Someone that has been a design hero to me for a long time now is contemporary street artist, graphic designer, social activist, illustrator, and founder of OBEY Clothing is Shepard Fairey. He emerged from the skateboarding scene and first became known for his "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design. He's part of the Street Art movement along with other artists including Banksy and Mr.Brainwash.
Fairey blurs the boundary between traditional and commercial art through type and image, communicating his brand of social critique via prints, murals, stickers, and posters in public spaces. “Art is not always meant to be decorative or soothing, in fact, it can create uncomfortable conversations and stimulate uncomfortable emotions,” he stated.
“I wanted strong. I wanted wise, but not intimidating,” Shepard Fairey said of his iconic poster design for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Set in Fairey’s signature graphic style with a patriotic palette of red, white, and blue, the portrait portrays Obama looking into the distance with a sense of hopeful determination. Fairey is said to have completed the poster design in a single day. The image quickly went viral and became inseparable from the campaign, featured on t-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons, and more. The portrait was considered to be one of — if not — the most widely recognised symbol of Obama’s campaign message.
These are some of Fairey's well known posters and three of my most favorites by him. His distinctive aesthetic, which he describes as a “bold iconic style that is based on stylising and idealising images." is very iconic and well known in the industry. When I first discovered him back in college through his OBEY work I was really attracted to his use of colour palette and how he uses this across the majority of his designs. His work stands out and is highly powerful and influential because of the strong messages his work carries.
Fairey has constantly shifted between the realms of fine art, commercial art, street art, and even political art which I find so fascinating about him, his diversity is amazing and he puts his iconic touch on every piece he creates. His work addresses topics such as self-empowerment, rebellion, abuse of power, environmental destruction, racism, gender inequality, xenophobia, campaign finance reform, the military-industrial complex, propaganda, war and peace, and economic imperialism.
His art has a simplistic look to it yet his pieces make a statement and are bold and eye catching. I like the look of abstract art and his work is an example of some of my favourites. Shepard Fairey’s work combines elements of graffiti, pop art, business art, and Marxist theory.
His go to technique is using mixed-media, combining materials more commonly associated with 'graffiti' art (spray paints, cut-out templates). Fairey builds up layers within much of his work, using paper, glues, spray-paints. He makes use of templates, which are used to effectively mask areas when using spray-paint.
Shepard Fairey work on Whitby Street, Shoreditch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B89E5VqKxkw&feature=emb_title Fairey creating "Defend Dignity"
These are some examples of Shepard's mural work, his large scale work is so impressive and emphasises the content in the art due to being so big and extensive, it's skriking and certainly makes everyone stop and stare.
This last image above "Defend Dignity" (2019) is Fairey's newest mural and is also one of his largest in Los Angeles. Located in the South Park neighborhood of Downtown LA, Defend Dignity is "meant to inspire sensitivity toward our fellow human beings and the planet itself."
Shepard's work is so important, I feel like he's revolutionised the art world by creating political concept's and exploring his influence in this, he hasn't shied away from possible public criticism of his work on controversial topics. Displaying work across America showcasing arguable topics through his art shows courage and determination, he stands up for what's right and I respect that majorly.