Jan19
Who is Imulus? Interview with Scott Hooten: Creative Director
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Give us a brief introduction to what you do here at Imulus, and maybe why you are fondly referred to as ‘The crusher of hopes and dreams’
I am one of the owners and the Creative Director. I work with clients to solve their design, branding, marketing, and interface problems in creative ways. Internally I oversee the design team and push them to create better solutions. That’s where the “crusher” nickname came from. Sometimes one of our designers will think they have a great solution, and it is my role to say, “But did you think about this? What if the user does that?” And in doing so I “crush their hopes and dreams.”
You are a co-founder of Imulus. Since Imulus has been around for awhile and is doing great, what advice would you give to would-be entrepreneurs out there?
I really think you need to create a business out of doing what you love to do. If you are just in it to make money you’re going to be unhappy and burn out quickly. Starting a business takes a lot of dedication and time, so if you aren’t spending all those hours doing something you enjoy, it’s not worth it.
What one/few things would you boil down Imulus’ success to?
I think the three owners skills are a great fit for the work that we do and our personalities mix very well. While we have different strengths and weaknesses we all share a desire to constantly improve and are always asking, “How can we do that better?”
What do you like most about your job?
I love solving problems and I get to do that on a daily basis. I also really enjoy everyone I work with. Well . . . almost everyone ; )
Least?
Lack of time is always a challenge. There are so many cool ideas that would be great to pursue, but we can only do so much.
What is your dream car?
Do I have to pick just one? I think my current favorite car has to be the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione It is such an incredible mix of classic sports car lines with modern details. It is truly a piece of automotive art.
What do you think is your most valuable skill?
When you are designing you really need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of the target audience. I feel like I do a good job of looking at the design through their eyes and not getting to emotionally attached to anything if it doesn’t seem to work from the target users point of view.
You are quiet a lot. Tell us what is going on in Scott’s head when he is quiet.
You know, it’s the quiet ones you have to worry about. Actually I have always been one to think things through before I form or state an opinion. I believe that words are very powerful and that they should be carefully chosen if you care about their outcome.
If someone offered to buy Imulus tomorrow for 59.2 billion dollars tomorrow and you decided to sell, what would you do for the rest of your life?
See question 6. After buying that and a few other cars I think I would play for a few years. Travel the world, race cars, run, learn to scuba dive, play tennis etc. Once I got that out of my system I would figure out what kind of business I would like to start.
Who is the most influential person on your work and why?
I don’t know if I can pick a single person, but I would say that the Bauhaus movement and the Swiss Style have had the most influence on my as a designer. I have always felt that the simplest solutions are always the best and that the best designs get out of the users way and let them what they want.
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to remove.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
You used to be anti-twitter, and then you hopped on the bandwagon. Thoughts on tweeting after being through both phases?
I was very hesitant to get involved with Twitter because I am not what you would call a “self promoter.” I figure no one cares what I am doing on a daily basis. I think Twitter has an amazing ability to allow someone to broadcast to a worldwide audience very easily. For business it offers a great way for a company to broadcast directly to their customers and also for customers to interact with a brand. For me, I get a lot of inspiration from seeing what Lance Armstrong and Bernard Legat did for their workout today. I will sometimes post my workouts as well. Maybe someone will get inspiration from me, who knows.
Have any good designer jokes?
1st Designer: “Wow, you always have so many fonts, where do you get them from?”
2nd Designer: “Oh they come from Monaco, Geneva, Chicago, New York… I get them delivered at various Times throughout the day…”
1st Designer: “By who?”
2nd Designer: “A Courier!”
Your favorite piece of art
I don’t have a particular favorite, but I would love to have a Rothko on my wall.
If someone told you that you had to author a book and really be into it or the world would blow up, what would you write about?
I would write a book about the best running trails and the best driving roads around the world. It would obviously take a lot of research ; )
If you could choose to be in a movie, which movie would it be and who character would you be?
James bond in Dr. No











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