One year into the Trump presidency, creative agency Wolff Olins has enlisted Print All Over Me and 10 artists to help design #bandtogether bandanas. 100% of the proceeds are sent to charities that have been threatened by Trump and his policies.
Read MoreOkCupid's First Ad Campaign Is Down to Focus On More Than Just Hookups
We interview WNW Members Dana Davis, Designer at OkCupid, and Jessica Shriftman, Wieden+Kennedy Art Director. As Dana tells us, "The DTF campaign is a great extension of OkCupid’s mission to focus on substance and depth -- and to reflect back on the issues and passions that people care about."
Read MoreWant to Work at Wieden+Kennedy? Meet Lauren Ranke
We interview Lauren Ranke, the Director of Creative Recruiting at W+K Portland. Lauren tells us how she's seen the agency evolve over her 20+ year tenure and how you can get hired.
Read MoreSwag Alert: Working Not Working Hats
We partnered with Flexfit and WNW Members Marta Cerda, Jon Contino, Faust, and Alex Trochut to bring you 4 beautifully-designed caps.
Read More
The New York Times' "Year In Illustration 2017"
Every year The New York Times commissions thousands of original illustrations from independent artists around the globe. We share the 21 WNW Members whose contributions made the NY Times' year-end list of the highlights
Read More
Peen Cuisine Mixes Food & Sex for Elevated Bachelorette Parties or Random Weekday Meals
Lauren Hom describes it as "elevated bachelorette party food" but that doesn't mean that she hasn't been getting help from her grandmother sampling some of the recipes before their respective launches.
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The Top Companies WNW Creatives Would Kill to Work for Full-Time 2017
We surveyed our members for the fourth year in a row, asking them which companies they’d kill to work for full-time.
Read MoreThis Lettering Artist Will Expand Your Vocabulary Through Design
Creatives and artists often talk about how certain projects serve as valuable learning experiences. But WNW Member Mark McCormick's ongoing project, Word is Drawn, is literally that. And not the misuse of "literally" that people are often tossing around. Five years ago, during a creative dry spell, Mark decided to hone his skills as a lettering artist and designer by subscribing to Dictionary.com's daily email and drawing whichever word it threw at him. Mark's resulting renderings manage to perfectly blend the word's definition and a good bit of humor. In short, they're both fun and educational.
Read MoreWNW, General Assembly, & Unruly Co-Host "Design for Good" Event
We co-hosted General Assembly's latest "Inside the Minds of Brilliant Designers" series event with a specific focus on "Design for Good and Breaking the Mould." The sold-out event, held in Unruly's clubhouse, consisted of a panel discussion with London-based WNW Members
Read MoreHow to Get a Job at Spotify
Spotify! I've been looking forward to this interview and I’m happy to finally share it with you. As some of you may already know, I worked at Spotify for almost three years. So I couldn’t resist reaching out to my friends and asking for their wisdom about landing a design job at Spotify.
Read MoreCoverage Coalition: Join Barton F. Graf to Spread the Health
The advertising budget for the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) has been slashed by 90%, and the window for enrollment, which starts November 1st, is half the length. Creative agency Barton F. Graf wants the advertising industry to come together to make up this 90% difference and ensure people sign up for affordable health care. Below, we talk to WNW Member Zoe Kessler, a Senior Art Director at BFG, who will tell you everything you need to know to help make a positive impact with the Coverage Coalition. We love seeing our members using their creative skills and communicative powers to make a difference, and this initiative perfectly encapsulates that ingenuity and spirit. #SpreadTheHealth
Read MoreThe 3% Conference Founder Talks Diversity & How We Can Do Better
The 3% Conference was born with the mission to champion female creativity and make the case that in order for businesses to innovate, they have to embrace diversity. Now in its sixth year, the 3% Conference is showing a true commitment to effecting change with its adaptability: "We've become increasingly aware of the danger of agencies solving for the 'woman problem' and neglecting diversity in all its facets. So our fall agenda will explore and inspire on all fronts of diversity to make it crystal clear that our tagline -- Diversity = Creativity = Profitability -- is a rally cry that leaves no one behind and no one's needs back-burnered."
Read MoreMaria Louceiro Embraces Discomfort to Develop Her Creative Eye
WNW Member Maria Louceiro is finding ways to be creatively comfortable with the uncomfortable. For one thing, it's how she created her best work as a photographer. "I was working full-time as a designer, so I took the days off, but didn’t prepare beforehand and was totally lost in Gothenburg.
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.
This Designer Approaches Design With The Seriousness It Deserves
"Look at my work if you want to know about my creativity; great design is great because it speaks its truth to you through visuals." This is what it sounds like when a designer takes the artform and practice of design with the seriousness it deserves. In our interview below, WNW Member Alex Engzell takes us on a tour of his unwavering path toward a career in design, one he dropped out of high school to pursue.
Read MoreOvershare Podcast: Kate Moross
Overshare is a Working Not Working event series and podcast that features honest conversations with our favorite creatives about the tough stuff we don't talk about in public often enough. For our 8th episode, WNW co-founder Justin Gignac talks to Member Kate Moross in the first London edition of Overshare.
Read MoreDesign is the Key Ingredient on Look Cook, a New Cooking Site
There are more cooking sites than any of us know what to do with. Some focus only on one cuisine while others have dietary restrictions in mind. But no matter how much each cooking site strives to bring something different to the table, WNW Member Melanie Chernock noticed all of them falling short in the presentation no matter how incredible the dishes.
Read MorePinterest Fights to Right the Ratio
Working Not Working has partnered with Pinterest on their new initiative Right the Ratio, which aims to empower the next generation of creatives to overcome inequalities in the industry. Right in time for Women's Equality Day (8/26), Pinterest is kicking off the campaign with a focus on gender inequality, highlighting some of advertising's most accomplished women and their unique perspectives on what needs to change. For starters, while women make up 46% of the ad industry, only 11% of Creative Directors are women.
Read MoreDarren Oorloff Makes Album Art Melting in Nostalgic Futurism
Darren Oorloff Makes Album Art
Melting in Nostalgic Futurism
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
"Those flamingoes are out of control!" "Look at this! Are you fucking kidding me?!" "I can't stop looking! Is this Pink Floyd or from the future?" When WNW HQ first came across WNW Member and Designer Darren Oorloff's album covers, there was a fair amount of wonderment, disbelief, and profanity in the volley of our responses. So we decided to interview Darren to find out some of the secrets to his approach, his influences, and what's next. While we might describe the common thread through Darren's work as "super-awesomeness," Darren helps us find some more descriptive words: "I’ve carefully curated my art to create an illusion of consistency – largely through similar colours and type treatments – but look closer and you’ll notice the only real links between the content are a sense of nostalgic futurism."
Darren also opens up about the trend in music toward designs that challenge the boundaries of the music's genre, as well as the necessity of creative tension to open a greater dialogue. "I don’t think new trends catch on in a creative field unless there is a sense of tension, perhaps a conflict – people need to disagree in order to create a conversation that will propel the trends’ reach." Here's to Darren's portfolio and music design continuing to surprise and provoke.
Tell us a little bit about your creative background. Who is Darren Oorloff and how did he get here?
My name is Darren Oorloff and I’m an Art Director from Melbourne. More specifically I create identity, packaging and artwork for the music industry.
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?
Committing to one particular style has been difficult for me. I think it’s important to establish a distinct identity as an artist, but this has a tendency to limit one’s skillset. As soon as I’ve mastered a style or a technique, I’m no longer interested in it and need to move onto something more complex. I’ve carefully curated my art to create an illusion of consistency – largely through similar colours and type treatments – but look closer and you’ll notice the only real links between the content are a sense of nostalgic futurism.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative career and development so far?
The biggest turning point for me was when my approach to design changed from ‘how do I make this?’ to ‘how do I make this look good?’ Prior to this, the physical execution of a concept was my biggest challenge – stitching multiple images together to create realistic compositions. Nowadays I have a pretty versatile set of skills and access to excellent resources where I lack, so my focus has shifted to creating beautiful compositions without the restrictions of technical incapacity.
Can you give us a little insight into your process for designing album and concert artwork? Do you try to only allow the music itself to influence your visual response, or do you also draw inspiration from whatever you’re into at the moment?
Surprisingly the music isn’t my primary influence. I’ve found a lot of artists have a carefully crafted image that doesn’t necessarily align with their sound. In my initial steps, I identify how the artist wants to be perceived. Then, I find a middle ground between what inspires me and what is applicable to the artist’s image and branding.
Do you find that it’s easier to create album artwork if you’re a fan of the music, or does it not really make a difference in your approach?
I don’t believe it makes a great difference. I try to remain fairly objective and open-minded about every project. You would think the quality of work would be much better if I was a fan of the genre and had an understanding of the history. However, some of the most creative and influential art is born of contrasting design style with genre. There is a strange movement happening right now where rappers are using a ‘metal’ aesthetic, the metal-heads are taking influence from the ‘electronic’ aesthetic and all the genres are swapping styles.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
The project that garnered the most attention was for a Japanese heavy metal band called Crossfaith. This is a perfect example of a strange genre crossover as mentioned above. Crossfaith has some electronic influence in their otherwise heavy sound, so we decided to go all out on a sci-fi, almost Vapourware aesthetic. The biggest challenge here was to introduce aggression into a typically vibrant, fun style (Vapourware) and I think there’s a very fine line in the sci-fi spectrum between being cool and being nerdy. Anyway, I think I managed to navigate all of this gracefully with this particular artwork and the response was just manic.
What would be your dream project?
I’d love to work on some kind of elaborate stage/set design with immersive projection mapping. I’m also totally fascinated by VR and augmented reality, so it’d be nice to get involved in something within that realm.
Who are some of your biggest creative influences?
Shusei Nagaoka
Doug Johnson
Hajime Sorayama
Roslaw Szaybo
Tadao Ando (Architect)
Jiro Ono (Chef)
What are your favorite album covers of all time and why?
My parents had a couple of Vangelis CDs and as a child they had the most intriguing covers, depicting strange sci-fi worlds.
I am completely bamboozled about how Doug Johnson created this series. His airbrushing skills and use of colour make me sweat.
In my opinion Neil Krug’s best work to-date. He captures so much momentum and drama in a still image.
Released this year, this is probably the most perfectly executed example of a crossover of metal design on a rap cover.
How would you describe the creative scene in Melbourne? Do you thrive off of being part of a creative community or are you more in your element as a lone wolf?
Melbourne has a very vibrant, ever-evolving creative scene. I particularly love this place because it’s young and still establishing its own identity as a creative city.
I surround myself with creatives every day for inspiration. However, up until now, I’ve designed solo, on account of having a very specific vision for developing my identity. Today, having established that style/aesthetic, I’d be open to collaboration with other artists where my technical abilities lack.
What do you do when Not Working?
I’ll try to get a skate in when there's time, and sun.
I also like to go for a run – I feel like I’m problem-solving 24/7 because I don’t – and can’t – apply a consistent method to each project. Running gives me an hour each day to focus on nothing, and to give me a break from that persistent problem-solving.
What’s some of the best creative advice you’ve ever heard or received that our members need to hear?
Ken Robinson said something that floored me in a talk about schools killing creativity: “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original”
This isn’t something I’d ever considered. I feel like I’ve taken risks, but they’ve all been calculated risks. I don’t think new trends catch on in a creative field unless there is a sense of tension, perhaps a conflict – people need to disagree in order to create a conversation that will propel the trends’ reach.
Who are some WNW Members whose work you admire and why?
I’ve always been a fan of Anny Wang, her 3D game is on another level.