048_055_Von_Glitschka.qxd (Page 48 - 49)

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048_055_Von_Glitschka.qxd (Page 48 - 49)

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• Publié par: olajufud
• Nombre de lectures: 38
• Langue: Français

Extrait

Von R. Von R. Glitschka

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Having spent 18 years in the industry as a Senior Designer and Art Director for a handful of design firms and in-house art departments, and after designing more than ten fonts, Seattle-born Von Glitschka started his own firm, Glitschka Studios, in Salem, Oregon in 2002. Described on their website asaÔversatileoutsourcefor larger design firms, inhouse art departments and ad agenciesÕ, GlitschkaStudiosÔstrivesto create visually inspiring, concept-driven design in a world too often void of alluring and wellexecutedgraphicsÕ.Loueze Harper catches up with Von Glitschka during a quick break in his busy schedule.

IÔwonmyfirstcontestin Kindergarten and got a SpeedRacercolouring book as a prize, which made me realise that drawing was well worth it if this was the type of Von R. reward I get.Õ Glitschka

ear yn uences ncu ng magazine —‘much to my mom’s dislike so I’d hide it under my bed’—and early Japanese cartoons such as Speed Racer, Marine Boy and Star Blazers, Von Glitschka has been drawing basically since he could hold a pencil. ‘I won my first contest in Kindergarten and got a Speed Racer colouring book as a prize, which made me realise that drawing was well worth it if this was the type of reward I get,’ he laughs.

From doodler to designer Von Glitschka spent his childhood and educational years in parts of Washington—first in Seattle, where he was born, then Olympia where he grew up and attended the Seattle Art Institute after high school. ‘I was always the creative person in my school class,’ Glitschka recalls. ‘I have always doodled—and still do nearly every day. It happens without any conscience thought at times, which wigs me out after the fact when I look at a drawing and I don’t remember doing it.’

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par rommagaz nes, com coo san cartoons, there were many other factors that influenced the young Glitschka. ‘My mom is a talented artist and always encouraged me to draw,’ he says, adding that his parents owned a book of Norman Rockwell’s art that had captivated him. ‘I also enjoyed many of the illustrated LP covers they owned, which turned out to be the work of Jim Flora—his art really shaped a lot in my style.’ In addition, Glitschka’s younger sister, Amy Davis, is also an illustrator with her own unique style. ‘I think she’d make a great children’s book illustrator,’ Glitschka says, adding that he’s a big fan of her work. ‘Right now she has a more important job raising her own kids but I’m sure in the near future she’ll pursue that again.’

Choosing a career While still at high school, Glitschka had originally thought about getting into the film industry. ‘But that was pre-internet,’ he recalls, ‘and I didn’t know where to look for that

ype on ormaon, soec eo go to art school after a rep visited our high school.’ After graduating in 1986, Glitschka got his first job at a small screen print shop. ‘The economy at the time was pretty bad and no one was hiring,’ he says. From there Glitschka spent the next 18 years working for various design firms and in-house art departments—both big and small—before starting his own business. ‘The experience I have had in various industries, as well as the variety of work each firm or company provided is what has enabled me now to take on a wide variety of projects.’

The educational aspect Glitschka obtained his Communication Arts Degree from Seattle Art Institute. ‘It was a full two year program for an Associates Degree, which for me meant “No math, just art!”,’ he laughs, ‘and I liked that.’ Glitschka admits that prior to art school, he was highly ignorant of all things

Icons (opposite page) Client: STUFF Magazine

Snowboard design (this page) Client: Grommie Snowboards

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Von R. G ‘Twheleho atelr rloaovedof l px ry e m eire s n sne i erv a a m ine ec s saw t ssiva od e goy s Soh b el hethatheranot tfeehted c dlcwuovedeeil objndaotdadn h e- h ge o en o l n l k a wiyÔM k fe hates a ed to graphic design and illustration.better designer—I had to move out of my comfort zone.’ shopping with me way,’ he says. ‘It opened my eyes and I because I want to stop distinctly remember realising this when Ihim and move him closer to his goal. and look at design walked into a grocery store and, instead‘That move alone equipped me to of it being a place to buy food, it was accomplish everything I have now,’ he stuff like hangtags for now a portfolio of design—packaging,says. ‘Everyone is one choice away from labels, signage, type and printing. Myimproving, and that one choice isn’t clothes and wine wife hates shopping with me because Igoing to be easy but it will always be labels.Õ want to stop and look at design stuff likeworth it in the long run.’ hangtags for clothes and wine labels.’ At art school, Glitschka learned all theFinding a niche basics of colour theory and design, but Over time, Glitschka has carved out a he believes the ability to think came later.niche doing jobs for other design firms or ‘What school never adequately taught—larger advertising agencies. and I feel many still don’t—is to be a‘They like to use me as a creative good thinker; to develop the ability tooutsource on projects,’ he says, ‘and it conceptualise and birth unique ideas,’ heenables them to get directions they explains. ‘Schools unfortunately focusnormally wouldn’t have produced. Right too much on knowing the tools, whichnow, I’m working with a large agency on a anyone can do. So that part came aftermajor car branding. But I also help out art school and was a slower processlocal small business owners too.’ since it was a self-taught methodology.’Whether it’s a large agency or a small business owner, Glitschka takes the same Digital dawningapproach in terms of his design. Part of For the first five years of his career,this includes a kind of design philosophy Glitschka worked mainly with traditionallisted on the Glitschka Studios website: methods. ‘Wedon’t find the design; we let the ‘This was prior to the digital realm anddesign find us through the process of dawn of computers coming on the sceneconceptual thought and brainstorming.’ as a viable design tool,’ he says. ‘I’veIt is this process of brainstorming that been an Apple fan since the greenGlitschka believes sets them aside. monitor days, so I embraced the new ‘I usually let the project dictate my style Macs, which fuelled my passion andchoice for any given project,’ he explains. equipped me to achieve what I have now.’‘In my early years, this was due to a During this time, Glitschka was stuck inlack of budget—I had to or else what he considered a dead-end job.everything would look the same. Now I ‘I made a decision one night that in orderdo it because it keeps me fresh and to do what I wanted to do and become aalways trying new things.’

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Character design (opposite, top) Client: Maxima Oil Products

SnowSlider design (bottom) Client: Body Glove Asia

Logo development (this page, from top left) Clients: Samurai Guppy D Drive Christ Church www.blogintosh.com Liberty Financial Phoenix Grand Suites Law Enforcement Footwear Educational Software Mortgage Company Handyman

Von Glitschka’s methodology Von Glitschka does have a systematic methodology for working on certain design projects, such as logo development. In a nutshell it’s like this: 1. Make initial contact with client to determine the scope of project. 2. Provide design quote. 3. Upon approval, I gather upfront information using a creative brief etc. 4. Read and go over upfront information then let it ‘slow boil’ for a week. 5. Once ideas start to bubble up, I then start sketching or writing them down. 6. Once I have at least five solid concepts in thumbnail form, I then go to the computer. 7. I pick the three out of the five I think are strongest and comp those up. 8. I never show clients sketches, I only present the three strongest solutions. (This prevents them picking something I don’t like because I don’t show it.) 9. Present comps to clients (no Frankensteining* allowed). 10. One direction is picked and I refine. 11. Final art is finished and then applications using the new mark begin.

If the client strays, I use the creative brief—which is their sole opportunity to give direction—to hold them accountable. I have a saying ‘The client is King but they aren’t the Art Director’. My batting average has been good and I’ve only once struck out on a logo job (and it had more to do with a flaky client then it did a failed solution). Good research and conceptualising upfront leads to successful execution of design.

*Frankensteining: When clients want to take graphic elements from one solution and either swap them out or add them to another solution there by creating their own monster—worthy of mobs carrying pitch forks and torches, rather then a well crafted concept based design solution.

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Von R. Glitschka An illustrator’s prerogativeThe trouble with tools On Glitschka’s illustration projects, mostGlitschka works on a Macintosh of the hard work is done outside the box,workstation, and his tools of choice ‘...box being the computer’, he clarifies,include Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, adding that he draws everything by handand Macromedia Flash and Freehand— using a pencil on vellum.the latter of which he has been using ‘I sketch, erase, redraw, tape a piece on since 1991, although he realises he will top, refine and step and repeat until Isoon need to upgrade—a challenge he have exactly what I want. I try to leavefinds somewhat frustrating beyond very little guessing for building mywords. illustration with the computer.’‘When was the last time they upgraded If the timelines permit, Glitschka prefersa skillsaw or hammer for carpenters?’ he working on an illustration to the pointasks. ‘Sure, they might add a laser where he feels he is done, and then pointer to guide the skillsaw a little letting it sit for a few days to approach itbetter, but essentially it hasn’t with fresh eyes.fundamentally changed in decades. ‘I’d say 90% of the time I see something INeither has the hammer—with want to fix that I feel will improve it,’ heexception to ergonomics. But as says of this method. ‘Unfortunately, thatdesigners, it seems our tools change isn’t always allowed so many of mydramatically every six months. And illustrations you’d see on my website willduring those six months, key features have subtle differences no one wouldmight have bugs in them that make it really notice but me. But that is andifficult to do our job. I really do hate illustrator’s prerogative. Shhhh—don’tthis aspect of our work. I learned how to tell anyone.’do design the old school way and notSaul Bass and Neville Brody as having In terms of style, Glitschka is the first toonce did I wake up to find my ruler washad a huge influence on his designs in admit that he does tend to get sick of hisno longer compatible with my x-actothe past. But he also mentions that his work pretty quickly, which lends itself toblade. I didn’t have to pay $125 tocurrent inspirations include some fellow a style reinvention every now and then.upgrade my light table to make it workdesigners he considers friends— ‘I’m always trying new things to stayagain with my film separations.including Paul Howalt, James Strange, fresh, for no other reason than to keep‘And as we move further along, a biggerKeith Bowman and Shane Cawthon. myself entertained,’ he explains. ‘I doissue will be accessing our legacy files,’‘I also get inspired by what some would have certain styles I love to work in and,Glitschka continues. ‘Past work could endconsider mundane things,’ Glitschka when permitted, will always gravitate up being inaccessible, unless we alwaysreveals, citing the xerox copy of an article towards those, but the way I draw thingskeep an old machine and old software ona friend handed him to read. At his usually morphs over time. For example, Ihand. I am surprised this isn’t addressedobvious excitement, the friend draw noses differently now than I did fivemore in our industry.’commented, ‘You haven’t read it yet’, to years ago. Right now I am really into awhich Glitschka replied: ‘No, not the continuous line style—I’m not sure why.Drawing on the influentialarticle—check out the cool texture this I just enjoy doing it right now.’Glitschka lists the likes of Paul Rand,xerox made. I’ll be using that’.

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‘Of course my friend—a non-designer— just stared at me like a deer in the headlights,’ Glitschka laughs. ‘I still have the xerox on my cubicle wall, waiting to be scanned in to use on a print project— the article, I still haven’t read.’

The influence of all influences If Glitschka had to pick one influence that transcends them all, it would have to be the influence of creation itself. ‘Creation is design,’ he explains, mentioning a show he once watched, where over 1,000 scientists attempted to make a nano bot and were inspired to base their design on a real bug. ‘So you have over a 1,000 highly educated men applying unlimited hours of knowledge, wisdom and design to replicate the design of something they all believe came about by random chance and was void of a designer,’ he shakes his head. ‘I think it’s insane to be honest.’

For the future Glitschka reveals that something he’d really like to do would be to illustrate a children’s book. ‘I’ve talked to one publisher who

recommended me for a project,’ he says, ‘but that whole industry is pretty hard to steer in that regard. Developing a character for Nickelodeon or another media venue would be a blast. I have a lot of good ideas. It’s just a matter of getting the right person to listen and take them seriously.’ One pet project Glitschka has in mind is to design fabric patterns and market his own line of ‘Vonster’ lounge shirts. In addition, he’d love to invite other gifted designers to design patterns and market those too. ‘I think that would be a blast.’ Career-wise, Glitschka would be happy just being able to run his own business and being able to working on what he wants to work on. ‘Being my own boss has been the best thing to happen to me in my 18 years in this industry,’ he says. ‘If I can land a gig I just quoted for that will be the largest single job I’ve ever done and will allow me some financial freedom to do my pet project I mentioned.’ But for the most part, Glitschka is content with what he’s doing right now. ‘I really do enjoy the diverse work we do.’

www.glitschka.com

TShirt design (opposite page, top) Client: www.ipodlounge.com

Self portrait (opposite page, bottom) Client: Self promotion

Editorial illustration (this page, top) Client: Portland Magazine

Downtown banner (above) Client: City of Salem Oregon

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