Graphic Design Emphasis
There are very few things in this world that excite me as
much as art and design. As a creative person, art and design, consumes me daily
in my speech, my thoughts and my actions. I am consistently dissecting the
world around me, looking for inspiration in all of it.
Art has always been part of my life. Since I was a child, I
loved to draw and play with anything that could put color down on paper. This
continued into my high school years when I found a passion for photography and
logo design. In 1997, my high school photography teacher said, “This is where
the world is going,” and introduced me to the digital world. I took that advice
and started to learn how to manipulate photos in Photoshop. Not only did I do
it for photography, now I was able to sketch a logo, scan it into Photohop and
manipulate it instead of using an airbrush, art boards and tape. The scanner
and Photoshop started to become second nature to me. My love for all things design
has continued since.
Inspiration comes to me in many forms, from nature to movies
to architecture to furniture to typography and certain kinds of art. The Color
Field Painting style of art is a personal favorite with Kenneth Noland, Josef
Albers, and Mark Rothco sitting at the top of my list. Mid-Century furniture
design is also something I look to for design inspiration. The the art and
culture of the World War Two era is compelling to me. Over the last few years, I have fallen in love
with typography and I follow the work of Sean McCabe and Jessica Hische
faithfully. As well, I am lucky to be surrounded by friends who artists and
designers. I find a great deal of
inspiration with in my own social network and community. As a group of friends
and designers, they drive me to hone my craft.
Massimo Vignelli said, “You can’t find something you like,
design it. ” That idea has stuck with
me. As a designer, we can get so wrapped up in working on the computer, but you
can create better design by using different mediums to solve your design problems.
My current field of study is graphic design, and because of what Vignelli said,
I find myself using as many different mediums to finish my final pieces, from
photography to sculpture to drawing to college to whatever it may be.
I plan to continue my study of design as a way to personally
refine my craft, and to become more verse in what I do creatively and
professionally.
