Style

As I've worked on various projects this month in my full-time position, contract work, and personal projects, I've found myself pondering the implications of style when it comes to one's work. I would imagine that most people don't think overly much about art or design styles in their daily lives, but it's something that I actively consider almost every day.

Over the last few weeks at 2 Towns, I've been developing labels for various releases slated to come out later this year, and interestingly, each one has required me to work in a very different illustrative style than the others. Some even lack illustrations altogether but focus on pure design and typography (which in itself has a myriad of styles). And yet, what interested me the most was that when looking at the labels, I noticed that there was something about each of them that made me feel like the same designer had worked on them. So, while there may be styles, is there also a Style? Something that goes deeper than whether something is flat illustration or line art?

When you first start as a designer, you steal other designs. Even as you mature in your practice, you see something you like and use it. But especially when you start, you steal, steal, steal. You steal until you eventually realize what does and does not work. You steal until you begin to see things differently. - Well, I would have made that text a bit smaller and used this specific color. God, why is that book cover so busy? It's giving me anxiety. And as time goes on, and you create more and more, you start stealing less and less. And even when you do, you realize there are only small specific things about the stolen idea you want to use, and the rest is nonsense.

I think this process slowly accumulates and consolidates into one's visual style. We are creatures of habit and opinion. I have specific brushes and pens that I like to use when I ink a drawing. There is no other reason than I like how they feel, the sound they make when they scratch the paper, or the splatters I get as I pull a line. As I continue to use this specific pen and lay things out in a particular manner I have developed over the years, a style emerges—a style that can transcend the medium, subject, and, eventually, the tools. And so, while an experienced creative can mimic and develop a design or illustration in almost any conventional style, there is always some tiny something in the product that points back to the creator's individual style.

This insight, in turn, has me reflecting on my professional journey. I realized how grateful I am that I actively chose to pursue and practice various styles of illustration, design, and fine art. Many consider it a folly to be a Jack-of-all-Trades, especially in the creative fields. It is argued that focusing on one style, specialty, medium, subject, and industry is much better. We're told to niche down. Get good at creating things for a particular type of client and then dominate that marketplace.

And that can work. Many agencies or freelance careers are built on that principle and business style. And yet.

And yet, so much is missed, overlooked. In my undergraduate education, the class that had the single largest impact on my design capabilities was not a design class but a life drawing class.

But I digress.

What makes a designer, artist, actor, or illustrator? It's not the tools, projects, or clients but the cumulation of preference, opinion, and decision-making ability. These things coalesce into a personal style that becomes more and more refined as the years pass.

And now we draw to an end.

I can't think of a better way to showcase style progression than to share pages from my sketchbooks. My sketchbooks are what I use to explore ideas, styles, and products. Because I also create many of my pieces digitally, my sketchbooks now tend to take a few years to fill, showcasing the growth and changes my artistic sensibilities go through. Below is a quick flip-through of the last sketchbook I filled. If you see anything you'd like to get a better look, just hit replay and let me know. I'd love to share some stills with you.