Project Educate Typography –
Interview with crymz
You can find him on behance, tumblr and facebook.
Please introduce yourself!
Hello name is Samuel carter Mensah 21 year old year old graphic designer working & living in London.
How did you get into art and design?
I got into art through my older brother actually he specialized in fine art i.e. paintings etc and it made want to become creative as well. I started off drawing cartoons that I loved and then eventually more complex things like people etc. By the time I was in high school is when I got into graphic design and Photoshop and pretty much just became obsessed with it. The rest is history.
Where do you find inspirations for new works?
Lately I have been getting most of my inspiration from design blogs such as designpiration.net etc. As a lover of typography I can never get enough of it and I'm always looking for new blogs that show great work.
How important is the sketching process to you?
Early on I always seemed to avoid it for some reason because I felt it slowed me down but soon realized how much of a benefit it can be in making designs much more organic whether it’s doing vector or typographic designs.
What advise would you give someone who wants to get into design, typography or art?
I would advise them to keep staying inspired. Stay on the blogs, look & learn keep the passion up and your ability to create will stay up also. Find inspiration wherever you can and last but not least do more with less!
How important is Typography for you / your work?
Extremely, Typography is pretty much what established me as a designer and I take it very seriously. So I am obsessed with everything about it from checking new typefaces and trends that i see appearing and also learning the actual logistics about type and what it is that makes good typography good.
Do you think it helps young artists to join online communities?
I think it helps a great deal! Showing your artwork on a worldwide level for anyone to judge can be a very scary thing for a young artist but I always say they should have no fear, trust in your work. It really is a liberating felling uploading that first piece online for the world to see. Furthermore joining an online art allows for you to meet likeminded people from all over the world who are interested n creating the same art as you and will develop you as a creator too. I can say DA has helped me expand my creativity more than any other website because it was the first online community I was a part of, so all the inspiration, growth and creative nurturing began here which I am forever grateful for.
Your works always have a very bold look, especially because of your color choices. Where does this love for strong colors come from?
My love for strong colours comes from everything really. When making art there is no limit or end to colour and its importance. I love making work that grabs the eye immediately because of its vivid colour. I use it on certain pieces where it suits the concept. I wont use a fluorescent pink in a piece where it wont make sense or fit. Colour has to communicate the idea of the art a lot of my pieces actually use a lot of greys and blacks even. As an artist I’m naturally drawn to colour but it’s the concept that makes me keep watching.
You work a lot in vector. What do you like about that medium?
Vectors allow me to illustrate digitally which I love. It also gives me a chance to experiment with something other than typography or photo-manip. Vector also has its printmaking benefits also when it comes to silk screen printing or t shirt printing etc. Everyone loves a clean well designed vector illustration.
One can find many textures or patterns in your works… Do you play around with that a lot or do you plan such elements ahead?
Funny enough my upcoming work is going to involve So much more patterns as I’m obsessed now haha. I spend quite a lot of time seeking out amazing one of a kind textures or patterns. If not I create my own. I’ve especially become a big fan of Aztec /Navajo patterns. The geometric qualities and the psychedelic colours always stand out to me.
Is there any medium or style you haven't tried so far, but would love to play with at some point?
I would love to have a go at model rendering. I.e. creating people or objects from complete scratch. Even digital Airbrushing from scratch. The time and effort that goes into those pieces are epic and never cease to amaze me. My airbrushing skills are decent but nothing to brag about, those guys are super talented.
What's your 3 favourite pieces from your own work?
I chose these because these were all pieces that I created and put up purely because I felt like and never in a million years expected the reception they would get and receive so much love. They really inspired me to keep going and create more!
If you have links to other websites, twitter, behance, dribble etc. you can add them here:
Thank you for reading!
