Hi.
Brian Robertson
Graphic Designer Slash Illustrator
Birdland, aka Baltimore was home until the age of 7. In 1987 my parents moved for greener pastures on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This is where I’ve lived and worked most of my life. Today, I reside in the small historic town of Berlin, Maryland. Berlin has close access to the resort beach town of Ocean City and the best place on earth, Assateague Island National Seashore. Travel three or four hours in any direction and you will intersect any of 4 major cities. Philadelphia, Baltimore, D.C, and New York. The salty marshlands of the Eastern Shore and these gritty cities are the places that influence my design aesthetic the most.
As one of the “tweeners” born after generation-x and before the millennials, I had the unique experience of making it to college prior to ever sending an email and left with my good friends Adobe and Macintosh. I’ve spent a lot of time crafting ideas by hand and later adding the aid of a computer. As with most designers born in the early 80’s this placed me in the unusual position of designer slash illustrator. It has given me the ability to create from scratch, creating custom typography and lettering as well as adding a sense of nostalgia and authenticity in every design. I have been practicing design professionally for 20 years specializing in logo design, branding and print advertising.
Design
Style
I would consider myself a minimalist with a propensity for nostalgia. If I have learned anything working as a graphic artist it is the cliche of less is more. More time is often spent figuring out what to remove than what to add. One of the more difficult parts of design is restraint. A good idea, a powerful image, some well crafted content, and copious amounts of white space is all you need to tell the story.
Secret
Recipe
The process begins with research. The seemingly meaningless stories told by clients in a discovery meeting can lead to great inspiration. They become very important in the search for something different. Brainstorming and the vetting of ideas are soon follow. The design critique is my favorite part. It’s nothing short of verbal abuse, especially with a good group of experienced but thoroughly jaded creative friends. A constant dialogue with the client is vital to the success of a brand design. Hundreds of decisions can be made when you are creating something as simple as a logo.