Vector on Tap - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

You do designs for a wide variety of things, like CD covers, magazine illustrations, and snowboards. Which industry do you enjoy working with the most?

Snowboards. It's just nice to walk into your office and see a big stack of them that you've done. They also take a lot of beatings so they last a lot longer and are good tools for the evolution in one's style. Can't say I still like the ones I've done, but it pushes me to move further. I'm more interested in getting into video toward the end of the year.

What sort of video work are you interested in? How would it compare to what you’ve done so far?

Mostly just standard computer animation. I want to learn it enough so I can offer that as part of pitches I do to some bigger animation studios. It’s mostly more a tool that can be used to help with a vision and to assist my clients, but also to learn it enough to put my own illustrations into motion.

It’s just a process of learning and seeing where things take you. I don’t ever want to just be “the vector artist,” or apparel designer. I want to branch out and see what happens when I learn different things. It could be a blessing in the creative department or a time waster, only time will tell.

So what are some of the things you like and dislike?

Likes: Coffee, Starbucks, designers who try before they ask how to do, and design books. Some of my interests are Soviet pins, vinyl toys, and buying stuff for the kids.

Dislikes: Unjustified egos, overrated-ness, and those assholes who have to cut in front of you while driving with only inches between you and them. Grrr. Bugs me! Oh, I also really dislike those Starbucks workers, or those high fashion mall workers who feel that they are above you because they work at Starbucks, J-Crew, or Guess. Never understood that. I’m Hydro74, dammit! I’m a vector stud! Err…did I say egos? Yeah, I hate egos… [Laughs.]

[Laughs.] So how did you get into Soviet pins?

Soviet pins, yeah, they’re amazing. There is so much history there, not only in design, but also the political complexity that they represent. I only recently got involved with collecting them because I assumed they were hard to get. After discovering some different places, I got really addicted. The true root of this started when a friend came back from Russia on a trip from college, and brought me some pins back. I loved them and had them on my bags, jackets, etc. Over the following year, they would get stolen from me. It’s funny when you look at your backpack and wonder, “Wow, where did that pin go?”

A lot of your designs look like coats-of-arms. Did that come from your interest in soviet pins?

Not really. I've always been in love with heraldry. I was playing with ideas years back before it really took off, so I was lucky to be part of the “trend” and to be able to do it well. I also try to think of different ways to mock up crest's to make them look less traditional, but more defined in my style. Still working on that, though.

Other than heraldry designs, I've noticed that you incorporate a lot of animals into your designs, like the gorilla/rhinoceros design for I/O Magazine. How did you choose these animals? Do they have symbolic significance?

Naw, nothing complex. I just love animals. There are so many little details you can add into animals.

How did you get into design as opposed to fine arts?

Bills. The reality is that fine artists struggle and never make it as a career ’til about the mid part of their life -- at least the people I've talked with. Graphic design seemed to be a better way to explore creative ideas with the benefit of a detailed structure to becoming more creative, and a better artist and designer. Besides, it pays bills a lot quicker.

I read your comments on Audikt.com about how “the standard portfolio of drawings, paintings and cheesy movie posters that we did would not cut it.” Could you elaborate on the problems you see with more conventional art? Is that how you got into vector art?

Ha! Actually, that was in reference to college and college classes I was taking at the time. During college, the standard projects we’d get would be those lame movie poster ideas, CD layout projects, etc. The problem with that is that they didn't focus on a specialized technique, but rather just allowed the creative student to come up with whatever he could at the time. I would have been more interested in learning about the crops, bleeds, and learning more about how to layout typography. In those projects, because no matter how good you are, there are rules that you need to learn within design to make your work “professional” rather than smoke and mirrors. I just feel there is a lack of true design essentials being taught.

As far as vector goes, that was a complete accident. I hated Illustrator when I first opened it up. It was hard. It didn't make sense and anyone learning the pen tool at first would be driven nuts. However, I started seeing things I could do within it that kept me interested. Also, reading a lot and finding out how good of a tool it can be helped.

 

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