
LET’S MAKE
IT WORK
Playing outside doesn’t pay my bills.
When I’m not out on the trails you’ll probably find me working in the studio.
About Me
As much as I love being outside, I actually spend a lot of time sitting at my desk. I call myself a multi-disciplinary designer because I prefer to do a variety of things.
I designed my first logo when I was about eight years old, and I’ve been making designs ever since.
I studied at UBC, Emily Carr and BCIT. I worked in small design agencies while living Vancouver and moved to Kelowna to become a Lead Interaction Designer for Disney's Club Penguin. I was also the Senior Product Designer at FreshGrade, a tech start-up serving the Education industry. Over the years I’ve picked up loads of experience and certifications in user experience and interface design.
In 2017, I started freelancing full-time to help individuals and companies reach their goals through creative direction, brand and identity design, communication design, UI/UX design and product design.
If you might need help in any of these areas, let's connect! I'd be happy to help in any way I can.
Nathan Karsgaard
What I do
-
Sometimes you just need help getting an idea into action. It's important to make sure your idea can be executed on time and on budget, but it's also important to make sure it is on brand and hits the right audience to get the results you’re looking for. I can help you flesh out your ideas and provide the creative support you need.
-
A brand identity can make or break a good idea, but it's more than just a logo. In my opinion, you shouldn't even start with a logo!
Really, it all starts with an idea. A brand is an experience and you can kick off a brand with any number of elements. These brand touchpoints can be as simple as a colour palette, a font choice, a phrase... How you string them together can create a consistent experience on which you can begin building your brand right now!
I want to help you set up brand guidelines that will enable you to create consistent experiences across a multitude of touchpoints. A logo is just a representation of your brand identity that people will recognize and associate with you. I can help you solidify your brand identity and understand how you plan to reach your target audience. Once you've got this down, then it may be logo time.
-
Like most technical services, User Interface and User Experience can get expensive fast. However, putting the effort in at the beginning of a project will pay off in the end.
If you're just starting out you might not have the funds to build your entire app from scratch. With loads of experience in website design, app design and interface design, I can help you turn your napkin sketch ideas into tangible assets, whether that means conceptual mockups, or wireframes, or clickable prototypes.
So you've got an idea for an app and you want to share your idea with someone before you start building. Let's whip up some mockups or click-through prototypes so you can get to the next step.
-
This is what most people think of when they decide to hire a designer. When a client says, 'I have an idea, I just need you to make it pretty!' a lot of designers cringe. The truth is, I love making things look great. I've had a lot of ideas in my life, I don't need to get emotionally invested in yours to feel good. I get more excited to see my clients get excited about their own ideas.
Whether you're just starting out or taking your side-hustle to the next level, I can help you create brand assets to expand your reach and presence in the marketplace. Some examples could be brochures, posters, cards, stickers, reports, templates, swag, trade show exhibits etc...
-
With social media, it is important to be consistent. It can be super difficult to stay ahead of the game. I can help create content with targeted and consistent messaging. Or, I can help you schedule your content so that your audience doesn't miss your important messages.
Use my creative skills to help you create content that reaches more people. Whether you're using photos, digital flyers or promotional ads I can help get you going. I don't really want to spend my time making 1000 banner ads for you, and if you're a small operation you probably don't have the budget to pay me for that. I can, however, help you by making templates that you can edit yourself so your brand can have a consistent expression across a variety of touchpoints.
-
I hear this a lot... "Can I get this whipped up real quick?" and I usually say, "Sure, I can help with that." Sometimes it's photo editing or turning an image into a vector graphic or reformatting a document for print. I've been doing this stuff for a long time so I am quick.
-
I take a lot of action and adventure photos. I like taking photos at races and fun events. Click here to see some of my work.
However, I can also help with a set of headshots for your website and social media profiles, or you need product shots to test your new line with customers. I can help you get the images you need to get your project moving forward.
-
HOURLY RATE
I charge by the hour in 15-minute intervals with no minimum required time. This way you get the most bang for your buck! (even if that's just a lil'pop.)
FLEXIBLE PRICING MODELS
I'm open to other pricing models for projects that are particularly interesting. Perhaps you need a layaway plan or would prefer value pricing. If you need help, but can't afford it yet, let's talk and see what we can do.
How I work
As a designer with almost 30 years of experience, I've tried a lot of things, some have worked and some have failed. Over time, I have developed a flexible creative process that works for me and allows me to work collaboratively so my clients can be involved as much as they want to be.
Research >
I get excited hearing clients talk about their projects. There is something inspiring about people putting their ideas into action! But, before I can help with a project, I need to understand your project goals and strategy. I can work with you to get the important details out of your head and into the wild.
Design >
Design is sometimes confused with just making things look pretty. Really, design has more to do with the thought that goes into how to solve a problem than the way something looks. Deciding upon how to solve a problem is where the true design skills kick in. I prefer to help my clients understand the direction and plan before finalizing visuals to make sure that the project goals are addressed.
Execute >
This part of the process is the time to put the plan into action. With a flurry of clicking and dragging, I build concepts and prototypes, testing the design against the project goals along the way. Finally, I create the assets and deliverables that you will actually use to get the results you want.
Evaluate >
In my opinion, good design is only as good as the goal it's trying to solve. So taking the time to measure the success of every project can be extremely valuable for future projects. This evaluation is specific to each type of project and comes in many forms.