We recently chatted with Lisa Wright, Art Director at Factory Design Labs and freelance Art Director/Designer, who designed the wonderful logo for our upcoming Chaircuterie event.
AIGA CO: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you became a designer.
Lisa Wright: There was a really amazing art program at my high school which totally shaped my future (that and having really open-minded parents). I took every art class that I could, but photography was what really excited me. In college I started off as photo student. It seemed like the natural thing to do… and at the time I had no idea “design” was even a thing. But once I discovered that there was a discipline that incorporated everything I loved beyond photography, I was in. I switched my major to design and have been working in the field ever since.
Much of your work feels very natural and organic. Has this always been your approach to design or is this something that gradually happened?
This has always been my approach. I struggle when I am working solely on the computer. It’s just too clean and precious and never seems to give an idea as much life as it has in my head. And all of the happenstance things that happen when you’re getting your hands dirty are things that can’t be replicated digitally. Experimenting with different mediums and making mistakes is usually the only way for me to get from a “that’s pretty cool” to a “hell yes!”.
The Chaircuterie logo is awesome! Tell us about the concept for the design and how you arrived at the final solution.
Thank you! It has been so fun to work on. I wanted the logo to have the qualities of a traditional charcuterie and also tell the story of the event. Since so many artists are coming together to work on a themed project, it made total sense that the identity should be a collection of many pieces coming together to make a whole. And low and behold, the ol’ ‘how to chop a cow up’ chart has those exact qualities. It was the perfect solution. I used the shape of the Housefish chair as the base and went from there. As far as typography goes, I had what I wanted in my mind, but nothing quite matched it, so I drew a few pages of script and settled on one that was legible, illustrative and whimsical.
Favorite typeface?
Such a tricky question! I have a soft spot in my heart for anything that is hand drawn. But I do appreciate a good structured beauty like Gotham; looks good light, looks good bold. And besides, you’ve gotta pair that painted, raw, expressive type with something more grounded, right?
Who is your design hero?
I have quite a few heroes. Most of them are people I work with directly. I am always amazed at how many talented people I know and have the privilege of working with. And there are a few superstars that really stand out to me; James Victore, his work is so raw, real and fleeting. Nancy Skolos and Thomas Wedell, their experiments with form and light and things outside of the computer has been a huge influence. Stefan Sagmeister, his typography explorations have always blown my mind, and the year long sabbatical, please!
Your credentials in kung fu training are impressive! Who would win in a fight – Paul Rand or Saul Bass?
I think it would be a bruiser for sure. They are both badasses and they both wear glasses, so that would make things pretty even. But I’m gonna say Saul Bass would win. He’s a bit grittier, which makes me think he wouldn’t be afraid to fight dirty, like it wouldn’t be below him to throw a sucker punch to the cojones.
Thanks so much Lisa for chatting with us and for your amazing work on the Chaircuterie logo! Be sure to check out more of Lisa’s work on her website.
We hope to see everyone at Chaircuterie on Thursday, November 13 at the McNichols Building. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
