This designer is no stranger to venturing far outside of the lines in his art and outside of the country on any given day. Adam Vicarel’s designs, typography and illustrations are mind blowing windows to his passion for new experiences and the outdoors. Check out his amazing work and a brief interview below:
What has your creative journey been like?
Born + raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Grew up exploring the Metroparks surrounding my parents’ home. I was further encouraged by stories of my father’s youth. He embraced a similar adventurous childhood that definitely transcended the generation. I received a BFA in Visual Communication Design from the University of Dayton in southern Ohio in 2011 and took a job as an in-house designer. After two and a half years, I felt that I lost the tenacious enthusiasm that got me into design in the first place, so I quit my job and took what turned out to be an eleven-month sabbatical. I traveled through southeast Asia for four and a half months, then road-tripped across the USA.
After this life-altering trip, I moved to Denver on a whim with no money, job or home lined up. I’ve been in Denver for about two and a half years working as a freelance designer, proactively pursuing a career that combines my two passions in life: design and travel/the outdoors.
WHO or WHAT inspires you?
The outdoors. Taking long trips or hiatuses from my work and computer often provide a much-needed refresh and enables me to approach my work with a much clearer, more driven mind upon my return.
What does your daily routine look like?
5 a.m. wake up. Coffee. Work until 9 a.m. Go for a run. Work until 1 p.m. Lunch. Work until 6 or 7 p.m. Sometimes hang with friends, but oftentimes pursue personal projects.
What does your creative process look like?
For client work: tons of research and questions to my clients. It is vitally important to truly understand who you are working for and what they offer before even considering to begin the design process.
For personal work: I don’t do much research at all. I just begin with an idea and start sketching. Ultimately, most of my ‘first-pass-sketches’ are then thrown on a light-table, and I then refine the sketch one more time with pencil and then ink with Micron.
What advice would you give to someone just getting started?
Work harder than everyone around you. Also, share your work. It’s doing you no good just putting your drawings in a drawer; post them on Dribbble, Instagram, Behance, Tumblr, whatever—get yourself out there.
Please list all your favorite tools/gear/medium you love using.
A sharp pencil, a felt-tipped pen, and some whiskey.
Are there any books or websites you love?
4-hr work week by Tim Ferris (audio version)
Essays in Love by Alain De Botton (audio version)
P.S. – “I hate the internet” – Adam
Where can we find you online?
Website/Portfolio: Adam Vicarel
Instagram: @adamvicarel
Facebook: Vicarel Studios