Geoff McFetridge is the dude. I’m super inspired by his work and how he navigates the professional world of graphic design.
He’s based in Los Angeles and runs the design studio Champion Graphics.
"McFetridge is well-known within the graphic design community for imagery that is economical and spare, yet powerfully communicative... the interplay between two and three dimensional space and visual conundrums,” Michael Darling, Seattle Art Museum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
One of the parts about graphic design that scares me is the part where you sell yourself out to companies. It sort of weirds me out, you know, working for “The Man.” I know that’s a pretty big part to be afraid of, but Geoff McFetridge has shown me that it shouldn’t be. He’s worked for huge corporate clients like Nike, MTV, and Pepsi and has made the system work for him. He’s created a style that is sought out by clients and has created a career out of people buying into him.
That is something I hope to strive for as I continue with graphic design. People buying into me instead of selling out. I know you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying “whatever, good luck with that” right now, but let me have my idealistic moment.
Anyways, here’s an interview with McFetridge. It deals with his work in design from a video series called Western States.
Cool stuff, his style reminds me of Kieth Haring in a way. I think it might be that he uses an entire room as a design piece like Haring and that his design is icon dominant.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that he tries to use humor in everything that he designs, makes it personal and I imagine fairly effective in advertisements he makes for his clients.
I LOVE how he says that people buy into him rather than him selling out. Something to think about - gives you more control, your clients see you because of you, and it's less stressful so you can focus on what you usually do instead of tailoring and tweaking your style for the clients.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but also recognize how closely his portfolio resembles some hints of Late Modern Design - Saul Bass (my fav!!!!) and Paul Rand.