I've had a complex relationship with illustration. In school it often seemed to be something that should never mix with graphic design. My zine had "too many" of them and therefore I should be looking into switching majors. Alternately, it's said to be impossible to achieve for graphic designers; they simply "can't draw." Now that I'm a professional designer, however, I find it's actually been incredibly helpful to be able to draw on some level, especially when the client can't afford a full blown professional illustrator and graphic designer.

Case in point: an infant clothing start-up that was supposed to benefit endangered species approached me to illustrate a sea turtle, polar bear, and tiger. Here are a couple full sets I submitted:

sketchbook, typographyd-roJanuary 30, 2015process Comments

Adrian!

I’ve been going through my catalog of work and found myself revisiting years of corporate design for Forrester Research. A part of me was hoping for some diamond-in-the-rough worthy of putting up in the portfolio or that would at least demonstrate my conceptualizing strengths. While there are a few of the latter, the designs that made the final cut are aesthetically or creatively “limited” in order to fit the corporate client and audience, and ultimately do not portray my full potential and the work that I can do. It’s easy to feel a bit disappointed that years of work are not worth showing off, but I have to believe that the final designs were the direct result of each side speaking their mind. While what I said probably held some sway, ultimately they had the last word, and I think that fits the idea of design as a service. I have no regrets, and I’m not afraid to pick up future projects that I know won’t win awards or attention to my portfolio. These less tangible victories are why:

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