As an online resource for forward fashion and design we feel a part of our responsibility with each feature is to bring you a talent that is “on the verge”, not necessarily in terms of massive commercial success but you can sense that there is something special in the work that is presented.
Our latest feature designer has not even graduated from design school which makes our find and his ideas even more exciting. What is shown in the following pages are examples of direct responses to a structured design brief. For someone so young his work is astoundingly sophisticated yet balanced by humour, sharp wit and a strong sensitivity to both his physical and emotional environment.
As with previous features, we have subjected Martin to a few Q & A’s as a precursor to his work. His ideas are much more meaningful when you understand his perspective so take in his words with as much value as you would his illustrations.
Canvas: Why use graphic design as a medium?
Martin: I think graphic design always presents a challenge. It’s as if every day you are presented with a problem that can be solved in many ways and the challenge is to push yourself as far as you can to find the best answer. The unfortunate problem is that you always come up with the best idea at the last minute. Frustrating at times, but fun nonetheless.
What is your motivation to design?
I think my emotional environment is my biggest motivator. The work I’ve created over the past year was a direct result of the emotions I had experienced at some point and retrospectively, using that as a catalyst has allowed me to create some of my best work. At one point I was bottling everything around me and consequently bottling up ideas. Letting myself go emotionally allowed me to let go creatively and to try different and new things.
Who and/or what are your influences?
Influences are varied, from music to fine art. I’ve always admired Quentin Blake as an illustrator. His style is messy yet every one of his creations oozes personality and charm. The Roald Dahl stories would never have been as interesting if they were not paired with those incredible, simple sketches. I try and emulate, to some extent, his idea behind creative expression. I try my darndest to be as simple as possible but to also allow the work to evoke personality and charm.
Where to in the next few years, after graduation from college?
I want to go off and learn how to create typefaces. The idea of conceiving and designing a completely new and unique typeface is daunting but exciting all the same. That, and I would love to dabble in a bit in jewellery design. It would be nice to be a jack of all trades when it comes to design.
Post-Its [above]
The design was in response to the AGIDEAS event in 2008 whose theme was, “the mind is like a parachute, it works best when open”. The idea was to create a mess of post-it notes that contained doubt, or a half-finished idea, bundled to represent the concept that if the mind is cluttered then nothing can be fully realised; a clear mind is necessary for a good idea.
Type Posters
These designs were created during a point in my life when I was experiencing depression. A kind of before, during, and after representation. It was a challenging piece - we could only use type and a maximum of three colours per poster. A shout out must be given to the wonderful Marian Bjantes for the use of her font Restraint in one of the posters. I struggled to find a font that could depict confusion so eloquently and this typeface is so incredibly beautiful.
Fur Poster
Created for the Design Against Fur competition. I used these barbaric instruments, like a hammer and cleaver, to express the ways in which fur is brutally taken from the animal.
