Creative by Design: The Best Graphic Artists and Illustrators of 2016
The nominees for best graphic artists and illustrators are not only capable of delivering a rad show poster. They also have the skill to come up with a variety of visual representations as needed by various business or creative endeavours. Whether you need a flyer, logo, or an illustration, these are some of the best graphic designers that can be hired.
Todd Little
The co-founder of Real Rad Records has been in Denton since 2003 when he began pursuing a Communication Design major at UNT. During his studies he also developed his writing skills and produced hip-hop music. The artwork he created for his own music caught the eye of local musicians such as Pudge Brewer of Fab Deuce. From there he became embedded, and it's been a nonstop ride as he moves forward with a high motivation to continue making art. In the past few years he's served as Oaktopia's art director in 2014 and 2015 while doing branding work for Gitmo, Cash & Respect, and his record company that he runs with Francisco Leal and Greg Luttrell.
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Holden Foster
If there's a UNT Short Film Club poster you have seen recently, chances are it's designed by Holden Foster. As a budding cinematographer, Foster is drawn to images of beautiful color and shape. It's as if his eye is a camera lens itself. In his design work, he sets up elegant layouts meant to fit the mood of the creative projects they represent. Foster also has a deep love for music. We recommend checking out his spotify playlist, "That Which Columbus Sought."
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Michael J. Slack
Get interested in art enough, and you'll start to notice patterns and intersection where visuals and music mesh. It's the chaotic way that rock and roll culture functions. Michael J. Slack lives and breathes that cuclture with his work that's inspired by his grandfather's transcendental architecture. Like the previous artists, he made illustrations for his own music project (Dome Dwellers), but he's recently made album covers for I, The Ghost and Animal Spirit which are seen below. A little known fact is that he went to the same high school (Keller) and learned under the same art teacher as Cameron Hinojosa, another noted graphic designer and musician of Denton.
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Claire Morales
Last year, Claire Morales went into the adventurous realm of working as a freelancer after doing set design jobs for the past 4 years. In that time, she's accomplished all forms of design needs. She provided branding services Franconia's seasonal beers and for "Sugar Rush," a mixtape curation by Grey Estates and Negative Fun Records. She's also fond of illustrations with a particular talent for drawing female figures of strength and calm. A musician in her own right, she recently collaborated with Daniel Markham for their second Halloween album of spooky indie rock.
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Dribble
Joe Duncan
One might imagine that a peek inside Joe Duncan's head would reveal an irreverent funhouse where Beetlejuice would party on holiday. His love for art didn't come from growing up in a family of artists. In fact, his family were blue-collar to a tee, and Duncan's artist statement claims he knows more about the ninja turtles than the artists they're named after. What he does care about is art, and he sees his creations as more important than himself.
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Header image design by Brittany Keeton