Hydro 74 has stepped into the print game in a big way with some great posters that are currently for sale at his online storefront for very reasonable prices especially considering that they are silkscreened. He also has a new poster releasing with Burlesque of North America.
Ventilate asked several artists to participate in their recent poster series with the theme ‘2000’. The idea being, ‘what inspired you a decade ago’. I still find it hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the start of the new millenium. The posters are available to download at 300 dpi via YouSendIt. Once again, Joshua Smith (Hydro74) put in a strong showing with a stark graphic vector poster of Darth Vader. That man just knows what he does and does it well.
Fairspot recently interviewed Vector-Design God Josh AKA Hydro-74 in between what sounds like a crazy schedule. He speaks about how he has managed to stay ahead of the curve over the years while others fade in and fade out. There are some enlightening points made in the interview and it’s worth a read to any young designer aiming for a slice of the pie in the business. He has been an influence of mine, on again and off again over the years, although since I have started working more in broadcast, my interest has drifted elsewhere. No one has a better idea of exactly where and how they fit in then Josh, however and it is nice to finally read his opinion. If you want to see the vast quantity and experience the overwhelming quality of his work, you can do so at his website. He also has a blog that you can read up on and get a little hint of his personal side. He is a very nice guy, and I think that combined with his enormous talent has a lot to do with his success. It also sounds like he has been very deliberate and focused about where he wanted to penetrate the market, and it was interesting to read how he went about it since that is something I have really struggled with in my career. His advice on the topic offers something good for any young or even older aimless designer out there. It sounds like he is ramping up to overhaul his website as well, most likely with a lot of new work for all of his hungry fans to devour, so be on the lookout for that. He is also aiming for the even loftier goal of starting his own agency. However, with clients like Burton and Nike clamoring for a piece of him, I don’t know where he will find the time to do it. That is a problem most of us can only dream of having. Kudos to Josh, he deserves his success.
