You Should Know: Amy Martin
Mindy Wagner, Former Design Director
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I was introduced to Amy Martin's work about a year ago, but I didn't know it at the time. Emily came into the office with a beautiful poster created for the 2009 presidential campaign. It was striking, especially when compared to the typical political signage we've gotten so used to ignoring. It wasn't filled with stars and bars or eagles in flight. It wasn't aggressive or pushy. It wasn't even the traditional red and blue. It was soft and uplifting, capturing the delicate sense of hope many of us were feeling after years of frustration. It stood out to me even in the sea of great art being created in support of Obama.
Flash forward a year or so... I was sitting here doing some design research when I came upon a set of posters designed for The Echo Park Time Travel Mart and 826LA, the Los Angeles branch of David Eggers' 826 National network of non-profit youth tutoring programs. (You've probably heard about their creative fundraising and branding strategy. Storefronts like the The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co and the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company have gotten a lot of buzz on design blogs, and rightly so.)
I dug a little deeper and discovered that Amy Martin is the super talented illustrator behind the posters. She's currently in LA working as a Senior Designer at Knock Knock. Her previous gigs include Design Editor at LA Times, Feature Designer for the Detroit Free Press, and freelance for the likes of The New York Times, McSweeney's and TBWA/Chiat/Day. She designs and illustrate books, magazines, posters, packaging and products.
Last year's poster collection had a travel theme, and she absolutely nailed the vintage travel aesthetic. Her use of color is fantastic and the set of 5 is very cohesive. I'd love to see them hung together in a hallway. MY hallway, to be specific.
This year's WPA-style "be a good citizen" posters are equally tongue-in-cheek, with slogans such as "Keep The Present Inevitable". I love the little jokes hidden within her illustrations. (Note the frog with three front legs...)
Both sets of posters are for sale at 826LA's store, they're only $19.95, and proceeds go to charity. Does it get any better?
You can see more of Amy's illustrations on her blog and in her Flickr photostream. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future!
Additional reading:
Interview with Amy Martin on GraphicDesignr.net
