Computer Arts Gallery: June 2009

Zeroten
Location London
Job Illustrator
Contact www.zeroten.net
Software Photoshop

Born and educated in South Wales, Zeroten - who prefers not to use his real name - now lives in London, having graduated last year with a first class honours degree in graphic design. Working as a freelance illustrator and artist keeps him sane: "I'm happiest when I'm working and rarely stop other than to drink coffee or sleep," he says. Clients such as Amelia's Magazine, fashion label The Rodnik Band and YCN have all showcased his brand of vibrant, almost childlike collages of traditional and digital media. "I'm a keen daydreamer, and find myself fascinated by all aspects of life," Zeroten adds. "It's a trait that I think is reflected in my work."

iH8 Camera Commissioned by music magazine Bearded as an illustration for an article on the band iH8 Camera. "The brief simply stated 'Make something camera-hating'," Zeroten explains. "The end result featured the lynching and general abuse of a camera, done in a style I felt reflected the band's general ethos."

Zeroten
Location London
Job Illustrator
Contact www.zeroten.net
Software Photoshop

Born and educated in South Wales, Zeroten - who prefers not to use his real name - now lives in London, having graduated last year with a first class honours degree in graphic design. Working as a freelance illustrator and artist keeps him sane: "I'm happiest when I'm working and rarely stop other than to drink coffee or sleep," he says. Clients such as Amelia's Magazine, fashion label The Rodnik Band and YCN have all showcased his brand of vibrant, almost childlike collages of traditional and digital media. "I'm a keen daydreamer, and find myself fascinated by all aspects of life," Zeroten adds. "It's a trait that I think is reflected in my work."

Animal Collective Another band and another article illustration, this time for music website Supersweet. "I was told to create whatever I felt fitting, as long as it visually depicted the band members themselves. The band's style is very free and experimental, so I aimed to create something dreamy and floaty."

Mateusz Sypien
Location Leeds
Job Student, graphic designer
Contact www.behance.net/strobobibo
Software Photoshop, Illustrator, 3ds Max

Mateusz Sypien is very much a newcomer to the design industry: "Since I created my first personal piece in March 2008 I've been absolutely addicted," he says. Since then, he adds, graphic design has become his hobby as well as his passion. "For some people, being a self-learner like me may be enough, but I have a desire to work in the media industry and to be a part of the creative world."

To that end he enrolled on the BSc course in Media Technology and Production at the University of Bradford last year. "Although the course focuses on the practice and technology of media products, in my free time I focus on graphic and visual aspects," says Sypien. "I'm strongly inspired by the music, colours and school of hard knocks. Old-school, retro and back-to-roots provides a lot of power to create something new and connect generations."

Eco Fresh "This was a very spontaneous piece," says Sypien. "The idea behind it was to mix different media, with Photoshop as the primary tool. I think Photoshop is the best thing you can use to manipulate stock pictures. Vectors were built in Illustrator and very simple renders of rocks, trees and geometric shapes in 3ds Max. I tried to make this piece as simple as possible."

Dan Walters
Location Winchester, UK
Job Illustrator
Contact bonebookbang.blogspot.com
Software Photoshop

When he's not working for design agency Peagreen, Dan Walters prefers to be known by his freelance name of Bonebookbang. At Peagreen, he has worked with global clients such as Nike, Urban Outfitters, Stussy and MoMA, producing prints for apparel, stationery and interiors among other things. His freelance work mainly encompasses designs for the music industry, including collaborations with David E Sugar, Mr James Bright and the Jazz & Milk record label in Germany. To top it all off, he also DJs funk, Latin and hip-hop music, and is the creative lead for the Tape Club brand, producing T-shirts and other paraphernalia for a variety of musical artists.

Tape Club T-shirt and logo "The brief for the logo and T-shirt was to design something that doesn't just say 'record label'," Walters explains. "It should represent the idea of the brand: fun, accessible, creative and diverse. The Ts are a limited run of 50, making them a super-desirable item."

Alia Gargum
Location London
Job Illustrator
Contact www.aliagargum.com
Software Photoshop

"I'm absolutely obsessed with exploded technical drawings, blueprints and architectural tools," says Alia Gargum. "I love the functionality of them and the precise shapes, which influences how I draw my figures." These may seem somewhat unusual subjects for a graduate of fashion illustration from the London College of Fashion, but as Gargum says herself: "I like to approach fashion drawings in a non-traditional way, emphasising the structure and design detail of the clothes." Gargum now works freelance, illustrating to commission and for friends, as well as venturing into installation work through retail-window design and set design.

Twin "This piece was based on wanting to display a very architectural garment," Gargum says. "It was also research for 'Cityscape', the illustration that featured as part of my graduate piece. I combined cutting and pasting both by hand and digitally to create a unique look, which I use a lot in my work."

Bechira Sorin
Location Romania
Job Graphic/multimedia designer
Contact www.bechira.com
Software Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Flash, 3ds Max

Based in the city of Timisoara in Romania, Bechira Sorin is art director of X3 Studios, where he deals with digital branding and interactive media. But these are not the only areas he explores within his personal and freelance work. "I want to experiment with every field of visual communication, such as digital matte painting, VFX, graphic design, typography and more. My motto is 'Never stop experimenting.' Be a perfectionist, be restless, but always be a dreamer." Sorin's matte painting skills have recently been showcased in a video tutorial available through the Gnomonology site, while his typography frequently appears on Typography Served.

I Feel Fine A typographic experiment inspired by REM's song It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine). "This was based on a font I designed myself, mixed with photos of ink in water," Sorin explains.

Richard Garnett
Location Manchester
Job Graphic designer
Contact www.iamalf.co.uk
Software Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash

Richard Garnett likes to collect pseudonyms: his favourite is ALF (Artistic Licence For), but he's also quite happy to be known as Mac Monkey, Type Tickler, Mouse Mover, Pantone Plucker or Shape Shuffler. This newfound desire for self-expression is perhaps a result of his earlier career. Having graduated from Salford University in 2003 with a BA Hons in Graphic Design, Garnett landed a job at the Telegraph & Argus newspaper in Bradford, where he worked for five years. "I've clocked up seven years in the pre-press industry," he says. "It's probably not the right move after you finish uni if you want a prosperous career in design. I finally left the monotonous bubble in September 2008 and I'm heading for brighter things."

Garnett is currently freelancing at Iris Manchester and hoping to get a full-time position in a similar creative agency. "I'm an avid collector of very bright sneakers, design books, graffiti tags and throw ups, postcards, posters - anything aesthetically nice looking," he says. "My ambition is to set-up my own creative studio, incorporating not only design but other creative fields such as art, music, interior design and so on. Something creative, really."

Flowing Type "Type is everywhere. I love the fact that you can create a typeface out of pretty much anything or get inspiration from any object," Garnett says of this piece. "The typeface used is Colo, designed by Svetoslav Simov."

Dongwoo Kim
Location New York
Job Graphic designer
Contact www.networkosaka.com
Software Photoshop

Dongwoo Kim says he's been involved with graphic design since before he even knew what the term meant. As a child, he was 'obsessed' with logos and graphics on packaging, and when he got his first computer in 1992 - a Macintosh LC - he immediately began playing around with art packages such as MacPaint. "While most of the creations were worthy of a 10-year old doodling mindless drawings and designs, it became an obsession for me," says Kim.

But it wasn't until Kim's first year of business school that he realised graphic design was something he wanted to pursue full time. "During the past year or so, I've been designing for the pure joy of doing it," he says. "This has helped me to a great extent in terms of design knowledge and composition."

Eight Bits The Altamira Industrial Complex (AIC) is a facility for designers, musicians and artists, and Eight Bits is one of its major shows, celebrating computer-generated visuals. Dongwoo Kim created this poster, containing a hologram of the '8' numeral, for the latest event.

Dongwoo Kim
Location New York
Job Graphic designer
Contact www.networkosaka.com
Software Photoshop

Dongwoo Kim says he's been involved with graphic design since before he even knew what the term meant. As a child, he was 'obsessed' with logos and graphics on packaging, and when he got his first computer in 1992 - a Macintosh LC - he immediately began playing around with art packages such as MacPaint. "While most of the creations were worthy of a 10-year old doodling mindless drawings and designs, it became an obsession for me," says Kim.

But it wasn't until Kim's first year of business school that he realised graphic design was something he wanted to pursue full time. "During the past year or so, I've been designing for the pure joy of doing it," he says. "This has helped me to a great extent in terms of design knowledge and composition."

Concepts Another poster, for the AIC's main gallery exhibit Concepts. "Artists from around the world are invited to the quarterly show, showcasing current trends in art and design," explains Kim.

Indir Topcagic
Location Stockholm
Job Graphic designer/illustrator
Contact www.yris.se
Software Photoshop

"I'm constantly trying to surprise myself with my own artwork," says Indir Topcagic. "For me, creativity is being willing to experiment and trying different methods, not knowing where they may lead." A native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Topcagic now lives and works in Sweden's capital, where he's just about to finish his course in interaction design before taking up the job of graphic designer for design agency Werk.

"My after-hours time is focused on personal projects, collaborations, good music, beautiful poems and dreaming," Topcagic continues. "Some ideas keep me awake, in which case I'll maybe put on an early Bob Dylan record and let it tangle itself into my ideas and somehow form them subconsciously."

The Cosmos Series This series started as an experiment. "I was investigating how geometric and organic shapes worked and reacted to each other and also to colour, contrast, space and texture," Topcagic explains. "Even if triangles, circles and cubes are simple in their structure, they are powerful because they speak to us in a universal language. There are two parts: the first one is greyscale and contains four compositions, focusing solely on the balance of graphic elements; the second part is the psychedelic version, which is rich in colour, motion and organic forms. I like to call it 'controlled chaos'."