Food For Crime
Beware of False Prophets
SEVEN

These are my latest projects, I see the FFC with its huge emotion and energy, which is locked somewhere deep inside.
BOFP to me is like a mysterious story with an enormous spirituality and scope.
SEVENS full version is the project of mine, for which I have not done any publication yet and which I see as a real life with a past and present.

What would you say is the most important lesson you have learned since you started designing?

Be in love with your work! Just be!

What do you think is the most challenging part of your job?

Well, the process overall is very pleasant. The birth in the brain starts a new chemistry and doesn’t leave you alone… Then all the details of the process… It all converts into the pleasure of looking at the composition… The culmination is the completing the work, which is may be even scary – is it actually finished or not… Then you fall in your thoughts about this… eventually it all gives you so much pleasure to observe what you have actually created.

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

It is an open question… It is a place, where I will enjoy working the most, it is not a definite aim/target; it is more like feelings which is hard to put in words! I know that in this time I will have developed skills and have passed stages and stages of progress. I am doing my current work today the way I consider it right and I am ready to learn something new as well as participating in the development of the organization I work for. I think wide and look for new opportunities. At this moment the only concrete thing I can underline is a big desire to progress.

How long does an average piece take you to complete?

Things that depend on the mood and inspiration are very hard to put in concrete periods. I have had cases when a complicated graphical work involving a mix of typography, graphical design and illustrations have been completed in a week; But I have done works that require the same amount of effort and techniques in just four hours. This depends on precisely your state of being.

Hi! First of all, I would like to thank you for this short interview. I really appreciate it. I was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany but I have Filipino and Italian roots. Just like everyone else, I visited school. At the age of 17, I enrolled at the SAE University and took up Web design and Development program. While taking up my course, I realized this course is not for me. I didn’t want to learn the language of computers. But still I pulled through and got my diploma a year after. The things I design this day, I didn’t learn from the course since they didn’t teach it to us, so I just researched and practiced everything on my own till I mastered my own style. From the day I developed my own website and uploaded my works on the Internet, I got attention and a huge feedback from different agencies as well as ADs/CDs who gave me my first projects. At first it wasn’t a big of a deal, just small projects here and there but as years pass by, I became better in my field and got more and bigger agreements. My biggest break through started when I uploaded my project “KILL ART//TRUST DESIGN. Bigger companies, bigger names contacted me and wanted a piece of the cake.

Your work is truly spectacular to look at, can you give us a brief walk-through of your process?

I would tell you but I would have to kill you .

On average, how long does one of your 3d pieces take to complete?

It takes about 30 mins to 2 weeks. No specific time. It really depends on the project and how the clients are. You know what I mean.

Have you always been an artistic person? Or was it something you realized you love doing later on in life?

As a child, I always doodled, sketched pictures and created my own characters. I was barely listening to my teachers at school I was too busy to finish my Son Goku masterpiece. I always had my own world ever since I was a little kid.

Who would you say are your favorite artists out there today?

There are just a few I really admire. One of them is DXTR from The Weird, his works are awesome.

How do you market your services to acquire commissioned projects?

I recommend all upcoming artists to upload their works on behance.net. No other site offers a better opportunity to get discovered except for behance. I talk from experience.

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

I am an ambitious person so I would say I see myself building my own empire and with empire, I mean my own ad agency.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us, any final words you would like to say to our readers?

Well.. thank you for this opportunity. To your readers, I would say do your own thing, don’t let anyone dictate what you can or can’t do. Just be your own self, follow your heart, live your dreams fuck the haters. If you want to see more of my upcoming projects, just like my facebook page or follow me on behance. God Bless.

Be sure to follow Antoni and view more of his work at: Behance, Facebook and www.antonitudisco.com

Hello Karim, thanks for having me! I am originally from Barcelona and have been living in the US since 2009. I have always been interested in creative disciplines. I draw a lot when I was a kid, and never actually stopped doing so. By the time I had to decide what I wanted to do in my life, Graphic Design shined as the perfect choice. It was a discipline that allowed me to work on creative concepts, that has Illustration and Photography tightly related to it and that also offers the possibility to work on very different projects. Since Graphic design is everywhere, you can find yourself working on a lettering project for a sneakers company on day and on a more illustrative piece for a wine label the next. I love that about my job!

What would you say is your favorite illustration you have done to date, and why?

Winter Bugs is to the date one of my favorite projects. It came out of nowhere. it’s a project I developed from a series of photos I took one day that I had some time to kill. Once in my studio, I got interested by the shapes of the branches and started playing with them and creating symmetrical compositions. The resulting forms looked like bugs and I decided to develop a series. I think the reason of what I love that project is the fact that the process was so playful and surprising. It was like a graphic adventure.

What do you think is the most challenging part of your job?

As a creative working on visual projects, the most challenging part of my day to day is finding total satisfaction from my projects. Every time I finish a piece, I learned something though the process and when I look back to previous projects, they kind of lack that small little thing that they would have if I did them all over again. I feel like I am never totally satisfied because there are always new things that I can experiment with. In part is good because every new project brings excitement, but I always have the feeling that my work could be better.

Every designer deals with design blocks from time to time? How do you end up dealing with it and bringing it back?

I feel that blocks happen in every discipline. It’s just a matter of letting your brain rest for a bit. We are not machines and everything requires balance. In order to generate ideas, I need to have time to observe what is happening around me. A good equilibrium between hard work and space for amusement and relaxation is crucial for me.

You have many amazing typography type projects in your portfolio, can you give us a brief walkthrough on how you accomplish these projects?

I always start by drawing that I have in my mind. Sketching is good to set your ideas visually and work on general composition. After that I work with Illustrator and Photoshop until I get the result I am looking for. It always starts with an idea that I need to see materialized, and then it only takes a lot of work to make it happen.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I love what I do, I will be doing the same but on a higher level and probably working with new industries. it’s all about growing as a creative.

Thank you for your time, do you have any final words for our readers?

Thank you! I always encourage people to work hard and do what they love. It always brings good results and it’s very rewarding.


To view more of Ana Gomez’s work visit her portfolio at www.anenocena.com

Hi! I’m an Art director and motion designer from Paris. I started in the industry as a freelance Web Designer / Flash Designer for Parisian agencies in 2003 on my first year of study. I was quickly promoted to be a conceptor & Art director on most of the projects.

Tell us a bit about where you work and what you specialize in. Are you working at an agency? Freelance?

I currently work as freelancer in Paris and I share my office with another advertising agency.
I am specialized in motion design and interactive experiences; more than building websites, I try to tell stories trough ground-breaking interactivity. I am very focused on touching people’s hearts with design.

What software do you use for your work?

I mostly use Photoshop and After effects for all kind of animations. Sometimes Illustrator and Cinema 4D for simple 3D work. I was using Flash before but now I leave this software for developers. I am much more focused on after effects.

Can you give us a brief walkthrough of the process you take when working on an animation project?

One of the difficulties when you are motion designer is to convince people about your ideas, which are difficult to imagine with simple words. For that, I create first a script of the concept, some roughs, a moodboard and a list of some cool references. Once validated I create the storyboard, start the design work and make some animations tests on after effects, then finally when everything looks great I finalize the designs and animates all that.

Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring motion/interactive designers looking to get started in the industry?

Be passionate is definitely the key, it helps to understand a lot of thing on its own and develop its own convictions. You must continually look at the work of other designers and try to understand their choice of concept, design or animation. You should also try to achieve personal creative projects.

You have many amazing projects in your portfolio, which ones would you say you are most proud of?

Immersive garden website (www.immersive-garden.com) is probably the the work that I am the most proud of. I had a lot of fun working on it and I received several major awards, including a gold Lovie Award – www.lovieawards.eu

What do you most enjoy about your work in the motion design industry? And what is the least?

What I enjoy the most is when I try to push boundaries, to find the way to making something ground-breaking. What I like least are deadlines

What is the best advice you have received that you would like to share with our readers?

I would say this quote from Lord Chesterfield “Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well”

Where can we see more of your work?

I currently work on my new portfolio site, for the moment you can see my recent work www.blacknegative.com

Thank you for your time, any final words for our readers?

Thanks for reading.

Dilshan won a Gold Lovie Award in 2011. The Lovie Awards recognises the unique and resonant nature of the European Internet community. Entries for the Lovie Awards 2012 close on 21st September 2012 – please visit www.lovieawards.eu for more information

“Well, Thank you also. David Osagie is from Nigeria, Africa. It’s amazing how much beauty our little world illuminates. I had admired pencil etching back then in secondary school, i never understood the depth of light and shade,so it was fascinating to see what an ordinary pencil lead could do.That ignited my quest to know more,and i dug into a few art books and made every ‘pencil’ opportunity count.Somehow,I happened to grow into a good sketch artist,But that wasn’t the peak for me, i knew there was a lot more i needed to create,I was limited! My turnaround came when I found a desktop with Photoshop 5 installed,that software opened me into a light of possibilities that knew no limits, and that was how I extended my sketch pad into the digital art world. And really its been the best times of my life.”

Can you please give us a brief overview of the process you take when working on a new project?

New projects most times have different takes depending on the client. While the large projects would demand tighter deadlines and usually less technicality, the smaller projects would on the other hand would give you much more freedom.But basic process involves, an intial breif from the client,then a few quiet times on my sketch pad doing notes, concepts and seeking inspiration from other designers’ portfolios.I know I’m on track when I’m able to key my work with the clients ideas.I work with Indesign and Photoshop more of the time and a little back and forth, here and there,usually lands both parties at good conclusions.We wont rule out on bad inspiration days, but a good designer should always be able to know where his/her creative spark evolves, and be able to key into it when it matters.

Which one of your projects would you say is your favorite so far and why?

I am yet to see a really fulfilling project yet. Like I said earlier, I enjoy smaller projects cause I totally have that freedom to express, but these definitely are not very fulfilling as income here is usually low compared to the work produced.While on the larger projects side,the checks are fatter, but restrictions can really be quite terrible especially when you work with creative directors who share one-sided opinions. I just think I haven’t found that balance yet. But working as creative director for TheStreetHawker magazine till date has been my most fulfilling project. The craze of the cover pages was totally ‘me’.

How is the design community in Nigeria? Do you find culture plays a role in the design trends?

Nigeria has grown really. People do think that Africa maybe is ‘lost’ in that sense of digital art.But definitely capital ‘No’. Digital artists have risen much more to my greatest surprise, and amazing work is emerging daily.I dare to say Daniel Emeka, James Abinibi, Niyi Okeowo, Tola Alabi, Opabisi Oluwaseun and more I can’t say, are a small fraction of the many digital artists Nigeria is having coming up strong. Though Nigeria’s culture is diverse, but I think we are the most happy collection of people on earth. Traditional art mediums like etching,wood carving,painting,sculpting are still the more popular form of art here; But I foretell Nigeria in 3 years,breeding new converts i.e Traditional artists crossing over to the digital, and I know its only a matter of time.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

5 years! Making more impact, Changing the world, definitely, a new style for my work, Starting a digital art institute, a good woman, a kid, bigger clients, 2 music albums. Basically moving on and coming strong!

What would you say is the most important lesson you have learned since you started designing?

Don’t compromise your quality. Always give spaces for gaps. You sure would have issues with clients once in a while for missing deadlines and being forward, but never let a client complain of your work quality. Usually your ‘product’ is what gets appreciated by the world in the end, the methodology would most times be a secret between you and the client, and that, you can work on, no one is perfect. Always make your clients hungry for more of your ‘good work’ and not make you a ‘pity object’ because you had a good attitude on your last project.

When you are in need of some inspiration where do you go?

www.behance.net

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us, any final words for our readers?

Stick to your secret place. That’s where your true inspiration comes from.

To see more of David Osagie’s work check out his website at www.davidosagie.com

Thanks for having me. I am currently living in Michigan just outside of Ann Arbor. I got my start in the industry working for the same studio that I am currently Creative Director. I started out as a junior retoucher learning to retouch on files that would be output to 8×10 film for separation. This is where I cut my teeth on learning the fine details and clean compositing, you’ll be amazed what details art directors can see on an 8×10 piece of film with a 4X loop! So every single pixel had to be perfect.

What would you say is your favorite project you worked on? Hardest project?

I can’t narrow it down to a single project, but more of the type of work. I really enjoy working with photographers and combining their talent with my CGI and photoshop skills. I think this type of work is the most rewarding for me and it’s nice to have a partner with you on a project. The hardest project by far was the Sony PSVita campaign for E3. We had to shoot, composite and generate cgi elements for HUGE banners with multiple elements and people… oh yeah and we had 4 days to do it. Needless to say, I never slept.

Your work is very eye catching, how do you come up with your concepts and effects? Any advice/tips for designers trying to adapt a similar style?

Well, thank you for the compliment. Sometimes I come up with ideas during the strangest times, while jogging, during sleep, while driving the car, but I definitely never end up with an image as I original set out to do. The creative process is very fluid for me and I make decisions on the fly when creating pieces that sometime take on a life of their own. I am never afraid to try things, push elements to the limit and most of all, I am not afraid to start over if I don’t feel it is quite right.

How do you approach a new project? What would be your first few steps when starting?

I usually take the creative brief, ask a bunch of questions to get the art directors intent and vision. Then I go off into visual land – stock photo sites, web searches and cgi models to see what’s available and what inspires me to put into my pieces. This is a step that I do in the beginning and in the middle of my process to make sure if my direction has changed, I didn’t skip over something that may not have worked earlier on.

You have been the Creative Director at SeventhStreet for quite a while now (Since 1997), can you describe your day to day tasks and the overall atmosphere at the company?

I am the lead artist and CD, so everything has to go through me before it gets sent out to our clients. But I also have input on our marketing strategies, social media, new business and the hiring of new talent. We are a very relaxed studio where everyone is responsible for quite a few tasks… there is nowhere to hide and we just ask that you do whatever it takes to get the job done right. But we also understand that people have lives and we are very flexible with where and when you work and time off – as long as the work gets done I don’t care if you have to leave to go to your underwater basket weaving class.

Which design blogs, forums, or websites do you visit on a regular basis?

This list is constantly growing daily. I definitely go to Behance multiple times a day, by far my favorite site and community. I also go to a few blogs that always have great inspiration; DesignYouTrust, FromUpNorth and DigitalAbstract. Not to mention, I am always following my twitter, dribble and sometimes pinterest.

What would you say is the most important lesson you have learned throughout your career?

“-Never be afraid to try things, there’s always an undo button.
-The number one thing you should always be marketing is yourself – even in your own workplace.
- Trust your instincts, if you gut says it isn’t right, then it probably isn’t right.
- MOST IMPORTANT, if you love what you do, and the rest will be easy!”

Thanks very much for your time, any final words for our readers?

No, I think you covered it all…

To view more of Mike Campau’s work visit his website at www.mikecampau.com

I’m from Paris France, I am self-taught since 1999. I started freelancing since last November after spending a year in the agency “Publicis Conseil”

Your work is always very creative and original, canyou give us a brief overview of the process you take to create your work?

In general, it is in my head that everything goes … I have ideas that come like that, but there is the work of others who may also be inspiring.

Your “Real human sky” shirt is quite fascinating, have you printed these into actual shirts?

No, I did like that when I started doing photo manipulation.

How long does an average piece take you to complete?

4, 5 hours, sometimes it’s faster, it all depends on the creation.

Which aspects do you enjoy most about your job?

I love doing photo manipulation, but also calligraphy and graphic design!

Thank you for your time, any final words for our readers?

“Thanks to you for the interview.
And thanks to the people who support me on my portfolio “”Behance”" (http://www.behance.net/alexis-persani), and all who love my work …”

Have you always been an artistic person? or is it something you developed later on in life?

Can you give us a brief walk-through on the process you take when doing one of your artwork?

Which do you prefer, working as a freelance designer or for company?

I think I prefer working as a freelancer. It gives me more freedom. And it gives me the freedom to only take the jobs I want.
I have made many tough and almost impossible job. With very bad original photo. Unfortunately, many people do not know how much work it is behind a finished image. And many also think I can do magic. I have cried many times when I sat with an impossible job. But I have always finish it. But now I have learned to speak up.

Throughout your career, what is one of the most important lessons you learned that you have applied to your paintings?

A difficult question, really. Everything I learned, I see as equally important. If you look at my pictures, you will see that I am very flexible. I vary a lot, and keeps me not only to a single style, or a single type of image. I have promised myself not to get stuck in one genre. Instead I want to be proficient in a variety of styles. I want to be wide in my creativity.

Which software & tools (tablets) do you use for your work?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, any final words for our readers?

To view more of Cindy Grundsten’s amazing work visit her DeviantART page.

Hello, thanks for having me. I consider myself a native New Yorker – I wasn’t born here but my family immigrated here when I was 6 years old, and I’ve been living here ever since. I started drawing at a very young age, and I used to get excused from class because I would draw for my teachers. It was fun, and it was my passion. I started digital art in 2003 when I started to take notice at 3D abstract art. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen, and it really inspired me to learn Photoshop and Bryce. In 2005 I joined Depthcore, and the rest was history. I established my first portfolio online and started my quest to make a name for myself.

You have many amazing pieces in your portfolio, tell us a bit about which are favorite projects you’ve worked on?

Thank you. I believe my favorite projects are my personal projects because I don’t have to worry about satisfying a client. I get to express myself to the fullest and no one can tell me otherwise. I also believe my best work comes out of my personal work because that is when I get to experiment and break through from the usual client-based commissioned work. Nowadays I tend to get commissioned to do a similar style of work, so it’s always nice to be able to experiment and just have fun without having to worry about creating specific elements. As of today, my favorite personal works are “Chronos”, “Renascentia”, “Pestilence” and “Memoir”

Do you prefer working on personal or commissioned work?

I enjoy both equally actually – they both have their pros and cons. What I do believe, is that they are both important to establish if you want to be successful in the business. Commercial work may not be as fun (sometimes), but it sure pays the bills. On the other hand, personal work may be fun, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Tell us a little about your “Grammys” project, how did you land such a contract and what was the design process like?

The Grammys project was referred to me by good friend and Depthcore’s creative director – Justin Maller. The entire Grammys print campaign was created by Depthcore artists actually. It was great to be able to work with my friends in the collective – they are all amazing artists. As far as design process goes, I was approached with an inspiration board at first – which included my own work. After talking with the creatives from the agency (TBWA/Chiat/Day), I knew exactly what I wanted to create and went with that. I created the artwork for Paul McCartney and The Foo Fighters – and they were both done with a combination of 3D, photo-manipulation, and digital painting. After a few revisions, we came up with the final artwork, which I am very satisfied with.

How do you overcome any design blocks?

I fall back for a while, then I come back attacking. There is no point in forcing it, and it’s honestly best to back off, pay attention to another hobby and come back later. As far as client based work goes, I’ve never really had a creative block. However, I have had these with personal work before – but I noticed that this really only happens when I force myself to create something. I learned that if I am going through a rough time in life, I create some of my best work…and that is because I pour my heart and soul into it. The last time I had a creative block, I just started going crazy experimenting and came up with something cool. It’s like going back to the old days when I didn’t know Photoshop or 3D, you just have to not worry and go wild. What’s the worst that can happen? You hit Ctrl+Z or start over? Big deal.

How often do you use 3d in your work? Also how important do you think it is for designers to be familiar with 3d software nowadays?

I use it a lot – I’d say 90% of all my work within the past 2 years have some 3D in it. It’s great, but I understand it’s not for everyone neither. I personally love it and am actively trying to get better at it because of the type of work I create, but if you’re an illustrator who creates much more “graphic design” based work, then it’s not important. It can’t possibly hurt to learn another software, right?

What is your day like as a freelance art director in New York?

I work remotely from my home office, so I’ve got a bit of flexibility. I get up at around 9am, check and reply to some emails, then head off to make breakfast. From there I usually feed my dog and get started on my work day. That is the base of my day, but the variation starts from there. I could either be working all day or I could have time to spend with my my loved ones, run some errands, etc. It really depends on my work load but I always get to arrange my own time. I would not be able to do most of these things if I weren’t a freelancer. Personally, I can’t work at an office doing full-time…just not for me!

What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?

5 years is a lot of time, so I hope to be much more established by then. It’s already taken me 7 years to get to where I am today and I’m still not really “well known.” I hope to establish a solid name in the commercial world but at the same time be able to continue to produce fun, experimental personal work. I started a new exciting venture recently (can’t disclose it), and I believe it will push my career further. If all goes well and I am financially at a good place, I would most likely want to start a family as well.

Thank you for your time, any final words for our readers?

Thanks again for having me. Please feel free to follow me on my website at www.thefifthorder.net and the usual social networks – and let me know if you guys have any questions. I consider myself a humble and helpful guy, so I promise I won’t be a jerk! Take care.

To view more of Jeff’s work visit www.thefifthorder.net