“Interview time.”
He sat up straight. “I’m ready.”
“What made you apply for me assistant job?
“Easy,” Morgan said. “I’m a huge fan of your work, and I’ve been followin’ you, or it, for a long time. When I saw that you were lookin’ for an assistant, I jumped at the chance to apply. I can draw, too, and selfishly, I was hopin’ to learn from you as well as work with you.”
My lips parted. “You want to learn from me?”
“Definitely. Your work is inspirin’.”
I felt my cheeks stain with heat.
“Thank you,” I murmured before looking back down at the questions I had prepared for him. “You’re aware of what your job will entail?”
When I looked back up, I found him nodding.
“Overall business management.”
“And you think you can handle that?” I quizzed. “The number of job offers I’ve received in the past year has tripled, and I can barely read through them enough to organise and prioritise projects that interest me.”
“We can devise a system,” Morgan said. “Once I know what kind of projects you are drawn too, I can categorise which jobs to prioritise and which ones not to.”
I nodded and looked back down to my questions.
“You said you had experience, and I’ve read what you’ve previously done, but what do you think you can bring to my business?”
“A strong work ethic that will achieve efficiency for your company,” Morgan answered. “I will do everythin’ that keeps you from sketchin’ right now, and I’ll make it better.”
I looked up and grinned at his confidence.
“Make it better how?”
“Your work is outstandin’, but as of right now, you don’t market that very well.”
“Job offers have tripled for me in the past year,” I repeated. “That seems like marketin’ is doin’ just fine.”
“But that is through word of mouth and referrals, correct?”
I hesitated. “I guess.”
Morgan nodded. “That is fantastic, but I can market you on a higher level and reach people who don’t know you from Adam. Advertisement is the key to success in graphic design. We need your work pushed into potential clients’ faces. You need to be picky and aim for projects that will be successful on their platforms. I’ve seen your designs on book covers, but only one of those has become relatively successful.”
“So, you think I should work on projects where they will be successful in their own market to draw attention to my designs?”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “I’m not sayin’ you shouldn’t work on other projects because success can come from anywhere, but right now, you need to get your name known.”
I nodded, finding myself agreeing with him.
“That’s another thing,” he said tentatively. “Your business name.”
I frowned. “What’s wrong with Go-to Designs?”
“It’s quirky, but not somethin’ that reflects your talent at first glance. You need a business name that will make people take the time to click on your website or social media pages. The name will draw ’em in, and your designs will keep ’em interested. You aren’t a typical graphic designer. You don’t use someone else’s images to create a design; you sketch and make somethin’ completely original. Your images don’t look sketched unless it’s a client’s preference. Your designs look like photos before you scan them to a computer, and we need to market that talent.”
I felt my ears burn at the praise.
I lifted my cup of tea and took a sip. “I’m assumin’ you have some names in mind?”
Morgan’s lips twitched. “A few.”
“Let’s hear ’em then.”
“By a few, I really mean one.”
I laughed. “Go on.”
“Enigma Creations.”
I blinked. “I ... I actually really like that.”
“Brilliant.” Morgan smiled. “Your designs are a mystery to me sometimes because when you draw somethin’, it looks so lifelike, I have to remind meself that you hand drew it.”
I bit the insides of my cheeks.
“Thanks, I think Enigma Creations is perfect.”
“Glad you think so.”
I went through a few more questions with Morgan, and the more he spoke, the more I wanted to stop him from talking and offer him the job completely. By the time I had asked him the last question, I was grinning like a fool. He smiled back at me.
“Does that smile mean I got the job?”
“It most definitely does.”
Morgan beamed. “Deadly.”
“I’m goin’ to convert me spare bedroom into an office, so eventually, I’ll have a place for you to come and work. I originally intended just to have you as an online manager of things, but I think havin’ a work space will be much better. Does that suit you?”
“You have no idea how much.”
We worked out an hourly wage and work schedule, and then we chatted a little bit. I learned Morgan was twenty-one, and he was originally from Finglas but moved to Tallaght with his parents when he was a kid. Like me, he attended the Dublin Institute of Design and had just graduated with his BA in graphic design. He was an only child and wasn’t very close to his parents. After I finished another cup of tea and Morgan drank a coffee, we stood to leave the café.