Script:
There are a few graphic designers that revolutionised design through their style. Paul Rand, Milton Glaser or even Jony Ive are some of the names that shaped the design world with elements never used or heard of before. However, there is something about David Cason’s and his chaotic combination of textures, words and images that changed visual communication for ever. Before we dive into details, let’s see where everything started.
It all began on a surfboard. All his life, Carson wanted to be a professional surfer and he succeeded. In fact, he ranked eighth in the world and he still surfs now at his propriety in Cane Garden Bay. Quick fact: he is the only surfer in the history to ever his own waterfront property. Yes, being original can pay off.
His passion for surf played a great role in Carson’s design career as he designed a lot of surf, skateboard and any sports related magazines, ads or websites.
His first encounter with graphic design was in 1980 when he took a two weeks graphic design course at the University of Arizona. Still, it was only later on, in 1983 that he actually started to develop an interest for design and decided to attend the Oregon College of Commercial Art. But that didn’t last long as a few months after school started, he accepted an unpaid internship at a former skateboarding magazine called “Action Now”.
After that, his creative approach to design and his skills landed him a job as art director for Transworld Skateboarding magazine in 1985. He spent there four years and the opportunity enabled him to experiment and create his own style. Of course, not everybody loved his work and ambiguous style. Some believed that the fragmented text, images and shapes didn’t properly convey the message. But as he said, and i quote: “Just because something's legible doesn't means it communicates. More importantly, it doesn't mean it communicates the right thing. So, what is the message sent before somebody actually gets into the material? And I think that's sometimes an overlooked area.”
Still, there were a lot of people that appreciated his work. In fact, Albert Watson, famous Scottish photographer stated, “ He uses type the way a painter uses paint, to create emotion, to express ideas”. Among the people that loved his work was Marvin Scott Jarrett, who published the alternative-music magazine Ray Gun and who hired Carson as Art Director in 1992.
Ray Gun was the place where Carson began to attract real admirers. Here he had the opportunity to share his nonconformist design style with a wide audience who loved his so called “dirty” type. After he started working there, Ray Gun’s circulation tripled. Carson’s style appealed to the youth and also, huge corporations like Nike or Levi’s Strauss that chose him to design their print ads.
After the huge success at Ray Gun, he decided to start his own business in 1995. The studio he based in New York began to attract a lot of big companies and brands like Ray Ban, Microsoft, Kodak, Pepsi Cola, Giorgio Armani, etc, contracted him for their ads. After 5 years, though, he closed his studio and focused more on his family, relocating with his three kids in South Carolina.
Carson hasn’t stopped designing, though. He became a freelance designer in 2004 and since then he has worked with a lot of brands, publications and he even directed TV commercials. He also received a lot of awards: the designer of the year in 1998 and1999, Master of Typography from Graphic magazine and he even won an AIGA medal.
If you are an designer, marketer or advertiser, Carson can be a huge inspiration for you. I wholeheartedly recommend that you check out some of his books, especially “The End of Print” which is a best seller in the design world.
Bottom line, keep designing and try to find your own style. Not everybody will love it but some will and for some, you will be a hero. As Carson said “ Graphic design will save the world. Right after ro