Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Derek Mohr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Derek thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

Oh yeah, I failed incredibly hard during the middle of the pandemic. My partner very unexpectedly left, taking my place of living and dog away in the process — and “defeated” is the softest word I would put my mental state in after that, for a long time. That stable source of happiness was what helped me design for a long time. The only thing to pull me out of that death spiral was to keep designing anything that I could keep my focus on. Eventually, decent artwork started coming back again, once I forced myself to create things in that sadness. Sure, it was darker and more grungy than anything before, but at least it was movement! Once that ball started rolling, I remembered how much my own creative work pulls me through good and bad times. I created a couple of my favorite logos, then favorite series, and eventually created a branding company! Once I realized I wasn’t defined by my stability, I was able to start to put that failure behind me.

Derek, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Of course! Well I’m Derek Mohr, a designer, developer, and creative something-something currently living in Grand Rapids, MI. My day-to-day is [mostly front-end] web development, collaborating and coding websites at Mighty in the Midwest. But since just being at a creative agency isn’t enough, I also do some freelance logo design, which occasionally lends itself to being a brand’s graphic designer from time to time. I’ve also grown up (and later moved back to) Grand Rapids, so I have a lot of work with the city itself as the theme…which led to starting my first business, the Grand Rapids Branding Co.! I think my style typical comes across as bold or loud, and a mix of professional and casual. I love Bauhaus & Swiss styles of typography, but have been making a lot of things in the psychedelic style lately as well. I love creating identities for people or brands too, so it kind of works out I guess.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Honestly, it’s probably just curiosity. There is always a new coding language to learn, or design style to try. How could I ever stop?!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Well, I really get very uninterested in predictable scenarios. If I know what’s coming up, I can make mini plans around getting through it. If I never really know what’s coming up next, I can be more surprised and [hopefully] excited when the next scenario comes around! Working as a creative gives me that “who knows what’s next” feeling; almost constantly. My work for a DAO introduced me to the world of Web3/NFT’s; my logo for a railroad company led me to running a literal train in the conductor’s seat, and a poster series supporting “Your Choice” led to meeting some of Michigan’s government body at a massive protest — and that was all within 1 year! Add that to writing code for high-end websites at an agency…yeah, “bored” is simply not a way I feel very often.      

Contact Info:

• Website: https://onemohrti.me/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onemohrtimedesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onemohrtimedesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onemohrtime/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/OneMohrTime
• Other: https://grandrapidsbranding.co/ https://dribbble.com/OneMohrTime

Image Credits
Lisa Ghysels, Joelle Dodson, Joy Rhine