My design work explores and expands upon the ethics of minimalism. A lot of my work is inspired from the German artistic movement Bauhaus. Bauhaus design is often abstract, angular, and geometric, with little ornamentation. This type of influence can be seen in my “Timeless” typographic poster. I think as a designer it is crucial to understand who you are as an artist. I am a designer who values the importance of utilizing the grid when laying out the composition of the work. Understanding grid systems helps speed up the creative process because I can easily tell if the composition is too open or too congested. I personally believe good design must be created with a goal/purpose in mind. Whether that goal/purpose is functional or just for fun, one must pour a bit of themselves into their work so that the audience/consumer connects with the final product. Researching is an extremely important part in my creative process. By research I don’t necessarily mean just books, I also look towards music. I would say music is my secret weapon when it comes to designing due to me having a rare condition called Synesthesia. In a nutshell, Synesthesia is when you hear music and see colors and shapes coming from the song itself. Music helps guide those creative thoughts and applies them to the design that I’m currently working on. I know my design is successful if I can instantly attribute a song to it, if not then I know I missed the mark. Another important factor in my creative process is considering the Typography. It is the key factor to success in the world of graphic design. It can make or break you. When designing, figuring out what typeface I’m going to utilize is always my first goal. It helps set the tone of the piece that I’m currently working on. Typefaces have personalities too, use this to your advantage! I try to make sure that the Typography I use talks to the viewer and compliments the overall vision of the work. One of my personal favorite typefaces is Helvetica due to its simplistic yet elegant nature. Helvetica dates back to 1957 but it has aged like fine wine. I argue that it has more cultural impact than any contemporary typefaces at the current moment. Class is what I value most when it comes to discussing Typography. Speaking about class, I find it extremely impressive when a designer can capture a person’s attention with only two objects appearing on the poster. I’ve seen too many posters with multiple elements and vectors on it that fail to meet the mark. When creating, I heavily consider what design will withstand the test of time. It is easy to get caught up in design trends that sometimes we forget that there are principles and values we must follow in order to succeed in the design world. There is a quote that my professor said to me that I always keep in mind when creating. He always said, “less is more.” Simple I know but very effective.
