Tristen Gonzalez

Prof. Trofimova

COMD 3503

Wed 6-8:30pm

Inspiration Assignment

Everyone and anyone can be inspired and you can find inspiration from almost anywhere. Inspiration is beneficial to a creative individual because it can give them the building blocks to expand upon an idea or come up with something extraordinary that no one thought could be used in a certain way before. Many graphic designers today get inspired by things they see online, outside such as stores, cultures, objects and the list can go on. They also can be inspired by other graphic designers as well or design styles. I too have been inspired by many designers and things I see, as well as the Maryam Zafar which we had the pleasure of seeing in class last week.

Inspiration can be found in many places. Some inspirations are actually based on older design styles by design movements in the past. Take Shepard Fairey for example, which is my second favorite graphic designer in the world today. All of his work is heavily inspired by russian constructivism. With use of reds, yellows and beiges and diagonal shapes fairey was able to merge the russian constructivism style with stencil like artwork to create his very own style and it is consistent throughout all of his work.

As for my inspirations as a student i get my inspirations from a small variety of places such as Instagram and Pinterest. I have found that scrolling through pinterest is such a beneficial tool when it comes to brainstorming ideas. With pintrest your able to see what has been done before and what things work best in design. It also opens your eyes and mind to different possible things you can do creatively instead of sticking to the traditional methods. In a sense pintrest is a good brainstormer to help you get out of writer’s block. Instagram is great in that too because you can follow endless amounts of hashtags and pages dedicated to design. Instagram’s algorithm is also very smart as it pays close attention to what you look at and what stuff you are liking, in which then the app will constantly show you new things on your explore page that are more related to what you like to see.   

My inspirations also come from people as well as online. Two people that heavily inspired me are the branding designer on Instagram known as Joshua Gibbons and my very own best friend Priscilla Rios which is actually my role model and my favorite graphic designer in the world. I get inspired by the instagram page of Joshua Gibbons because he is very conceptual when it comes to branding. He gives strong insight to what the company he’s working on means and applies that to the logos he creates for the company as well as the branding systems. Joshua also shows his design process in some of his post and I find it very beneficial to see how he thinks and it makes me think better conceptually as a designer too.

Now as for my favorite graphic designer and best friend Priscilla Rios, I’m heavenly inspired by not just her work but for the passion and work ethics she has for design. Priscilla is what you call a legit jack of all trades in the design world as she can tackle so many different types of designs stemming from Advertising, publication, web and etc and tackles them with such efficiency. She gives her 200% plus ultra in every project she does and it really shows in the work she’s able to produce. Every one of her projects is thought through conceptually even to the smallest details which amazes me everytime. Priscilla also has her own style that i grew to love from the time of knowing her. Her style of abstract minimalism is very eye pleasing to look at and makes for compelling designs. Both her work ethics and design styles is what inspires me to strive as a better designer and a better person in general.

Last class we had the pleasure to meet graphic designer Maryam Zafar. Maryam was very insightful in her presentation as she explained to the class on her whole graphic design career from 1993 to present day. From working as a freelancer to working at the very company that the hit tv show “Mad Men” is based on was interesting and a good learning experience to see what the world of graphic design was like throughout three decades. One thing to mention from presentation was when she said “always give 200% of yourself” even if you think the job is not worth it. This was very inspirational to me and the class because giving your best plus ultra can open up doors fo you in the future as it did for her even in a crappy job.

Overall inspiration is beneficial to everyone. It can help enhance what you already know and make you a better creative in general. Whether your inspiration comes from online, internet or people all inspiration is good and should never stop seeking for it.