When people tell me that all design is going to be digital in the future, I start digging around the internet for examples that show the potential of print and paper when used creatively. It’s true that the majority of marketing and advertising is moving towards a digital/media dominated landscape; however, printed and non-printed paper design is also moving – towards deliberate and unique artistic applications.
I found the art of Jen Stark and was floored. The rich layering of colors, movement, and space within her sculpted paper compositions is absolutely stunning. Their three-dimensional and tactile nature give the brain playful fodder to contemplate within. Her work is so good, that back in 2008 Banana Republic stole some of it.
Here’s one of my favorites from Jen’s paper sculpture works:
Stark also dabbles in drawing, installation and animation. Go check out more of Stark’s mesmerizing work on her site. In addition, you can watch a video about her work here or dive straight into her Vimeo account and watch her paper sculptures animate to life.
Artists who make complex creative ideas out of paper really fascinate me, and I’ve begun to notice that a new wave of the paper-craft movement has started to pick up steam again recently. With a quick search, I found more than a dozen paper-crafters here for your additional browsing pleasure.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Phil Coffman for the last year and a half, and today something extra special happened. Phil launched Method & Craft. It’s a beautiful site devoted to serving up curated articles, interviews, videos and more with a focus on interactive design.
The design of Method & Craft echos the same excellence in craftsmanship that all of Phil’s work exudes. The site presents diverse content in a fresh layout system, and is chalked full of thoughtful design details and good user experience. In addition, M&C launched with articles from some of the best minds in the business.
Phil’s work in general draws upon his extensive skillset of photography, illustration, 3D rendering, icon design, photoshop mastery, and more. Here’s how I would sum up his design mantra: each project must pass through the fiery filter of his critical eye and come out the other side with a refined visual superbness. Two examples of this are the icon project and Tradewinds redesign shown below.
Make sure to check out his portfolio and blog, and follow him on twitter, flickr, and dribbble.
My good friend Simon Walker was featured on Grain Edit this morning, and it couldn’t be more deserving credit! He has honed his hand typography, logo, and illustration skills furiously over the past years, and uses every new commercial and personal project to evolve his aesthetic. Recently, he has been developing new typefaces (such as Matchbook) and exploring typographic branding.
Browse his work on Dribbble and Flickr.
I had the privilege of working alongside Simon back in 2009, and I witnessed his talent first hand. He’s got real gumption: new ideas *sometime* start with a rough hand sketch, but always quickly evolve on screen from his fast mouse-clickin’ chops. On top of it all, he’s a really swell guy! Buy him a craft beer if you meet him in person, and you’ll learn something about fonts and hops.
There’s no one better at cutting paper than London-based artist Rob Ryan. His work is a beautiful combination of simple story-telling and a revival of the traditional mexican folk art form known as papel picado. In fact, I’d venture to say that he evolved this historic art into modern times single-handedly.
(Image source)
Take a moment to indulge the diversity of Rob’s visual wizardry on his frequently updated blog. I just can’t get over the variety and quantity of Rob’s work available online for browsing. Celestial scarf, anyone? Make sure you don’t miss his etsy shop too. You can buy something unique, or his popular book, This Is For You.
(Image source: Left and Right)
