DESCRIPTION:
Wade Convay graduated from the Art Center College of Design in 2003 and shortly thereafter joined the design firm Number 17, New York, where he works on the reinvented Colors magazine. He also collaborates with the Los Angeles-based collective The Groop, with which he recently completed the catalog and website for the Art in Motion Festival sponsored by the University of Southern California, a Presto DVD for Nike Asia and Wieden + Kennedy/Tokyo, and another for the launch of W+K/Tokyo Labs’ new record label.

VOICE:
“I would be lying if I didn’t mention my affinity for small type and compulsiveness toward subtle details and connections.” He points to the folios on the “Art In Motion” catalog, each of which shifts slightly more to the right with each turning page.

DISTINCTIVE MARKINGS:
“Most often,” he says, “my inspiration comes from my environment —the collaborations and relationships, the late nights and the deadlines, the possibilities, and also the accidents.” In his down time, Convay will typically work some more—creating a new typeface, building a website, or trying to finish one of two books in process.

HABITAT:
The drink of choice in Convay’s Manhattan studio is espresso, and scattered mugs are a ubiquitous part of the landscape. Disarray is directly proportional to the stage of any given project. “Crazy week,” he says, “equals crazy mess.” The most important piece of furniture in the studio is his Tom chair, where he can be found scribbling in 5-point type with a Staedtler Mars Professional pen.

SPOTTED BY:
Stefan Bucher of 344 Design, Los Angeles: “I started out as an illustrator and that’s still how I look at work. Wade’s work has a smart, lively spirit and it’s also exquisitely rendered and produced. His compositions have a great sense of typographic proportion and 3D space. On top of that he struck me as a kind, humble person. That is a rare combination.”

CONTACT:
917.208.4754 | convay@artcenter.edu

Written by Tiffany Meyers