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Biography:
I studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a year
before transferring to the Columbus College of Art and Design
where I received a BFA in advertising and graphic design.
Taking on a number of odd jobs while in school, such as
graveyard landscaper and broom assembler in a local factory,
I gained not only book learnin', but also managed to obtain
an amount of life experience that is fairly uncommon for
the average twenty somethin' year old.
Drawing from an eighties childhood and a love for 70's muscle
cars, my work tends to rely on strong graphic shapes and
bold color choice. Often juxtaposed beside a strong graphic
style is an appreciation for information architecture, which
was established and honed during time spent as design intern
at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
While working as assistant to the Dean of Foundation studies
at CCAD I helped create the Student Design Group bringing
in such clients as Limited Inc. and Reiner Construction
among many others. After 7 months as design director of
a local Christian magazine I decided to go after the dream
of co-founding a Graphic Design studio with friend and now
previous business partner Nand Dussault. That dream came
to reality in April 2002 as The Former Factory Design Co.
During the development time for Former Factory, I spent
three and a half years teaching at the Columbus College
of Art and Design as well as Cedarville University. After
relocating back to Springfield, a friendly dissolution of
partnership in Former Factory and a recent marriage I have
turned my focus to the new studio and a growing family.
Website:
www.hucklebuckdesign.com
How did you get started in the
illustration field?
Ever since I was about 2 years old and sketching with Crayola™,
I’ve known I wanted to be an artist in some form of
the word. I think the idea of being involved in commercial
art came around high school when I was introduced to rock
posters and nice music packaging. It seemed to me that it
was a “common sense” way to do what you love
and still make a steady living. So, I guess that’s
how I landed in graphic design and illustration. |
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How did you find
your style? Has it changed since you started?
I think that we all have unique experiences throughout our
lives that end up rearing their heads visually through our
work. My experiences consisted of my Grandpa’s farm,
being a child of the eighties along with many other details
that influence me. My style tends to rely on strong graphic
shapes and bold color choice. Often juxtaposed beside a
strong graphic style is an appreciation for information
architecture, which was established and honed during time
spent as design intern at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
I think my style has evolved through the years. I think
we all go though periods. I’m on this huge historical
trip lately.
What
is your process when working with clients? Can you run us
through a typical job?
Coming from a heavy graphic design background my client
interactions vary quite a bit. But there is a basic approach
that I try to keep consistent whether I am working on a
logo or a magazine cover. When a project comes up, I always
have what I call an initial client interview. During this
“interview”, I make sure to nail down exactly
what the client’s need and expectation is. It’s
been my experience that when you have a firm grip on the
client’s expectations you can really cut down on the
amount back and forth that can happen during a project.
Once the initial work has been reviewed, there are typically
changes and then the final art is completed. |
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What is your creation
process (start with sketches, etc…)?
My process depends on the time I have for a project. I typically
like to research the subject matter before anything else.
That’s a great part of the commercial art world, learning
new things every time you do a project. Once I’ve
done some research, I’ll hopefully have found some
inspiration and start to sketch out my idea. I usually show
pretty tight renderings or digital roughs for the first
round of a project review and go from there. |
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How do you market/promote
your work?
I have had my own studio since 2002. I’ve learned
a lot about how to market through the school of hard knocks
I guess. A saying that I pulled from a professor when I
was in college was to, no matter what, make your creation
interesting. Not just well done, but interesting. I think
that idea has to come through in marketing. A cool screen
printed poster is going to leave more of an impact then
a four color laser print. Give someone something they’ve
never seen before and you will be remembered.
Do
you have a rep? Why/why not?
I just signed on with Scott Hull Associates, which ties
back to the previous question. He is a rep in Dayton, Oh
with a large roster of artists with a wide range of styles.
I think it’s the beginning of a great relationship
and hope to do many cool things with him and his group. |
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What was one of
your favorite assignments?
My favorite assignment that I have done so far has to be
the Express Denim Hangtag project of 2002. Express is a
worldwide fashion brand in the same family as Victoria’s
Secret. In the winter of 2002, I was contacted along with
my previous business partner to be a part of their fall
2003 denim promotion. They told us that they were contacting
a whole list of illustrators and designers who we basically
idolized. That list contained names like House Industries,
Chip Kidd, Shepard Fairey from OBEY giant and many more.
We were like, are you sure you got the right number? Anyway,
it was the dream project, lots of cash and they told us
to basically do whatever the heck we wanted to do without
concern for printing budget and to send them a disk when
we were done. There was also an artists reception in NYC
that we went to and met a lot of the other designers. Just
an all around good time.
What
is the best part about what you do?
When it’s back from the printer and it looks great.
I love messing with printing but, like most designers and
illustrators, I freak a little bit when I send a job out
to get printed. There’s just no greater feeling than
getting the job back, a happy client and it looks great. |
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Describe your work
setting.
I have a home studio here in Springfield, Oh., otherwise
known as Springtucky. It’s not massive, but it fits
my 300 or so records, a mac and a desk, that’s all
I need. Decorating the room are a mix of oil paintings I
did in college and my collection of Dukes of Hazzard of
junk. Cool junk that is. Also noticeable, as mentioned above,
is my record collection. I’ve got about 300 or so
albums, I love to just throw on an obscure record from the
70’s and jam on my work. A lot of times I’ll
work abroad too. The local coffee shop is as good a studio
to me as any.
Do you have side projects you work on?
About a year ago, I started to take photos of typography
in the everyday environment. I started here in Springfield
and have shot Seattle, Chicago, Miami and Nashville just
to name a few. I am starting a book named FOUND that will
have these images in it. I just published Volume 1-Issue
1 and it'll be available on my website for purchase shortly.
How do you maintain
balance in your life between work and play?
Well that’s a tough one sometimes. When I was a single
lad, it didn’t matter so much. But now that I am married
and have a son on the way, I really have to make a consistent
effort to set hours of operation. For example, I’ll
not work past 6 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday unless I
have a deadline that’s really hot. It’s really
easy in our field to get caught up in the fun and ego of
it all, but you have to have boundaries. |
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Do you ever have
creative slumps? What do you do then?
No, not really. Just kiddin. I do have slumps at times.
It’s then that I do more research and look for a nugget
of inspiration to give me a new direction. I think that
every project holds the solution within it and if you just
crack it open through researching it you’ll find it
soon enough.
What do you
do for fun/when you're not working?
I love to play basketball, hit the thrift stores, work on
our project house, just hang with my wife or play cards
with my family. Pretty normal stuff. We’ll go to the
movies every now and then, but it’s just so expensive
these days and let’s face it most movies ain’t
great. |
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What has been inspiring
you lately?
Lately I have been drawing a lot of inspiration for historical
documents. I visit the Library of Congress’ website
almost every day. The lettering and simple but intricate
design and illustration is just breathtaking. I love to
reappropriate old typography into new uses. Mmmmm tasty.
Any advice for others who are pursuing
creative goals?
Just work hard, make connections with people, and never
think you're too good. There’s always people way better
than you. Know where you fit in to the whole thing. Learn
the process and reality of art buying and you can use the
system to your advantage. But to go back to my first point,
I truly believe that anyone who truly works their butt off
and believes in themselves will prosper in a matter of time.
There are a lot of hacks out there that maybe don’t
have the same level of ability as you, but guess what, they
are out meeting people and working their butts off to get
publicity and work. Don’t hate the playa…Oh
no I didn’t….Aw snap…
Thank you very much, Andy! |
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