Designer Ara Devejian studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where he earned a BFA with honors in graphic design. During his first year, he designed a poster, which caught the attention of Kyle Cooper who hired Ara full-time at the inception of Prologue Films in Malibu, California. At Prologue, Ara spent a semester designing and animating on major film title and commercial projects and later returned to Art Center to finish his degree. Recently he's had the opportunity of working for Prince Albert II of Monaco, Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
07.21.09
Designing Outside Your Comfort Zone
If you have a degree in what field is it? A BFA in graphic design from Art Center College of Design.
Which designer (or design studio), other than yours, do you most admire? One designer I admire is Hussein Chalayan for his potent mix of high concept with surprising executions.
What’s the strangest request you've received from a client? To fuse Tatlin, Cubism, Spandex and Spiderman for a Broadway musical art direction.
If you weren’t working as a designer what would you be doing? Food critic.
What well-known identity is most desperately in need of a redesign? Virtually everything, when compared to the new Pepsi mark, seems decent in my book.
From where do your best ideas originate? Mostly when my mind wanders and I’m not trying to be creative.
How do you overcome a creative block? A good film always does the trick.
What’s your dream project (not client, but project)? Recently, I had the privilege of working on the art direction for an upcoming Broadway show which was incredible. The play will utilize the latest holographic and projection technologies interacting with the actors on stage. I favor these applications of design which are generally out of my comfort zone because they force me to look at things with a fresh pair of eyes.
Do you have creative outlets other than graphic design? Sculpture, drawing and photography.
What’s your approach to balancing work and life? I work most of the day and night and think about work when I’m not working so I am of no help for this question.
What product/gadget can you not live without? My Leica. It is practically my purse.
What’s your favorite quote? “We are conscious of an animal in us, which awakens in proportion as our higher nature slumbers.” —Henry David Thoreau
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Hold strong to your convictions and don’t look back.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? That it is vital to learn every menial and massive step, from concept to execution to the business-end of the things, as opposed to being only a specialist.