Today we’d like to introduce you to Barron Johnson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Barron. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began my graphic design career in 2007 when I was making personalized Myspace Layouts for myself. A few friends saw how cool my page looked and asked for me to make them a personalized layout as well. I would charge them a small fee and make them look like someone important, as far as customized myspace pages went. I learned that something I was doing for fun could generate income and had my heart set on doing something I loved for a living. A few years later, through family influences and societal expectations, I went to college for engineering leaving the graphic design business behind as a mere childish hobby. Through connections, over the next few years, I created a party promotion group with my friends. After paying $100 every event for party flyers, it became apparent that we could cut costs if someone in the group learned to create the event flyers, instead of outsourcing the task. I then purchased a laptop, downloaded an illegal version on photoshop, and self-taught myself how to do graphic design. Two years later, I am now employed as the graphic designer for a multi-million dollar company, while working to run my own graphic design business, where I have full creative freedom and the ability to work directly with other people who are chasing after their dreams the way I am chasing after mine. I also purchased a legal version of photoshop now, if you were wondering.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My graphic design career has been anything but smooth, the way most creative/freelance careers are. The constant “feast or famine” situation, which is the idea that some weeks or months you have a surplus of work coming in and some weeks or months you go without a single project, is a very unpredictable and uncertain road. I do give glory to God though, as the opportunities being presented to me at this current stage of my career are making all of the struggles that I endured in the beginning worth it. I believe that a big struggle for creatives comes from the people who care about you the most. Those who think that they are looking out for you by discouraging you from pursuing a creative career are the ones who you look to the most for support. After graduating college with a degree in business, I was advised to look for jobs not pertaining to graphic design at all. That led to discouragement and self-doubt, a lot. My family, though, supported me and my career decisions every step of the way, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Barry Good Graphics – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My company is Barry Good Graphics and our business is Graphic Design and Photography. I built this company around the idea that no matter what circumstances are placed in front of you, you can always make a way. The main service we sell is Graphic Design, with a focus on artistic album art and event flyers, as well as personal art. A lot of artists seem to focus on what is in style, what the next big style to emerge is going to be. At Barry Good Graphics, we are all about creating work that defies what is popular or in style. We would rather create something new and exciting over something that will fit the current norm. Quick turnarounds and strict attention to detail are something that we pride ourselves on, as well. “Wow, that was fast” is something that I really enjoy to hear – strictly referring to turn around time, though.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I have been working on building connections with people who are chasing their dreams and risking it all to do so. Most people who do this are already making major strides in their careers or will in the near future. Those are the people I am interested in working within the future. I would like to expand the Barry Good Graphics company to include many people who are talented and ambitious in their own craft. Expansion into different mediums, such as clothing or videography, are feats that I see in the near future of this company.
Contact Info:
- Website: barrygoodgfx.com
- Email: barrygoodgraphics@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/BarryGoodGFX
- Twitter: twitter.com/BarryGoodGFX
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
