Ally Spotlight: Nick Beery ? ?There is always a vigorous left-brain ...

Nick Beery (who lends his name to full-service graphic, copy, illustration, branding and marketing development company Beery Method) is as energetic as he is prolific. According to his bio, Beery?s design experience is culled from fine art, photography, illustration, and graphic design; his designs run the gamut from pop culture and underground themes to music inspired and three-dimensional projects. Beery is influenced by pretty much everything going on around him, from commercial connections with the action-sports industry and record labels, to creative projects for the musicians he admires. Added to that, Beery keeps busy city-hopping between the three bases of his company (he?s yet to claim any East Coast real estate ? could that be next?) and constantly delving into new projects. ?I work in tandem with another fantastic designer in Chicago. We recently formed a new company called BroLabs Design Co.,? he tells Creative Allies (more on that below). And, when asked about his favorite projects: ?Honestly, it all moves so quickly for me here that the freshest work is what I prefer to show off, but am already half over what I did last week!?

Submission for The Offspring poster contest.

Creative Allies: What is your background in art/design?

Nick Beery:I?ve been an art director for 10 years working under my own creative firm, Beery Method Design. I attended RCAD with a background in illustration, animation, fine art, photography, cartooning, and psychology. I run a small artist collective called Coalesce Studios that allows me to collaborate with a plethora of creatives and have a hand in a multitude of projects. I?ve worked with big names in the music industry and curated shows with big names in the U.S. art scenes. I look at ?art? as pie: It?s meant to be shared, it takes a lot of ingredients to make it desirable, and each slice has a unique appeal to those who take part.

Artwork by Beery for Society6.com.

CA: Beery Method is based in San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle ? do you split your time between these three cities? And how does your location/environment affect your work?

NB: I live in a trifecta of amazing cities where I work and play. Bouncing between San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle allows me to be constantly fueled with fresh creative energy. This mental split also keeps my senses invigorated and nurtures a full spectrum of ideas and projects to come into fruition with a multitude of clientele and collaborators. There is always a vigorous left-brain hum whether in the studio or on the road. No rest for the wicked, as they say.

CA: Where did you get your inspiration for your winning designs?

NB: As an example, in the My Darkest Days longboard I dug into my past skate boarding habits and knew that putting forth a design that reflected an old school graphic which also rebelled in the attitude of the band?s music would be essential. The graphic is completely hand drawn digitally with tricks I use through the various software at my disposal.

Beery?s My Darkest Days winning longboard design.

CA: Tell us a little about your process for creating your favorite submissions.

NB: My creative methodologies involve a vast arsenal of media and techniques. Utilizing my illustrative skills to produce subjective subject matter is one of many trades I enjoy integrating into the process. Hand drawn elements, photography (for reference and subjects), vector graphics, and traditional hand painted elements tend to bleed into each project at various degrees depending on the scope and theme of the call.

Poster design submission for Slipknot.

CA: Who are some of your favorite visual artists and musicians?

NB: I?m a consumer of neutralism in the realm of music and visual art. I like all forms, genres, and cultures. This may sound trite, but everyone I work with is at the top of my list. I admire many, yet strive to make waves of my own. At the moment I?m drawing inspiration from the classic mathematical genius Escher, finding palettes with the likes of Warhol, vibing hard on the latest from Soundgarden, and jamming on my commutes and winter downtime with Father John Misty.

?What Me Worry?? from Beery?s ?Pop Fiction? collection.

CA: Do you find it easier or more difficult to design for a band of which you?re a fan?

NB: As a consultant I work with some really amazing groups, collectives, and media buffs. I tend to drink from the fire hose sometimes on the web and stay coherent to the fact that there is constant industry shifts. Dividing my attention to specific artists and subcultures is the best way to describe the agenda I take up when propagating the informational stream. As an artist, I?m drawn toward my scenes and the rest is fodder for intermingling concepts and desired longevity as an independent.

I tend to draw my inspiration directly from the artists/musicians collective work. The design process is a collaboration which directly feeds my creative energy put forth into the visual mechanism. Digesting the sub-layers in a band?s body of work and regurgitating the filtered audible consumables into a reflective and respectable form that accommodates another artist?s passion is the most gratifying nourishment for my own constant investigation methodologies. A desire to push the boundaries and align myself with others who wear the suit of boundless vision is a true ?win-win? for both parties. Peering into the deep recesses of what makes another creative tick is necessary to produce pieces that stand as prolific in the winning contender corner.

Slaughter Sex Coffin, from Beery Method.

CA: You?ve done poster and t-shirt designs for Creative Allies, but your company Beery Method, works with some interesting 3-D formats, such as the coffin stash boxes. Do you enjoy 3-D design, and do you think it gave you an advantage when it came to your winning longboard design for My Darkest Days?

NB: Going 3-D is my absolute favorite way to produce new product design. I work in tandem with another fantastic designer in Chicago. We recently formed a new company called BroLabs Design Co. We are?exploring a mission to create a higher level of aesthetics to clientele who desire unique custom integration with traditional and digital media for branding and personal affects. Commingling an infusion of skills from architectural arrangement to expressive illustrative resolve the ?bros? bring a heavily layered understanding of core master visual conceptualization from a dually thick and deeply channelled background and careers in various creative industries.?Visual designers of acoustic spaces, sound design, environmental?and atmospheric installations, custom furniture, graphics, illustration, industrial design, photographic & film documentaries, music videos, molds?and 3D fabrication, prop?and set tooling, murals?and interior deco, traditional special effects, art direction, and creative consultation. Literally wrapping your mind around the form and shape of three-dimensional products gives a lift to all the 2-D design work to make pieces that are utilitarian and efficiently functional.

Source: http://articles.creativeallies.com/2012/11/29/ally-spotlight-nick-beery-there-is-always-a-vigorous-left-brain-hum/

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