Q & A With Artist Brad Vetter!
Digital Tools| InDesign| Artist Research| Questions for Brad Vetter
You have certain images for each of your designs, what are some of the processes you go through to edit those images for the designs?
I sketch a whole lot. I spend almost more time in my sketchbook then I do on the computer. I work through ideas and concepts that may be bad before I hope on the computer and into my print shop to polish off the design.
You implement shapes into many of your designs, instead of shapes what would be other successful elements that could be used instead of shapes to enhance the design?
I have never been a good illustrator. I couldn’t draw a cat or a car to save my life. I understand that limitation, and work towards the things I am good at. My work uses a lot of shapes, colors, texture and typography because those are things I am decent at. I am always trying to improve my drawing skills, but until I get better there I will keep working with things I am comfortable with. If that is drawing for you, illustrations are a great way to explore your concept.
When you get a new commission or start a new project what are some of the first things you do for a design/What goes into the decision of the style of the design?
Sketching, over and over. If I am working on a gigposter, I will listen to that band constantly while sketching. I do other research too, read an interview with the band, check out their website, ask a friend. I am looking for anything that sparks the beginning of a concept. Then I sketch some more.
How much control do you have in the design process? How involved are your clients usually?
It really varys. Sometimes I work with a client who gives me complete control. It is great to have that trust with someone you are working for. Othertimes I have to earn it. I try to be as articulate and professional as possible when working with a new client. Often times, after a few projects together, I gain their trust, and they let me do my thing. That takes a lot of hard work and time. I have also developed a portfolio that is very specific to my sense of style. People come to me for the work I present in my portfolio on my website, if they want something different, I usually send them elsewhere. I want to work with clients who want to work with me.
How did you print the multiple layered posters?
Everything I print is hand printed one color at a time, one print at a time. If I am printing 200 4-color posters—which is pretty typical—that’s 800 times through my letterpress!
Are the drawings in posters all your own hand drawings?
Sometimes I will draw them. Sometimes I work with other illustrators to collaborate with me. Mostly, I am working with manipulated photographs or found imagery. A lot of the smaller images on my posters are antique printing blocks in my collection. They would have been drawn by someone 50+ years ago, and I am still using them today.
How is the printing process done?
Everything I print is letterpress. That is simply put, letters, pressed into paper, with ink in between. I use blocks of my own making and antique wood type that get inked up and run through my antique presses.
What projects do you find most challenging?
Believe it or not, the hardest stuff for me to work on are the prints for bands that I really like. I feel like they have to be perfect. I am my own worst critic, so they usually take twice as long for me to come up with something I am happy with.
What are your favorite colors to work with?
I love working with process colors. That’s Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. Some variation of those go in pretty much everything I do. I love being able to overlap a yellow and blue to get a green, and so on. I am always inspired by really crappy printing in old comic books. The way that a person’s face has big yellow dots, and their hair is pink. I love that.
What program do you prefer to produce most of your work in, or do you use multiple programs for different aspects of your pieces?
I try to stay away from the computer as much as possible. I mostly manipulate stuff in Photoshop and execute the final work in Illustrator. I use a laser engraver to cut new images for letterpress, that uses Illustrator files, so I typically stick to that.
What fonts/typefaces do you use most often?
I am a pretty simple man when it comes to that. I like a good versatile San serif. Something like Univers that has so many options, thick/think/condensed/expanded. Aside from that I love my antique wood type collection. Check out the book: American Wood Type: Rob Roy Kelly to see some amazing wood type specimens, I love all that stuff!
Do you use any of your own photography in your work that you may have digitally converted into 2-D?
I wish that I took more photos. I made a print a while ago where I took a photo of my type in the press, converted it to a printing plate then actually printed that on my antique press!
Were all of your designs for Hatch Show Print actually used?
Yep, Everything I do gets used. We are commissioned by the band, venue or promoter to do prints that get hung up in the street or sold as a merch item at the show.
How long does each design take, from planning to final product?
It really depends. I typically say that it takes a couple days to design and a couple days to print. I don’t always make a lot of money designing these posters, so I need to be efficient when I design them, I can’t really dwell on a design for days.
What drew you to starting this type of design?
I studied graphic design, and was “classically-trained” in digital design. I really felt a disconnect between myself and the work I was making on the computer. I started drawing type and screen printing all of my assignments, just because I hated the perfection of those digital pieces. That eventually lead me to letterpress.
IS there a specific process you have in choosing a color scheme?
Usually it is based on the design. It is very rare that I will go into a design with a color scheme in mind.
Is there a piece that you really like more than any other?
Hard to say. I have a blast with everything I do. I am really proud of the wine labels I did with Hatch Show Print called “The Show” that was the first project I worked on that had such a huge audience. I saw it in Target and kind of freaked out. My parents were really excited about that.
Did you ever get to meet any of the bands or artists advertised in your posters?
I do. That’s really why I got into this. I love music, and getting to be a part of the music industry without having any musical talent is pretty cool. It’s my way to give back to these people who I listen to all the time. I got hang out with Mumford and Sons once, that was pretty crazy.
If your design process were a tree, what kind of tree would it be?
Rock Maple. That’s what the wood type is made out of. Hamilton Wood Type; look it up.
Good question.
What is the most infuriating part of your job?
Being creative. It’s pretty rad that I get to be creative everyday. Sometimes I am doing a poster for a band I really like and I literally have nothing. It’s the worst thing ever, you know all your friends and this band that you love are going to see your design. The pressure is on, and you have nothing. It makes me so stressed out and I stay up all night and pull my hair and grind my teeth. Sometimes I cry and want to quit.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The bands that you have created posters for, have they contacted you in person? Did they find you to design the posters for them?
It works a few ways. I reach out to bands I really like when they are coming through town. Sometimes the band managers contact me, sometimes the venues or promoters. Somehow they find me, and I am still making things. When I am nervous that I am not going to have any more work, more work comes in.
Did you experiment to find a development process that worked best for you? Did you find one or do you still experiment?
I don’t think I will ever quit trying new things. I had been printing letterpress for 8 years before I moved to Illinois. When I started I was working without computers all together. Today, I am making laser cuts from digital files for a letterpress. It’s totally new and I am so excited to be trying it. If there is a new way to make images, I am going to jump on it and always develop a new style. That’s my favorite thing about design, there is always a new problem to solve.
What’s one thing you wish someone would’ve told you as a beginning artist and designer?
It is hard and it will never get easier.
Treat every single person like a human being.
You should all also read this by Frank Chimero:
http://frankchimero.com/blog/what-advice-would-you-have-for-a-graphic-design-student/
How did you get started with your own work/business?
I had been working at Hatch for 8 years before I started to do things on my own. I had developed a pretty great portfolio of clients and work. A few people followed me when I left, but mostly I just did any work that came my way. It was really hard. For a while I wasn’t eating much food, and hoping that work came before rent was due. Work picked up, and because I stayed true to my aesthetic and values as a designer and printer, the work was all stuff that I really wanted to do. I am constantly looking—today—for that balance between the things that pay the bills and the things that make me happy. Mostly I chose happy.
What was it like networking…getting started, keeping in contact, etc.?
Treat every single person like a human being. That’s my philosophy there. Everywhere I have gotten in life has come from being nice to people. Not looking at people as a dollar sign, but a friend. My friends have given me projects to work on, brought me to their shops to do workshops, everything I do to make money. I do the same for them. It’s symbiotic and I am way happier that way. Keep a business card on you all the time though.
How many different types of printers are there in your studio?
I use a couple different printing presses in my shop. I have 2 proofing presses, both from around the 1950’s. They are what I use for the large posters. I have a smaller platen press (it basically prints the same way your hands clap) from the 1890’s. I use it to do smaller cards.
How do you decide which type of paper to use?
I am a pretty simple paper guy. I choose paper that will take to the printing process. I mostly use one paper, then I print bright colors on it to make that paper look cooler than it was when it was white.
Does the type of paper help to create the style of the composition?
In letterpress, the limitations really help me make my decisions. Here is a breakdown of my limitations on any given project.
1. press size. My press can only print to a specific size, so all my prints become approx. 12.5” x 23”
2. paper size. The paper is 23” at it’s longest, thus the 23” long poster
3. my type. In letterpress I only have the type that is in my shop, I am limited to my collection in size and style
4. money. If the client is paying me for a 2-color poster, I am limited by two colors. If they are paying me a lot of money, I have less limitations
5. time. I have a lot of projects going on at once. If I spend too much time on one project, all my other projects will be late!
6. my own abilities. I mentioned before that I am a pretty terrible illustrator. I know I cannot make a drawing of a cat, so I don’t.
All those limitations may sound bad, but ultimately it gets me focused. That’s why I always suggest sketching, it helps weed out bad ideas and gets you pointed into the right direction.
What education do you have?
I studied graphic design in college, but I really studied everything. I got really into ceramics, printmaking, installation art, folk studies, etc. I learned letterpress at my internships while I was still in school. Most universities don’t offer classes in that. School of Hard Knocks taught me most of what I know and implement these days. The best thing I can say is that as long as you alive, you should be learning. I will never say that I know everything about something, because I never will.
How many iterations are typical for one finished piece?
Most of those iterations happen in my sketches. I tell my students to come up with 20concepts. 19 will be bad, but something interesting will happen in 1 and that’s where the good ideas comes from. Although most of the time clients are happy with my work, I do have to rework a design. It’s pretty tough to put yourself into a project only to have a client not like it. Understand that it is not the client’s fault that they don’t like the design, it’s usually yours. Most of the time—when I rework a design—the next version is even more successful. It’s always easy to blame it on your client “not understanding your art” but the ultimate reality is that you “do not understand your client”.
Mic drop.
Digital Tools| InDesign| Artist Research| Questions for Brad Vetter
You have certain images for each of your designs, what are some of the processes you go through to edit those images for the designs?
I sketch a whole lot. I spend almost more time in my sketchbook then I do on the computer. I work through ideas and concepts that may be bad before I hope on the computer and into my print shop to polish off the design.
You implement shapes into many of your designs, instead of shapes what would be other successful elements that could be used instead of shapes to enhance the design?
I have never been a good illustrator. I couldn’t draw a cat or a car to save my life. I understand that limitation, and work towards the things I am good at. My work uses a lot of shapes, colors, texture and typography because those are things I am decent at. I am always trying to improve my drawing skills, but until I get better there I will keep working with things I am comfortable with. If that is drawing for you, illustrations are a great way to explore your concept.
When you get a new commission or start a new project what are some of the first things you do for a design/What goes into the decision of the style of the design?
Sketching, over and over. If I am working on a gigposter, I will listen to that band constantly while sketching. I do other research too, read an interview with the band, check out their website, ask a friend. I am looking for anything that sparks the beginning of a concept. Then I sketch some more.
How much control do you have in the design process? How involved are your clients usually?
It really varys. Sometimes I work with a client who gives me complete control. It is great to have that trust with someone you are working for. Othertimes I have to earn it. I try to be as articulate and professional as possible when working with a new client. Often times, after a few projects together, I gain their trust, and they let me do my thing. That takes a lot of hard work and time. I have also developed a portfolio that is very specific to my sense of style. People come to me for the work I present in my portfolio on my website, if they want something different, I usually send them elsewhere. I want to work with clients who want to work with me.
How did you print the multiple layered posters?
Everything I print is hand printed one color at a time, one print at a time. If I am printing 200 4-color posters—which is pretty typical—that’s 800 times through my letterpress!
Are the drawings in posters all your own hand drawings?
Sometimes I will draw them. Sometimes I work with other illustrators to collaborate with me. Mostly, I am working with manipulated photographs or found imagery. A lot of the smaller images on my posters are antique printing blocks in my collection. They would have been drawn by someone 50+ years ago, and I am still using them today.
How is the printing process done?
Everything I print is letterpress. That is simply put, letters, pressed into paper, with ink in between. I use blocks of my own making and antique wood type that get inked up and run through my antique presses.
What projects do you find most challenging?
Believe it or not, the hardest stuff for me to work on are the prints for bands that I really like. I feel like they have to be perfect. I am my own worst critic, so they usually take twice as long for me to come up with something I am happy with.
What are your favorite colors to work with?
I love working with process colors. That’s Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. Some variation of those go in pretty much everything I do. I love being able to overlap a yellow and blue to get a green, and so on. I am always inspired by really crappy printing in old comic books. The way that a person’s face has big yellow dots, and their hair is pink. I love that.
What program do you prefer to produce most of your work in, or do you use multiple programs for different aspects of your pieces?
I try to stay away from the computer as much as possible. I mostly manipulate stuff in Photoshop and execute the final work in Illustrator. I use a laser engraver to cut new images for letterpress, that uses Illustrator files, so I typically stick to that.
What fonts/typefaces do you use most often?
I am a pretty simple man when it comes to that. I like a good versatile San serif. Something like Univers that has so many options, thick/think/condensed/expanded. Aside from that I love my antique wood type collection. Check out the book: American Wood Type: Rob Roy Kelly to see some amazing wood type specimens, I love all that stuff!
Do you use any of your own photography in your work that you may have digitally converted into 2-D?
I wish that I took more photos. I made a print a while ago where I took a photo of my type in the press, converted it to a printing plate then actually printed that on my antique press!
Were all of your designs for Hatch Show Print actually used?
Yep, Everything I do gets used. We are commissioned by the band, venue or promoter to do prints that get hung up in the street or sold as a merch item at the show.
How long does each design take, from planning to final product?
It really depends. I typically say that it takes a couple days to design and a couple days to print. I don’t always make a lot of money designing these posters, so I need to be efficient when I design them, I can’t really dwell on a design for days.
What drew you to starting this type of design?
I studied graphic design, and was “classically-trained” in digital design. I really felt a disconnect between myself and the work I was making on the computer. I started drawing type and screen printing all of my assignments, just because I hated the perfection of those digital pieces. That eventually lead me to letterpress.
IS there a specific process you have in choosing a color scheme?
Usually it is based on the design. It is very rare that I will go into a design with a color scheme in mind.
Is there a piece that you really like more than any other?
Hard to say. I have a blast with everything I do. I am really proud of the wine labels I did with Hatch Show Print called “The Show” that was the first project I worked on that had such a huge audience. I saw it in Target and kind of freaked out. My parents were really excited about that.
Did you ever get to meet any of the bands or artists advertised in your posters?
I do. That’s really why I got into this. I love music, and getting to be a part of the music industry without having any musical talent is pretty cool. It’s my way to give back to these people who I listen to all the time. I got hang out with Mumford and Sons once, that was pretty crazy.
If your design process were a tree, what kind of tree would it be?
Rock Maple. That’s what the wood type is made out of. Hamilton Wood Type; look it up.
Good question.
What is the most infuriating part of your job?
Being creative. It’s pretty rad that I get to be creative everyday. Sometimes I am doing a poster for a band I really like and I literally have nothing. It’s the worst thing ever, you know all your friends and this band that you love are going to see your design. The pressure is on, and you have nothing. It makes me so stressed out and I stay up all night and pull my hair and grind my teeth. Sometimes I cry and want to quit.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The bands that you have created posters for, have they contacted you in person? Did they find you to design the posters for them?
It works a few ways. I reach out to bands I really like when they are coming through town. Sometimes the band managers contact me, sometimes the venues or promoters. Somehow they find me, and I am still making things. When I am nervous that I am not going to have any more work, more work comes in.
Did you experiment to find a development process that worked best for you? Did you find one or do you still experiment?
I don’t think I will ever quit trying new things. I had been printing letterpress for 8 years before I moved to Illinois. When I started I was working without computers all together. Today, I am making laser cuts from digital files for a letterpress. It’s totally new and I am so excited to be trying it. If there is a new way to make images, I am going to jump on it and always develop a new style. That’s my favorite thing about design, there is always a new problem to solve.
What’s one thing you wish someone would’ve told you as a beginning artist and designer?
It is hard and it will never get easier.
Treat every single person like a human being.
You should all also read this by Frank Chimero:
http://frankchimero.com/blog/what-advice-would-you-have-for-a-graphic-design-student/
How did you get started with your own work/business?
I had been working at Hatch for 8 years before I started to do things on my own. I had developed a pretty great portfolio of clients and work. A few people followed me when I left, but mostly I just did any work that came my way. It was really hard. For a while I wasn’t eating much food, and hoping that work came before rent was due. Work picked up, and because I stayed true to my aesthetic and values as a designer and printer, the work was all stuff that I really wanted to do. I am constantly looking—today—for that balance between the things that pay the bills and the things that make me happy. Mostly I chose happy.
What was it like networking…getting started, keeping in contact, etc.?
Treat every single person like a human being. That’s my philosophy there. Everywhere I have gotten in life has come from being nice to people. Not looking at people as a dollar sign, but a friend. My friends have given me projects to work on, brought me to their shops to do workshops, everything I do to make money. I do the same for them. It’s symbiotic and I am way happier that way. Keep a business card on you all the time though.
How many different types of printers are there in your studio?
I use a couple different printing presses in my shop. I have 2 proofing presses, both from around the 1950’s. They are what I use for the large posters. I have a smaller platen press (it basically prints the same way your hands clap) from the 1890’s. I use it to do smaller cards.
How do you decide which type of paper to use?
I am a pretty simple paper guy. I choose paper that will take to the printing process. I mostly use one paper, then I print bright colors on it to make that paper look cooler than it was when it was white.
Does the type of paper help to create the style of the composition?
In letterpress, the limitations really help me make my decisions. Here is a breakdown of my limitations on any given project.
1. press size. My press can only print to a specific size, so all my prints become approx. 12.5” x 23”
2. paper size. The paper is 23” at it’s longest, thus the 23” long poster
3. my type. In letterpress I only have the type that is in my shop, I am limited to my collection in size and style
4. money. If the client is paying me for a 2-color poster, I am limited by two colors. If they are paying me a lot of money, I have less limitations
5. time. I have a lot of projects going on at once. If I spend too much time on one project, all my other projects will be late!
6. my own abilities. I mentioned before that I am a pretty terrible illustrator. I know I cannot make a drawing of a cat, so I don’t.
All those limitations may sound bad, but ultimately it gets me focused. That’s why I always suggest sketching, it helps weed out bad ideas and gets you pointed into the right direction.
What education do you have?
I studied graphic design in college, but I really studied everything. I got really into ceramics, printmaking, installation art, folk studies, etc. I learned letterpress at my internships while I was still in school. Most universities don’t offer classes in that. School of Hard Knocks taught me most of what I know and implement these days. The best thing I can say is that as long as you alive, you should be learning. I will never say that I know everything about something, because I never will.
How many iterations are typical for one finished piece?
Most of those iterations happen in my sketches. I tell my students to come up with 20concepts. 19 will be bad, but something interesting will happen in 1 and that’s where the good ideas comes from. Although most of the time clients are happy with my work, I do have to rework a design. It’s pretty tough to put yourself into a project only to have a client not like it. Understand that it is not the client’s fault that they don’t like the design, it’s usually yours. Most of the time—when I rework a design—the next version is even more successful. It’s always easy to blame it on your client “not understanding your art” but the ultimate reality is that you “do not understand your client”.
Mic drop.