Artist Interview: Ashley Tipton

I chose to interview graphic designer Ashley Tipton because I know her work. I've seen some of her posters and packaging in the halls at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. Her work is exactly what I like to see as far as design goes. Not shouting for attention, just demanding it. I sat down with her on the design floor at SCAD to ask her about her work and herself.


How would you classify yourself as a designer?

"As a designer I would say I'm a minimalist. I'm mostly interested in minimal, conceptual, and interactive design. That's why I prefer packaging design over anything else."

What's so good about package design?

"I just love the feel of paper and paper mechanics. Well, anything 3-D for that matter. Anything that I can get my hands on. I feel more connected with my work when I can touch it."

Who is a big inspiration to your work?

"I love Paula Sherr, Neville Brody, Saul Bass, and Massimo Vignelli. Especially Massimo, he has the most creative freedom out of anyone."

So is it all about creative freedom to you?

"Yes and no. It's more about how creative one can be while still providing a service for a client. Hopefully one day I'll be able to just do whatever I want no matter what anyone else wants."

So then what is your dream job?

"I'd love to be a packaging designer for Marc Jacobs or someone like that. Fashion or cosmetic packaging design. Yea, that sounds right."

What's your dream internship?

"Marc Jacobs. Duh."

So let me ask you some design questions. What's your favorite color?

"Blue. But design wise I can't and don't have a favorite color."

What's your favorite typeface to use?

"As far as serifs go I like Clarendon, Bodoni, and Sabon. My favorite sans serif is most definitely Univers."

Has SCAD helped you discover yourself as an artist?

"Most definitely, before college I knew I wanted to design but I had no idea what design really was. It really opened my eyes and gave me experience I never thought I'd get from school."

What's been your favorite project at SCAD?

"I did a package design for the movie Despicable Me. It was a DVD case that could be converted into a rocket and the DVD itself was the moon. I loved it. I also did invitations for a Day of the Dead festival and a poker tournament that turned out really nice. I was proud of myself. My teachers responded well to them."

Who's your favorite teacher here?

"Henry Kim. I am really attached to other professors as well, but Henry fit my personality just right."

Who is your favorite visual artist (not involving graphic design for commercial use)?

"Robert Morris is amazing. I would have to say Judd is my favorite because of the functionality of his work. He invites people to interact."

I asked you to bring two pieces of graphic design (not packaging) that shows who you are. Tell me about them.

"My Bodoni poster was for Typography II. I had to make a lecture poster that advertised a guest speaker and what he would speak about. I chose Massimo Vignelli and the topic of Bodoni because Bodoni is one of the typefaces he actually likes. He even created his own version of it, so I thought it was appropriate."

"The other poster I did was for my Graphic Design Studio I class. It was about my identity as an artist. I used an industrial paper background to show my love for paper/packaging. The text says "I put my identity into another identity", meaning that I am malleable as a designer and fit myself to the client. The fingerprint is self-explanatory."