Saxton Campbell is a designer living in NY, NY, who I stumbled on randomly after setting up an account on Behance. I am drawn to him because he seems to have merged design + art + styling + fashion + photography in a minimal, clean, fresh, and eye-catching way that I would love to be able to learn how to do with my own work.

His work seems to be most influenced by the International design movement as it’s very pared down and has clean lines and clean type.

Here is an example of a brochure he worked on that made interesting use of grids and blocky text. Also, I am drawn to the absence of color and yet the design remains visually appealing. His work doesn’t all follow this minimal color usage but he does seem to like monochromatic color schemes. Here is a campaign he worked on to bring breast cancer screening awareness that incorporates his photography and design:

I find photography compelling because it breaks the fourth wall and alludes to breasts in a way that’s abstract and not sexual. The color also isn’t stereotypical pink, but a warm fleshy color that’s really appealing to me. I also like his sense of balance and layering of fonts. You can see more of Saxton’s work here:  Saxton Campbell

I really respect the call back to Do It Yourself that is going on, in contemporary art. The beauty of having something handcrafted can be lost in translation when someone uses a computer. It feels more personal and more profound when you know that someone got down and dirty with their project, turning it into something that someone else could’ve done on a computer easy. But it’s the effort and energy that was put behind it that makes it so amazing. I feel as though I would definitely want to do some DIY projects in the near future, that will push me out of my comfort zone into doing thing that I never would of thought possible for myself. The hand lettering was just as beautiful. It almost seemed like “Freestyle Typography” if I have to put it that way. I feel as though you could put hand lettering and graffiti together in some ways. Considering they both don’t have to consist of a specific structure and follow a specific format. The video that we watched of the designers doing hand lettering on a cold window displays the “freestyle” nature of hand lettering. No need for stencils, or any guides. Just straight forward lettering, how you believe it should be done.

This type of design differs from traditional print design because with interactive design you can actually interact with it, and move it. With interactive design you can move things and touch other things so that different tabs and such pop open. The thing that interests me the most about this is that you can actually move and do things with the design and open up new tabs and go to different websites. Yes I see a lot of influences from the past styles that we talked about over the semester like how things are set up and some of the color choices that are made. The influences on some of the examples I seen are how things are set up along with how things move and the different interactive choices that you have. The person is using them by having them move in certain ways to change into other shapes and styles. These types of media should be considered “New Media” because in todays time period everything is done with technology and computers, cellphones, etc. So for the interactive design this is giving you that interactive appreciation for the cellphones and tablets, computers, etc. These are much more affective than seeing a piece of paper printed out you can actually move these and do different things with the interactive design.
https://albertocrocco.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/prototouch.jpg
https://albertocrocco.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/interactive-design.jpg
http://weandthecolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Illustrated-Website-Design-Pass-the-Play-563676346.jpg

No matter the artist I’m drawn to hand lettering anything. I have always loved the art of hand lettering. But the artist who have caught my eye are Tom Lane and Ryan Hamrick, among many others

Tom Lane, otherwise known as Ginger Monkey is an independent graphic designer, lettering artist, and illustrator with 11 years of experience in the industry. He has worked for an eclectic range of clients, from global commercial corporations to design studios and advertising agencies to small start-ups and individuals. His impressive client includes Coco-Cola, Nike Air Jordan, Bloomsbury, Sony Ericson, BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Heston Blumenthal. He works closely with clients to produce high quality crafted artwork, packaging designs and branding. Tom currently lives and works in Liverpool, UK.

Ryan Hamrick, multi-faceted and newly relocated to Austin, Texas, Hamrick is a letterer, illustrator, designer, writer and an occasional speaker. His impressive client list includes Samsung, Blackberry, Capital One, Evernote, Sutter Home, Foodspotting, and CreativeMornings.com. Aside from designing and crafting letters, he also accepts speaking engagements and workshops about hand lettering and calligraphy. He takes great pride in his extremely varied experience, and applies it to every new project he takes on, giving him a unique and very knowledgable view on how to best solve problems with beautiful, effective design. Ryan is currently taking on new projects and scheduling speaking engagements & workshops.

Web 2.0 was shifted from Web 1.0, which was the first stage of the world wide web. Web 1.0 made use of hyperlinks and frame sets. Shifting from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 was seen as a result of technological advances and uses of mass media, like Youtube, and Dailymotion.  Web 2.0 allows us to interact with each other via social media. Most motion designs can be displayed using electronic media technology, but manual technology can still work though. These types of design are more influential since this is modern times. Not as many people care for the traditional designs even though that is where we started with all of this. The more modern art styles look more fancy and appealing, while some think that certain traditional designs are outdated. I find myself more interested in the modern designs. For one, I didn’t exist back when the older traditional designs were introduced. It only makes sense that I would prefer more modern designs. That said, there’s nothing wrong with the traditional design as they have piqued my interest a little. I do believe that these designs and such internet means can be called new media. We watching and look at anything that catches out eye on the internet.

Shanti Sparrow is a current designer making great head way for all female designers in the world.  She is incredibly creative and highly influential.  She has a huge following and she is only becoming more and more popular.  Shanti Sparrow is a designer that is edgy and she seems to take influence from a lot of different time periods.  currently a lot of what she is producing it very colorful and very geometric.  She also does  lot of advertising and posters.  She seems to take influence from that international style mostly.  Her work seems to use grids to place things in very strategic places.  this is one of the things I like most about her work.  I like the order and the clean lines that are present in a lot of her stuff.  However she does use a lot of color.  I personally like to work in grey scale but I am super drawn to the colors she uses. She does a nice job with pairing colors and using a lot of cool color pallets.  Also the fact that she is a woman making such a big name for herself is outstanding.  It is hard for women to get as much recognition as men get and it is great that she is so popular.  I think her work will only become more popular and continue to influence more and more people. I think it will especially continue influence young girls who are looking to get into the industry of design.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/552465079272656646/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60306082489425358/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/484277766160693164/

The art of Hand Lettering. It’s the art of crafting unique and creative letters by hand, instead of using a font on a computer. It has always been intrigued by this type of talent and skill. To make each letter unique in its own form but look collectively uniform to other letters on the word, sentence, or quote. One artist that I particularly am impressed with and like their style is Tom Lane (Ginger Monkey). Lane is an independent graphic designer, lettering artist, and an illustrator. His clients includes Coco-Cola, Nike Air Jordan, Bloomsbury, Sony Ericson, BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Heston Blumenthal. The aspect of his design that I mostly respond to, is the curve and the flow of each letter into the next. Some of his images that I resond to the most are posted under this paragraph.

http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/typography-inspiration/meet-10-hand-lettering-artists-you-should-know/

Web 2.0, interactive design, and motion design are all categorized as “new media,” and rightfully so. They are unlike any design our former generations have ever seen. Predecessors to these design forms communicated a single printed image that allowed its viewers to generate a mental impression of the design. Now, rather than a single, still image that can only use artistic techniques to mimic movement, “new media” can produce several digital images, even moving ones, that leave an impression on its viewers without putting all of the elements into a single, overwhelming image. Also, whereas one previously interacted only mentally, one can now physically interact with art/design as well. (See links below).

http://journey.lifeofpimovie.com/#!/mysterious-island

http://www.beatboxacademy.ca

This new type of design is so intriguing because it allows us to not only appreciate the process and inspiration of an artist, but dive deeper and experience the creative journey for ourselves. Although one might say this type of design is commonplace by now, I believe it can still be referred to as “new media” because it was the first of its kind to be developed. Therefore, it is still very “new” and different from any of the traditional design styles of previous years, even if “new media” is continuing to advance more and more every day.

When it comes to new media like web 2.0, interactive design and motion design, there are so many things that are different in comparison to the traditions of print design. So many things are done on the computer now, we constantly have technology at our fingertips, and with all this technology, everything needs to be designed. If it weren’t for graphic designers, it is hard to say that we would have websites, apps and motions graphics that are functional and also look nice. It is different from print design because new media is everywhere, information can be spread across the web instantly. Not only is it everywhere, but it can be interactive. And artists can have their portfolios full of their artwork and photography spread across the web. It is also a great tool for artists and it a whole new media that is really and a new art form. New media is growing, new forms, programs, and technology is always being created, and I would say that it falls under the category of new media. Not only is there new media being created, but the ones that exist are constantly being improved. Artists need to take advantage of the new media.