Who are you?
I’m a young designer-illustrator-man living in Charleston, SC. I grew up ten minutes shy of the Florida Everglades, living with hurricanes and alligators. I moved to Gainesville with biotechnology on my mind for a semester and marine biology for another, but instead studied graphic design at the University of Florida. I started freelancing in college and kept that up for about four years before taking a design job with Fuzzco in Charleston. I met my lovely wife, Olivia, and four more years later I decided to go out on my own again. Since then I’ve been working at home and traveling with Olivia whenever she gets a photo gig out of town. I’m lucky to be able to take this work anywhere and everywhere, but I’m still learning how to find that work/play balance and find wifi in remote places.
What are you working on?
Right now I’m finishing up the designs and illustrations for a conference in Charleston, which is bringing together some incredible names in the beverage industry, from sommeliers to bartenders and beer makers to drink writers. I’ve also been wrapping up some fun packaging projects for some local producers, including salt harvesters, a grain miller, and a sauce company.
Choose a favorite shot of yours. Why is it a favorite?
It’s a fun reminder to design what you want to see in the world. I love illustrating characters, and sometimes I’ll jump into a project and try too hard to design in a style, which… in the end I don’t want to be known for. I enjoy branding projects that are supported by a range of illustrations and characters. (Note: Not the best for every client…obviously, but it’s worth a try sometimes) This little piece was a total deviation from the client’s original brand. I was sweating wondering if they’d be into it, but I was confident in the work and in the end it resulted in a total re-haul of their packaging and branding.
Tell us about your setup. What tools did you use to create the shot (e.g. hardware, software, pens, paper, blowtorch)?
I’ve got the Intuos pro (medium size), the good ol’ Adobe suite (primarily Illustrator), and a borrowed iMac.
Choose a favorite shot from another Player. Why do you dig it?
I could have picked any of Owen Davey’s shots, because this guy is a wonderful illustrator. His books are absolutely beautiful; each page is filled with such perfect detail and color. I would have flipped if these books were around as a little kid, but I own them now and am still flipping…so no difference I guess.
Find Blake on Dribbble, on Twitter, and at blakesuarez.com.
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