Gracepoint After Five

1. Be careful in following after trends (some people love using flares; I hate the depth of field junk)
2. Develop a good color sense

Following after trends is almost inevitable. We like to do what we like, and what we like tend to be the trendy stuff. I’m no exception — I love the retro look and feel. I’m not proposing to never use trendy designs, but rather, use them with caution.

Numero dos — color theory. A good way to start is to minimize your color palette. Too often, I see new designers use the whole spectrum of colors. What usually results is not Avatar but skittle barf (a term Kevan affectionately coined). Don’t be afraid to desaturate your designs — usually, that looks better. There is a reason why Ansel Adams only processed his photographs in black and white.

With that said, I would like to introduce the works of Alex Varanese. If you look carefully at his portfolio, you’ll notice that he’s following after another trend: the use of 3D elements in graphic designs. However, I think most people wouldn’t have noticed this at first glance. This is one of the reasons why his designs are so refreshing because he doesn’t make his 3D images go kablamo into your face; much of his time is spent to tone it down and fit it within a 2D environment (the poster).

What blows me away with his stuff is that he has a ton of hi-quality posters within each series. He seems to have his workflow down to a science, so that he is able to produce at the speed that he does. Very incredible.

View Alex’s portfolio | Read about his process