![\"screencat\"](\"http:\/\/opensourcedesign.net\/images\/interviews\/julia\/screencat.png\")
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Why do you work on open source projects?<\/h2>\n
I believe if people work together they can come up with valuable ideas that will help people solve problems or accomplish many different things. I think diversity is very important and I appreciate learning from other backgrounds. Open source often brings people from all over the world that care for different causes, and that\u2019s very exciting to me.<\/p>\n
How often do you contribute to open source?<\/h2>\n
Several hours a week, probably 20-30 a week.<\/p>\n
How did you get started working on open source?<\/h2>\n
I started contributing to ScreenCat first, per a friend\u2019s recommendation to start using my design skills to help projects and to get some experience under my belt.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s one of the hardest things about working on open source?<\/h2>\n
Onboarding new users. So many environments out there are very hard for me to understand at first with just following a guide, so I can imagine other fellows feel the same. I come from a more design heavy background although I am familiar with programming but, as a designer, sometimes I need some hand holding to get things set up and going.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s one of your favorite things about working on open source?<\/h2>\n
Meeting people from all over the world.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your favorite typeface? (obvs)<\/h2>\n
Can\u2019t really choose one but Fira Sans is a pretty sweet open source face by Mozilla.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most recent design book you\u2019ve read?<\/h2>\n
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products<\/p>\n
What websites do you go to for inspiration?<\/h2>\n
I mostly find things on Twitter nowadays by following people in the design\/tech field.<\/p>\n
What are the biggest differences between open and non-open projects?<\/h2>\n
Open source serves a bigger purpose because it is made by everybody for everybody, and closed source have many restrictions on the use, modifications, and distribution of the software.<\/p>\n
![\"foss-contributors\"](\"http:\/\/opensourcedesign.net\/images\/interviews\/julia\/foss-contributors-checklist-icons.png\"){kind=icon}
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Do you see open source as larger cultural movement than just software?<\/h2>\n
Definitely. My idea of open source doesn\u2019t just apply to software, it should be applied to working together to build anything that helps people, and that is open for everyone to contribute to.<\/p>\n
How would new people go about joining your project?<\/h2>\n
Ask questions. It may look intimidating at first to be getting into GitHub and learning how to fork a repository or make a pull request. I recommend talking to people through issues or if the project has an IRC or Slack channel to introduce yourself and show your interest in the project. There aren\u2019t many tools\/workshops\/guides out there, unfortunately, for designers who want to join open source, but hopefully we\u2019ll be fixing that with Open Source Design.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your design process? How do you contribute to your open source projects?<\/h2>\n
Usually I hop in conversation by joining issues on GitHub. Or create my own issues suggesting new ideas.<\/p>\n
What are some of your favorite tools – open or not-open?<\/h2>\n
I really have been loving using Atom! The community makes some of the awesomest themes I\u2019ve ever seen for an editor before. Of course the git integration is a great bonus.<\/p>\n
Gimp is really great. I believe it still needs a lot more design love in the terms of usability and experience but it\u2019s very advanced and you can accomplish a lot with it.<\/p>\n
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**Source of this article: http:\/\/opensourcedesign.net<\/a><\/p>\n Bringing together designers and open source projects: https:\/\/github.com\/opensourcedesign<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I believe if people work together they can come up with valuable ideas that will help people solve problems or accomplish many different things. I think diversity is very important and I appreciate learning from other backgrounds. Open source often brings people from all over the world that care for different causes, and that\u2019s very exciting to me.<\/p>\n