MasterClass: David Carson
MasterClass: David Carson
A dynamic and spirited motion graphics package for an iconic designer
David Carson is the Masterclass instructor for their first graphic design class. He is best known for the "grunge 90s style" and his work on Raygun magazine. As the "rebel" of graphic design, he encourages students to break the rules rather than prescribe to any particular style. For him, good design should evoke an emotional response, positive or negative. The class features the standard instruction on the fundamentals of design, with chapters on typography, photography, and editorial design, while also including ones on collage-making, a process which has become one of Carson's signatures and on which he has published several books recently. In a sense, the course is his legacy and life's work.
David Carson portfolio work
We met with Carson to get a sense of what he wanted for the graphic look and feel of the. His brief included snapshots of his desktop and laptop cover, which feature multitudes of stickers and digital files layered on top of each other, creating a seemingly endless sea of inspiration. He wanted the graphics to be energetic and captivating—a reflection the creative process.
Carson's laptop cover and portfolio work as references
Early unused concepts
It was a very meta experience to be designers working with a designer on a design class and part of our solution was to be a bridge between Carson's philosophy and aesthetic and creating a system of functional graphics for teaching the basics of design. The challenge was to illustrate his philosophy in a style that didn't overtly look like his work but instead encapsulated his energy and obvious passion for graphic design.
BTS of the lettering shoot
The final main title sequence used motion and a seemingly never-ending stream of Carson's portfolio pieces mixed in with handmade and cut-up letterforms by Ashley Fundora, a sign painter and illustrator by trade. Influenced by our "shared screen" meetings with Carson, the motion direction was to mimic the spirit and energy of Carson working on a layout or design on his computer: quick, unexpected moves, like cutting and pasting, rotating and repeating, all with a stop-motion sensibility.
Credits:
Client Art Direction: Lauren Fundora
Design and Lettering: Ashley Fundora
Animation: Jessica Dorricott