Project 4.0

Aaron Draplin


10 Words that Describe His Work

  1. bold
  2. retro
  3. consistent
  4. modern
  5. communicative
  6. geometric
  7. straightforward
  8. distinct
  9. functional
  10. precise

His work makes me feel unafraid to push out as many ideas as possible and explore how I can create an impact even through simplified forms.

His work reminds me of nostalgic designs, except with a distinctly modern twist. His work is simple but effective and creative, and it has a lot of passion behind it.
Their work makes viewers feel intrigued, at ease, and sometimes even amused. His designs for clients communicate things well, and his work for himself has an undercurrent of humor to it sometimes.

My 3 Favorite Projects by Draplin:
  1. "Pretty Much Everything up to May 27th, 2009"
    The way Draplin changed the colors of his past work to fit into this orange, black, and white color scheme created such an interesting effect. I love the idea of having (almost) all of your work there to see. I'd imagine it would give a burst of nostalgia and would feel kind of empowering to see everything you've accomplished all at once. The use of space here I thought was really cool too. From far away, it almost creates a pattern at first glance. You really have to look to see what all is there.

  2.   

    While not one of his bigger projects, I really do love this poster Draplin did. It's so striking, and the way the text is set... I just love it. There's a story here for me,  and it has so much emotion to it. It feels very active and immersive. It makes me want to go to this event.


  3. With this poster, I really admire how all of the information here was fit into a shape that really reflected the name and origins of this festival. It's interesting and interactive without being unreadable, which for a band lineup, would be really hard to have hung up either in the festival or advertising online. Your eyes bounce around all of the acts, and the smaller bands don't feel lost like they do in some lineup posters that I've seen before for festivals. 


Three words that characterize Draplin’s style:
  1. clean
  2. thick
  3. colorful

Draplin promotes himself by employing a strong usage of social media as well as attending different conventions and speaking events. He’s very open about his life and himself, making him seem like a normal, down-to-earth human being who’s just really passionate about his work. He makes it clear that when he takes on a client, he works for them.  He also teaches design workshops, as well as offering skillshare classes. He comes off as the kind of guy who wants to share his passion with the world and help to cultivate the skills of others.

How he is characterized by the press, their peers, and the public:

  • "big beard, big talent" 
    • jimmmy, comment posted on September 17, 2013https://www.designboom.com/design/aaron-draplin-ddc-interview/ 

  • He's a cool guy. He believes in what he does, he's passionate, and he's earning a living doing what he loves. I find him inspirational.
    • CrocodileJock, 2018
Design Strategies:
  1. One strategy that could be effective is making use of an isolated, bold object and placing text around it to command attention. I could use either an image or a drawing implying a large part of Draplin's personality/design influence/his own work.
  2. Another strategy I could use is by drawing the viewer in by creating a "path" to guide the eye, either by using something with an actual path (which could reference Draplin's midwest roots or his current home in the PNW). I could also make use of Draplin's fondness of geometry and producing a lot of content in this way by creating a lot of small images referencing (but not overtly depicting) Draplin himself, all of them bouncing a round the page in order to guide the eye.
  3. I could also employ the use of diagonals to create intrigue, depth, and movement, keeping the image active. The diagonals could include inventive text, or other things.

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