On Thursday I attended a Q and A session with Lewis Heriz at The Ace Hotel in London. The event was the third of a series of guest speakers invited by Cover Club to talk about their personal approach to album cover artwork.
After attending a Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque event in November, I was already familiar with some of the work produced by Heriz. This was a great opportunity to learn more about his unique idea generation and how he produces such a wide range of bold, adventurous and imaginative, hand-crafted designs.
During the discussion, Heriz talked us through a selection of work samples - both album covers and record sleeves. His work showed a consistent theme of hand-crafted collage and screen printed mediums. I particularly liked the honest and open approach which Heriz took to his idea generation. His work helped me to get a better understanding of the type of design which I want to work towards.
The thing I found most inspiring abour Heriz (aside from his artwork) was his approach to each project. In a similar way to how I think about every aspect and meaning of a project, he considered a range of possible pathways to take his designs. If he was working for clients he would follow the route which they had suggested to him, but also sometimes create a design formed from his personal interpretation of a brief.
Starting with a selection of possible design routes, Heriz allows himself a broad creative freedom to experiment with various ideas, which often overlap and come together into a well-refined and considered outcome.
Interestingly, Heriz mentioned that he wasn't particularly interested in typography. Although type plays an important role in the majority of his work, he does not spend too much time worrying about kerning or accuracy. Instead, he uses type to enhance the imagery, using as an additional visual means with more to it than a plain piece of type placed on top of the image. The type enhances Heriz' strong visual style.
At the end of the talk, I had the opportunity to introduce myself to Heriz and complement his work. I bought one of his prints and asked him for a business card to contact him with any future questions.
Additional Info:
Website - lewisheriz.com
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