Murray State's Digital Commons

Collection Title

Grant Hoffman Professional Practices ART399

Author/Artist Name

Grant HoffmanFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Junior

Date of Creation

Spring 5-8-2023

Artist Statement

As an artist, my design is heavily inspired by a lifelong passion for creativity and desire to effectively communicate with an audience. My work tends to lean into the realm of swiss design, characterized by simplistic layout and bold san-serif typography. The use of neutral tones and bold hierarchy contribute in building an effective but unique way of communication to the viewer. Oftentimes, my work conveys complex ideas that provoke the viewer to deeper understanding behind a seemingly superficial piece of work. I enjoy exploring the concepts of reliance on technology, false imitation and abstraction within a composition.

I find outside influence in several designers such as Saul Bass and Paul Rand. Bass possessed the ability to captivate the viewer through the use of non-traditional typography and simplistic but contrasting color pallets. This can be seen in several poster design series throughout his career. Rand however, primarily drew his inspiration from the Dada movement. The use of geometric figures and child-like illustrations promotes an abstracted but modern portrayal of childrens book covers. Although both of these artists use several methods of unique abstraction, they also are excellent at logo design. Similarly, I hope to portray both sides of Bass and Rands abstraction and clean straightforward design within my work.

Along with these well known designers, I also have outside influences that have shaped the composition and concepts within my design. Growing up I feel that my family promoted this constant expectation of perfection and unachievable expectation. Often in my work, this idea of flawed perfection is transparent and highlighted to better convey the message. Additionally, as a High School student I also enjoyed creating and listening to all genres of music. This influenced my work to be more aligned with pop culture and better able to express myself through abstraction.

As a college student, I'm continuing to grow and learn more about principles of design as well as the balance between abstraction and simplistic composition. In past work, this has been done through the use of geometric shapes paired with a contrasting collage style. I've also found using simple compositional techniques such as a rule or a drop shadow can also be effective. I'm looking forward to designing, creating, and implementing these principles in the future. Throughout school, I hope to continue designing work that allows the viewer to experience joy and communicates a message clearly to everyone who views my work.

Advisor/Mentor

Michael T. Martin

Description

1.) REACH, Charcoal Drawing, 17X14, Spring 2022, Reach_Hoffman_G_Spring22

2.) Man Laying Down, Charcoal Drawing, 17X14, Spring 2022, Man_Laying_Down_Hoffman_G_Spring22

3.) Man Sitting, Pastel Drawing, 14X12, Spring 2022, ManSitting_Hoffman_G_Spring22

4.) Woman Sitting, Pastel Drawing, 14X12, Spring 2022, WomanSitting_Hoffman_G_Spring22

5.) Halloween Friends, Digital Drawing, 14X22, Fall 2023, HalloweenFriends_Hoffman_G_Fall23

6.) Mop Crew, Digital Drawing, 14X22, Fall 2023, MopCrew_Hoffman_G_Fall23

7.) Editorial Illustration, Digital, 14X22, Fall 2023, Editorial_Hoffman_G_Fall23

8.) Not So Amazing Stories, Digital Collage, 22X14, Fall 2020, Stories_Hoffman_G_Fall20

9.) Elvis, Digital Illustration, 22X14, Spring 2023, Elvis_Hoffman_G_Spring23

10.) Ornate Custom Concrete Logo, Digital Logo, 10X10, Spring 2023, OrnateCustom_Hoffman_G_Spring23

11.) Walmart T Shirt Design, Digital Mockup, 10X18, Spring 2023, Walmart_Hoffman_G_Spring23

12.) The Gathering, Digital Instagram Post, 10X30, Fall 2022, TheGathering_Hoffman_G_Fall22

13.) Plant, Digital Illustration, 10X10, Spring 2023, Plant_Hoffman_G_Spring23

14.) Plant Sticker, Digital Mockup, 10X10, Spring 2023, PlantSticker_Hoffman_G_Spring23

15.) Wolverine, Digital Responsive Design, 18X20, Fall 2022, Wolverine_Hoffman_G_Fall22

16.) Wolverine Mockup, Digital Design, 14X18, Fall 2022, WolverineMockup_Hoffman_G_Fall22

17.) Playstation Controller Mount, Laser Cut on Wood, 8x2x5, Fall 2020, ControlerMount_Hoffman_G_Fall20

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Hoffman, Grant, "Grant Hoffman Professional Practices ART399" (2023). Professional Practices (ART 399). 139.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/139