Today we’d like to introduce you to Pete Olszak.
Hi Pete, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been a graphic designer for 25 years. I started doing design jobs for various companies in high school, interned through college and finally got my degree in graphic design in 2007. Once I was out in the real working world graphic design became less and less fun. I worked for companies that I thought I’d love to work for but eventually got burnt out by the boring projects and office politics. I was at the end of my rope I thought. Maybe I was done with graphic design. But then, Covid happened and I was forced out of my mediocrity and that’s when the excitement came back. I couldn’t find a job because no one was hiring while the world was shut down. I finally had the chance to build a design company I wanted to work for. I took everything I learned over the last 20 years and used it to create Big Wave Graphics in 2020 and currently work with over 350 clients in a variety of industries. It has been a grueling 5 years full of ups and downs but the freedom to work and create on my terms has been nothing but exhilarating.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. I had zero experience running my own business. I learned every lesson the hard way. When I have interns who want to work with me, I tell them they have the best teacher because I’ve made every mistake every step of the way. One of the biggest hurdles was getting sales. I always said I am not a salesman, but if you think that way then it’s true. I had to reframe my thinking from making money from sales to helping people with a problem. Most of the problems were that people had a business name, idea and money to get started but they had no idea what they wanted their brand to look like. That’s where I came in and the more they knew what I actually could do, the more they wanted. Once I looked at the business as helping and not trying to make a ton of money everything fell into place.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I started as a graphic designer but soon become a copywriter, illustrator, writer and whatever else a client need. I am always honest with the client when I get a request I’ve never done before, but if i think I’ll enjoy figuring it out I take it head on. I’m very proud of the name and reputation I’ve made for myself in SW Florida. I am always getting clients who come in saying so and so said “you’re the guy I gotta see”. I’ve worked very hard for that privilege. I think one thing that sets me apart is the time and energy I always spend with the client especially in the first meeting. I know my goal is figure out what they have in their head and ask the right questions to be able to extract it and create the roadmap for the project. I don’t care how long that takes in the beginning because it saves so much time throughout the rest of the job.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
It’s going to change BIG time. Right now everyone is worried about AI. I’m not. AI is an incredible tool to use but it will never replace the humanity of the arts. I encourage all designers to embrace it and learn it well to help streamline your workload, not to replace your skill you’ve worked so hard to perfect. My only fear is that society will accept AI art as a substitute for human talent in the name of affordability. If that’s the case, I predict we will have a glut of generic “oh that’s AI” artwork but eventually we will miss the old days as we usually do and then the designers who stuck it out will be sought after again once the craze cools off. At least that’s what I’m hoping for. But who knows.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.printsarasota.com
- Instagram: bigwavegraphics
Image Credits
Pete Olszak
