12.16.09
Magomed Dovjenko, one hell of a guy, is a freelance illustrator based in Germany. He made some well known designs such as the the squirly typographic artworks for adidas, reebok & NFL. We already featured his portfolio here. In this interview we talk a little bit about his design background and some new projects he is working on
My name is Magomed Dovjenko and I’m a freelance Illustrator residing in Germany. I work mainly in design disciplines such as Illustration, Graphic Design and Art Direction.
1. First of all we would like to thank you for taking the time to provide abduzeedo.com with this interview. Please tell us more about your art and design background and what made you become an artist and designer?
I was always, since my childhood drawing and doodling around, together with my father. He teached me to draw until I could draw my first dragonball characters, and that's where it all started! Some years later ( 3 years ago ) I wanted to take it to the next level for fun, so I tried out doing work in a digital way, per photoshop.So after experimenting for 1 year, I finally got to Illustrations, which I practice professionally now.In the past years I’ve had the pleasure to work with big names in the industry such as Nike ,Diesel, Adidas, Reebok, Jay-Z / Live Nation,Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, K2, Ecko Unltd, Johnson & Johnson and many more.
2. Your work is pretty unique and full of creativity. Where does your inspiration come from?
It mainly comes from Music and the artists that I've got around me, aswell as everything I see. You have to always keep your eyes open on everything as you would never know when something would inspire you, so the important thing is to watch out for inspiration.3. Could you describe for us your typical 'start to finish' workflow when working on a design?
I think it would be me brainstorming ideas first, then directly starting from scratch in Illustrator and visualizing my ideas. Later on I move it all into Photoshop and finalize it, sometimes I additionally draw elements later in Illustrator to keep adding them to the main Illustration that is being finished in Photoshop at that moment. Also I draw a lot stuff with Graphite/Ink, which I scan in, "retouch" and work into the composition.4. What are your tools of the trade, both hardware and software?
My tools of the trade are usually mainly Illustrator/Photoshop, but sometimes I need to get those pencils out and draw elements, I just love that playful look they give when combining them with digital work, it just gives such a fresh effect that makes it look way more interesting than just a pure digital illustration.5. What, for you personally are the pros and cons of being a designer?
Pro's : If you're lucky you have the opportunities to work with the people you look up to, like musicians or similiar, you might get to see your tee-shirts being sold at big stores near you, which gives you a decent level of pride on your own work.Also, you might get hired by an agency outside of your country, so that you can gain expirience , e.g learning the country's language, socialize with people etc etc...It's much fun to see yourself succeed, it gives you the power to aim for more.I have been featured in publications such as Computer Arts,IDN Magazine, Advanced Photoshop UK & FR, Beautiful Decay, Pilot Magazine, Digital Arts and showcased in Exhibitions such as the Maxalot Galery Time & Space Exhibition, Diesel Only the Brave New York and Miami Launch Parties. and at the Gorker Gallery/Semi Permanent in the Exhibition Lyrics & Type.