(204)- I HEART DESIGN

I am asked the question,

"What piece of design moves you??"

My answer is more of a story including a couple pieces of art, but I will begin with this one:

This was a piece called "SUBESSENCE" by a guy known as "ekud" made back in 2002.  I stumbled across his work on deviantART.com back then and followed him ever since.

Now, rewind back to 2000, when my older brother taught me how to make "tags" in Photoshop 7.  Tags are just little images used as a "signature" on an internet forum.  I frequented a couple of these forums referred to as "gfx" communities and spent hours making crap in photoshop and having it critiqued, and making more stuff, and battling other members of the forum over who could make the best tag.  I would look up tutorials to make cool "gfx" stuff like I saw ekud do.  I made tons and tons of art in photoshop which was kinda cool, but really, it was awful.  For example:

You can tell I was a complete "noob" simply by what I named the piece, "Incorporeal Life".  I wanted to be just like ekud, from the miniature text, to the "technical linework" set on overlay mode and randomly scattered everywhere.

A few years later, I was still learning new tricks, but never tried my own thing.  I was still trying to be just like ekud.

I made this one in 2005 and called it "SYNAPSE".  This has ekud written all over it.

Looking back at those days makes me realize plenty of mistakes that I had made.  I did way too much copying, and didn't explore my creativity as much as I should have.  Granted I was only 12, I just wasn't smart enough to use programs like Cinema4D, Maya, and other 3D programs that top dogs like ekud were using.  However, I still should have tried to be more original and looked further than "cool gfx" on deviantART.com.

Now, ekud (Justin Maller) has blown up.  He's making stuff for Nike, DC shoes, Coke, Young & Reckless, Verizon, ESPN... the list keeps going.  His style is still pretty much the same.  He just makes shit look cool.

check out
www.justinmaller.com

Back in '02, I had talent, just like ekud had talent.  But ekud was in college, and I was in 6th grade.  I didn't know anything about anything.  But now I'm in college, and I'm ready to put forth the work that needs to be done in order to improve my work just like Justin Maller improved his work.

This is what moves me, as a designer.