If you can dream it, he can design it. Donald May, VP digital experience, blends his innate curiosity and adventurous spirit to drive innovative digital strategies forward, enhancing user journeys and empowering AW’s clients to achieve their goals.
What three words best describe you?
Curious: I really want to know absolutely everything there is to know. (I wish I could be immortal, so I’d have time to learn everything.)
Caring: I care deeply for people and want to see everyone happy and successful. I enjoy helping AW and our clients be successful and grow.
Adventurous: I love being out in the world and trying things that others find scary. I have jumped out of planes, flown in gliders, surfed 12-foot waves, and regularly ride my two motorcycles. The phrase I most often use is “Where next?” (Sometimes, I use that during a night out with my two best friends as I persuade them to go to another bar.)
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
The best advice I have ever been given comes from a quote by Goethe: “Whatever you can do or dream, you can so begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”
What aspects of your job are people always surprised to find out?
Many don’t realize I’m a very versatile designer. I have, at one time or another, designed graphics, websites, advertising spots, motion/animation, packaging, interiors, furniture, fashion, exhibits, and industrial products.
What do you like about working at an agency?
Two things come to mind. First is variety. I get bored unless I can work in a diverse range of industries, with a variety of clients and projects. I like the challenge of taking in and digesting as much as I can about something new and applying that learned knowledge to thoughtful solutions.
The other has to be the people. I have always found that agencies attract the most intelligent and creative people, and I love surrounding myself with as many smart people as possible.
What inspires you?
Everything and nothing at once. I find inspiration in nearly everything I see, hear, read, or learn about. And at the same time, I’m inspired by the blank canvas, the unplanned day, and the possibility, the potential, that each holds.
What’s your go-to Happy Hour order?
Buffalo wings and a Jack and Coke.