Interview with Talented Graphic Artist Andreas Krapf

Interview with Talented Graphic Artist Andreas Krapf

Andreas Krapf is a German illustrator and graphic designer with a unique view of the world that makes his work stand out. I stumbled upon some of his illustrations recently and just had to tell you guys about him! He studied Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Würzburg, Germany and has been working as a freelance illustrator ever since. Let’s catch a glimpse of the man and designer Andreas Krapf and let his illustrations speak about the rest.

When did you start your career as a designer?

Right after my graduation in 2009 I started to work as a freelance illustrator. But I was also able to gain some experience as a student before, as I worked on several commissioned illustration projects for various clients.

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What is your educational background?

Back in 2004 I began studying Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Würzburg, Germany. Since I was a little kid, I was always drawing and later trying out different techniques. Then they invented the computer ;) and I started painting digitally as well. It’s kind of a never ending educational process.

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You’ve surely worked on several projects so far. What would be the most relevant ones?

Working for Ray Ban for an ad campaign was a great honor and definitely a fun project! Besides that, I really enjoyed doing a couple of illustrations for Audi for the Shanghai Autoshow 2011. And recently I finished some character illustrations for a mobile app for Tic Tac, which I can’t wait to see released this autumn.

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Can you name 3 designs from your portfolio you like the most?

That would be all I do for my label Denada because I have 100% freedom and can do whatever I want. Also I’m satisfied with the Lesley toy figures and the acrylic/oil paintings I work on without any deadlines (a welcome change from all the digital stuff).

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What hardware and software do you use when you create your designs?

I have a 27” Imac and use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

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What are the things that inspire you? Can you name a few websites you use for inspiration?

Daily life inspires me, my friends, TV, and of course the Internet. I frequently visit Behance.net, T-shirt blogs and even Facebook is a good source.

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When you began your journey as a designer you probably had a few role models. Could you name two of your favorite artists?

A couple of years ago I was totally into the art of Frank Frazetta and H.R.Giger (he invented the Alien for Ridley Scott’s blockbuster). Nowadays I love Dave Cooper’s stuff, Mark Ryden, Travis Lampe and many more.

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Designing has its ups and downs; what is the most difficult problem you’ve ever faced as a designer?

Preparing tax returns, bookkeeping, calculation fees and making quotations, negotiating with clients and usage rights!

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Looking a bit into the future, how do you think people will look at your designs in five years from now?

Phew, I can’t answer that. There will be some new influences and changes in my works for sure, still I think the style and content won’t change so much in 5 years. So I hope people will still be having fun by contemplating my illustrations, toys or whatever and maybe even bring a smile on their faces. That’d make me happy :)

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What advice would you give to the newbie designers?

Don’t forget about economic efficiency and profitability and don’t work for free.

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What do you think is your greatest achievement so far?

Job-related? Probably establishing and developing Denada which took me the most effort, blood and sweat and still does. It’s kind of my little baby and I do my best to make it grow.

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How much free time do you have in a week and how do you usually spend it?

Actually there is no free time. When I’m not working on commissioned stuff, there is always something to do for my label. But sure I take a few hours to spend time with my girl, should be some more though. Thank God she understands and always supports me.

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What is your favorite PC game and how many hours do you spend playing it?

I haven’t played video games for about 10 years. These days I got thrilled by “Doodle Jump” and “Jewel Fever” on my mobile though ;)

I really liked this design and the entire Brothers Grimm series. Could you tell me a few words about it and what inspired you to create it?

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Thank you! :) The Brothers Grimm book was my diploma thesis and we had free choice of what we could do and so I chose to illustrate some of the most famous fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. The book deals with the very first versions of the Brothers Grimm’s tales which are a bit more cruel than the versions we know today. The combination of humorous and colorful illustrations and the ancient tales make this book different – that’s what I hope ;) and this was what made the project interesting to me.

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But yes sure, I love most of these tales and have always loved them since I was a little kid. Unfortunately I was only able to get to know the old versions for the first time when I was working on my diploma thesis. I also thought the original versions of the stories would be more suited to my illustrations. The harmless and trivialized versions we know today are still cool, but not half as cool as the original ones in my opinion.

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