J.D. Reeves grew up near Tulsa and he is currently the University of Oklahoma (Go Sooners!) in the town of Norman, where he is pursuing an M.F.A. in Visual Communications. He's now the subject of our artist spotlight, which comes after his contributions to Vote The Environment his fourth (!) campaign with us.
Say how you became an artist.
I became a designer when I started out as a kid messing around in Microsoft Paint. I would spend hours creating terrible-looking fake magazine covers and concert posters. When I found out in college that I could do this for a living I jumped at the chance and haven't looked back. I love what I do and can't imagine doing anything else.
What’s your connection to the cause of Vote The Environment?
The great author Wendell Berry said, "We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. … live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us." I believe that as a Christian it is my duty to do my part in taking care of Creation. That is why I feel strongly about the Vote The Environment campaign.
I work almost exclusively in vector format (Adobe Illustrator). I start with a quick pencil and then switch over to the pen tool in Illustrator. I get inspiration from designspiration.net and dribbble.
What are you working on these days when you’re not designing for CAN?
I work primarily on various forms of visual identity design. My favorite thing to do is logo design, but I also enjoy print collateral and shirt design as well as album art and posters.
You can see more of J. D's work on his website, and you can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
