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Visual Artists
BY Ninart Lui
BY Ninart Lui
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Simone Legno
TAXI >>You’ve professed to allocate different facets of your personality to each character, but identify most with cactus-costumed dog Bastardino. What’s the rationale behind this quirky train of thought?
Simone Legno>> When I design a character I want him to convey a message or a feeling. tokidoki is made only of positive and good characters. Those that look mean, at the end, are not. I like bastardino since he wants to look tough, but is a soft one, and barks but doesn’t bite.
TAXI >>As one of the star artists to be invited for the inaugural Toy and Comic Convention held in Singapore, won’t you share with us some of the unique experiences you remember from the event?
Simone Legno>>I was in general very surprised about the huge amount of people that came to see the event.
Then, I never expected so many people knowing about tokidoki or waiting for getting their items signed. I remember when I was signing, people were pushing so much that the table was moving toward me. It was an incredible experience and I like how there was a great connection between the organizers and the artists invited from the design community being always together.
I think it was very nice the fact that the art-promo initiatives continued even after the event, in venues like the Butter Factory, it seemed all like a continuing parting and amusing all day long experience.
TAXI >>You not only incorporate sinister chili pepper illustrations into your world of smiling flowers and vivid rainbows, you even have a range of dangling toys (Qees) which have two faces, reflecting happy and sad. Why has this concept of duality in human nature become a characteristic of tokidoki?
Simone Legno>> I think the dualism is a balance. The world is made of good and bad, happy and sad, color and black, pure and provocative so it should be the same in tokidoki. I just try to depict everything in a more positive and funny way. A dualism can include many different worlds at the same time, make them coexist and find an equilibrium. It guarantees more space to expand ideas and feelings.
TAXI >> I read that you remain fascinated by the cartoon robots of your childhood and have a habit of seeking them out on eBay. Pray tell us, how many robots do you own currently?
Simone Legno>> I’d say about a hundred, that’s just because I became pretty selective. I collect only those Japanese vintage robots that I knew when I was a child or got at least vague memory. Not every robot.
TAXI >>Japanese culture and artforms have inspired you since you were young, and were a major impetus on how your designs have evolved over the years. Coming from Italy, what is it about the Japanese culture that you connect with on such an emotional level, and can you draw any parallels.
Simone Legno>>I think first of all, there's a natural strong passionate attraction to certain things, and Japan is so magic that some people can totally in love with it and it's hard to explain. I think it's hard to explain my love for this wonderful country, it's something called ""Japanisme", a term coined to describe the craze for things Japanese.
It's something I feel inside, I am totally astonished for everything that comes from Japan, the beauty of their tradion to the super pop flashy aspects of the super modern cities. I love Japanese people: I love their kindness, politeness, seriousness, and even yet they can be quite funny, playful and extremely creative. I have sketches of when i was in kindergarden designing Japanese people and Japanese elements. Not only my art but even my everyday world is colored and decorated by Japanese objects, souvenirs, junk packages, toys, books, prints, t shirts and food. I think Japan is the most inspiring place for anybody working in a creative field. They are extremely innovative in graphic design, art and street and couture fashion.
But I think what awokes this feeling in me, was probably the media bombing of Japanese animation and shows on Italian TV during the 80's. It was not just about the characters and the stories, but through animation I could experience the normal lifestyle of people, the way they ate, their houses, neighborhoods, trains, cherry blossoms, trains, student uniforms, rice balls, etc etc, everything is iconic of Japan. As a little kid I was struck by all of this and developed a certain love and admiration for all of that. Even in the drawings from my kindergarden started to be a little of this. When I was a teenager I made going to Japan my number one dream. Now I end up going there all the time (16 times so far) and live in a Japanese neighborhood here in LA.
I think Italian and Japanese culture are apparently very different but at the same time have many things in common. For example, the attention to design, the creativity, the philosophy of cooking (it is based on simple things and giving priority of the natural elements), sense of honor, the attachment to tradition, real friends and family.
TAXI >>You have launched countless toy collections, collaborated with top labels LeSportsac, Hello Kitty and Onitsuka Tiger, a clothing line and are a permanent fixture in toy and comic conventions worldwide. What’s next for tokidoki?
Simone Legno>>I keep on expanding the clothing lines in more and more countries. I love doing collaborations, because I can give my own interpretation to products made by huge brands and also meet many interesting people. The recent collaborations are with Fujitsu, Skull Candy, Levi’s (Taiwan exclusive) and more with Onitsuka and Hello Kitty. I wish in the next future I can find more time for painting.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Simone Legno>>Kawaii!
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Gary Erskine
The recent Dark Knight proves that you can do an already established and well-loved character proud and still be fresh for an audience. The Rocketeer and Superman the Movie were also very good adaptations and hold up well enough today. More recently. Hellboy and the current Spiderman movies. I’d rather not mention the poorer offerings. Everyone knows the guilty parties.
Watchmen is proving to be visually on the money. I hope the dialogue and story find their place but Jack Snyder does appear to love the source and should do well. Of course certain subtleties of the story and some minor characters will be lost or over-looked but a slavish recreation of a different medium does not work. You have to tailor the narrative accordingly. What works in the written word does not always carry to the screen, just as a single image or piece of music can evoke more than a hundred written words. Each form has it’s own qualities. You have to play towards them to win.
TAXI >>You are renowned for your beautiful and classical artwork in covers for Knights of Pendragon, Judge Dredd, The Terminator, Jack Cross and Dan Dare. Do you have a personal favourite amongst all your previous projects and if so, why?
Gary Erskine>>Picking a favourite individual piece of work is difficult (like choosing one of your own children?) They all have a place in my heart for many different reasons. I do prefer certain genres over others and that skews my choice at times. More recent work can dictate a winner for showing how far I’ve come (showing what I have learnt) but older work has a nostalgic fondness (like a childhood toy) Terminator, Jack Cross and Dare are still favoured.
TAXI >>Interactive media is the way to the future. Having done work for Dreamworks and Axis Animation, what’s the next big project you feel you absolutely must take on, in regards to this aspect?
Gary Erskine>> I would love to do more storyboarding as it concentrates more on the spontaneity of the story and forces me to loosen up my style more (for the better!). More design work too if I have the free time. Opens the creative door in my head to all the crap I have stored there over the years and provides a reason to showcase some exciting new directions. As for a specific new project?... that would be telling but I currently have three very contrasting but exciting personal projects ready to fire up. A sci-fi opera (all big spaceships and future technohardware), a superhero apocalypse that will be cranked up to eleven with very little subtlety (a major portfolio piece) and a contemporary piece (more low key, character based work).
These are still very much based in the comic book medium but will hopefully have some sort of web-based material to accompany the book itself providing a richer reading experience. I also have an interest in the packaging and promotion of projects (from my college days at Glasgow Design for Print). Watchmen showed very early on how the whole book and accompanying advertising could work together as one. There’s so much more that can be done creatively over and above just the drawing and writing part.
TAXI >>Your website specifically added “No kids. No pets.” Any strong sentiments against either?
Gary Erskine>>The ‘no kids, no pets’ sign off was a jokey end tagline. I didn’t expect it to be taken seriously and it was only meant as a casual counter to the usual ‘happily married, three kids, dog and cat’. Children would be nice but you would have to speak to my partner about that one! Pets? Dogs are great but very much dependant whereas cats are more self aware and can be left to their own devices.
TAXI >>What was the best advice ever given to you?
Gary Erskine>>Over twenty years you get a lot of advice from friends, colleagues, peers and dvd commentaries. Some good, some not so, and occasionally advice that hits you like a diamond shot into your brain. No single remark stands out but ‘work hard, keep drawing, keep learning’ is the mantra I keep to.
TAXI >>Having been invited as a Guest of Honor for the inaugural Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008, what are your thoughts on the event in particular and the turnout as compared to similar trade events held elsewhere?
Gary Erskine>>I thoroughly enjoyed the Singapore Toy and Comic Convention and was honoured to be part of the event. I unfortunately can’t compare the event to the San Diego Comicon or other large conventions as I haven’t attended conventions outside the United Kingdom but I found the attendees to be friendly and enthusiastic. Meeting the fans first hand, signing, sketching, chatting is my favourite part of the business. Always nice to meet the fans without whom…
This was my first ever major convention and the Play Imaginative team of Denise, Darren, Liyanna and Daphne helped tremendously and made for a particularly enjoyable time in Singapore. I really couldn’t fault them with the organisation of flights and schedule and look forward to visiting STCC 2009 next year.
TAXI >>With Dan Dare, you have brought back a classic British icon with the new series of graphic novels which gave the storyline a darker setting. What were some of the challenges you faced while working on this, and what did you personally find most exciting about this project?
Gary Erskine>>Frank Hampson and the Dan Dare Legacy are a hard act to follow. They are responsible for a lot of my fellow colleagues being drawn into this industry. I hope that I have brought something different to the game while still being respectful to the previous versions.
Garth had a particular vision of how he saw our Dare and his world environment. Set ten years after the Hampson version (with a passing nod to the feel of the Dave Gibbons stories) we didn't want to go too far with a new futuristic look, especially with Space Fleet. The Human ships were deliberately functional and a bit clunky like flying battleships (with lots of panels and bolts) and as such were firmly rooted in reality and more in keeping with Hampson's original vision than the sleeker ships of, say, Frank Bellamy. Space Fleet was influenced by the Navy rather than the Air Force in our story and the uniform designs reflect that (a particularly clever touch from Garth).
The Treen fleet however had a major overhaul to contrast the difference between the two species and their craft are distinctly alien looking. This carried through to the Treen soldiers who had a more practical body armor than the original brass rings and t-shirt look. This was the only real concession to a modern audience but the readers were assured that the Mekon himself and the Treens still resemble the Hampson originals. No changes there. Great designs! When creating new vehicles and tech (without models), I just draw on various real world references (boats, cars and other stuff you get off the Internet) and mould them into something workable and new.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Gary Erskine >>The WORD I would choose is hardly new but is certainly appropriate for ALL designers and creative people and that word is ‘fusion’ The melding of ideas, textures, materials and approaches can only help create good original design. It also works with music, fashion and food.
..........................................................................................................
Read OTHER INTERVIEWS on DESIGN LEADERS
Steven Heller, Chip Kidd & Stefan Sagmeister
Sara Little Turnbull & Darrel Rhea
Adelia Borges & Linda Fu
..........................................................................................................
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
Interview with Simone Legno
 | TAXI >>Hello Simone. Your world of characters is a colorful and whimsical one, populated with cute, kawaii characters that your fans adore. What’s the biggest misconception people have when they first come across the brand tokidoki?
Simone Legno>> I don’t like when many people tell my style is like Japanese anime. My style is inspired by traditional Japanese woodprints for the girls, and all the pop kawaii iconography for the cute characters. Anime and Manga has different features, like very big eyes, very dynamic and lot of details. It’s not that I don’t like anime, it’s just different and thinking about a similarity with tokidoki is objectly not correct . I don’t even think that tokidoki is for kids, it’s just a way to bring cute characters in a higher level into the fashion and pop art and product for any age. |
TAXI >>You’ve professed to allocate different facets of your personality to each character, but identify most with cactus-costumed dog Bastardino. What’s the rationale behind this quirky train of thought?
Simone Legno>> When I design a character I want him to convey a message or a feeling. tokidoki is made only of positive and good characters. Those that look mean, at the end, are not. I like bastardino since he wants to look tough, but is a soft one, and barks but doesn’t bite.
TAXI >>As one of the star artists to be invited for the inaugural Toy and Comic Convention held in Singapore, won’t you share with us some of the unique experiences you remember from the event?
Simone Legno>>I was in general very surprised about the huge amount of people that came to see the event.
Then, I never expected so many people knowing about tokidoki or waiting for getting their items signed. I remember when I was signing, people were pushing so much that the table was moving toward me. It was an incredible experience and I like how there was a great connection between the organizers and the artists invited from the design community being always together.
I think it was very nice the fact that the art-promo initiatives continued even after the event, in venues like the Butter Factory, it seemed all like a continuing parting and amusing all day long experience.
TAXI >>You not only incorporate sinister chili pepper illustrations into your world of smiling flowers and vivid rainbows, you even have a range of dangling toys (Qees) which have two faces, reflecting happy and sad. Why has this concept of duality in human nature become a characteristic of tokidoki?
Simone Legno>> I think the dualism is a balance. The world is made of good and bad, happy and sad, color and black, pure and provocative so it should be the same in tokidoki. I just try to depict everything in a more positive and funny way. A dualism can include many different worlds at the same time, make them coexist and find an equilibrium. It guarantees more space to expand ideas and feelings.
TAXI >> I read that you remain fascinated by the cartoon robots of your childhood and have a habit of seeking them out on eBay. Pray tell us, how many robots do you own currently?
Simone Legno>> I’d say about a hundred, that’s just because I became pretty selective. I collect only those Japanese vintage robots that I knew when I was a child or got at least vague memory. Not every robot.
TAXI >>Japanese culture and artforms have inspired you since you were young, and were a major impetus on how your designs have evolved over the years. Coming from Italy, what is it about the Japanese culture that you connect with on such an emotional level, and can you draw any parallels.
Simone Legno>>I think first of all, there's a natural strong passionate attraction to certain things, and Japan is so magic that some people can totally in love with it and it's hard to explain. I think it's hard to explain my love for this wonderful country, it's something called ""Japanisme", a term coined to describe the craze for things Japanese.
It's something I feel inside, I am totally astonished for everything that comes from Japan, the beauty of their tradion to the super pop flashy aspects of the super modern cities. I love Japanese people: I love their kindness, politeness, seriousness, and even yet they can be quite funny, playful and extremely creative. I have sketches of when i was in kindergarden designing Japanese people and Japanese elements. Not only my art but even my everyday world is colored and decorated by Japanese objects, souvenirs, junk packages, toys, books, prints, t shirts and food. I think Japan is the most inspiring place for anybody working in a creative field. They are extremely innovative in graphic design, art and street and couture fashion.
But I think what awokes this feeling in me, was probably the media bombing of Japanese animation and shows on Italian TV during the 80's. It was not just about the characters and the stories, but through animation I could experience the normal lifestyle of people, the way they ate, their houses, neighborhoods, trains, cherry blossoms, trains, student uniforms, rice balls, etc etc, everything is iconic of Japan. As a little kid I was struck by all of this and developed a certain love and admiration for all of that. Even in the drawings from my kindergarden started to be a little of this. When I was a teenager I made going to Japan my number one dream. Now I end up going there all the time (16 times so far) and live in a Japanese neighborhood here in LA.
I think Italian and Japanese culture are apparently very different but at the same time have many things in common. For example, the attention to design, the creativity, the philosophy of cooking (it is based on simple things and giving priority of the natural elements), sense of honor, the attachment to tradition, real friends and family.
TAXI >>You have launched countless toy collections, collaborated with top labels LeSportsac, Hello Kitty and Onitsuka Tiger, a clothing line and are a permanent fixture in toy and comic conventions worldwide. What’s next for tokidoki?
Simone Legno>>I keep on expanding the clothing lines in more and more countries. I love doing collaborations, because I can give my own interpretation to products made by huge brands and also meet many interesting people. The recent collaborations are with Fujitsu, Skull Candy, Levi’s (Taiwan exclusive) and more with Onitsuka and Hello Kitty. I wish in the next future I can find more time for painting.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Simone Legno>>Kawaii!
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Gary Erskine
 | TAXI >>Hello Gary. Being a veteran of the comic book industry, what are some of your sentiments on the proliferation of graphic novels being adapted to Hollywood screenplays these days?
Gary Erskine>> Personally, I have no problem with films being made from graphic novels or inspired from comic book characters (having also worked on film related properties such as Star Wars, The Mask and Terminator which have themselves been brought out as comic books). As long as the time, money and creative talent is put in at the start there should be no problem with the end result. Thankfully now there appear to be more ‘hits’ than ‘misses’ in the movie world (I grew up during the first Spiderman and Hulk movies in the late seventies. The horror! The horror!). If the right creative team are behind the camera and everybody accepts the constraints and compromises of the medium of film there should be no problem. |
The recent Dark Knight proves that you can do an already established and well-loved character proud and still be fresh for an audience. The Rocketeer and Superman the Movie were also very good adaptations and hold up well enough today. More recently. Hellboy and the current Spiderman movies. I’d rather not mention the poorer offerings. Everyone knows the guilty parties.
Watchmen is proving to be visually on the money. I hope the dialogue and story find their place but Jack Snyder does appear to love the source and should do well. Of course certain subtleties of the story and some minor characters will be lost or over-looked but a slavish recreation of a different medium does not work. You have to tailor the narrative accordingly. What works in the written word does not always carry to the screen, just as a single image or piece of music can evoke more than a hundred written words. Each form has it’s own qualities. You have to play towards them to win.
TAXI >>You are renowned for your beautiful and classical artwork in covers for Knights of Pendragon, Judge Dredd, The Terminator, Jack Cross and Dan Dare. Do you have a personal favourite amongst all your previous projects and if so, why?
Gary Erskine>>Picking a favourite individual piece of work is difficult (like choosing one of your own children?) They all have a place in my heart for many different reasons. I do prefer certain genres over others and that skews my choice at times. More recent work can dictate a winner for showing how far I’ve come (showing what I have learnt) but older work has a nostalgic fondness (like a childhood toy) Terminator, Jack Cross and Dare are still favoured.
TAXI >>Interactive media is the way to the future. Having done work for Dreamworks and Axis Animation, what’s the next big project you feel you absolutely must take on, in regards to this aspect?
Gary Erskine>> I would love to do more storyboarding as it concentrates more on the spontaneity of the story and forces me to loosen up my style more (for the better!). More design work too if I have the free time. Opens the creative door in my head to all the crap I have stored there over the years and provides a reason to showcase some exciting new directions. As for a specific new project?... that would be telling but I currently have three very contrasting but exciting personal projects ready to fire up. A sci-fi opera (all big spaceships and future technohardware), a superhero apocalypse that will be cranked up to eleven with very little subtlety (a major portfolio piece) and a contemporary piece (more low key, character based work).
These are still very much based in the comic book medium but will hopefully have some sort of web-based material to accompany the book itself providing a richer reading experience. I also have an interest in the packaging and promotion of projects (from my college days at Glasgow Design for Print). Watchmen showed very early on how the whole book and accompanying advertising could work together as one. There’s so much more that can be done creatively over and above just the drawing and writing part.
TAXI >>Your website specifically added “No kids. No pets.” Any strong sentiments against either?
Gary Erskine>>The ‘no kids, no pets’ sign off was a jokey end tagline. I didn’t expect it to be taken seriously and it was only meant as a casual counter to the usual ‘happily married, three kids, dog and cat’. Children would be nice but you would have to speak to my partner about that one! Pets? Dogs are great but very much dependant whereas cats are more self aware and can be left to their own devices.
TAXI >>What was the best advice ever given to you?
Gary Erskine>>Over twenty years you get a lot of advice from friends, colleagues, peers and dvd commentaries. Some good, some not so, and occasionally advice that hits you like a diamond shot into your brain. No single remark stands out but ‘work hard, keep drawing, keep learning’ is the mantra I keep to.
TAXI >>Having been invited as a Guest of Honor for the inaugural Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008, what are your thoughts on the event in particular and the turnout as compared to similar trade events held elsewhere?
Gary Erskine>>I thoroughly enjoyed the Singapore Toy and Comic Convention and was honoured to be part of the event. I unfortunately can’t compare the event to the San Diego Comicon or other large conventions as I haven’t attended conventions outside the United Kingdom but I found the attendees to be friendly and enthusiastic. Meeting the fans first hand, signing, sketching, chatting is my favourite part of the business. Always nice to meet the fans without whom…
This was my first ever major convention and the Play Imaginative team of Denise, Darren, Liyanna and Daphne helped tremendously and made for a particularly enjoyable time in Singapore. I really couldn’t fault them with the organisation of flights and schedule and look forward to visiting STCC 2009 next year.
TAXI >>With Dan Dare, you have brought back a classic British icon with the new series of graphic novels which gave the storyline a darker setting. What were some of the challenges you faced while working on this, and what did you personally find most exciting about this project?
Gary Erskine>>Frank Hampson and the Dan Dare Legacy are a hard act to follow. They are responsible for a lot of my fellow colleagues being drawn into this industry. I hope that I have brought something different to the game while still being respectful to the previous versions.
Garth had a particular vision of how he saw our Dare and his world environment. Set ten years after the Hampson version (with a passing nod to the feel of the Dave Gibbons stories) we didn't want to go too far with a new futuristic look, especially with Space Fleet. The Human ships were deliberately functional and a bit clunky like flying battleships (with lots of panels and bolts) and as such were firmly rooted in reality and more in keeping with Hampson's original vision than the sleeker ships of, say, Frank Bellamy. Space Fleet was influenced by the Navy rather than the Air Force in our story and the uniform designs reflect that (a particularly clever touch from Garth).
The Treen fleet however had a major overhaul to contrast the difference between the two species and their craft are distinctly alien looking. This carried through to the Treen soldiers who had a more practical body armor than the original brass rings and t-shirt look. This was the only real concession to a modern audience but the readers were assured that the Mekon himself and the Treens still resemble the Hampson originals. No changes there. Great designs! When creating new vehicles and tech (without models), I just draw on various real world references (boats, cars and other stuff you get off the Internet) and mould them into something workable and new.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Gary Erskine >>The WORD I would choose is hardly new but is certainly appropriate for ALL designers and creative people and that word is ‘fusion’ The melding of ideas, textures, materials and approaches can only help create good original design. It also works with music, fashion and food.
..........................................................................................................
Read OTHER INTERVIEWS on DESIGN LEADERS
..........................................................................................................
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
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