Meet Johannes Held

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johannes Held.

Hi Johannes, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a 3D Designer originally from Reutlingen; a small town located in the south of Germany.

As a kid, I wasn’t on a set road to becoming a designer, I would say. I was heavily invested in learning about various topics like microbiology and anything to do with nature.

It wasn’t until I went on to edit my first snowboarding and skating videos that I started to play around with iMovie and taking my first baby steps with the Adobe Creative Suite.

Fast forward to a few years later, I discovered Rhino – a 3D modeling software, as part of an architecture research project. This seemed to ultimately combine the best of all worlds for me. I started spending hours modeling random objects I found around the house, taking pictures of interesting materials, textures, and settings that I then ended up recreating in 3D.

After gaining more insights into the industry, through initial work experience and the constant exchange of ideas and concepts with my friends, I made the decision to study Graphic and Media Design at the London College of Communication. Being part of a fantastic community, I then had the opportunity to be surrounded by great tutors and designers on a daily basis, which made learning design a true joy. During that time, I held onto 3D as my main interest, mostly spending my time with tutorials and the intention of including 3D in every project brief I was given. Towards the end of my time at university, I then started to take on more freelance work, which ultimately allowed me to pursue the path I’m currently on.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the obstacles for me was finding the confidence to pursue a specific discipline within the design field. Like it is for most creatives, the challenge is wanting to soak up a lot of knowledge fast, ideally being good at a multitude of disciplines at the same time. With the industry being so fast-paced, this can lead to finding yourself with what feels like a lot of possibilities and just not enough time at hand to explore them all. I was lucky enough to have great mentors like Marvin Schwaibold and Sean Hobman alongside me, helping me develop as a designer early on. By observing their workflow and techniques, I quickly understood that iteration is vital to good design and that everyone has a field in which they truly excel. Finding just that is what I first had to learn, and that I am still learning today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In my work, I mainly specialize in creating 3D visuals and in helping to build interactive web experiences. I enjoy bringing creative ideas to life by focusing on details and transporting the message through subtle tones and textures. In the past, I’ve had the chance to work with many talented designers and agencies like Watson Design Group and Active Theory, including work for clients like Spotify, Wall Street Journal, and Ambush. I also feel honored to be a part of the FWA Juror’s panel, where fellow designers and I take part in curating and honoring outstanding creative work in the digital design industry.

One project that I’m very proud of is the branding of the Web 3 Application Degenscore, which took place a few years back. On this project, I truly enjoyed iterating on the small details, capturing the art direction within additional 3D visuals to support the brand’s philosophy. This project and many others you can also find linked in my portfolio, Twitter, and Linked In page.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Even if we don’t see it as such in the very moment – luck, both good and bad, certainly plays a role in every career, I believe. Looking back on the positive side, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had opportunities come my way that I didn’t plan for or expect to happen. Meeting my work friends so early on in my journey was definitely one of them. During my early days in London, away from home, it gave me the chance to get constant feedback on my work and access to great advice from like-minded people. Throughout the years, this has resulted in many great projects in collaboration with a circle of Designers and Developers that is constantly expanding. This allowed me to grow and truly made me appreciate working surrounded by a great team. Contrarily, I find myself setting the bar very high for myself a lot. Naturally, this sometimes can also result in moments of setbacks to navigate through. I’ve, however, learned to see these moments as opportunities for development, even if they seem to be disappointing at first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://johannesheld.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannes-held-1263521b9/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/held_johannes