cityLife x Designer/Photographer Laura Austin x Interview

First impressions mean more to me than fist pounds, pencil crayons, and a beer in the trunk of a car.  Way more.  As a designer, I tend to search the interweb and Starbuxes for fellow designers, exagerating my skills, creating a cloud of negative energy, while shouting "Networking is for chumps."  My social approach is downright hilarious.  At least I think so.  My first impression of Laura, after discovering her column at Rad Collector, was that of pure freshness, and we all know that I can smell fresh from a mile away.

Laura Austin is a designer slash photographer, currently working for Quiksilver.  I recently investigated the massive talent this girl has to offer. 

What's yo full name, including quotations and apostrophes, symbols, etc?
Laura Jayne Austin... I’m not cool enough to have quotations or apostrophes in my name.

I believe you are so if anyone asks me for your name I'll tell em its Laura "The Sledgehammer" Austin PhD.  Tell me what projects you are working on, or in, or behind?
Right now my full-time gig is at Quiksilver... I design a lot of their print content (catalogs, ads, posters, etc), primarily for snowboarding but I work in skate and surf as well. Tons of different things going on there.  I always have little side projects going on to keep things from getting stale and I’m always looking for opportunities to shoot more photos. Been putting a lot of energy into my column on Rad Collector lately, it’s nice to have an outlet like that where I can post whatever I am into at that particular moment.

Would you throw a pair of Crocs off a boat if it meant you could steer the boat for 5 minutes?
I think I would throw a pair of Crocs off the boat regardless. Haha. Nah, I can’t hate on Crocs... I hear they are super comfy, but I’m not gonna lie, they are damn ugly.

I tried eating my cereal out of a pair once, but they did the "death roll" on me, spilling milk all over the floor.
No comment.

Favorite local brands apart from Quiksilver?
Two California brands I am stoked on right now are Comune and Brixton.  I love the aesthetic and brand image that both companies have. Well tailored stuff with nice fits.  I'm really feeling the Comune Autumn 2010 preview.

I am also lovin this Brixton Siren top.

And then I have to show some love for the company I work for... I’m not going to lie, The Quiksilver Women’s line is pretty rad.... My personal favorite is the Gardening Club Top.

Check the lookbook online, and the preview below.

Time for some knuckle pump thank yous.

So many people have helped me along the way.... I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even put stickers on my snowboards anymore because I’m afraid I would leave out a brand that has supported me. So I’m going to use the same tactic here and not get specific. I’m by no means big enough of a deal to where I can say... “Thanks to all those who have helped me get to where I am today” because I’m still pretty new to all this and have a long way to go.... But a big thanks to all those who are helping pave the path.

Check out some sample photos below then visit Laura on the interweb here to view her awesome portfolio and cop her contact information for client inquiries.