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How did you get involved with design and illustration?
CS: When I was in high school, I discovered hand-made hardcore and punk rock fanzines. I loved their rawness and immediacy, and I also liked how the design of a zine reflected the author’s personality. Anything could be said, and anything could be done. It’s a great form of expression. I started to make my own zines and loved the craft—using Xerox machines, typewriter text, collaged photos. When I began studying design in college, I also started designing and selling t-shirts. I made shirts that I wanted to wear and that no one else was making. Then I made catalogs, mailed them out, and orders came pouring in. At the same time I also began designing record and CD covers. I would design something for a friend’s band, and then another band would see it and want me to do something for them. Since college, I continued doing freelance work, taught design, and recently finished my MFA in Graphic Design at Yale.
What do you find compelling about graphic design as a way to express yourself?
CS: Graphic design is like throwing a brick—the impact is immediate. I find it amazing that something can be communicated in a matter of seconds, and it can have so many levels of meaning. And I’m constantly drawn to images and graphics of all kinds. There is just something so powerful about them that I have to be involved in their creation. Much of your work achieves a handmade aesthetic.
How do you use the computer as a tool, but still maintain a “lo-tech” look?
CS: It relates back to making fanzines and the craft of making something with your hands. Revealing the hand and leaving evidence of the process within the image is a big part of my work. I also enjoy finding interesting imperfections that reveal themselves in the process and seeing these imperfections as beautiful mistakes. I like to think of Gluekit (my Web site and design practice) as a collision of fragments or an accident on purpose.
Besides working for clients, you also design products, like t-shirts and tote bags, that feature your graphics. What inspired you to design your own products?
CS: The satisfaction of bringing a product to life and making it real. If there is something I want that doesn’t exist, it’s the perfect opportunity to make it. Creating something allows you to contribute to culture and to have a conversation with the world around you.
What advice would you give someone who wants to use graphic design as a tool for sharing ideas?
CS: Go for it. Start with something small and then stick with it. And take risks. Don’t play it too safe.
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