Showing posts with label Designer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Designer. Show all posts
Interview: Kishya Greer
One of my favorite things about social media is the almost kinda sorta true social aspect of it. I mean you really do get to meet people. Better still you get to meet interesting people. You know the kind of people you actually read their email and dig what they have to say. Here's one such person; Kishya Greer, She's one of those smart designers that can hold her department down. She's smart, creative and has initiative. She's moving ahead and I suspect nothings going to stop her. I go on and on about the future looking bright due to smart young people like her, well you're going to want to adjust the brightness on your monitor yet again because the glow just got greater. Read below and glimpse the greatness.
How did you discover design?I discovered design in high school actually. I love music and I had a lot of CD's then and a huge CD book filled with my favorite albums. There where slots for the CD's on one side and a slot for the matching CD booklet on the other. I never wanted the booklets to be damaged in the so I would spend hours on my Grandmothers computer designing square inserts to match my favorite CD's to put into the book. I remember matching colors and trying to match typefaces and putting horrible effects on the type as well. I had no idea I was designing or that there was a career path I could take doing this all day. I was just having fun. Around that time I would also hand draw the type treatment from my CD's onto regular printer paper. I would spend time getting it just right then fill in the color with jelly pens. I still have some of these stored away. Here and there I stumble across them and sort of laugh and wonder how I had time for it.
I had a class in high school my senior year where I learned all of the Macromedia programs (Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver). A guy from the Art Institute of Dallas came to talk to the class one day and I thought it seemed cool that I could be a animator or design for a living. I went to schools open house not long after that with my mom and I started school at the Art Institute a week after graduating from High school and I fell in love from there. Since I went straight from High school I graduated at the age of 21 with a BFA in graphic design.
Or is it just sort of a default setting that has little bearing.
I think that being a Black American has an impact on design expectations but it is not a huge impact on my work. It puts expectations on me from every angle. I have been expected to spice up social media pages with falling stars or horrible effects like that. I usually have educate people and say "What you see as the "fancy" pages is not good design and I am not following the pack by replicating that." Sadly rap CD covers make some people think tacky is good. In my work I try to do very clean design. In the 90's when Cash Money Records was a big deal with all of its badly designed CD's it bothered me till no end. That was before I was into design and it still got under my skin.
In a corporate world I think being Black American woman maybe at first glance some may have low expectations of me until they see my work. Once my work starts to talk for it's self I have people that only want to work exclusively with me. So yea, it does have an effect but not a huge one. As a designer the work that you produce speaks much louder than your skin color.
Is being a woman designer different from being a man designer?
Not all positions or projects are given based on quality of your work and passion for the job. In most situations it really does not matter what I am. But, there are very few situations where it effects the progress in my career path.
What aspect of design do you really love? Logo design, typography, type design Layout, etc?
I just have a strong hunger for design and the only thing that helps ease my appetite is learning and doing new things. Design is really my life. I dream about it and I critique menus when I eat at restaurants. The designer light is always on in my head. I look at things and think about how I can make things better. Always up for a good challenge.
I love logo design and typography. For all active designers we know that it takes time and a lot of brain power with a dash of luck to pull off a great logo. I want to learn much more about typography. It is a challenge to work with it in a way that is innovative.
What's your dream job?
That is a tough question. My dream job would be a position where I am making a difference. It could be behind the scene in a marketing team pushing for a better way of life or something as simple as making someone laugh at a ad. A good print price can bring people together if done right. The paper choice, typeface, and spot varnish are all things that make a difference in the tone of a piece. Here at my current position I do a lot of internal event posters. People working here in a bland office see the posters and stop and read. They also attend the events and have fun. That little bit of joy to a persons day is my aim. As long as I am not just working for food but I am actually helping others, I will continue to be happy. I'm excited about the future and all it has for me.
Can you discuss any specifics about the process of creating a few of the pieces you sent?
The black pocket insert (with the number one) project was brought to me with the goal of communicating that the company was ranked number one in a number of segments by the Black Book of Outsourcing.
Since this was used at a conference where lots of letter sized collateral pieces are handed out, this piece was made to fit in your shirt pocket. The thought was to free up the hands of people that came by the booth. We received feedback stating they loved that they could stuff it in their pocket and keeping their hands free. Of course they had to read it to find our contact information to give feedback. Needless to say, the small size worked for this project along with a clean design.
Any advice for neophytes?
Be persistent and keep pushing yourself to the next level. Get a design mentor. They will teach you and help you become much better at what you do best.
Designer, Illustrator, Future: Branden Collins
You know every time I think I've earnt myself some good old fashion laurel restin' –– along comes some fancy ass kid who is just killin' it! Ladies and gentlemen meet Branden Collins; your new reason to stay up at night game tightnin'! This kids work is something like a phenomenon. Have a look, enjoy, be afraid, be very afraid dammit!
"Mister Collins" is originally Branden M. Collins, a native of Cleveland, Ohio now residing in Atlanta, GA. I've been doing artwork and a lover of the arts since my childhood. I'd like to say that, over the years, I've grown to have a more eclectic taste in both music and art, both media inspiring the other in everything that I do. Music and art to me are both languages that compliment one another, one not surviving solely without the other. Music has been a large foundation of my art for many years, inspiring me to do my first set of art shows with the
"Instant Vintage" series in Savannah, GA at the DesotOrow and Dimensions galleries in 2006 & 2007. Since those shows, I've become involved with an amazing creative collective called "The Big Up!" comprised of a few of my most talented associates from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA where I attended as an animation major for two years. Along with The Big Up! creative collective, I've grown tremendously as an artist and have come into my own and have become much more interested in art as a multimedia form.
Now, with the "Mister Collins" series, I've taken on the challenge of presenting my work as multimedia, social art. I want to challenge the viewer to become more than just a "spectator" of the work and themselves become an integral part of the work itself. Such was the case at "The Human Soul Project" art exhibition at Studio 900 where I presented a number of instillation pieces, a sort of scrap/sketch book & tape recording as my artist statements, and provided crayons for visitors to draw on every inch of the gallery space. In doing these things, I felt that I could really provide an introspective look & connection between myself and the viewer as well as an outlet for social expression.
I plan to continue exploring "Mister Collins" through the creation of more instillation and social art, as well as a book release entitled "The Strange Strange World of Mister Collins". You can find more updates and info on my personal work as well as that of The Big Up! on my website:
Interview: Designer Andrea Pippins
It's been said that design is where science and art break even. For Andrea Pippins design is where fun, fabulous and fly all get together to make magical lovely! She is one of those rare designers that transcends all graphic design norms. Instead of using all manner of trickery and photoshop alchemy to make something interesting. She's fierce and unafraid to break out ye ol' exacto-knife, french curves and rapid-o-graph pen (what are those, right) –– they are classic tools used to create graphic design the old fashion way. Andrea painstakingly, intricately creates it by hand. She's like the Tracy Reese of graphic design. And then Pippins further cements inferiority complexes amongst her so-called "peers." When she then magically transports all that designery goodness into, get this... a computer and makes even more vector-pixel-mash magic. I had a chance to ask her a few questions about being a genie (or a designer) and where all the flyness comes from.
What aspect of design do you really love? Logo design, typography, type design Layout, etc?Logo design is by far my favorite. I LOVE designing logos. There's something very special about branding an idea, company or product in one simplified (or complicated) mark. I also LOVE hand-lettering/hand-drawn type which for me is a combination of illustration and design. If someone hired me to just design logos and create beautiful hand-lettering I would be a very happy graphic designer.
"Farmers' Table
This is an identity for a company that would bring fresh fruits and vegetables to people who do not have access to quality supermarkets. The logo is a combination of existing type and drawn elements in Illustrator. The style of the logo along with the fruits and vegetables was inspired by old calligraphic lettering from vintage ads and market signage. I wanted it to feel organic to represent the produce yet simple because it relates to the idea of a Farmer's market (but didn't want it to feel too farmer-y because I feel that look is somewhat overdone and not as special). For the illustrated produce, I drew them all by hand, scanned them in and redrew them in Illustrator."
What's your dream job?
See above! No, really I have tons of dream jobs. But I would really like to take what I know and disperse that information to inspire others. I guess that would make my dream job a curator of creative inspiration. When I was teaching classes as a part of my graduate fellowship my favorite part was showing my students new work or even older work to inspire them. Whether it was a design book, an illustrator I just discovered, or a cool animation I would be so excited to share it with them. Most times, they would just stare at me blankly but it always felt so great when a student would say later, "Hey that book you showed us about poster design was really helpful" or "thanks for emailing that site, it gave me some good ideas." I love that. I would like to continue doing that on a larger scale.
Can you discuss any specifics about the process of creating a few of the pieces you sent.I Love My Hair - This poster is one of a series for a go-natural campaign. As I mentioned before I love hand-lettering, so when discussing coily hair I thought using that medium would be perfect for the typography. I first hand-lettered the type then scanned it in, cleaned it up in Adobe Photoshop before applying color.
Any advice for neophytes?
Don't be afraid to ask for help, If you don't know something seek it out. There is always someone out there ready and willing to help get you where you need to be. I would not be where I am if it weren't for the help I received from really generous people. Get a mentor, reach out to people you admire. And show people your work. When I graduated from undergrad I showed my portfolio to a lot of people who weren't hiring. It was really great practice for me to sell my talents and get comfortable talking about myself. It was also a good way to get feedback from professionals who see tons of portfolios all the time.
To see more of Andrea's amazing work and endless amounts of curation, inspiration and musings visit her Fly blog. Now! I'll wait. https://sites.google.com/site/mayuradocs/PinIt.png
Designer/Illustrator/Typographer: Ashkahn Shahparnia
I'm digging Ashkahn Shahparnia, designer and illustrator from California. Funky, bizarre, simple and interesting works.
cred:
Ashkahn Shahparnia https://sites.google.com/site/mayuradocs/PinIt.png
Illustrator/Designer: SOZYONE GONZALEZ
Born in Brussels, influenced by his neighborhood, its stories and legends, Pablo Gonzalez works his Art around the world of Villains. His first drawings decorate his pairs cells, and wins his first star in the field during winter '82 recopying an old belgian 100 franks banknote. Two days of work that will serve his brother, testing the forge by buying a pak of Luckies at the tobacco cornershop. Becomig forger was what he thought he could do, and decided, helped by his brother to study Art.
In '88 he studies at Saint-Lucas Art School and meets Smimooz Exel (with whom he creates De Puta Madre) both expelled, they'll attend the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts from '90 to '96. During that period, Pablo Gonzalez will have a great interest in Metropolitan Graffitis aesthetic vandalism, and becomes officially Sozyone, with his crew R.A.B, forgetting forgery and use of forgery. 7 albums, hundreds of graffitis, stages and jams mark the Time when Hip Hop was 'Fresh' and Untouchable.
In 1996 he creates with Gold Jaba, Prince Pro, Turs, Byz and Kool Recto, The UltraBoys International, asserting a new form of Graffiti. An aesthetic impregnated with Marvels, abstract futuristic mathematics, alphabetical contructivism, and facial Picassonic cubism, brutally refined. A sort of Pure Graffiti Vanguard, ignoring any other vision of graffiti, supposed useless.
Since 2004 Sozyone exposes his work, sought by certain purist and becomes Sozyone Gonzalez for his new public, which ables him to make Authenticity certificats for each one of his pieces, sculpted, engraved, painted or drawn, reminding him without a doubt his attraction for paper to handle delicately, gloves chalked.
Peep:
www.sozyone.com https://sites.google.com/site/mayuradocs/PinIt.png
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