Jessica Hische
Letterer, graphic designer
Who are you, and what do you do?
Jessica Hische, a letterer, illustrator, and graphic designer in Brooklyn.
What hardware do you use?
At my studio: A 2.93 GHz quad-core 27" iMac with 8 gigs of RAM + an additional 24" Apple Display (the main screen is my "work screen" and the extra display is my "distraction screen" for Twitter, email, iChat, movies, etc). I use a Magic Mouse for most of my work, an Apple trackpad for casual internetting, and a wireless keyboard. I make most of my phone calls using my Skype number and use a Blue Ball microphone and a variety of headphones to make that happen (and not sound crappy and echoey).
At home: A 15" MacBook Pro with 8 gigs of RAM. I work from home quite a bit as I don't like to stay at the studio very late at night and my schedule often requires I work long hours.
On the go: An 11" MacBook Air with 4 gigs of RAM, which is perfect for client emergencies when I'm traveling, for working on small vector projects and for working on typefaces, which don't require a massive screen. I also could not live without my iPhone, which I hardly use for phone calls since AT&T's 3G service in NY is terrible, but use constantly to check email especially when traveling. I have an iPad as well which I've found very useful for reading book manuscripts (which I must do when designing book covers) but don't use it as much as I thought I would for other things.
And what software?
Adobe Creative Suite CS5 (primarily Illustrator), Lightroom for importing and "developing" RAW pix from my GF1, Fontlab Studio 5, DropBox for backing up all of my files (I could not live without DropBox considering the amount of machines I'm constantly switching between). Google Calendar synced to iCal for scheduling projects and social events, TeuxDeux (online to-do list app) for when things get hairy. I mostly use TextEdit as a word processor (it's just simple and easy (and "free")). I use Wordpress for my blog, Tumblr for my Daily Drop Cap site (though I will be switching to another format once the project is finished for better archiving).
What would be your dream setup?
I'm actually quite happy with my hardware setup at the moment. Really the only thing I truly dream about is a good wireless Internet option when traveling. Every time I leave the country, even for a week, my phone bill is between 200-300 because of AT&T's crazy data roaming charges. Even with a "plan" it is expensive. If I could have a WiFi hotspot device that I could effortlessly use internationally and at a reasonable price I would freak out.