For Ames, the most important aspect of a design lies in its success and ethics. “By ‘success,’ I mean how successful it was at solving the brief’s problems, not simply how many people saw it or how much money it made,” he says. “Ethics is the caveat to that. There are examples of design, both current and historical, that have always been ‘successful’ but successful at causing genuine harm; tactics that deepen people’s loneliness and insecurities, campaigns that spread misinformation, advertising that greenwashes toxic products, campaigns that encourage children to smoke.” Ames sees these ethically barren campaigns as effective, but not good, and for him, successful design needs both.

Ames establishes rapport with his clients by doing solid preliminary research, listening carefully, and taking meticulous notes. “Only promise what you can actually deliver so the client can recognize the difference between confidence and bluster,” he says. Clients are involved in Ames’ day-to-day work to the extent they want to be and as much as time allows for. “If the project has extremely tight deadlines, then there simply isn’t the time to get anything wrong, so regular check-ins stop it from drifting off course,” Ames says. 

He plans to continue his professional growth by expanding his creative community and grow personally by working on his physical strength and mental health. “There are two things I love about being a designer,” Ames says. “The first is that it gives you the ability to make your imagination real. Secondly, I love design because it can never be perfected or completed. Instead, it’s a lifelong practice in which you always have new skills to learn, styles to try, and ideas to bring to life. If it’s a journey without end, with ever-changing scenery, then how can you ever be bored by it?”