamal Smith: It’s Not Just My Name, It’s a Brand…

jamal smith
Jamal Smith is a well sought after web/graphic designer because of his passion and ability to express his clients' inner most emotions through his work. In 2004 after gaining a supportive clientele base, Jamal started his own company, Bleu Print Graphix Inc., based in Long Island, NY. This gave birth to jamalsmith.com. Jamal has designed for Martha Stewart, Juanita Bynum, DJ Eddie F, Fat Joe, Lil Kim, The National Enquirer, J. Holiday, just to name a few. Some of his clients include Capitol Records, Warner Bros. Records, Kwamé, Make Noise, Hip Hop 4 Life, Shades of Essence, Je'Caryous Johnson, Steeze Records, Legend Pet Food, Matted Tangled Hair, and one of his biggest mentors, Vera Moore of Vera Moore Cosmetics.

How would you define your personal design style?
My design style is very clean, elegant, sometimes simple but attractive. I design by the way I feel. It is like how an artist feels when painting a masterpiece.

What makes a good website?
First, functionality and then the design of the website. A lot of people want websites that have a great design but then when it comes down to it, the functions are terrible. When you look at a website, you want the user to be able to go through the website with no problems and make them feel like they have been there prior.

Where do you think the future in web/graphic design is headed?
The future of web design is always going to take off. As we notice in today's world, more companies are moving toward social networking and the paperless realm. So web designers will always have a job and continue to make it grow. If you look at web design in the previous years and how the internet is going now, it's beautiful. More and more people are using the World Wide Web. And even in order to get a job these days you have to know your way around the Internet. As for graphic design, people don't understand that graphic designers are the ones who make the world more colorful. You go to Times Square in New York, and look at all the graphic designs that are up but you never think about who actually sat at a desk and came up with the designs. Even if you read the newspaper, magazines, look at a movie, drink from a Chick-Fil-A cup, a graphic designer did those things.

Since you first started, how has the web/graphic design industry changed?
Since starting my career 7 or 8 years ago, the industry has changed so much. Every year, there are new programs coming out. I believe while in school I was using Dreamweaver 4 or 5 and now we are on Adobe CS4 and a new version is coming out very soon. The programs are changing drastically with enhancements. You have to stay on top of the programs just to stay ahead. There are so many more designers now that you have to try even harder to stay on top of everything.

What are your most effective methods for attracting new clients?
The most effective method of attracting new clients is by word of mouth. I'm a strong believer of word of mouth which is how I built my career and company. When people hear about me, the first thing I hear is that my work speaks for itself and that a friend referred them and spoke highly of me. I do my best to make sure that I can produce quality work and treat every client as a friend. It helps to give great advice to them and let them know that you are gifted at what you do however, and that you are willing to listen to their ideas. I've noticed in my years that some people have great creative ideas but really don't know how to translate them to a functional website. When you can retract the information from a client, they will recommend you to others.

web site: www.jamalsmith.com