MarianBantjes

MarianBantjes

&IllustrationDesign

her vibrant colors and untraditional aesthetic in her designs. Her style is

constantly evolving, and her work consists of several interests emerging together. Marian says that her work

is greatly influenced by many different movements throughout the art world,

as well as different forms of media.

Marian is a well known designer, typographer, and artist. She works

interationally with several companies and other designers from her home base on an island off the west coast

of Canada. Some of the designers and companties include: Michael Bierut/Pentagram, Seed, Houghton- Mifflin,

Stefan Sagmeister, AIGA, Winterhouse, Rick Valicenti (Thirst), Wired, The

New York Times, Pring Magazine, Knopf Books, Wallpaper, Brown & Co., The

Guardian, FontShop, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bruce Mau Design.

Materials and time periods include: 14th-18th century calligraphy, illuminated manuscripts,

islamic art, art nouveau, the Arts & Crafts movement, typography, textiles, old lace,

Baroque art, Rococco art, psychedelia, grafitti, the Victorian Age, engraving, persian carpets, and anything gothic.

Marian Bantjes is known for...

Timeline

In 1982, Marian Bantjes attended art school, but decided to drop out after only one year. In 1983, she began working in the field of visual communication as a book typesetter. She continued for ten years, trained herself,

“My one wish, for when I find a genie, is that when I die, I will be satisfied with all I have done in my life.”

and used it as her own form of education. From 1992 to 2002, Marian started and co-owned a design firm called Digitopolis; the experience from her business got her many job opportunities.

pen. Most of the time there is an idea that usually just ‘pops into her head.’ There is no ‘map’ to follow, but the idea usually has some reasoning or concept to it. Marian thinks of herself largely as a visual designer, that is the visuals have some reason for being how they are.

It is not uncommon for Marian to go from one sketch straight to the final production. There are not several working drawings for every project, so she maps it out in pencil, takes in into Illustrator, and traces it. Other times, the finished work is in pen and ink, scratch-board, photography, or ballpoint

“I work best at home, in my studio; working for a full day on one thing (no distractions); being alone (no distractions); and with music.”

Process

MarianBantjesNOW?

What does

do

Marian would not be considered an overnight success. However, the Canadian illustrator/designer has become more successful in the past five years of her career than she has been in her entire twenty year experience as a designer. She has received international prominance as an individual and designer, with a recognisable signature that stands out in all of her work. In 2003, after quitting her design firm that she started, Marian Bantjes began working for herself. She works from her home on an island off the West Coast of Canada, near Vancouver, for many big name companies and firms.

“I quit to do his thing I do now, which we can call ‘graphic art’ for lack of a better term.”

“I have no desire to create something I’ve seen before, and I do not troll books for images to trigger ideas...

Marian Bantjes

I already have more ideas than I can handle.”

I like Marian Bantjes first and foremost for her aesthetic. I think that any designer who can use as many types of media as she does to any project has a little something special to go along with their whole design process. From pencil and paper, to leather, to cut out steel, to fur, all of Marian’s projects turn out both visually appealing and an ideal solution with a change from any ordinary design for whatever it is that she is working on. Her use of bright colors is something that we share in our work. Bold and

vivid colors and design is what attracted me to Marian’s work at first glance. As far as Marian herself goes, I admire her honesty. Marian knows what she is good at, but also knows her weaknesses. Even though she might not be where she wants to be, she does not let anyone or anything bring her down and she keeps going until she has a successful project. I strive to be like Marian with not only her aesthetic, but her self motivation, because combined they create wonderful pieces of art.

“I think that my work is more adventurous than many people’s, and more structured and considered than most, and if I do say so, it’s also better crafted than most as well.”

WHYIlike

MarianBantjes

Designer

Paper

Book Size

Typefaces

Sources

Lauren Nelsen

8 inches x 8 inches

CreditsCover: Neenah. Starwhite

Text Tiara Smooth 80lb

Apollo MT Family Shelley BT Volante

Body Copy: Neenah. Starwhite Text Tiara Smooth 65lb

www.banjtes.comwww.designboom.comwww.typographica.orgwww.eyemagazine.com

www.objectifiedfilm.comwww.underconsideration.com