As a kid, I was always interested in art, but up until junior year of high school, didn’t even think of it as a potential career. From what I knew, it was a near-impossible way to make a living, and going down that route wouldn’t be as secure as other options.
Thankfully, I learned about the field of graphic design, and thought: “well, art is involved and I know that I'm at least okay at that and I’m also good with computers—let’s see how it goes.”
Little did I know that I’d find my community and my true passion once I began studying graphic design in college (shoutout the University of Nebraska- Kearney!). Fast forward a few more years, and I’m 24, employed at an amazing company, and working constantly towards developing and advancing my craft. It feels almost more like an exciting hobby than a career thus far.
I firmly believe that when it comes to succeeding in any creative endeavor, it takes a village. So as I reflect on how far I’ve come as a designer, as well as where I hope the field takes me, I want to acknowledge some of the designers, artists, and brands that inspire me daily to always push the limits of what I think I’m capable of. (On that note, I’d also like to thank my daily two-or-more cups of either Stumptown or Hazelnut Eight ‘Oclock coffee!)
Instagram tends to be where I’ll go when I’m needing a jolt of inspiration or to connect with other artists and designers—especially since graduating from college, more or less into a global pandemic. Even though traditional communities can be hard to come by right now, I’ve found plenty of creative support online.
@chadmichaelstudio works in the space of branding and packaging, and I love to see physical, real world examples of outstanding design in a world that’s increasingly digital.
I love to check in on the accounts of some of my favorite museums, like @metmuseum, @vangoghmuseum, and @bauhaus_archiv. Art and design is always building upon itself, and can be super self-referential, so understanding the original sources is incredibly helpful.
@stevewolfdesigns is an amazing designer that graduated from the same school and program as me for graphic design—it’s so great to see a fellow Loper out doing awesome things!
@xpatrickthomas is an experimental designer whose style and unique approach to art I really like. His work isn’t exactly what most clients want, but he’s always pushing the envelope, and that’s a philosophy all designers can benefit from.
@vahalla is a print/letterpress shop that does almost everything by hand—a stark contrast to the largely digital world of design. It takes longer, but I think the results speak for themselves.
@Trevorbasset, @shagey_, @marcellovelho, and @markconlan are hard to classify, but they’re all artists I love.
@annieatkins is my favorite graphic designer for film—she’s worked on movies like Grand Budapest Hotel, which is an all-time classic!
@matvoyce and @vincentschwenk are two accounts that focus on animation and stop motion design. They both take a super cool and fun approach to it and inspired me to give animation a shot, myself.
I adore @accidentallywesanderson. It’s a sort of parody page that touches on three things I love: Wes Anderson films, architecture and photography.
And lastly, @pentagramdesign is a design agency who always produces top of the line, innovative, yes extremely polished and thoughtful work, ranging from print to animation to product design and more. (Plus, one of my close friends from school works there, so that’s also really cool and inspiring!)
And lastly, a quick plug for my own personal art and design Instagram account! Follow @itsinthehouse to check out side projects I’m working on, like my daily sketch exercises.
