joseph m. powell
JOE TO SOME AND JOEY TO THE REST.
I LOVE CREATING ART. As long as it comes out of some kind of sincerity, there’s always something to gain. I’ve been very fortunate because this would have been my avocation even if I hadn’t gone into this business. I would still be drawing, painting, cutting, and pasting.
My forté is the human figure. I sketched friends in class, choir members in the church, and lots of characters from my imagination. But really, I drew anything; cars, animals, buildings, airplanes, trees, flowers... you get the picture. I remember making and decorating envelopes to hold letters to pen pals and elaborate boxes to hold all sorts of found objects.
In college, I first majored in fine art. As I found my work becoming more representational and technically adept, I began to concentrate on illustration. For similar reasons, I studied photography. But ultimately I knew I wanted to be a designer. I consider myself a designer/illustrator because my illustrations employ elements of design, and my designs work as illustrations.
I have had a varied career trajectory; department manager, art director, editor, writer, designer, with the bulk of my experience as a marketing director working remote and contract. My earliest influences in art direction were the most dynamic covers and spreads in Bazaar. I have developed a passion for publication design. My portfolio reflects this with publications that I have redesigned, designed, and created. More recently, my campaigns and promotional materials have been commercially, and I think, artistically successful. They have generated great enthusiasm among my clients and varied audiences.
As a craftsman, I relish the interaction between client and designer, the back-and-forth between the challenge and its solution. As an artist, I bring intelligent forethought and a creative passion to every project. As a businessman, I bring a common sense that speaks to excellence as well as the bottom line. I love the process and the product.