Remember how hard you worked because of how excited you were? You are more than capable of channeling that same excitement, ambition and dedication towards shifting the tides of your career towards something better suited for you.
Read More
The World is Getting Darker. This Facebook Art Director Adds Delight to the Corner She Controls
No matter how dark things seem to get, WNW Member Tori McGoogan is always trying to balance it with some positivity. And as a full-time art director at Facebook, Tori’s in a position to bring that positivity to the lives of a lot of people. It’s one she doesn’t take lightly.
Read MoreOvershare Podcast: Jacquelyn De Jesu on Reinventing the Shower Cap
For the 11th episode of Overshare, Jacquelyn De Jesu, founder and CEO of Shhhowercap shares her journey from being an art director in advertising to the moment she was compelled to make a modern shower cap. Her bootstrapped journey has led to features in Forbes, Fast Company and Vogue, and her shower caps are now carried in stores from Neiman Marcus and Sephora to the MoMA Design Store.
Read MoreThis Print Magazine Explores Life's Absurdities Through Breakfast
WNW Member Tim Lampe is the mind behind Morgenmete, which explores the absurdities of life through the breakfast setting. Tim tells us what gave him the idea to dedicate himself fully to breakfast, and why you should too.
Read MorePablo Rochat's Instagram Hacks Are Works of Postmodern Art
Pablo's Instagram hacks, pranks, and disruptions are easily digestible in this age of ADHD, and easily releasable. Pablo also discusses the craft of using Instagram's guardrails to his advantage, whether he takes his pranking spirit offline, and what it's like to get paid by major brands to cause some 24-hour mayhem.
Read MorePaul Benson's Emmy-Winning Studio Sets Are Our Dream Offices
Paul Benson creates dreamscape studio sets for the likes of NBC, CNN, and ESPN. You've probably witnessed his stunning PyeongChang Olympic studio set. Or maybe his Emmy-winning work on 2016's Rio Games. WNW HQ wishes it could operate out of any of his sets.
Read MoreProfiles of the Week: Sports!
Profiles of the Week: Sports!
The start of the NFL, NBA, and NHL seasons. The MLB Playoffs. There's no better time than fall for professional sports in the U.S. Which means there's also no better time to catch some of our members' immortalized creative contributions to professional leagues, teams, and athletes. Scroll down to see some of the WNW creatives elevating art and athletics on the big stage.
Darrin Crescenzi, Designer. New York.
Justin Thomas Kay, Designer. New York.
Simi Mahtani, Art Director. New York.
Elias Stein, Illustrator. Decatur.
Molly Erdmann, Designer. New York.
Discover more creative talent and projects like this on Working Not Working. Head here to subscribe to full weekly curated lists like "SPORTS!" If you don't have a Pro plan, sign up here first.
If you're a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share, email us.
At Midnight in Times Square, Ben Lebovitz Redefines Borders
WNW Member and Art Director Ben Lebovitz wants us to recognize the influence of borders, specifically the fact that international borders are divisions that demand social responsibility to consistently meet in the middle. Humanity and the environment often depend on these interactions.
Read MoreLaShun Tines Spotlights The Art of Blackness
There's a growing movement for inclusive policies in a wide range of fields. But Art and Design, while typically more progressive, are not where they need to be as industries. And Advertising is lagging even further behind. It's what initially lead WNW Member and AIGA Chicago Diversity Lead LaShun Tines to start The Art of Blackness exhibition in Chicago five years ago. And it's still one of the few, if not the only, national group art shows dedicated to furthering the presence of African Americans in the fields of art, design, and advertising. One of its key goals is highlighting potential heroes for younger creatives. "Familiarity and exposure to our heroes in the art and design space is an unspoken issue affecting African American artists. As a result, the aspirations of our artists can be limited. We try to introduce our audience to African American trail-blazers to serve as inspiration and as an example that the possibilities for African American artists and designers are endless."
Read More
How to Make People Give a Shit About a Napkin
WNW Member Jeff Scardino is keeping napkins cool with the latest "How Lovely" campaign for Vanity Fair napkins. As Jeff points out, it's no easy task. "No one uses napkins anymore. Especially younger people who just rip off a paper towel.
Read MoreKelsey Bryden Uses Design to Address What Matters Most to Her
Kelsey Bryden Uses Design to
Address What Matters Most to Her
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
There's often a social edge to Brooklyn-based WNW Member Kelsey Bryden's work. She sees her freelance career in Art Direction and Design as a unique opportunity to open up a conversation about what matters to her the most. Design becomes more than just a vehicle to express herself, but also a means to bring people together. It's rewarding to see the ways that Kelsey pushes herself to explore new methods in her mission, whether it's set design or photo-illustration or jewelry made of tampons. "They portray tampons as luxurious items, in the same way the government imposes a luxury tax on feminine hygiene products. I’m proud of this project for calling out the absurdity of taxing female health, as though it were not a priority or basic human right."
If you're unsure of how to start getting political with your work, Kelsey advises, "Think about the personal experiences you’ve had that made you feel a certain way, and let those be the foundation."
Tell us about your creative background. Who is Kelsey Bryden and how did she get here?
My dad was an art director and a painter. He had a terminal illness that progressed as I got older, so I strove to find ways I could emulate him. I took classes at great art universities in the summers when I was in high school, although I still didn’t feel very artistically inclined.
When I started as a full-time college student I was studying business at an art school. The truth that I held onto as early as I could remember was that I wanted to have my own business, be my own boss— hence the choice in major. But thankfully, being in the art school environment led me to design and I started taking design-related internships rather than business-related ones. When I think about it now, freelance design and direction DOES obviously allow me to own a business and be my own boss. It feels like the best of both worlds.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links all of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
The common thread I’m always striving to insert is obscurity; the something that makes people look twice. It’s also always colorful, oftentimes conceptual.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative career and development?
I worked for a little while at an interactive design agency, but found it to be pretty creatively stifling. I wanted to use my very conceptually-geared mind, which I couldn’t do there. Things changed when I started committing to this way of thinking and making, and when I left that job. Around that time I started introducing photography into my work, which was also game-changing. For years prior I would come up with ideas which I naturally saw as photographs, but it took me a while to realize that I could leverage the way my brain naturally saw things. And that I could be an AD / designer who heavily uses photography!
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
For a few reasons, probably the photo-illustrations of the tampon jewelry. It was an idea that I judged in the beginning, and doubted whether it could be executed the way I envisioned. The fact that in lieu of all the self-doubt, I made the images anyway AND they came out beautifully makes me very proud.
On top of that, there’s a lot of meaning behind them. I have a personal connection to the objects (don’t we all?), but more importantly they portray tampons as luxurious items, in the same way the government imposes a luxury tax on feminine hygiene products. I’m proud of this project for calling out the absurdity of taxing female health, as though it were not a priority or basic human right.
Is there often a political or social edge to your work, or do you feel a certain immediacy these days?
Yes! Not always, but I try to incorporate these things for sure. Politically, I advocate for women as you can tell in the project mentioned above. I also wanted to work on a project that responded to the awful, awful event that was the U.S. election, so I designed a set that incorporated famous activist statements. I also asked underrepresented people to appear on the set and say whatever they wanted into a megaphone.
Socially, I love bringing people together, and if I can achieve that in my work I’m happy. People don’t often think social interaction naturally intersects with design, but I think it definitely can. I worked on an experiential storytelling project over the course of a year, and it was a very cool way to meet people and to facilitate other people meeting.
What do you see as the role of an artist in addressing political and social issues through their work? Any advice you can share with creatives looking to do their part?
I think if you’re moved to address these things, that’s great. but it’s not your duty. It’s hard to form your own political opinion, or to distinguish what’s your own versus what you’re hearing, because there are so many other people’s opinions that are being broadcasted all around us. I’d say think about the personal experiences you’ve had that made you feel a certain way, and let those be the foundation.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I'm pushing myself to work more in set design — the idea of creating physical worlds for people to exist in is super interesting to me. I'm also thinking about starting/making a magazine, because I think independent mags are beautiful and cool.
Who are some of your biggest creative influences?
John Waters, Iris Apfel, Rupaul
One book, one album, one movie, one show?
Men Explain Things To Me, Blond, The Handmaiden, Thrones
What do you do when Not Working?
Sometimes I roller skate! Check out the Pier 2 Roller Rink in DUMBO.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that our members need to hear?
Send more cold emails!
Who are some other WNW Members whose work you admire and why?
I love Brooke Bamford. I also think Mattiel Brown is very talented. And of course, queen of all things set design, Adi Goodrich.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Slide into my DMs anytime girl.
Discover more creative talent and projects like this on Working Not Working. If you're a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share, email us.
Meet Chris Vanderhurst, Future Heavyweight Champion Art Director
Meet Chris Vanderhurst, Future Heavyweight Champion Art Director
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
On the eve of our trip to London, we figured we'd get the lowdown from WNW Member Chris Vanderhurst. After only a month in London, Chris still feels like a seasoned tourist more than an official resident but he's excited to break into the UK's freelance scene. Chris also tells us about his creative successes and challenges, why he loves London advertising's use of the word "middleweight" in place of "midlevel," and offers some advice on the importance of choosing battles wisely.
Tell us a bit about your creative background. Who is Chris and how did he get here?
I ask myself these questions almost every day. I started my career in Chicago after portfolio school, then LA, then to New York, and now London thanks to my girlfriend’s lucrative job offer and my inability to cope with certain election outcomes. There’s never really been a concrete plan or job offer in advance, but things have a way of working out if you’re willing to put in the work and not be an asshole.
People should move more often. There’s neat stuff out there.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links most of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
I’d like to say I don’t have a particular creative style because every brand and project is going to have its own unique solution. What works for BMW might not work for Google. I’ve always been more interested in solving the advertising puzzle than imposing a style onto a project that might not call for it. It’s why I ended up as an art director instead of a designer, and why I consider myself more of a problem-solver than artist (despite what my mom thinks).
What do you see as the turning point in your creative development and career?
There isn’t an exact date and time I can point at, but there was a point in my career I took pride in working weekends. But putting in 80 hours a week for 6 months straight isn’t something to be proud of. Thankfully, I’ve gotten at least a tiny bit wiser and stopped mistaking activity for productivity because it’s really easy to forget that this is all just advertising. It’s that whole “work to live, don’t live to work” thing.
What were some of the challenges in launching your creative career?
Getting a foot in the door is absolutely the hardest part for me. I’ve had the good fortune of employers generally wanting me to stick around long after my first freelance project wraps up, but it’s surprising to me how difficult—and panic inducing—it still is to get a recruiter’s attention in the first place. Fortunately, sites like WnW can help alleviate that. (Look at that shameless plug!)
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
I’ll go with our HBO Escape event for a few reasons. First and foremost, it was crazy cool to see Timothy Simmons (Jonah from Veep) pop up on my twitter saying “holy shit this is great” while he is in the middle of something I was brainstorming 3 months prior. Beyond that, it was satisfying because my partner and I had never really done any kind of event, but we still managed to impress our clients enough to take it on the road to SXSW.
What would be your dream project or job, or is it already on your resume?
The dream job is always the next one. I feel like we’re all on the hunt for it, and that’s part of the fun. I’ve worked with brands that I truly adore (and brands that no one does), but the truth is that there is no such thing as the perfect agency or golden brief that is going to be everything you’ve ever dreamt of. The trick is finding something to fall in love with wherever you are at the moment.
All of that being said: astronaut.
You’re new to London. From what you’ve seen so far, how does the London creative scene compare to that of New York and Los Angeles?
It’s hard to say because a month in, I still feel like I’m playing tourist. So far London has hidden the endearingly rough edges and eccentric personality you accidentally stumble upon in New York and LA, but I’m excited to find them.
I will, however, say their term “middleweight” is significantly cooler than “midlevel.” This distinction should be applied across the entire agency structure so my business card can someday read “Chris Vanderhurst. Heavyweight Champion Art Director”
How have you seen the industry shift from when you first started your career?
There was a glorious time not long ago that I thought an “influencer” was just the cool kid in high school who encouraged bad decisions.
If not in London, where would you most like to live?
I think Portland would be next on my list. Or maybe Austin, the Portland of the south.
Who are your biggest creative influences?
At the risk of sounding sentimental, I have to say it’s my late professor and friend, Robert Sedlack. He was the heart and soul of the Notre Dame graphic design program who opened my eyes to the power of design as a tool to solve problems, not just make powerpoints look pretty.
What scares you most about making creativity your career?
The fear that I’m a total hack who has already come up with my last decent idea, and there are a million 18-year-olds out there that are more naturally and terrifyingly talented than I ever will be. Fortunately, this fear consumes only most of my time.
One book, one album, one movie, one show. Go.
The Bone Clocks, The White Stripes’ Elephant, Battered Bastards of Baseball, The Simpsons (the early stuff. obviously.)
What is your most treasured possession?
Do my two cats count? Other than that, a pillow I had embroidered with a Run the Jewels lyric that Killer Mike retweeted.
What do you do when Not Working?
Putting 3 hours of anxiety-fueled research into where to eat dinner, or traveling an embarrassing amount of distance to play Mario Kart and drink beers with friends.
What is your motto?
I’m not the type of person that claims to have a motto. Is that a motto?
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that all creatives should hear?
“You guys. It’s just a fucking Instagram post.” - midmeeting from an exasperated creative director to an overzealous team. There are absolutely problems out there worth fighting for, but a little perspective goes a long way. Choose battles wisely.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
My job right now subsists of finding a job and making sure my cats don’t tear up the furniture.
Discover more talent like Chris on Working Not Working.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
Nike China Wants You Kids to Cover Your Cuts with “Badges of Honor”
Nike China Wants You Kids to Cover Your Cuts with “Badges of Honor”
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
This post is directed at Free Range's dedicated reader demographic of children aged 0-12. Yes, we're assuming babies can now read before turning one. Have you seen all the other shit they can do these days?
To celebrate Children's Day for Nike China, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai created adhesive bandage packs that encourage you kids to quickly cover your cuts and scratches in style and get back onto the court, field, ramps, ice, track, or wherever you get active. WNW Member and Art Director/Designer Pete Sharp created the bandage pack for all you child runners, and collaborated with Director Tom Bunker on a bonkers animation that shows a robot girl using said bandage pack while racing a robot cheetah to an ice cream stand. The quick clip totally nails the 90s kid show-meets-anime tone. In short, it's utterly insane with its explosive colors and sugar-high pace, so you kids should find it easily digestible and straightforward.
Image courtesy of It's Nice That
Image courtesy of It's Nice That
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
Meet the WNW Members Named to Adweek's 2017 Creative 100 List
Congratulations to the Working Not Working Members and all creatives and artists named to Adweek's third annual edition of the Creative 100. The annual list celebrates "the masters of creativity" and "profiles 100 unique and fascinating problem solvers from the worlds of advertising, branding, media, technology, pop culture and more." Get to know the names and work of the featured Working Not Working Members below.
Read More
WNW MEMBER ADI GOODRICH ART DIRECTS NEW FLEET FOXES MUSIC VIDEO
WNW MEMBER ADI GOODRICH
ART DIRECTS NEW FLEET FOXES
MUSIC VIDEO
WNW Member Adi Goodrich served as Art Director and Production Designer on the newest Fleet Foxes music video, "Fool's Errand." This is the second music video released in advance of the band's long-awaited third album Crack-Up, out June 16th. Adi was behind the first single's lyric video as well, collaborating both times alongside director Sean Pecknold, the older brother of frontman Robin Pecknold. (Adi and Sean co-run an animation, photography, and design studio called Sing-Sing you should definitely check out.) If you like heavenly harmonies and bewitching choreography at the top of cliff faces, all wrapped in a Jodorowsky aesthetic, well then Happy Monday to you.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
PROFILES OF THE WEEK: JANUARY 16TH
PROFILES OF THE WEEK:
JANUARY 16TH
Kiem Vu, Designer. Brooklyn.
Helen Tseng, Illustrator. San Francisco.
Jamie Wignall, Illustrator. London.
Kimberlee Mar, Producer. New York.
Burke Lauderdale, Art Director. Brooklyn.
Alex Gee, Motion Designer. Toronto.
Thompson Harrell, Art Director. New York.
Augusta Duffy, Art Director. Brooklyn.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
MEET CHUCK KERR, ART DIRECTOR AT VARIETY
MEET CHUCK KERR, ART DIRECTOR AT VARIETY
Sometimes the best way to equip yourself with the tools to succeed in your field is to just jump in head first and learn on the go. That's how WNW Member Chuck Kerr got his start as a magazine art director in his hometown of San Antonio: "I was a 22-year-old, one-man art department with almost no freelance budget to work with and a weekly magazine to put out. To create 52 original covers a year, I had to experiment, improvise, and stretch my creativity every single week. Best education I ever received, hands down."
Chuck tells us how he winded up as Art Director at Variety, a perfect fit for his diverse skills, one of which is working with constant, tight deadlines. Chuck also offers a glimpse into his creative process: "I feel like once you crack the core idea of what the story is trying to say, every other design decision becomes easier — the concept tells you what to do. When something ultimately clicks for me, hopefully this means it will click for the reader, as well."
As a creative and hirer, Chuck shares some great advice for creatives looking to work at Variety. "If you want to get into the weekly magazine world, you’ll have to be flexible and fast. As much as I may want extra time to do tons of research, make mood boards, take nap breaks, and workshop something until it’s perfect, the deadlines never stop coming. Having confidence in your abilities and knowing to trust your gut are valuable skills when turnaround can be so quick."
Tell us a little bit about your creative background. Who is Chuck Kerr and how did he get here?
I grew up in San Antonio, Texas and was always really into drawing, comic books, and music. When it became clear that being the next great Marvel artist or a famous drummer wasn’t going to work out, I gravitated toward writing and designing for my high school and college newspapers. As an undergrad, I interned at my hometown alt-weekly, the San Antonio Current, before becoming their full-time art director in 2006. I was a 22-year-old, one-man art department with almost no freelance budget to work with and a weekly magazine to put out. To create 52 original covers a year, I had to experiment, improvise, and stretch my creativity every single week. Best education I ever received, hands down.
After six years at the Current, I was more than ready for new challenges, so in 2013 I moved to Seattle to launch some new Pacific Northwest travel magazines for Sagacity Media. While I loved living and working in the PNW, an out-of-the-blue offer from Variety was too good to pass up, so I moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and am back in the world of weekly magazine deadlines, only now on a much, much larger scale.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links all of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
With every project I work on, whether it’s editorial design, logo design, comics, or whatever, I am always looking to get a gut-level, emotional response from the reader. The reaction I’m aiming for is always somewhere between “Wow!” and “Oh, of course” — the sweet spot where something is simultaneously a total surprise but also satisfyingly obvious.
One of my favorite parts of the job is coming up with visual concepts for complex or thematically rich stories. I feel like once you crack the core idea of what the story is trying to say, every other design decision becomes easier — the concept tells you what to do. When something ultimately clicks for me, hopefully this means it will click for the reader, as well.
In general, my personal style tends to lean toward bold, graphic ideas, without too much extra ornamentation. Sometimes it’s a matter of putting too much stuff on a page and then editing it down, removing elements until what’s left is absolutely essential. That being said, I do have a pretty healthy sense of humor, and enjoy slipping in small details when they add something without distracting from the overall package. For example, I recently did some freelance work for Seattle Met magazine, designing a fun feature story about Sasquatch hunters. On the very last page of the section, I replaced the page number in the folio with a tiny silhouette of Sasquatch — so after several pages dedicated to how elusive this creature is, readers get a little Sasquatch sighting of their own. That was a fun one.
I am always looking to get a gut-level, emotional response from the reader. The reaction I’m aiming for is always somewhere between “Wow!” and “Oh, of course” — the sweet spot where something is simultaneously a total surprise but also satisfyingly obvious.
You’ve been an Art Director at Variety for more than two years. What separates Variety for you? How have you seen its identity evolve from within in recent years?
Variety is a legendary brand that has covered the entertainment business for over 110 years. Our readership is primarily people in the industry, so we focus on news and analysis rather than celebrity gossip. While its core mission has remained constant since its early days, Variety has survived turbulence in the print industry by changing with the times, evolving from a daily broadsheet, to a weekly newspaper, to its current form: a perfect-bound, oversized magazine, which launched in 2013.
Back when I was interviewing, creative director Chris Mihal sent PDFs of back issues for me to check out, but I was truly blown away when I got physical copies in the mail and saw how much care and attention went into each issue. Between our high production value and routinely working with the best photographers and illustrators, the Variety art team is committed to making the print edition as beautiful as it is informative.
Variety is a legendary brand that has covered the entertainment business for over 110 years. Our readership is primarily people in the industry, so we focus on news and analysis rather than celebrity gossip.
Which of your projects for Variety are you proudest of and why?
I’m proud to be designing for Variety each and every week, but there are a few projects where I felt like I brought something unique to the table.
Not long after I started, Variety had a cover story about the so-called “Morning Show War” between NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” We obviously couldn’t photograph the anchors, so we had to go conceptual for the cover. I came up with the idea of having two coffee mugs — one with the “Today” logo, one with “GMA’s” logo — smashing into each other like “Monday Night Football” helmets, hot coffee erupting everywhere. Then when you opened up to the feature spread, both mugs were cracked, standing in puddles of coffee with steam rising up like on a battlefield (I think I even namedropped “Saving Private Ryan” during the original pitch). Craig Cutler and his team in New York shot everything practically and captured the carnage beautifully. People always assume it was created digitally, but nope — real coffee, real mugs.
This year, Variety did an issue devoted to “Hollywood and Politics.” For one of the feature story illustrations, I proposed that we pay homage to the famous Richard Nixon Esquire cover by George Lois — only instead of Nixon getting ready for his close-up, it’s Donald Trump. Illustrator Anita Kunz did such a great job that we all had to agree it should be promoted to the cover. Even though it’s got one of my least favorite people on it, it’s still one of my favorite covers.
Another cover I’m proud of is much more recent: our 2016 “Global Issue,” which looks at how the entertainment industry is doing across the world. Instead of doing a traditional illustration, I had the idea to model the entire cover on a U.S. passport, complete with gold foil lettering and a custom seal which was designed by La Tigre in Italy. I always love when print publications take advantage of the fact that they have a physical form, and I especially love the idea of a film executive with a huge Variety-size passport on their desk. And who can resist gold foil?
I’ll listen to music related to the story I’m working on as a way of getting “in tune” with it. For instance, a recent cover story on “La La Land” had me listening to Chet Baker and the Bill Evans Trio, and a feature on Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice” was mostly designed while listening to Can and other psychedelic ’60s groups.
What’s your general process for designing Variety features? Do you research the individual and project, or work entirely from the text?
For me, it starts and ends with the story. We cover everything from media mega-mergers to Oscar season, to filmmaker and actor profiles, and everything in between. Each feature layout has to reflect the subject and tone, but also fit in with our overall aesthetic. Ideally, I’ll have the story in hand to read before designing, but sometimes time constraints mean writing and designing happens more or less simultaneously. Any original photography or illustrations will obviously have a big impact on what the pages look and feel like, but when time permits I also try to do my own research into the subject in case it triggers any design ideas.
My officemates know I tend to wear earbuds pretty much all day, but what they might not know (nerd alert) is that occasionally I’ll listen to music related to the story I’m working on as a way of getting “in tune” with it. For instance, a recent cover story on La La Land had me listening to Chet Baker and the Bill Evans Trio, and a feature on Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice was mostly designed while listening to Can and other psychedelic ’60s groups. I don’t do it all the time, and I have no idea if this makes a huge difference to the final product. But it’s fun to think that it does, even if only in the smallest way.
Who and what are your biggest creative influences?
There is so much inspiring stuff in the magazine world right now. I’ve been a longtime fan of GQ and Wired, and most recently have gotten into Condé Nast Traveler since Caleb Bennett took it over. Mike Solita’s newly redesigned Fortune looks amazing and is currently being passed around the office, and we also regularly share copies of Leo Jung’s always-great California Sunday Magazine. T.J. Tucker and his team are still putting Texas Monthly into a league of its own when it comes to city/regional magazines. I love what WNW Member Claudia de Almeida does at o Banquinho, especially her stunning type treatments and her work for San Francisco Magazine. Benjamin Purvis’s redesign on Runner’s World made that book a must-read; their front of book section is really inventive and cool. I loved what Chris Skiles was doing back when he was creative director at Houstonia, and Jane Sherman and Sara D’Eugenio do an amazing job designing Seattle Met every month. (Follow Sara’s Instagram dedicated to cool magazine design: @arteditdesign!) I think Tim Leong and company are doing incredible work at Entertainment Weekly. EW has a smart, fun energy and all the hidden Easter eggs consistently reward sharp-eyed readers.
Finally, an all-time favorite would have to be Richard Turley’s run on Bloomberg Businessweek, which was a master class in how to be innovative, authoritative, and clever. He really helped give that magazine a strong voice. BB comes up in the office on a regular basis.
I also still try to keep up with what alt-weeklies are up to, like The Stranger in Seattle. I might be biased, but I feel like alt-weeklies are great talent incubators and a lot of my favorite designers built up their chops at alt-weeklies.
I’m a big fan of the alternative comics work of Daniel Clowes, Adrian Tomine, Charles Burns, Jillian Tamaki, Eleanor Davis, Dash Shaw, and Chris Ware just to name a few. Many of these artists also moonlight as editorial illustrators, and are on my wish list to work with some day.
Speaking of comics … while not exactly a graphic design textbook, Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics was a very, very early influence and detailed how ink on a two-dimensional page can create a three-dimensional, emotional response in a reader. I feel like every designer (and editor!) should read this book, it has a lot of great things to say about the relationship between words and pictures, and what is a magazine if not a bunch of words and pictures?
Having confidence in your abilities and knowing to trust your gut are valuable skills when turnaround can be so quick. One thing that makes it all easier: The Variety art team is a great creative group that genuinely enjoys working together.
What advice can you offer to creatives hoping to work at Variety? What can they expect from Variety’s creative culture and what would it take for them to succeed there?
If you want to get into the weekly magazine world, you’ll have to be flexible and fast. As much as I may want extra time to do tons of research, make mood boards, take nap breaks, and workshop something until it’s perfect, the deadlines never stop coming. Having confidence in your abilities and knowing to trust your gut are valuable skills when turnaround can be so quick. One thing that makes it all easier: The Variety art team is a great creative group that genuinely enjoys working together. I feel very lucky to work with collaborators who actually know how to collaborate. We all strongly believe in putting the work first and egos second, and letting the best idea win, because — hey, guess what? Then everybody wins.
What do you look for in a creative portfolio that is unique to Variety? Any tips for creatives to breathe life into their portfolios?
“Be undeniably good.” That was Steve Martin’s advice on how to succeed in comedy, and I think it applies to pretty much everything. The Variety art team sees tons of portfolio websites and we look at tons of magazines, and the artists that stand out the most have strong, unique voices and distinctive styles. We tend to go after people who are very consistent because we always want to have a pretty good idea what the final piece will look like before we hire them. If you’re someone who dabbles in several different aesthetics, it might be a good idea to focus on just one or two styles so art directors know more or less what to expect when they reach out to you. We usually don’t have time to go back and forth with an illustrator for several rounds of revisions, and if that did happen, we would probably avoid that person forever.
A couple other things: Check out what kind of work gets published in your favorite publications or websites, and if you fit in with what they already seem to like, feel free to submit your work to them. Blind submissions (“Hello sir and/or madam…”) tend to be less successful. Also, if you’re still building up your portfolio, personal work or fan art can be fine — especially if it has a really unique point of view — but we mostly want to see if you can tell a story visually. So one thing you could try is taking a pre-existing story and creating your own illustration for it. Even though it’s unpublished work (and make sure to label it as such), it will demonstrate that you can create art in service of a specific story, which is what you will be doing 99% of the time when illustrating for editorial. Bottom line: Make the kind of work you want to be hired for, and if you’re persistent and consistently good, you’ll break through.
What’s next for you?
We are going to head into a short publishing break while we gear up for early 2017 — specifically Oscar season. I’m hoping I’ll do better on the office Oscar pool this year; last year’s was rough. (How could Stallone not win for his work in Creed? How?!)
What do you do when Not Working?
“Not Working” isn’t something I do very often, even when I’m not at work. In 2014, I founded a monthly collaborative zine night at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, based on a similar event I used to attend in Seattle. Melt-thology is an inclusive, social, creative space where artists of all skill levels get together and draw a one-page comic or illustration that I collect into a monthly zine for contributors. We average about 40-50 diverse artists per Melt-thology issue, and it’s been really inspiring to see the growing community that has sprung up around it.
The other thing I do, but have been taking an unintentionally extended break from, is play and write music. I’ve been playing drums since I was about 4 years old, and I also play the piano. I was pretty active in bands back in Texas and Seattle, and I’m hoping to go into the studio in early 2017 for my own songwriting project, Bad Breaks. Music is a big part of my life, whether I’m making it or watching it (or stuck in LA traffic, listening to it). My all-time favorite moment at Variety so far is meeting Brian Wilson at a cover shoot inside the studio where the Beach Boys recorded Pet Sounds in the mid-’60s. At one point, Wilson sat at a grand piano and plunked out some chords while photographer Marco Grob shot amazing portraits. It was like getting a very small, very special concert from one of the greatest musical geniuses ever, and that’ll stick with me for a very long time.
Who are some WNW Members whose work you admire and why?
I’ve been in LA for over two years now, but I admittedly still haven’t made many connections outside of the editorial world. One of the reasons I was so excited to join Working Not Working was to have a resource for getting to know other creatives in this city, and elsewhere. I do know a few WNW illustrators like Joel Kimmel, Erin Gallagher, and Daniel Fishel, who all do great work. Erin does amazing pop culture posters and illustrations, and we both had pieces in a recent Broad City-themed art show at Meltdown Comics. I look forward to meeting more artists and creatives through WNW!
Anything else you’d like to add?
Go Spurs Go.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
PROFILES OF THE WEEK: NOVEMBER 28TH
PROFILES OF THE WEEK:
NOVEMBER 28TH
Michael Ramirez, Producer. San Francisco.
Juliana Lynch, Art Director. New York.
Stuart Harricks, Art Director. New York.
Laurel Stark Akman, Copywriter. San Francisco.
Beck Hickey, Art Director. New York.
Thomas Pregiato, Designer. New York.
Greg Dalbey, Art Director. New York.
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
Photo by Matt Bauer
VICE'S DERSU RHODES WANTS YOU TO USE YOUR TALENT TO TAKE A STAND
VICE'S DERSU RHODES WANTS YOU TO USE YOUR TALENT TO TAKE A STAND
WNW Member Dersu Rhodes is a Venice-based creative and hirer on Working Not Working. In our interview below, Dersu offers generous insights into his process on both sides of the coin as Design Director at Vice. From creating verticals for Vice like its women's channel Broadly and lifestyle channel Viceland, to searching for creatives who are as passionate as he is about making original and meaningful work, Dersu both embodies and embraces the spirit of Vice. "Vice has said 'fuck you' to offshore drilling, pipelines, discrimination of all ethnicities and sexual orientation, and I full-heartedly stand behind that. I’m 100% ready to chain myself to some trees and hopefully VICE will let me use my PTO."
Dersu repeatedly stresses that every endeavor for Vice involves extensive collaboration among creative minds. And they're always on the lookout for more impassioned makers and thinkers. When we ask Dersu what advice he can offer to creatives interested in working at Vice, he cuts to the chase: "Email me if you want to work with us and also if you want to be involved in taking your talent and using it to take a stand against the dark shit that could possibly be coming."
Tell us a little bit about your creative background. Who is Dersu Rhodes and how did he get here?
I grew up in a family that celebrated and supported absolutely any crazy creative ideas that I had as long as it didn’t involve television or video games. I remember drawing for hours listening to Ladysmith Black Mambazo and acting out imaginary epic sagas in the woods behind our house. I still find myself coming across new artistic mediums and convincing myself that this is my next calling. The benefit is that I dive into a new way of telling stories which keeps it exciting; the issue is that I end up spending a lot of time doing some stuff that doesn’t make a ton of sense for my career. For example, freestyle rapping.
My core has always been Fine Art, as that is what I went to school for. That eventually translated into graphic design, art direction, and more recently directing live action and motion graphic pieces. I come from 6 years in the surf industry before I got into advertising and media, so a lot of my aesthetic originates from that world. I also ran away to Berlin a few years ago, so my taste for sun flares was replaced with darker, moodier work.
How did spending your formative years in such naturally beautiful places as Montana and British Columbia inspire and influence your creative pursuits into film and design?
It’s funny that when I was growing up I couldn’t wait to get out of the wilderness. I thought that photo shoots and films that took place in the city felt more real and were more interesting. Now, I keep writing stories or dreaming up shoots that take place in the places I grew up.
I didn’t realize how much that chapter of my life and part of the world would influence my work until recently. I find myself gravitating towards stories that involve the outdoors or spreading a message of conservation and staying connected to nature. Now more than ever, my fear is the places that have been the source of the most peace and happiness will not always be here. Anytime that I’m feeling frustrated or uninspired I go surf, or go into the woods and immediately my brain takes a breath and I notice creative thoughts creeping back in.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links all of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
It varies a bit according to the project or client but my own personal style is really reflected in my Instagram feed as of late. I’ve really tried to collect inspiration and projects that I feel reflect my current mood and style.
I love photography and art that really makes me feel something. Vice has definitely influenced my taste and I find myself working with photographers who tell stories that are very authentic and gritty. On the other end of the spectrum, I love working with my friend Dean Bradshaw who has a more polished look, but his ability to tell stories with his work is just as impactful.
I’ve always loved Scandinavian design and the book Dutch Graphic Design sat on my desk for a long time. The ability to direct the eye with so few elements is mesmerizing to me and I try to mirror that effect in a lot of my work.
I recently had a friend suggest an exercise that could help define my signature style. He told me to pull together 100 images that speak to me and create a mood board with them, I’ve done this over the years and I realize that the style I’m drawn to has really changed a lot. It seems minimalism and emotion have really started to play a part in my work.
As a co-founder of music/style blog “Witness This” and a deep house DJ, what does the art of curation mean to you?
Curation is everything at this stage of my life. There is rarely a project that doesn’t involve more than one medium, and most projects present the opportunity to involve illustration, dance, photography, or music. Witness This began as an excuse to interview the people in my life who inspired me. In time it became a reason to reach out to artists or photographers in different cities and presented opportunities to learn from them. I approach most of my interviews with people like photographer Damien Vignaux or DJ HOJ as not only a chance to learn as much from them as possible but to try to convince them to collaborate with us somehow. ;)
You’ve been Design Director at Vice for three years. What separates Vice for you? How have you seen its identity evolve from within in recent years?
Long before I got here, VICE was already flying. The people that are leading the charge are so passionate about the stories they are telling and so hell bent on succeeding that it was a dream just to be able to jump on board. It was an opportunity for me to learn absolutely everything I could and be a part of telling stories that truly matter. This company is ready to take a stand for all of the progress that has taken place over the last years. Vice has said "fuck you" to offshore drilling, pipelines, discrimination of all ethnicities and sexual orientation, and I full-heartedly stand behind that. I’m 100% ready to chain myself to some trees and hopefully VICE will let me use my PTO. My goal is to learn from all the incredibly talented and passionate people here from all media channels and continue to do everything I can to tell stories that truly matter and better the world.
Is it a challenge to adopt Vice’s distinctive voice when working on a project, or do you feel that you already spoke that language when you came in?
It can be challenging because we do have a lot of verticals (channels) at this stage. However, each vertical has a publisher who along with the channel manager and their squad truly become the voice and filter for that vertical. I helped launch the women’s channel Broadly and we clearly defined the brand guidelines for that vertical, while making sure it followed the overall Vice brand guidelines.
I come from the surf world and advertising, and in a lot of ways so does Vice. Jake Burghart, the most O.G. DP at Vice, comes from the surf/skate world and there are lots of people that have worked on both sides. Our in-house agency Virtue works on brand art and design so you have to be a chameleon.
What Vice projects, campaigns, or endeavors are you proudest of?
I am very proud of our work in helping to launch VICELAND. We cranked through the holidays working on the show packages for Huang’s World, Vice World of Sports and Party Legends which all involved a lot of talented designers, art directors, motion designers and producers working very hard and really caring about what we were doing. Every time I speak with someone and I mention VICELAND, people tell me how much they love it so that feels really awesome.
Working with Diplo and K-Swiss for the launch of “The Board” was amazing as well. We had a rock star team of creatives, producers, photographer and filmmaker's and the result was a campaign geared around educating young entrepreneurs in design, marketing and making a social impact. At one point we had 5 of us in a hotel room rewriting a creative script at 1 in the morning the night before our first shoot!
Being in a leadership position, how do you cater your approach to allow your left brain and right brain to coexist?
I listen to a lot of deep house and crush coffees in the afternoon. I try to keep my creative time where I can really dive into problems and strategy for early morning or later in the evening. During the day I find myself in meetings that sometimes involve numbers which are not exactly creative, or working on Keynote which is sometimes creative so it’s definitely not all fun and games. But we have a great team and we talk through a lot of our ideas which makes it fun during the day.
What advice can you offer to creatives hoping to work at Vice? What can they expect from Vice’s creative culture and what would it take for them to succeed there?
I can say that you should email me. We are looking for designers and motion people. If your work is good and you know what we do and want to join us then let’s do this. You can expect to work on the VICELAND broadcast network, on Noisey, Broadly, Thump, experiential events, brand work and any ideas you dream up that you want to pitch for any of the Vice channels.
What do you look for in creative portfolios that are unique to Vice?
Portfolios that have a point of view. Having good taste is really a huge part of it. That could look like curating a tumblr or having a section that showcases your favorite work. Showing that you are aware of what is going on in the design/art world is important as well. Also a lot of CV’s that I get are sadly designed and honestly I won’t even look at those. Try to present a tight package that reflects who you are and what you care about. Show me you have a personality and are passionate about doing good work!
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
We’re working on a bunch of new network shows. I’m directing the main titles and branding/animation packages and also working on a few freelance passion projects. One project is directing a short doc about a guy in Oregon who finds animals that have recently been hit by cars on the side of the road, and makes incredible moccasins and bags while not wasting any of the meat. We’re on the hunt for a composer to score it at the moment.
What do you do when Not Working?
Finding music and DJing has been such a huge source of joy for me. I’ve kept the business out of DJing and as of now it’s the one creative avenue that has no rules. I can play what I want and no one is asking me to make the logo bigger, although we do occasionally get requests to play Rihanna. I also love surfing and spend at least a day a week in the ocean.
Who are some WNW Members whose work you admire and why?
Tony Chen (former VICE broadcast editor now freelance) is someone who I have loved working with over the years. He pours his whole heart into his work and is so incredibly passionate about learning and pushing the boundaries of storytelling. I also had the opportunity to work with Michael Sevilla. That dude is seriously one of the most incredible digital designers and artists in the world. Balind is a homie as well and such an intelligent creative director/strategist.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Email me if you want to work with us and also if you want to be involved in taking your talent and using it to take a stand against the dark shit that could possibly be coming. I’m ordering Jessica Walsh’s pins when I get home tonight. Viva La Revolution!!!
