About the Artist...
Behind the Fingerprint
Perception and Interpretation
Who are you..? And What can you Do?
In the academic setting and beyond I have found that exactly how people approach simple questions can be just as revealing, if not more so, than the conclusion at which they arrive. Consider how many different ways an individual could choose to answer those two simple questions, it all depends on interpretation of the original question. Without a doubt how an individual perceives and thus interprets is one of the greatest "tells" we humans unknowingly broadcast; which consitutes a considerable aspect of what makes today's Branding and Marketing Strategies so fascinating, challenging, and complex.
Of course our actions and how we present ourselves tends to communicate a great deal more to the observant individual than any articulated answer, regardless of how succint or deftly done. As a result, my logo and the pages within this site likely combine to provide a fair answer to the questions posed. However that excludes my own interpretation out of the answer.
Shooting for the Moon and Stars in Illustrator (5/2013)
Who I am...
An on the level, basic answer is that I am an extremely passionate, ambitious individual who works hard with high expectations (both of myself and thus of those who surround me), all the while maintaining the ability of being quick to find the humor in a situation. I believe in the power of respect, integrity, and perserverance; while also holding the opinion that everybody should at least attempt to laugh at themselves and their mistakes, and learn from them. While I believe in these values, make no mistake I have no illusions about honesty & fair-play; be it in the sandlot or in the business world. This potential and likely lack of justice does not however change the fact: that at every opportunity no matter how remote, everyone should do their best; if one is not shooting for both the moon and the stars, they aren't aiming high enough.
Passion
It's a Driving Force
Like everyone in this world I have been accused of various things in my life, but one thing I have never been accused of is to be lacking in passion. I am ever passionate in most all that I attempt, let-alone do, this passion resonates within my strategical ideas, designs, and artwork resulting in high-expectations as well as a strong determination to succeed.
A Path Paved with Fascination
Silhouette Collage of a World War II G.I.
While attending the Reeves School of Business at Methodist University, I was educated in Marketing Philosophies and Consumer Behavior, the corresponding Strategies, and all that went into them...I was fascinated. The more fascinated I became the more my passion for pre-sales marketing took root, awed specifically with the aspects of marketing such as corporate identity. It was not long before my path became self- apparent; my place in this world is to serve within the creative realm within a company.
Advertising and Branding has and continues to hold a considerable amount of intrigue for me. On any given day, I still find myself enamored by how much the rate of success within business can be impacted based on the implementation of such crucial aspects of the overall marketing strategy. The more I learned about the intricacies involved in Advertising and Branding, the more a previously established graphic designer within me began to wake from past. Interestingly as the designer within bloomed and I became exponentially more enamored of the art within marketing, I found scholarly success with greater ease. School was no longer about my needing to pass tests oblivious to real life as a way of securing a future, it was a pursuit of mine own interests, I was truly learning and growing while participating in ideological debates and conversations.
Graphic Design
Intrigue, Curiousity, and Enjoyment
It is a major understatement to say that I enjoy graphic design, along with discussing its integration within marketing strategies; all of which not only do I have passion but a near constant intellectual marveling and curiousity. My intrigue has extended to not only reading but notating and studying books which examine various aspects of design. These efforts quench the thirst caused by intrigue, being most valuable in expanding my design skills and knowledge of the overall topic of design.
I am skilled at various aspects of design, but my interest and education in marketing gives me a special appreciation and unusal perspective of the world of corporate design, branding, logo design, collateral packages, and its corresponding complexities. While all graphic designers take at least one class such as Advertising and Copywriting which offers glimpses of marketing concepts, focusing on designing with real world strategic marketing purposes. However marketing is far too complex to be given justice in such a course. This more in-depth knowledge/understanding of marketing is beneficial not only for guiding my own design work, but also for contributing to collaboritive efforts common to Graphic Design.
Continuing Education
Similar to professions such as Medicine, Graphic Design is both an art and a science. Also similar to other professions which are simultaneously both an art and a science, to be seemingly inately skilled at Graphic Design is an opportunity. Such opportunities must be nurtured, expanded upon to improve and increase its dividends. There are various areas in which the Graphic Designer absolutely must expand upon (such as keeping up to date with software evolutions); while there are many more areas/subjects which would be considered beneficial should a designer choose research according to their individual wishes and desires. Usually these topics give designers the opportunity to explore the nature of art and design, either improving their artisic skill or intellectual understanding of design and its application.
Example of Notes taken in pursuit of Continuing my Education about Effective Design
When researching a topic (or reading a specific book) in the effort to expand my knowledge regarding design and/or marketing, I prefer to document "my journey" utilizing a Black & Red™ Notebook with varied colors of ink. The end result of this effort is a spiral bound notebook containing a collection of information including notes, diagrams, and my own thoughts and/or questions regarding the topic. This approach streamlines and focuses my research while simultaneously allowing my personalization of the subject. The creation of these research journals also gives some portability of information ascertained from numerous sources.
In my short career I have found such research to be beneficial as it can remind an artist to disregard assumptions, see the true purpose of "things" along with the underlying structure.
Simplicity
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."
-Jazz Musician, Charles Mingus Jr.(1922-1979)
Inspired by one of my favorite artists, M.C. Escher; equipped with zoom capabilities to appreciate the simplicities and the intricacies.
Simplicity is an unspoken rule in Graphic Design, as a designer works on a problem it is rare that a complicated appearance is a good thing. Designers strive to work primarily in symbolism, recognizing the shared ability across the human race to intuitively understand and appreciate patterns and symbols. When presented with a design problem, one of the major responsibilities and/or challenges a designer faces is simplification; in the end all designs with marketing purposes are a simplified solution. To maintain this notion of simplification there are industry guidelines such as the "eight words or less" suggestion, as that is the maximum number of words the average reader can process with one glance.
The designer's responsibility of simplification is "right up my alley." As in most aspects of life, I prefer a natural simplicity. To clarify, I don't mind complex problems, and I actually enjoy certain forms of intricacies, and like most artists I have a perfectionism gremlin who requires a leash...but I have never seen the value in further complicating any problem, and as a result the solution. This preference for a natural simplicity is an added advantage, in looking for solutions I already have a conditioned tendency to look for effciency and effectiveness.
These tendencies along with my intense passion and interest in the implementation of design within Marketing Strategies are enough for me to truly be at home in the world of Graphic Design.
