The Great Debate!

Back to that topic we discussed last class, the one about having a distinctive style vs. a more versatile one. Here are some examples of people from both sides.

DISTINCTIVE : Jason Munn (thesmallstakes)
OK, I realize you might be tired of hearing about this guy; everyone under the sun uses him as an example for something, but he does fits pretty well into the category of having a distinctive look to his pieces. I have always loved them for being so simple, clever and hilarious. A lot of his work is for indie bands, so this type of look suits the client, and I think this is the main reason why the work all feels very similar.

DISTICITIVE: Chuck Anderson (Nopattern)
You can spot Chuck's work from a mile away. It all uses light, a kind of fantasy-like version, as the main visual element. All of the pieces feel almost like they are taking place in outerspace or in the middle of the Aurora Borealis. Either way, it's all quite cool, and certainly very much his style.

VERSATILE: Nikolay Saveliev
This designer is harder to pin down with one style. He has a variety of works, all showcasing slightly different talents. There is some carry over between pieces, but the bottom line is that each work does not look like another.

VERSATILE: Michael C Place (Build)
It can certainly be argued that Mr.Place has a distinctive style, and I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but I would say he is father to the "versatile" field than not. His work is often clean, simple, and sometimes has a touch of play, but it's still hard to pick out a Build piece. Despite some working similarities, the work is often not reminiscent of every other piece.

Using the words "distinctive" and versatile" can be somewhat misleading. Each word has connotations that aren't necessarily relevant to the topic we are discussing. I think we all understand that there are clear benefits to each type of artist, and I don't want to be misunderstood and have you think I am positing that one is better than the other. Which I prefer is something I am still discovering and I don't think I will be able to answer that until I have been in the field for quite some time.