Ha! Yes! Design is…
CONCEPTS with big, sharp teeth.
LOGOS that make your brain dance.
Rushes turned around so fast they SPIN.
It’s also Jim Hayes and some pencils and electronic equipment in a house with almost as many offices as bedrooms. It was originally called Cenozoic Design. Only geologists understand that name.
I’ve thrived as a free-lancer in two centuries because my philosophy is to provide high-quality design, illustration and writing, within your time frame, at a cost lower than places with receptionists.
Call (801) 486-8444 or email.
The Ha! Yes! Q&A
Q: Can you really make me look better without a nose job? I understand they hurt.
A: Yes, I can and yes, they do. Your business will become more attractive when it not only looks better, but is also portrayed with concepts that slim and flatter. And it won’t hurt or blacken your eyes.
Q: Why the name, “Ha! Yes!”?
A: After 20 years of being Cenozoic Design (and another decade in advertising and design agencies), it sank in that whenever somebody asked if something was possible within a timeline or budget or skill set, the answer was usually “Yes,” and when I was feeling frisky, “Ha! Yes!” Plus, it gives me an excuse to stick exclamation points into my name.
Q: Does everybody love you, or just marketing directors?
A: Everybody, but dogs and marketing people most of all. It’s a good match. They know where the business needs to go and have the general ideas, which I enhance with writing and design. It’s platonic love, though. There will be no freakish hybrid children.
Q: Is the customer always right?
A: Yes, in their minds. And in restaurants. But if you have ideas that waste your time and money, I’ll dump opinion all over you. Ultimately, though, it’s your decision, even if it sucks.
Q: Are you a prima donna?
A: Well, no, not in the literal, Italian sense. I’m not even a woman. If I’m given a change of direction that seems ill-conceived, I’ll wrap my brain around it and try to make it make sense before I get into serious whining. I’m pretty easy to work with.
Q: What do you think of the expression, “Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two”?
A: It’s pretty accurate, but efficiency makes the boundaries squishy. The majority of the time, I can show one round of ideas and we’re off to the races with a good product. And hiring a 1-man ad agency costs less than a 12-person ad agency. It’s because of math.
Q: Why did you stop working at a 12-person ad agency?
A: As The Agency That Time Forgot started sinking, Atlantis-like, into the briny deep, I sought other employment. To my surprise, I was repeatedly asked by interviewers if I was a graphic designer, or an advertising designer. I told them I’m both, and by the way, I wrote the copy and drew the pictures. That didn’t fit their specialized idea of an employee, but I chose to see my strengths as, well, a strength.
Q: Final question. It’s been said by some—you, actually—that you’re better at Photoshop than Jesus. Can you prove that?
A: I have photographic evidence.