FullBleed

Meet Kyle Nalls, Virginia native, Red Sox fan, Real Show medal winner (not necessarily in that order).

Where are you from, where are you now, and where do you want to be in 10 years?

I was born and raised in Fairfax and attended Fairfax High School, where I took in-depth digital photography classes. I’ve always been an artist, but I wanted to have a set job for a company instead of becoming a freelance artist or illustrator. Graphic design seemed like the most obvious direction.

Although art schools like Savanna College of Art Design were reputable, the atmosphere didn’t resonate as strong with me as a four-year liberal arts school. Also, I wanted to continue with competitive crew, so Susquehanna was a great fit. When I visited the campus, the art director, Mark Fertig, blew me away with his down-to-Earth, straight-shooting approach to design. The wall of awards this rather new program had achieved also impressed me. Now, having contributed to the wall of awards that covers three sides of the drawing room, I have no regrets about my decision.

Currently, I’m looking in either the Washington, D.C. area or the city of Pittsburgh for a full-time position, having recently graduated from college. My overall ambition is to work for a creative group I can be with for more than ten years and still enjoy what I do. The nice thing about design is that it is always changing and evolving, so no two days are the same. I view this as a challenge, and something I can really use my competitive nature to tackle.

Who might be your main inspiration?

One of my main design inspirations would have to be Michael Schawb. I love his simplistic, yet powerful designs. The illustrations are clean and smooth, with a great use of lighting. Also, his type treatments are appropriate and do not overshadow the illustrations. Probably my favorite logo he’s done was the 2007 MLB all-star logo for San Francisco. Being a big baseball fan, I saw the logo at the beginning of the season and immediately said, ‘That’s got to be a Michael Schawb.’ I love how his style is that recognizable.

I also derive inspiration from the Print and How Magazine annuals. Every year, I’m like a kid on Christmas when the new annual comes out, thumbing through the pages and marking the designs that really stick out to me.

When was the last time you used amberlift?

I’ve never used amberlift. I do, however, like to broaden my work by doing either hand-done illustrations or working nice display type with pen and ink.

You won a couple of medals at the ADCMW Real Show. Tell us about the pieces that won.

Yes, I was fortunate to win a total of three Real Show awards in the past two years. The two winning entries this past year were from the magazine category, for an article in Government Executive entitled, “Trouble at the Pump.” The article focused on the American military’s dependence on oil. For one approach, I chose a rather conservative solution and made a hand-done illustration of a soldier saluting blindly while standing on the United States, which is sinking in an ocean of oil.

Trouble at the Pump Illustrations by Kyle Nalls

The next winning entry is a little more comical in its portrayal of the serious issue at hand. I chose to draw a pop-art style of Popeye, dressed as Uncle Sam, chugging a barrel of oil. I had a little more fun with drawing this illustration, as I watched several old Popeye cartoons so that I could better familiarize myself with the correct pose for the illustration. On the second spread, I have an oil-drunk Popeye collapsed on the ground, as Olive Oyl screams out in distress.

You interned at a local design firm. Tell us the three things you learned that surprised you.

I was fortunate enough to intern at Fuszion Collaborative in Alexandria for the previous summer and winter breaks. I appreciated the opportunity; it was a great experience. Many college design students don’t have the chance to see how a national award-winning firm works on a daily basis.

Probably the most surprising changes going from the classroom to a studio would be the amount of customer interaction. One of my responsibilities was to field the phones and redirect the clients to the designers if they were available. I was shocked to find out how many times clients would call and ask to speak to the designers. I never realized how much time you spend talking with clients about the work nor the amount of revisions they request. Outside of that aspect, I would feel that my college experiences prepared me well for working with a creative group.

Do you have anything that you consider personal work?

I am always working on certain projects as a way to keep my skills honed and to add new ones. Since I’m experienced when it comes to photography, I serve as a freelance wedding photographer and have photographed quite a few occasions over the past summers. These are a way to make some pocket change and become more familiar with handling customers.

If you were to “live the dream,” what would that be?

Living the dream for me would be working at a graphic design firm where I can call my co-workers friends and not colleagues, and to be happy with what I love to do: design. I would love to find a place where I’d look forward to coming to work and won’t mind staying until late into the night. Too many people go through life hating what they do, but stick with it to get the paycheck. I’d rather do what I love, and be happy challenging myself everyday to become a better designer.

Kyle’s work can be seen at: www.kylenalls.com