100 posters 134 squirrels

The art of graphic designer, Jay Ryan has a book called 100 posters 134 squirrels. I own this book, along with many other graphic design books...but this one particularly stands out to me amongst the others. It is filled with his works as a screen printer/poster artist. His posters, in my opinion, are wonderful. I love the way he combines fine art and drawing with his ability to design graphics. I don't think many people can do that successfully. A lot of artists attempt to create elaborate posters showing off their abilities to draw cartoons and how trendy their design can be, while ignoring their main purpose of that design in the process. Jay Ryan has a specific style. He likes to draw cute and funky creatures ( a lot of squirrels, go figure) and use muted pastel colors. I think that's pretty brave for a graphic designer because most of us think that BOLD and BRIGHT and SOLID colors grab attention, while Jay uses soft blues, pinks, yellows and grays to seduce his viewers.  His drawings, like I said, all have this cute, sort of hand drawn appeal, and that is what makes him unique as a designer. Most
designers concentrate on sharp lines and very simple expression that people don't necessarily have to react to emotionally. But when you look at his work, you may laugh, say, "awwww" or think it's totally weird and bizarre. I believe that's what makes a good artist- the ability to make your audience FEEL, REACT, or THINK.

He also maintains a cleanliness in his drawings/desings that aren't too over powering or cluttered which is a common mistake we see as consumers. How many times have you seen a magazine ad when flipping through and didn't even really take the time to look at it because, well, there is just TOO MUCH to look at?!!??? Jay Ryan designs his posters so that they are easy on the eyes and intrigueing at the same time. His line quality, unique content, and color pallet tell us that whatever he is promoting is trendy, artistic and INVITING. I personally think, as a designer and as a consumer, it's important to not feel overwhelmed when trying to be sold something. His simple, but powerful fine art skills in his desings make you want to look at them. And when creating promotional material, that is the ultimate goal.
Go to this website to check out more of his work! It's all pretty cool.
http://www.thebirdmachine.com/gallery.php?year=2010