Andy Thelander
Andy Thelander is a Co-Founder and Creative Director at Active Theory.
After moving from Australia to Los Angeles, he now lives on Venice Beach with his wife and skateboards to work everyday. Since starting Active Theory in 2012 he’s had the opportunity to concept, design and develop a wide range of interactive applications for brands such as Google, Under Armour, Toyota and Coca Cola.
10 questions for Andy Thelander:
What did you do before becoming a designer?
I knew I wanted to work on computers so I took at a job at my university’s IT helpdesk while I was studying.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I use a news aggregation tool called usepanda.com, it helps keep me inspired throughout the day. Within it I spend most of my time looking at dribble and behance.
Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?
Non-Format, McBess and Hello Monday.
Is your city a good place for designers?
Most of the work we do is web based, so the location becomes somewhat unimportant.
Which technologies are you excited about in 2015?
VR and WebGL on iOS.
Do you listen to music while you work? Describe your playlist.
A lot of house music. Usually, I’ll put on a hour-long Soundcloud mix from the likes of Justin Martin, Kygo or Branchez. When I’m in pitch mode, I get serious and put on some Gesaffelstein.
What are you cultural influences? (Music, books, films, ideologies, etc.)
I’m a big fan of Pixar, Dreamworks and Miyazaki films. I just sit there in awe of the amount of planning and craft that goes into creating a beautiful feature-length animated film.
Have you got an academic background or are you self taught?
I have a dual degree in Information Technology and Arts. I like to think my job is a shifting mix of both. I’ve bounced back and forth between designing and developing since I’ve graduated and think it’s been great at influencing my decisions in both fields.
What do you do in your free time?
I’ve recently been playing far too much League of Legends. When I go outside, I like to hang out at the beach and watch kids tear it up at the skatepark.
Where do you see the industry in 5 years?
Hopefully better connected and more specialized. The best projects are the ones which bring together artists who excel in a specific field; and they may not all live in the same place.
Are you working on any personal projects?
I’ve been working on a oculus music visualizer that I’d like to show someone one day.
If you could give one piece of advice to newbie designers, what would it be?
Never settle, you’re only as good as your last project.
