“Among the few I have indicated, is there no dynamic man of action, the rebel who will help determine the aspect of the collective expression of tomorrow? Ponder this question and know that to make beautiful creations for the sake of their aesthetic value will have no social significance tomorrow, will be non-sensical self-gratification. Every era contains the conditions for providing a rebel.”

- Piet Zwart

Portrait of a Rebel

Personally, I admire the rebels, the forward thinkers, the people despised by society for being “different.” Zwart was, according to several sources, “not an easy man.” He was known for his “indiscretion” and many considered him “self-centered.” When have people like him ever been understood by the mediocre?

Others recall that he was driven to excel. He worked late into the night, usually until three in the morning, set high standards for himself that others thought were unattainable by any person. He was concerned about promoting himself and paranoid about others having the wrong impression of him. As he was named The Most Influential Designer of the Twentieth Century by the Association of Dutch Designers (although some articles on Zwart list it as the Professional Organization of Dutch Designers) in 2000, he obviously succeeded in making his mark, despite the rumors and innuendos from those around him.

Many, it seems in my research probably felt more out of jealousy from Zwart’s ideals of perfection and his insistence on being involved in articles and books about him. The Oxford Journal writes, ‘Yvonne Brentjens’s new monograph… charts his struggle to arrive at an objective, scientific and technically perfect design, hence the word Vormingenieur (engineer of form).’

Piet Zwart was born on May 28^th, 1885 in Zaandijk, North Holland (died in September 27^th, 1977 at the age of 92). From 1902 until 1907 he attended the School of Applied Arts in Amsterdam where it is said there was little division between several disciplines as drawing, painting, architecture and applied arts. Zwart and fellow students developed by themselves with little interference from above, as teachers weren’t always present. “A smashing school with no idea of a program,” as Zwart recalls.

It was this lack of formal classroom training that led him to approach his design, especially typography in a fresh and untraditional way. While the purely horizontal grid design of straightforward type and images was the norm, leading to the Swiss School of Design in the 1940s and 1950s (also read the Noupe article on Swiss School designer, Josef Müller-Brockmann), Zwart felt his designing from his gut.

As with most geniuses, there was a self-initiated method that broke the very same rules he had never learned, or, as I suspect, he cared nothing for and wanted to break. He also experimented in the use of photography incorporated into his designs, leading to photomontages. Still, with all the rule breaking and experimentation, Zwart was concerned with readability, feeling that typography should be clear and functional. If any influence must be assigned, he used the basic principles of constructivism and “De Stijl” in his commercial work.

One must put Zwart’s work into context of the time and design influences. His use of type and montage was incredibly ahead of his time. Even today, such work is inspiring, fresh and unique. His lack of training shows a gift and inner creativity that is individual and comes from deep within. One has to wonder if Zwart’s “difficult” personality, as nay-sayers put it, is a reaction to the misplaced and vociferous opinions of other contemporaries who couldn’t fathom Zwart’s designs.

While time has proved him to be a truly great creative, it must have been hard for him to put up with life as the target of harsh critiques from charlatans and mediocre talents. It’s a great lesson for designers to understand that one’s own creative vision is not fodder for other creatives to comment upon. In the long run, history will be the judge of great creativity and not the opinions of others in the field.

Zwart’s designs for a book for children on the Dutch Postal Telegraph and Telephone system. Sophisticated, fun and informative. It is an incredible visual, using his favorite bright palette and would be enjoyed by kids even today!

He started his career as an architect and he worked for Jan Wils and Berlage. As a designer, Zwart was well known because of his work for both the Nederlandse Kabelfabriek Delft (the Dutch Cable Factory in Delft) and the Dutch Postal Telegraph and Telephone. Today, a designer might look at these as boring jobs but he had great leeway over his creative output and that is yet another lesson he has for modern designers – you can take the most mundane item and make a beautiful design. Can you imagine a cable and wire company today allowing such design for their catalog of products? Perhaps Zwart’s work can be used as an example of the excitement that can be mixed with any product?

He ended up resigning from NKD in 1933 to become an interior, industrial and furniture designer. Perhaps it was his restless nature or perhaps just his desire to self-improve and his yearning to find something just out of his reach. Another lesson to us as we should always try to reach new heights with our design and never settle for the easy path but to keep searching our creative nature to improve ourselves and our design.

Zwart had been fired from the Rotterdam Academy of Fine Arts in 1933, after he had been quite explicit about the redevelopment of art education. Some say he was teaching communist ideals to his students and some say his progressive ideas had been closely linked to the innovative methods and objectives of the Bauhaus School in Dessau where he was asked to host a number of lessons in 1929.

Oddly enough, the very school that fired him was renamed after Zwart — The Piet Zwart Institute of the Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam. Times often change after it’s too late for the individual. It may have been these personal battles, his inner id being challenged by the industry as well as himself that led to a brilliant madness that drove incredible, ground breaking creativity.

The kitchen he designed for Bruynzeel in 1938 is a good example. It was highly progressive for its time. This was the first time that domestic appliances like a refrigerator and stove could be integrated in the design in a practical way. All the elements were designed with logical proportions, and customers could combine them as they wished. Handy details like glass containers, a pull out breadboard and storage racks made the kitchen a textbook example of comfort and efficiency.

His apple-green pressed glassware compact as tubular tea cups that sit in interlocking hexagonal saucers. ‘The emphasis on form rather than decoration,’ according to an article in New City Art, says, ‘ not only severs ties with the clutter of the Victorian past but identifies everyday items with the values—efficiency, durability, mass distribution—of emerging industrial and communications technologies.’

Early Ikea? Again, think about the time when this was designed. It was incredibly futuristic and set a standard that is still used today.

As with many who lived in the dark days of the Second World War, Zwart, along with 800 other prominent citizens were arrested and held by German soldiers. After the war, when he was released from captivity, he mainly focused on industrial design. One can only imagine what years of captivity did to him. He never spoke of those years. It is amazing he went back to creative work, albeit in another field.

One cannot have much introspection into a person’s private pain. The old saying is that an artist must suffer for their art. Zwart certainly suffered although it’s hard to tell how much of it was self-imposed. It is, however, his legacy of creativity that lives on and has lessons for the creatives of today. His drive and dedication to his vision is a great lesson. His work, if one thinks of the time and culture of his heyday, was such a departure – almost futuristic but he still managed to convince people that his vision was the best way to communicate the message.

As mentioned in this article, he was dedicated to creating a clear and vivid message for the end user. He succeeded on his own terms, despite a stumble in his career, here and there but that only propelled him farther into fame. Our lesson is that little stumbles or failures, if they can be called that and not life lessons, should always push us further into creativity while understanding the work is the most important factor. It is, after all, the legacy of our names that we will eventually leave behind.

(rb)

  

As we turn our designer spotlight on once again, this time we have it fixed on Illustrative Designer Von Glitschka of Glitschka Studios. With years of design experience under his belt, and an artistic background to boot, Von has made a lasting impression on the field where he has made his home. And we are lucky to have gotten a moment of his time recently to get him to answer some questions for us and our readers.

Before we begin, we thought we would lay the groundwork a little bit more for those readers who might be unfamiliar with Von’s work. Passion is certainly one of the words that comes quickly to mind when describing Von, because his passion can be felt in all of his creative expressions. Whether he is designing for a client, preparing a talk for people in and out of the design field, or putting together a useful resource for the community; his excitement for the work that he does comes across almost effortlessly.

We will not go on and keep you waiting any longer. From this point forward we have a wonderful interview to share along with some select designs to showcase from the designer himself. Enjoy.

The Interview

Thanks again for agreeing and taking the time to answer these questions. So Von, if you don’t mind, tell our readers a bit about yourself. What are some of your personal highlights from your many years in the design game?

I kind of view my career as a path adventure. Even though I actively market myself in specific ways, I still get approached to work on a very diverse range of projects that many times I never see coming until they contact me requesting a quote.

I do have a few favorites I’ve worked on that come to mind, but the one project that was really close to my heart was a project I did for Wayne Enterprises. They manage and license the image of John Wayne, and I was asked to create officially licensed graphics they would give to those who license his image. You can view that project here.

Who are some of your biggest illustration / design influences?

The earliest and biggest design influence would have to be Neville Brody. And without a doubt the biggest influence on me illustration wise was the wonderful work of Jim Flora. (Way ahead of his time IMO)

You’ve been operating under the title of ‘Illustrative Designer’, a title you coined as your skills in both of these fields began to merge. What do you consider to be the finer points of being an Illustrative Designer?

I think the fundamental qualifying factor of an Illustrative Designer is leveraging illustrative skill sets specifically in context of a design project. This is different than a designer hiring an illustrator, I’m talking about being hired to execute graphic design centric solutions and pulling them off with an illustrative flair or approach.

This is why I hammer so hard on the fact that designers should also be avid drawers. Not to be confused with illustration though. Meaning I don’t expect every designer to be an illustrator, I just think every designer could benefit and improve their design by drawing. Analog methods are still as valid now in a digital age as they were prior to the dawn of computers. I cover this pretty extensively in my book Vector Basic Training.

This summer I’ll be doing a talk at the HOW Design Conference called “Drawing Conclusions” which will go into the importance of design within the context of a creative process as a designer.

You’ve worked with medium and large design firms, ad agencies, small businesses, and more to help with their creative needs through the creative firm you started Glitschka Studios, is there a particular type of job you prefer to the others? Or as long as it’s creative are you happy to play along?

My creative preferences seem to migrate from one thing to another through out the course of a given year. Right now I’m really enjoying working on custom hand lettered logotypes such as this one.

One thing creatively speaking (pardon the pun) I enjoy doing is speaking. It gives me the opportunity to share knowledge and the creative work of those within a narrative that is very enjoyable and fun. I’ve recently pulled together a mobile studio and I’ve started doing one day creative workshops geared for designers. We go over drawing, and how to move from your drawn design to final form. I recently did a workshop on this in London.

The only type of creative work I tend to avoid is brochures. Just don’t like doing them and usually just farm them out to a friend and art direct it.

On the website for your Studio, you layout the creative process that your clients can expect when working with your firm (a very inspired idea, by the way), could you give our readers an idea of how you crafted such a comprehensive and methodical process? Do you find clients receptive to this structured and set of a process?

Because I’ve worked for a lot of larger agencies I’ve read a lot of creative briefs and over time I just gleaned what I thought worked best from a variety of sources and weaved it into my own creative process.

When I’m hired by large agencies and design firms they have their own creative protocol that I adhere and adapt too. So what I posted on my own site is more geared towards the small independent business owner. It’s my best attempt to systematize an often unsure process so they’ll know in general what to expect regarding their need for a logo identity or marketing. It’s not so rigid that I never waiver from it though and at times can be far less complex. It’s always best to hedge expectations and communicate as clearly as possible before a project begins.

That said, regardless how well I attempt to prepare things don’t always go smoothly.

You have given numerous talks at conferences, schools, and events all over, and have talks on many topics prepared. Do you have a preference for the type of audience you are speaking to?

I’ve spoken to designers, illustrators, advertising groups, marketing groups, small business groups, in-house art departments, new media developers, ministry workers, college departments, art schools, local creative events, and even a tech conference. One of the best comments I ever got after speaking to a group of designers regarding “Living a Creatively Curious Life” was the IT guy who was recording it and handling all the technical stuff came up to me afterwards and said “I’m not a designer, I don’t even draw. But that was a fun talk and now I’m inspired.” I thought that was pretty cool, and I told him he should start drawing.

When I make certain points in my talks I try to use examples that breach outside our industry. I think they helps make the message more universal for all creative types and enables them to see how it can apply to their specific skill set within the industry.

What are some of the most exciting changes that you have experienced in the field while working under the title of Illustrative Designer? Anything you would like to see more of?

When I graduated analog was still king and remained so for about five years until the Macintosh fundamentally changed the creative process. I’ve always been a Mac geek since Apple II days and use to program in basic in high school so moving from analog to digital for me was a no-brainer and really did facilitate a greater reach for me creatively speaking. This is one reason why I loved Neville Brody, he embraced early tech and leveraged it to the fullest through his work.

Our industry is replete with an overwhelming amount of great design being produced. I’d love to see more focus on all the great ideas created in the pursuit of pleasing the clients that never get used. I think that would make a great book BTW. I’ve done a few posts over the years on this and they’ve always been the ones that got the most traffic?

Via VonsterBooks.com you have several inspired design resource tomes available, what was the initial inspiration behind throwing your hat into this ring?

In 2005 I was hanging out on design forum online, this was the precursor to social media like Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. One of the editors from HOW Books posted a thread asking what type of books you’d like to see published? At the time I had a text file on my computer called “Book Ideas.” Every time I had an idea I’d write it in the file.

So I just copy and pasted my ideas into that forum thread and a couple days later the editor contacted me and asked me to pitch two of them. I did and they signed me up to do “Crumble.Crackle.Burn” which is a book on textures. I consider these design resource books in that other designers can utilize the content to produce their own work. That is why each has real examples of the art being used by some very talented designers.

What advice would you offer to others just getting started at, or looking to become more adept illustrators or designers? Or even Illustrative Designers?

Be smart designers: Never stop learning, never stop adapting, understand how businesses run, familiarize yourself with marketing, be curious, try new things, be your worst critic, accept the fact you’ll have to say “no” to a client at times regardless how frustrating or uncomfortable it may make you feel, and never stop drawing regardless if you ever want to be an illustrator.

You are a very busy guy, with multiple irons in the proverbial fire, how do you keep your schedule balanced and moving forward? Any favorite productivity tips or apps that you use?

Lists are great whether virtual or old school writing on a piece of paper. Make a list every day. I use a web app called backpackit to make lists easier. Be completely honest with clients, don’t say you can get something done by a certain date unless you absolutely can. Tell them when you can and most often they’ll be OK with that. Also be honest with them if they are making a bad decision that’ll effect design, you may butt heads but it’s all part of building trust.

As an illustrative designer, what are some of your favorite tools that you keep in your arsenal? Your go-to tools of the trade? Any new developments along this front that you are looking forward too?

My preferred tools are probably underwhelming and predictable? I draw a lot, so I use your standard issue 2B pencil, mechanical pencil, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop. I’ve been using my iPad a lot in regards to research but it would be nice if I could leverage it more for creative work. I did manage to create this design on my iPad. I used an app called “InkPad” which worked pretty good, but Adobes own apps for iPad are at best equipped for noodling rather than precise creative work.

After watching the design field evolve over the years, what do you expect to see in the industry’s next evolutions?

I’m hoping the development of apps and mobile media moves out of the realm of needing to be a coder and more into the realm of a design program. I’m still surprised web development is still not there yet either? I remember in art school writing two pages of code to get green screen graphics on the Lisa Apple Computer I was using. We now have Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to do that now and the code is all behind the hood.

I’d love to see that same level of progression in web development and mobile apps. Where it’s about design and aesthetic and code is handled behind the hood. But entire industries have been created on the fact that someone needs to know the code so I feel the progression will move at a glacial pace much like automotive moving to full-on electric cars.

Apparently Adobe Muse is suppose to fill this gap but that’s what they said about other apps in the past and it didn’t really work out that way. So hopefully it will, but I won’t hold my breath.

Speaking of the future, are there any projects that you have on the horizon that you can share with us? Anything coming that has you excited?

Working on a new book with a friend of mine who is a photographer. It’s more of a creative coffee table book that anyone would enjoy. It’ll take a few years to get everything done but so far it’s been a lot of fun to work on.

(rb)

  

One of the things that we hear a lot in the design/development field tends towards keeping that passion alive which first drove us to this arena. For when we keep that flame burning, our work will always remain vibrant and successful. This idea is exemplified in our interviewee here, Veerle Pieters (one of the fascinating minds behind Duoh!), whose love for design in all its various forms shines through.

We’ll allow Veerle to introduce herself, informally in her own words, but we would like to take a moment and describe her in our words before we get to that. If you are not familiar with Veerle, her blog, or her work, then you are in for a real treat. Her work is as whimsical as it is precise, and packing as much personality as the lady herself. Her award winning work is a vibrant expression of her glowing inner child with the crisp, clean professional edge she has honed through years of imaginative exploration of graphic and web design.

Beginning as an illustrator in print design, Veerle grew her talents along with the world wide web giving her a much fuller perspective on the field of design overall. Her boundless talents are an inspiration to so many, and today we are lucky to be able to feature her and share some of her insights with our readers. Without any further ado, on with the interview…

The Interview & Showcase

Thanks again for agreeing and taking the time to answer these questions. So tell us a bit about yourself. Who exactly is Veerle Pieters? How would you describe yourself?

I always find talking about yourself extremely hard but here we go… I’m a graphic/web designer hailing from a small but beautiful European country called Belgium. I am a color lover that likes to listen to deep soulful music while designing. When I’m not at work I like to ride my bicycle to clear my head and snap pictures along the way to share on Instagram just to show how much beauty there is around us if you just open your eyes to see it.

Who are some of your biggest influences in web design?

Right now not really someone particular but many years ago when I started with web standards I was influenced by Jeffery Zeldman and Douglas Bowman and Dave Shea’s Zen Garden. I try to do my own thing and not be influenced by trends that overdo a certain design element. Personally I will use something that everybody claims you shouldn’t because I like to believe it’s all in the way how you apply it. I am of course also influenced by waves of techniques that popup in our industry like ‘responsive web design’ for example.

You’ve worked in both print and web design, which do you prefer and which offers the most freedom?

Print is still my first love because a web site can never replace that tactile feeling of having something in your hand you’ve created. Web design offers the most freedom, can be controlled easier and has a higher tolerance for error. Mistakes are deadly in print, especially when you are creating something that has a super high print volume.

What are some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?

One of my favorite projects and most challenging ongoing project is without a doubt Fab.com. Another one is jolena.be where I really got the chance to explore creative boundaries. I wrote a little about the process of that project on my blog.

What advice would you give to other web designers?

I think the most important thing is to stay passionate about what you do and don’t loose that drive to constantly learn new things because we are part of a constantly changing environment. Learning and experimenting is a very important aspect of what de do. If you think you learned enough already I’m afraid that web design isn’t the right path for you. Also, believe in yourself and stay true to yourself and don’t be afraid to fail. Sounds cliché but that is what makes us what we are.

Can you give us a summary of your process?

Depending on how I feel and the amount of ideas that present I usually start by using my own Inspiration Stream as a starting place to look for that spark. Long time ago I browsed around CSS galleries but I’ve learned that they block my inspiration instead of helping. The most successful way is to look at things that aren’t related to web design at all such as my stream. When I got that inspiring spark I mostly start the process by doing some sketches in one of my little notebooks. Not always though, as I sometimes begin directly in Photoshop too. The more complicated projects have a wireframe stage that we go through first. Once those are approved by the client, the design work in Photoshop starts. I’m not part of the ‘design in a browser movement’ as I feel that approach blocks my creativity. About 90% of the projects, start with the inner pages first because these are usually the most difficult ones to work on. If the client approves the design we start the technical part by writing the CSS/HTML.

What are some of your thoughts on the importance of web standards?

Web standards are important but they are just guidelines, they aren’t a relegion if you understand what I mean. It’s a set of guidelines and best practices to help you but not a rule of law. It’s ok to deviate or improvise if you need to, and if there is no other way of doing it semantically. If you start mailing other people by pointing out validation errors you aren’t getting it. Projects can be complex and zero validation errors is sometimes impossible. The important part is that you try and that you think about structure, accessibility etc…

How do you convey the importance of web standards to your clients?

I don’t convey it all. I just do it. Clients shouldn’t have to worry about this or decide on, it’s up to us to use what is best for the client’s interest and web standards does just that.

What made you choose expression engine for your blog over other options?

I opted for ExpressionEngine because at that time it was the only system that would let me create a web site my way instead of the other way around that the system dictates how you should use it. I wanted something that I could use my templates, just the way I coded them, plus I wanted a system that didn’t inject extra code in my templates. Another important reason was that it was powerful enough to create a site that covered all my needs without having to resort to learning PHP because I needed to extend it. I had no interest in learning another program language as a designer.

What drew you away from print design to web design?

Because I was intrigued by this new thing called web design. I saw an opportunity that it could become something very important and that it would provide a source of income.

Web design changes so quickly, how do you keep up?

By reading books and following tutorials.

What are some of the biggest challenges that you see facing the web design industry today?

The biggest challenge imho is keeping up with our fast changing industry. Not an easy task to accomplish with a full workload all the time and a blog that needs attention too. One does need a lot of time filtering out what comes online to finally get to what will become a standard way of doing things.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

There is some exciting stuff in the pipeline for Fab.com and I’m also working on a few projects that involve a lot of illustration work.

(rb)

  

As young kids, we all had our favorite posters adorning our rooms. From motorcycles to kittens to Justin Bieber photos… for which the coming years will hold guilt and embarrassment. Thanks to my hippie parents, I had Peter Max posters. In fact, I had a Peter Max room! While I loved the Beatles and Yellow Submarine (which was inspired by Max’s work but not done by him), sleeping in a psychedelic room made me the man I am today and please withhold the wisecracks, my longtime friends!

Sure, just try sleeping with über-bright yellows, pinks and oranges glaring through the dark. There was no need for a night-light as the vibrant glow kept me safe from the boogeyman but afraid of longhair love children, sitting in the corner of my room with bongs bubbling. Years later I would discover it wasn’t some childhood phobia but actual friends of my parents smoking pot in the wrong room. Yet something else, considering the second-hand weed smoke, that made me the man I am today. Again… hold off on the comments.

But Peter Max’s work was exciting. It was fresh and innovative and led a generation  — the love generation, to be exact — with visuals and messages that are still adored and worshipped today. Several days after I planned writing this article, I noted that Mr. Max would be appearing at a local gallery. Fortuitous? Karma? Too much second-hand smoke from “Uncle Bongchild?” Whatever it was, I made sure I was there to speak with him and get a few quotes.

A Bit o’ Background

There is a bit of confusion about Max’s actual date of birth, according to several biographies around the web. Some say 1937 and others say 1939. Considering the fact that his family, German Jews, fled Nazi Germany after he was born, the date may be earlier. The official bio on his website gives no date, so I would rather respect his obvious wish to have no date and judging by the man with whom I spoke, I believe numbers are not very important to him.

His family traveled to Shanghai, China, where they lived for the next ten years, according to Wikipedia, and they lived in a house that ‘overlooked a Buddhist temple, where Peter would observe monks painting calligraphic images with large bamboo brushes on large sheets of rice paper.’

The bio goes on to say his Chinese nanny taught him how to hold and paint with a brush by using the movement of his wrist. His mother encouraged him to develop his art skills by leaving a variety of art supplies on the balconies of the pagoda and told him to ‘go ahead and make a mess; we’ll clean it all up after you.’

During my interview with Peter, he did make a point of artists learning to move their wrists for the best training in rendering and control.

In 1948, the family departed China and, according to yet another bio, ‘in fact the young Max would move frequently with his family, learning about a variety of cultures throughout the world while traveling from Tibet to Africa to Israel to Europe until his family moved to the U.S. In America Max was trained at the Art Students League, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts, all in New York.’

It is said that as a young child he simultaneously developed an interest in art and astronomy. If you follow him on Twitter, you will see posts dealing with art and astronomy! A key insight to his interest in “cosmic art?”

What’s The Real Story Behind The Man and The Myth?

There are many different bios about Mr. Max that dot the internet and they all vary slightly, so only Peter knows what is really true. The point to this writer’s look at Peter Max as a creative is to inspire the readers by his lessons on creative thought and application.

It’s important to note that Peter, like so many other great expressionists — if one can put him in that classification — learned realism before embarking on a style unique to his own vision. As one world-renowned painter once told me, “you need to learn the real world before you can create your own and have it be believable.”

Peter’s art was groundbreaking. That’s a hard position to be in. When you are the first, you face the doubters, the naysayers and the conservative mindset that makes expressing your love for what you believe in an uphill battle.

In all the biographies that one can read, it’s obvious that Peter’s parents supported his creativity and encouraged it. In a time of war and turmoil, moving from the threat of extermination under the Nazis to Shanghai under the control of the Imperial Japanese army during the brutal days of the Second World War, then to a young State of Israel, surrounded by enemies bent on destroying each and every citizen, Peter had to be aware of the tensions around him. It was probably the love and protection of his parents that made those years not so frightening for him. Throughout it all, there was art in which to immerse himself. Perhaps it was the world that he best knew and it gave him comfort.

With his family moving to Brooklyn, New York in the early 1950s, Peter was now part of a city that celebrated art and gave him many avenues to grow as a professional. His earliest work to gain attention was collages of photographic images, and it won a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1962.

Love, Peace and Art

The 1960s saw big cultural changes. The sexual revolution, the nightly broadcasts of the war in Vietnam, “doves and hawks,” “tune in, turn on, drop out,” “make love, not war” burning bras and draft cards and the growth of casual drug usage — it all happened very fast and people sought to find other “planes of reality.” It wasn’t just acid trips… it was a way to free themselves from the uptight 1950s with the frightened attitudes of the cold war and a possible threat of nuclear war, communists and space aliens… which were less feared than communists.

The beat generation of the 1950s was too quiet. Bongos, MAD Magazine, Kerouac and Ginsberg were too fringe at the time to threaten the American way of life. Max and his contemporaries were actually changing things. But the generation of freedom and “marching to one’s own drummer” also had a certain hipness that was an insistence of “being in.” If you weren’t “with it” you were a “square.” Fashions and causes change but people will always be people. With Max’s upbringing and art being his world of creativity and peace, I suspect it insulated him against growing up at a time when non-creatives committed unspeakable acts against humanity. His art was everything – his number one reason for being.

When I saw that Peter would be at the Ober Anderson Gallery in Clayton, Missouri, I tried to arrange a meeting so I could ask a few questions for this article. My biggest quandary was what questions does one pose to an iconic talent whose work spans decades? The usual questions have been asked and answered dozens of times. I wanted to find answers to questions that would be relevant to what creatives face today. I wanted gems from the master that would change lives and thinking.

I had expected a few minutes of Peter’s time in the gallery but was delighted when he suggested we sit at a sidewalk café to chat.  I assured him I would only ask two or three questions, as I knew he was busy. “Ask four or five or more” he replied, with a genuine smile.

Mr. Max was a pioneer of many things. Aside from his art style, often referred to as “cosmic art,” he also was the first to experiment with licensing and mass production. I actually had some of his Mead book covers, which were ripped from my books by a teacher who screamed at me about “filthy hippie, drug-addled art not belonging in a clean, wholesome American school.”

If you consider the generation who fought the status quo, the establishment and old mainstream thinking, Max’s foray into licensing his work may have seemed too commercial for the current art movement at that time. Was Max “selling out” to the establishment or using consumerism to spread the message of his art? His art adorned clocks for General Electric, school book covers for Mead, airplanes, postage stamps, work for six American presidents, among too many projects of shear importance to mention in just one article.

I was curious about what brought him into licensing his work. Not even Norman Rockwell, who was America’s darling artist from the 1940s through the 1980s, had done it before. Did Max see potential in consumerism or was it just an extension of his art and the tools with which he experimented?

When I asked about his entry into licensing, Mr. Max smiled and leaned forward. “It was really great… historic… sensational… such a rush from every direction toward who I was and what I did. It was hard for me to even believe it. I just somehow captured the mood the way the Beatles captured the music mood of the late sixties and early seventies, I captured the visual.”

“Licensing is where you license your name to be reproduced commercially but to the public, they just see the objects out there… the Peter Max objects and they just loved it. How else were they to get Peter Max things? The posters weren’t enough. I sold a million posters at least, if not two million. Then there were Peter Max blue jeans and Peter Max shirts and I had 72 licensing deals. After about two-and-a-half years, I realized that the only other two people doing licensing were Dior and some other designer in Europe. I decided I didn’t want to be that company anymore and gave up a two million dollar business. I did two million dollars gross in 1970 dollars. You can imagine. I gave it up and then I missed it a lot. It was an exciting period for me and then, in the late eighties, I did it again but this time with only 35 licenses and gave it up again. Today, every major artist who gets ten to twelve million per piece licenses, when asked why they are doing this, they say, ‘isn’t that how Peter Max started?’ So, it’s a way to distribute your work and to getting your work out there. People loved it, so I gave them what they wanted. It was a lot of fun for me, so I may do it again, very soon.”

I had to ask if his contemporaries resented his work for “the establishment.”

“No, no! It was a huge, big, beautiful community, the love generation. We were all together generating the feeling of love, peace, harmony and togetherness. It was not a competitive thing; it was unity… in unity is strength.”

He also mentioned his work in the spiritual community. Mr. Max, it turns out, was the force behind the Satchidananda Ashram, affectionately known as “Yogaville,” in Buckingham, Virginia. If you are in the area, make time for a visit and mention his name.

Someone from the gallery rushed out to inform Peter that he was needed in the gallery right away but he politely replied that he would be there once he was done with my interview. The graciousness and consideration overwhelmed me! I did, as I had promised, keep the number of questions down to three. With only one question left, I asked what advice he had for designers to help their creative thought. What did he think about the belief that creatives had to have a certain “style” for which they are known?

“The advice I always give young creatives, “ he started, “go to a print shop where there’s a lot of random sheets of paper they throw away and you can get forty pounds of paper they don’t need for twenty or thirty dollars and draw all day long. Draw nonsense. Just let the hand and wrist go and draw anything. Circles, squares… if a drawing comes out it comes out, if not then go on to the next piece. So just draw, draw and draw and don’t worry what comes out. Let the pen and the wrist get used to the movement. You should become an expert in moving the wrist. You get better with repetition. Not every drawing has to be a good drawing. Every sheet should be a bad drawing, just move the pen around. Eventually the great drawings will come.”

Picking up an inspiring quote from Max’s Twitter account (@Peter_Max), “when I approach a canvas, the only thing I anticipate is being… surprised!”

How Does This Translate to THIS Generation?

It was never success or money Max was after – it was always about the art. Sure, he made millions and will continue to make money but if you hear his words, it falls behind his love for creativity. As with his words on drawing, until “it comes,” keep loving your creative projects and the money will come. If not, at least you’ll love what you’re doing. I have to take credit for that afterthought.

Look for opportunity in technology and marketing. Consumerism was a bit more innocent in the 1960s, if “innocent” can be used as a descriptor, but as rampant as consumerism is, why not use it? With digital technology evolving every day, there are always avenues open for creativity. Get inspired by Max’s words and life!

Yes, we may not want to actually draw on paper, but Peter is not the only great artist to encourage others to draw every day. Picasso was also quoted as saying one should draw every day. No matter what tool you use to create, practice makes perfect and mistakes, or “bad drawings,” as Max refers to it, hold lessons that lead us to become better at creating great pieces, designs, websites, etc.

It’s hard, if not impossible, to fathom such thoughts as “unity” and “harmony” in our generation as we rebel against our parents of the love generation and live behind the “me first” generation of entitlement. There are great lessons in Peter Max’s words, as well as his career.

If you check the Peter Max website you’ll find, among other words of wisdom that inspire, a schedule of his exhibits and personal appearances. I highly suggest you go to one and meet the man. You will find a gracious, kind and humble man who will be happy to shake your hand and take a few moments to chat with you. You will come away from it feeling better about being a part of the creative community and inspired about starting a new day with a new outlook.

Check out his book, “The Art of Peter Max” (available signed, too!)

Images ©Peter Max

  

Today we have a new designer spotlight, where we interview and feature a member of the design and development community. In this installment, we shine that light on talented motion graphic designer and sports branding specialist Fraser Davidson. If you are not familiar with his work, then you are in for quite a treat (and just might find that you have seen some of his designs around the web before.

In his own words, Fraser is:

“An award winning London based, freelance Motion Graphic Designer, Animator and Director. He was previously Head of Motion Graphics at Mainframe, a Motion Graphics, VFX & Animation House.

Graduating from Nottingham Trent University with a BA in Graphic Design, Fraser has six years experience creating advertising, music videos and channel branding across many media. Fraser has had his work featured in a number of publications and has collected three International Promax Awards.

He is the writer and director of the multi-award winning Youtube series ‘The Alternative Rugby Commentary’ and has collaborated on projects with Australian comedian, Tim Minchin. These include animated short, ‘Popesong’ and the BAFTA nominated animation for his nine minute beat poem ‘Storm’. Directed by DC Turner and Produced by Tracy King”.

In Our Words:

Fraser is like a force to be reckoned with. His work absolutely screams creative overflow! With his intense and near flawless design work in the sports field, to his deft, imaginative animation and motion graphics designs that are executed with such precision and skill, Davidson’s portfolio is simply stunning to behold. Below, interspersed throughout the interview are some of Fraser’s skillfully crafted pieces.

The Interview

Thanks again for agreeing and taking the time to answer these questions. So Fraser, what got you first interested in the motion graphics game?

Well, I studied graphic design at University. I found after two years on the course that I didn’t really enjoy the emphasis on what I considered to be the mundane aspects of design. I wasn’t that into the nuances of type layout, grids and high concept stuff. I happened to stumble upon the After Effects section of the course (web design was full) and got sucked in from there. I self taught and spent the rest of the course bending projects to my purposes. I got a job with Mainframe in London shortly after leaving university and was lucky enough to work with some of the best in the business. Mainframe has since spawned several great companies including key components of Man vs Machine, The Found Collective, Beautiful TV and several more.

WRU In Stadium Animation from Fraser Davidson on Vimeo.

This is a project for the Welsh Rugby Union. Fraser was the Live Action Director/ Animator/ Compositor

Branding is a delicate, very involved process, how did you first become interested
in this area of design?

I’m not convinced it is that delicate an art to be honest, and I certainly don’t feel that way about my own work. I enjoy branding as it gives you a chance to be quite gestural with your marks. You only really need one good idea. This helps as I tend to avoid good ideas on the whole.

Your work in branding focuses on the sports field. Is this a niche you came to focus on as you saw a need there, or were you drawn there as a fan? Or was it a bit of both?

Well, I had a fairly brief career in rugby before starting in design. I’ve always been drawn to the contact sports, and since a young age was interested in the symbolism and the visual derivation of logos and team colours. Theres a real tribal nature that comes with sport branding, there are very few other industries in which consumers/ fans feel such a connection with a brand or logo. The idea that you can create something that people wear as a genuine piece of heraldry, as part of a clan or tribe really appeals to me. Team logos are things Ive drawn virtually my whole life, its just that I have only recently started doing it for a job.

With your work in sports identity, what is your process like? How do you typically get started?

Hmm. Its a good question, but not an easy one to answer verbally. I typically have a rough idea for a feeling or stance of a given animal/vegetable/mineral and kind of work into the detail from there. Its important that logos have movement and the feeling that you have captured a particular attitude or emotion. Once you have that sense of purpose locked down, the rest of it is just tweaking really.

You have worked with some really high profile clients and organizations, is there still some dream client (or team) that you would love to have the opportunity to work for?

Yes, in the last year Ive had the opportunity to work with some great clients and organisations on some really exciting projects. Most of these I cant really share at the moment as they wont be in public domain until next season. But there are hopefully going to be some interesting new looks for a few very big NCAA schools. I guess if I were to be greedy, I’d say that an absolute dream job would be to produce a logo for an NFL franchise.

With your work in motion graphics, how would you describe your process there? When getting started what do you do differently than with your branding work?

The two have very little in common to be honest. A typical logo takes 2-3 hours to put together on average, animation projects can last for months. Its much more technically involved. After the initial creative ideas and bursts, a large part of the job relies very heavily on hours of thankless graft. There is a somewhat pervasive idea that computers make animation a) easy and b) fast. Its still neither, if you do it properly.

On the motion graphics front, you also do art direction and animation. Do you prefer to handle all of these various aspects of a project, or do you have a favorite you’d rather focus on?

On the whole, Its far easier to express your own ideas than it is to express someone else’s. I’ve worked on jobs where ‘creative’ people see you as an extension of their own tool kit and not as a creative person in your own right. It can be quite hard to have someone with no design experience sit next to you and have you shift keyframe velocities about. On the whole I like producing every part of an animation. Except voice overs, there’s a total budgetary minefield.

Tim Minchin Storm Trailer from Fraser Davidson on Vimeo.

This is the preview for the animated short Tim Minchin’s The Storm. Fraser was the animator on for this project.

What are some of your go to tools to work with? What software would you essentially be lost without?

As a mograph designer you will need an extensive working knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects. A 3D program helps a great deal also.

What advice would you give to other motion graphic designers just getting started in the field?

The best design advice I ever received is that you are known for what you do. Seems obvious enough, but the number of people I come across whose jobs involve 3D compositing, who would far rather be creating character animation (or vice versa) is crazy. The principle point has a that people will not employ you to create work in areas you do not have form in. If you want to design sports logos, start today, get them out there where folk can see them. If you want to get into character animation, start animating shorts in your spare time. Be prolific, don’t be guarded of your design and don’t hide it away. This applies to anyone, not just beginners.

Zappar Sting from Fraser Davidson on Vimeo.

This is a promotional video for a Zappar Branding Project. Here, Fraser was the Animator and Director

What tips would you offer someone who decides to toss their hat into the branding arena?

Practice I guess? Again, I dont mean to seem facetious, but my answer is really the same as above. Do as much of it as you can and get as much feedback as you can. Very few people get worse at something the more they do it.

What would you say are some of the major developments that have helped shape the motion graphics field since you have been in it? What things would you say are on the horizon for the field?

Its really almost been the perfect industry from my perspective. The internet/ youtube/ the viral and all the other content avenues have meant an explosion in the need for video content. When I first started (only 7 years ago) we were still working predominantly in TV branding, there weren’t web budgets like there are now. The certainties of traditional media have disappeared and a guy in his bedroom with a good desktop computer can make anything from film quality vfx to animated cartoon series with millions of viewers. With all the new technology and means to view video, its hard to see where we’ll be in 2 years time. Obviously the resurgence of 3D in films and TV is yet to reach an apex, but I think augmented reality is going to be the next big unexplored vista.

This is a still from a series of videos for The Alternative Rugby Commentary. Fraser was the Animator/Director/Writer for the majority of the promos in this project.

Speaking of the future, do you have any projects in the works that you can share with our readers?

Motion wise, I have a quite original induction video for a large ad agency that’s getting its final renders while I write this. I recently worked with my friends at The Found Collective on a nice piece for the UK Government promoting Britain. Rumour has it that it was to be viewed by the big man from the White House. And I have a nice personal piece that’s overrun by about a year for the awesome British comedic poet Tim Key. They will hopefully all feature on my website in the next few months. Unfortunately I cant really tell you too much about the College rebranding.

Your work reflects the passion of someone who is always having fun. Is this the case, or are you just really good at making look that way?

Ha. I tend to work in frenetic bursts of good humour I think. I’m quite easily distracted, so I often work on a number of projects at once. Hopefully this keeps them looking fresh and fun.

How would you say designing a logo for a sports team or franchise differs from designing a logo for a regular business? In other words, are sports fans more demanding than your average customer in terms of accepting the design?

People don’t send you hate mail if they don’t like the financial services logo you designed. Companies ‘belong’ to the people who own them and if its a good company, the people that work there. Teams and their logos ‘belong’ to fans. People might wear Nike/ Diesel/ D&G logos because they like the product or associate with the brand. People wear team jerseys for far stronger emotional reasons. They pour far more time and energy into these organisations, the teams are part of who they are. A good team logo should reflect this.

(rb)

  

Germán Covacevich, also known as Cova, is a freelance illustrator and digital painter based in Rosario, Argentina with a portfolio that features a vast cross-section of disciplines and styles. And he also finds time to sing and play the guitar along with his band.

Germán Covacevich

I’ve asked him a few questions about his evolution as a digital artist and how he handles his work at the moment. I hope that knowing more about his experience will be useful for Noupe‘s readers.

1. Please, tell us how did you get into art?

I’ve drawn since I can remember, I’m self-taught and it was always a passion. I remember some drawings my father did, really good ones, and my mother used to give painting classes at home. I feel very lucky that we had a huge collection of art books, and I had always a pencil at hand. I started copying whatever my older brother did, then from comics, then from photographs.

Jimi Hendrix

“Graphite on textured canvas, made about ten years ago, I think… this is one of the only traditional works I still have… It’s been a long time without doing anything more than sketches…”

I used to sit for hours not only reading those comics, but just watching each frame on every page, paying attention to the lines, the shadows. That was my main way of studying, I guess, figuring out how those drawings were made. By the age of 12 I was already making portraits.
So it wasn’t a decision, nor had I been forced into it. I grew up with art all around me.

Tomá la papa

2. When did you start using digital media to express yourself?

About three years ago. The idea had been in my mind for a bit longer, but I wasn’t too enthusiastic about it. I was so amazed what some digital painters were doing that I thought I never would have the skill to do that kind of stuff. All of my life I worked with graphitte pencils or ball-pens, so I was too used to black and white and a certain level of detail in my works. But then I tried a tablet, that’s when I noticed that I could push myself so much more.

3. Do you think that a school education has some advantages / disadvantages versus being self-taught?

Personally, I don’t have experience in art school education, but I think the main advantage is the guidance you can get whenever you face a problem that could take a lot of time and sweat to solve on your own, or the access to methods and techniques that might be hard to get otherwise. On the other hand, being self-taught, gives you the chance to learn at your own time and focus on precisely what you want to do, but you need to be extremely critical of your work.

4. Please describe your design process. How do you start, what tools do you use? What is your work environment? Which applications do you use and why? What tools would you recommend to avoid at all cost?

When I’m creating a painting from scratch, it’s usually because an image came to my mind. I start building it up in my head, the colors, the elements, the composition, etc. and then I do some reference gathering before going into the canvas. From there the process is quite simple, I start with a sketch, not very detailed but trying to get all the features in their right place. I put a background colour to match the mood I’m aiming for, then I do a light and shadow coloring base. After that, all I do is blending and building up the detail on everything until I’m happy with the result.

At the moment I use a pc running on Windows XP, a 23” monitor and a Genius 7×12 tablet. I paint with an old version of Photoshop, from sketch to finish, with only two or three brushes. I use other brushes but for specific things only. I tried other software, like Painter, but I never got the hang of them. Photoshop is still my best option and the one I’m more comfortable with. I never use the filters included in Photoshop, and I avoid using the burn, smudge or sharpen tools. The only one I use sometimes is the dodge tool, in soft touches.

5. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge of being an artist? Have you evolved since you started your career?

It could be said that the biggest challenge is to get noticed. Of course, the Internet gave the possibility to show your works all around the globe, but it’s easier also to get lost in the huge amount of works out there, so a greater challenge would be to stand out, and the only way is to push yourself to improve.

Grab E.T.

Sure, I notice a lot of changes since I started. I used to set myself daily tasks to get better in my works, practicing speed, colour, proportions, a lot of different subjects.
Evolution is all about challenging yourself, and not only a challenge, but lot of fun too.

6. For you, is it true that artists mostly learn by putting ideas into action and doing?

There’s a lot of action and doing. Observation, theory, practice, imitation, trial and error, criticize yourself, be criticized by others.. learning is a nonstop process so this should be done on a regular basis, and is the best ground to be able to put your ideas on a canvas. And there, when you take it out of your head onto a painting, is when you learn about yourself.

Germán y Hernán

A video of the painting process is avaliable here.

7. What is your biggest mistake or failure?

Neglecting the use of colour for a long, long time, or not having worked with many other different mediums, I think that was a mistake. But I don’t see it as a failure. I paint because I love to do it and now I’m making a career out of it, so it’s quite the opposite.

8. Do you agree with the following quote from Rainer Maria Rilke? Do you believe that patience plays an essential role when it comes to art?

“Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn’t force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summer may not come. It does come.”

Absolutely. Like I said, learning is hard work so patience is a must. When you’re blocked and nothing comes out, be patient and something will, eventually. The important thing is to love what you do and have fun while doing it. That way you don’t worry too much about things not happening soon enough.

9. Lessons Learned: what are the most important things you’ve learned in your career so far?

For a long time I saw the works of many artists, more skillful, more succesful, and all I thought was ‘I want to be as good or better than these guys.’ And it’s ok in a way, the ambition to be better, it pushes you to improve, in fact. But the important thing is you can’t compare your work to another artist’s in those terms. Everything you have experienced, your culture and your passions is where your art comes from and expresses what you are. So I’ve learned I don’t want to be a better artist, but rather to express myself better.

10. Do you have a marketing strategy to promote your work? What sites on the internet do you find the most useful for promoting your artwork?

I just try to make me and my work visible. On the internet, or whenever I get to make a professional contact in person. Get it out there and expect it to be seen. DeviantArt was the first choice, I also have a gallery on Behance.net. In YouTube I have several videos of my painting processes, and now I’m on Facebook too. Also I have a personal site with all that and also other stuff I do, like writing and music. All those places have their own advantages I think.

Finish line

11. Are you now involved in any particular project? Do you have projects for your professional future planned?

At the moment I’m working on some requests involving portraits and also covers for a magazine. Aside from that I’m finishing some artworks that will be included at a personal art exhibition soon.

12. Do you think that your work could be categorized into any style? Could you please define your style in a few words?

I guess my style could be called photorealistic, in a way. To me is kind of a ‘Makeitlookrealandfast’ style, where it has a photographic look but a loose feeling underneath.

Aldana

A video of the painting process is avaliable here.

Photorealistic works are far more detailed than what I do, in my opinion. Still, I’m on a learning curve, and I’m always trying new things, approaches, subjects, brushes, etc. So I don’t really know how my style will develop in the future.

Débora y Luis

A video of the painting process is avaliable here.

13. Is there any artist or colleague that inspires you and your work?

I’ve always been attracted to the more realistic styles, obviously, so I guess it reflects on my works. I love Leonardo’s drawings, Rembrandt´s lighting, Bouguereau, Mengs, and mostly Dalí.

Meglia

Carlos Meglia was a comic book artist and penciller born in Argentina. One of his best-known creations is the Cybersix series, done in partnership with Carlos Trillo.

But my first real influences were the argentinian comic artists like Breccia, Olivera, Mandrafina, Meglia, Fontanarrosa and many more. I also get much influence from music, literature and cinema. And though it’s been said many times, life is a factor. Anything that conveys any emotions, will show in my paintings.

14. How do you see the future of your profession in, say, 5-10 years?

Art is and always been there, the mediums or tools might change, but the profession will endure. As for me, I only hope I’ll still be able to enjoy doing this, and if I can make a living, all the better.

Showcase of Cova’s work

Digital works

Into the wild I

Into the wild II

Lara

“Photoshop CS3, standard brushes, Genius 4500 digital tablet, one photo reference [...] the model here is my daughter Lara.”

Winter’s end

Spring conversation

Angelito Negro

Ludmila, a video of the painting process is avaliable here.

Señora

Camila, a video of the painting process is avaliable here.

Stoned

“Realistic and creepy emoticons.”

It feels so good

Maniobra Heimlich

Terrifying

Jimi Hendrix, “Digital Series”

Janis Joplin, “Digital Series”

Speedpaintings and Quick Practices

Gato

Chica

Miau

On Cova’s Youtube channel there are some videos showing a few speedpainting practices in Photoshop, like this one.

Works Still in Progress

Further information

You can find more about Cova on:

• Behance
• Facebook
• DeviantART
• Youtube

(rb)