It’s more than just color theory and a selection of symbols. Graphic design is the art of sending messages through visual communication. Brand marketers and content strategists use it to solve problems, answer questions, and elevate the user experience. It’s the combination of multiple disciplines, including typography, layout design, and illustration.
At Duckpin, our designers have their own unique ways of finding inspiration. It’s central to who we are and keeps us excited about delivering energized and exceptional results for our clients. Check out who inspires our rollers, Andrew and Han, and the influences that helped Han develop her style.
Andrew Javorskey
Paul Rand and his work have always inspired me. His logos are so simple yet clever. They just make me think, “yeah, that logo was totally worth $100,000.” He’s probably the best brand designer ever in my mind.
Saul Bass is near the top of my list, too, for his work with typography and movie poster designs. He and Rand are both “less is more” types of designers, which I started implementing into my own work at an early age.
Han Castanedo
My biggest design inspiration growing up was the work of French illustrator Jean Giraud aka “Moebius.” His bright and acidic sense of color, contrast, and the layered detail in his work influenced my illustration style and later, my design work.
When I started studying design in college, I became a huge fan of Susan Kare and her work. She was a member of the original Apple Macintosh design team and designed many of the original typefaces and icons that were used in the original Mac OS. She created many UI elements that are still used today, including my personal favorites: the Paint Bucket and the Lasso. As a woman designing in a digital space, you can’t get much cooler than that.
Growing up in a Latinx family and reading comic books as a kid, I have always liked bright color, lively moving type, and funky illustrations. Developing my style and approach has been more about refining and developing a creative process in order to have a base foundation to experiment from.
