Award-Winning Napkins

Talk about your process. What gives you energy?
It depends on the type of project. Sometimes a solution is immediately apparent and I’ll start sketching right away, but with larger-scale projects, especially identity projects, I’ll begin with research.

What gives me the most energy is arriving at a good idea. The idea is like the soul of the work. Without a good idea, or even an idea in general, then the work is just superficial. You can tell when a piece of advertising or a logo doesn’t have an idea behind it. And when there is an idea driving the work, it doesn’t feel like work. It just goes and everyone is having fun. Getting to play with typography and make work that aligns with my tastes and seeing that everyone is really digging it gives me energy as well.

What was the idea behind the napkins?
All of the napkins were informed by the phrase “Delight in Creativity,” which is present in the compositions. My goal was really just to make the typography as delightful as possible. But I will say, the medium definitely influenced my approach. I had to work within a square and knew that each design could only be one color and it would be printed in foil. I don’t think the design of a napkin is often taken into consideration, but Ipso and Ipso shows are the kind of setting where cocktail napkins can be a piece of art.

Where does your fascination with type come from?
Well, my interest in design came about in my early twenties, around the same time I got into reading. I’ve always been intrigued by logos and brands but books were my gateway to typography specifically. I think what fascinates me most about typography is how much meaning it can give to words. Words already have meanings, but that meaning can be enhanced and enlivened by good typography, as well as deadened by not-so-good typography. In a world full of visual noise, having strong, unique typography is essential. It has the power to make an audience actually care about the content.

You said books got you into design—who are some of your top influences or sources of inspiration?
Having a rich collection of visual research (textures, architecture, historical imagery, etc.) is huge. I have dozens of design books around my workspace that I reference when I need some inspiration. There are a handful of design studios and publications that have informed and developed my tastes over the years. Two mainstays have been a studio in the UK called SPIN and a magazine from the 90s called Emigre.

My biggest influences at the moment are more related to creativity and art in general, and those are David Lynch, William T. Vollmann, and Derek Walcott. I just finished reading David Lynch’s memoir/biography (it was co-written by him and his biographer, Kristine McKenna), and learning about his creative process, his character, and his dedication to the core idea of a film has been very influential; I also adore his films and paintings. William T. Vollmann has had an almost super-human creative output over the course of his career and does everything from writing fiction and non-fiction (most of his books are over 600 pages) to painting and photography to journalism and climate activism. The dude is a machine and his devotion to truth and goodness is really inspiring. Derek Walcott (1930–2017) was a poet and painter from a small island called St. Lucia in the Caribbean. He wrote my favorite epic poem, and probably my favorite book, Omeros.

Music is definitely a massive influence as well—I always have music playing when I’m designing. Khruangbin, The Japanese House, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Radiohead, Night Verses, and Plini have been some of my go-to artists lately.

I’ve also gotten plenty of ideas just from turning my brain off and going for a walk.

Living in St. Louis, you’re by far the most remote employee at Fresh Produce. How’d you end up here?
After graduation, one of my graphic design professors at KCAI sent me a link to the Famous internship and said, “I think you’ll crush the application prompt and the internship.” I applied and indeed crushed the application prompt and became the graphic design intern that summer. Following the internship, I freelanced for a year and Fresh Produce hired me for a couple of projects. Katrina saw me post on LinkedIn about a ridiculous application process I went through so she messaged me and asked if I’d be interested in a remote senior design position at Fresh Produce. I didn’t even have to think about it. I met with Mike and Ted not long after Katrina reached out, and I joined the crew in August of 2022—almost exactly one year after Famous 2021.

Let’s cap this off with another napkin-related question. Why is it important to have fun with projects?
If you’re not having fun while designing something, then it’s very possible that people won’t have fun looking at it. If no one has any fun, then what’s the point?