Metal Illustrator: Interview with Danny Sackson (Empirical Designs)

Metal Illustrator: Interview with Danny Sackson (Empirical Designs)

Empirical Design create logos, branding identity & development, album art, apparel, press kits, advertisements, and marketing materials for physical and digital mediums. Danny Sackson gave us some information about Him Career as Illistrator. Check it out.

Please give a brief introduction of yourself, your career and your work.
My name is Nick DePalo, and I founded Empirical Designs in 2013 in Staten Island, New York. Since then I’ve worked with hundreds of different clients from bands, record labels, booking agencies, magazines, blogs, athletes, apparel companies, and all types of businesses. Some noteworthy names I’ve worked with include Pratt & Whitney, Barstool Sports, Zach Granite from the Minnesota Twins, idobi Radio, Victory Records, In Flex We Trust, I Set My Friends on Fire, Thy Art Is Murder, & YouTuber Joey Salads.

When did realize you wanted to make a career out of designing?
I always found myself drawn to art as a form of expression. I sketched all the time as a kid, but I never really dedicated myself to getting better at it, I only did it for my own enjoyment. Throughout my teenage years and early 20s I was in many different bands. My last band started releasing music and touring in late 2012, and we were in need of some shirt designs and album artwork. We were all pretty broke, partially because practice spaces in New York City are very expensive. So I took upon myself to learn the basics of design because it was a way to save some money. I really enjoyed it despite the work being objectively terrible, along the way other people noticed and started asking me to make stuff for their band. Eventually enough work came in that I built a portfolio, and as business grew I eventually left my dead end job and became a full time designer.

 

What difficulties have you faced in transitioning into becoming a professional designer?
I’m self taught, and the learning curve is immense. I use a few different services to teach myself new techniques and take higher level courses in design, but ultimately I’m on my own. I’m a quick learner, but the tough part is figuring out what you don’t already know.

 

What do you like the most about designing?
The part I enjoy most about design is that unlike most fine art, it has a commercial purpose. 99% of the things I design are for a specific, tangible use, and many end up being physical products. It’s a wonderful experience, to see something go from a thought passing through your head to a finished product being sold in a store.

 

What do you like the least about it?
It’s hard to complain about my career. 99% of the time I feel very privileged to be able to make art for a living. It rarely feels like a “job”. If I had to pick something I would say the most difficult part is getting used to staring at a computer for extended periods of time. Sensory and eye fatigue is a real thing, and it’s not easy to explain to people. Some days I can be looking at my computer screen for 10-12 hours, maybe more. I try to take breaks and follow the 20-20-20 rule, but in general, people aren’t supposed to be staring into blue light for that long.

 

Who are some of your main artistic inspirations and why?
Some of my biggest inspiration comes from early 1900s architecture such as Brutalism, Bauhaus and Art Deco. Growing up in New York City there’s so many beautiful examples of these styles in my own backyard. I also draw inspiration from traditional American tattoos, as well as sports uniform and branding, and skateboard deck and apparel design. Some of my favorite artists include Don Pendleton, Brian Steely, and Todd Radom.

 

What is the best advice you have ever received regarding your artwork and career?
The best advice I ever received about my career or design in general was “don’t let them kill your soul”. It’s the ending of every episode of The Graphic Sound, a graphic design podcast by artist Brandon Rike. It really hammers home the feeling that designers get when you’re burnt out, lacking inspiration, and constantly trying to meet the demands and expectations of clients, while simultaneously trying to express your vision and put your voice into the artwork you’re making. “Don’t let them kill your soul” can be applied to any kind of art where compromises must be made to achieve success. It’s how I have been living my life since the day I heard it, though sometimes that’s easier said than done.

 

What are some of your goals for the future?
I want to design branding and uniforms for a professional sports team, and I want to design album art and packaging for a big national touring band. I feel like if I keep at it, I can get there.

 

Do you have a philosophy behind your work?
I see my work as problem solving. If I look at my work through the lens of “make stuff look cool” and “design shirts I would wear”, I wouldn’t be successful and I wouldn’t be making most of my clients happy. My work is about solving my client’s problems. They need a logo design, the name of the company is, ____, their message is _____, their client base is _____, they like____, they don’t like _____, and on and on and on. My aim is to come up with the perfect solution to settle all of those questions and put everything in it’s right place.

 

Any last words.
If you’re interested in checking out my full portfolio of work, you can do so by checking out my website. http://www.empiricaldesigns.net/

You can also “Like” Empirical Designs on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/empiricalgraphicdesign/

Follow Empirical Designs on Twitter & Instagram
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