Makers In Action: Meet Gang of Ten Member Will Bryant
September 20, 2011
Will is a model ADX-er. He joined us this summer and is always eager to learn new skills, help out with member projects, collaborate, and support our various endeavors. We’ve also been wowed by his body of work –- including, most recently, the cover of the New York Times Magazine that was released last Sunday. Check out insights and inspiration from the man himself
Name: Will Bryant
Occupation: Illustrator / Designer
What’s your expertise and how many years of experience are under your belt?
My client work is primarily focused on a signature illustration style that is produced in various forms of print & web media. Specifically: apparel & identity design, music packaging, tour posters, and editorial illustration. Since completing undergrad in December 2008, I’ve been working full time freelance for approximately 3 years.
What led to your passion for creating? Have you always been a maker in some fashion?
My whole life I’ve found myself fiddling with things, wondering how something worked, or modifying my own clothes to my mother’s dismay. In high school I developed a strong interest in music and album art, first studying the work of Stanley Donwood (the man behind Radiohead’s art). After day one of college orientation, at the only school I applied to, I quickly realized all other concentrations made you take a lot of Math classes. This led me to the Mississippi State Art Department where I met Kate Bingaman Burt and was then introduced to the world of graphic design….kaboom! I would say that my passion for making is linked to my family history, childhood memories, and pop culture.
What led you to ADX and why are you involved there?
Clifton Burt first introduced me to ADX and from Austin I was also keeping a close watch on anything the OMFGCO boys were doing. As time passed and I was about to move to Portland, it turned out that more space became available for Kate BB, Clifton, Nicole and myself. After my wife and I moved to Portland on July 1st, I quickly made friends with Seamus and started building furniture for our new home. The community here is amazing and the inspiration is contagious.
Where can someone typically find you in ADX? What might you be working on?
I’m mostly upstairs in our little treehouse, googling random facts/images, drawing goofy stuff, or updating something on the internet. Hopefully in the near future, there will be more tactile projects like skateboard decks, furniture, totem poles, wooden figures, and anything else I can somehow justify for my MFA courses.
Tell us about the your latest project, the 9/18 cover of the New York Times Magazine.
This was an amazing opportunity! Totally overwhelming. Most of my bigger clients have randomly found my work through various internet sources, and NYT wasn’t any different. After I received an email gauging my interest (duh) and availability (canceled dinner with my kitty) things started moving quickly for the cover of the Education Issue. It was supposed to be a quick turnaround, then over the weekend concepts were dropped and before boarding a plane to Chicago I scurried through soooo many rounds of revisions. It was a blast working designer, Drea Zlanabitnig, who was always pleasant, funny, and delivered rounds of edits in a way that was digestible and fun. She kept me passionate about the project by sharing pictures of kittens, Michael Jordan, and other randomness that makes me giddy. It was also exciting that my friend, Dan Cassaro, was also working on the issue creating some amazing sticker illustrations utilized throughout the issue. Then after the release my little corner of the internet went bonkers! It was crazy how supportive and encouraging everyone was. My mom sent me a Whole Foods gift card and my in-laws toasted me with champagne.
Do you have any specific projects in the works?
I’ve done my best to minimize client work as I’m transitioning into grad school at PSU where I’ll be pursuing an MFA in Studio Practice in addition to teaching some intro level design courses and gaging the amount of client work I can juggle. In the past month I’ve participated in two exhibitions in Chicago, one in New York, and will have another group exhibition in October. So there’s more stuff to make! I’ve tried to run off most of my clients, but I am working on a number of zine collaborations and printed goods that will be featured over at Buy Olympia.
What significance does collaboration have in your creative process?
Collaboration has always been a major role in my art practice and will be especially important to my graduate studies. I love working with other people, sharing ideas, trying new mediums, and seeing where experimentation leads. My client work is often a collaboration, where the process involves both parties in sharing a voice in the final product. There’s so much to learn from working with other humans and more often than not, they smell better than computers.
What’s your dream project you’d fabricate/design/build if you had the skills and materials at your fingertips?
After utilizing ADX to build a headboard, bed frame, and shelves for the house I think I’d like to work on some less practical projects. I have several illustrated characters that I’d like to see become multi-dimensonal! Also, I have a strong interest in typography and think a series of “wrong-way-finding signage” would be awesome! I’m honestly not sure what my dream project is just yet, but chances are it will involve Native American culture, MJ, and kittens. Dreamy, right?
Visit Will’s website to learn more, or come by ADX…you may just catch a glimpse of the man in action.