TOP: A student project completed at Art Center, AUG. 2004. Arnold created a broadcast spot for the fall 2005 line as part of a SHISEIDO rebranding; (BOTTOM) LEFT: NIGHT OF ORPHEUS, a self-promo mailer created using hand-drawn typography, illustration, and engraving; MIDDLE: Design direction for a fall 2005 catalog for SHIZO, part of an Art Center student project to rebrand SHISEIDO; RIGHT: ONTOGENY I,II,III, A personal project, completed in 2003, that displays images of 500+ different life forms made with a combination of photography, pencil, and charcoal.

Dustin Edward Arnold Latin Name: Dee Ruminatorian (of the divine) Assembli Age: 22 360.388.0851 | www.dustinarnold.com

A recent graduate from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Dustin Arnold takes great pleasure in creating art that revolves around life experiences. “A lot of my energies are directed in controlling my reality through my environment. I currently work out of my apartment in Glendale, surrounded by Armenian grandmas and rotting fabric textile experiments. The space is something like a 19th-century Helmut Lang lost in Nottingham’s haunted forest.” “Usually, recent graduates emulate other designers. It takes them a while to develop their own voice once they get out into the world. Arnold’s work, on the other hand, is inspired more by fashion icons like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen,” says designer Stefan Bucher. “He translates their influence into incredibly intricate and ornate design worlds that feel completely unique to him. His work is beautiful and the best compliment I can pay him is that I don’t quite understand how he does what he does.”

Arnold says of his design drive, “I seem to be programmed with these sometimes-contradictory impulses. I desire otherworldly experiences, yet I want proof. By definition, having proof means that otherworldly experiences are brought into the concrete world of clarity and legibility. But when this happens they are in danger of losing their mystery and power to make us wonder. Everything I do seeks to touch both sides of this fence with maximum effectiveness. Finding design with these qualities is either exceedingly rare or has quickly become a stereotype within our industry—an industry which gives it just as much substance as it takes away. It is this absence that makes it so precious.”

Arnold graduated with distinction from the graphic design program at Art Center in 2004 and he continues to stay in close contact with the school. “I have been extremely indebted to the school’s faculty for giving me the opportunity both to work on projects for the school as well attend crits and lectures by visiting design talent. Recently, I worked with Nik Hafermaas and Steve Kim developing concepts for the Radical Craft Design Conference which will take place in March,” Arnold says. “I was also commissioned for the calligraphic design of a plaque honoring the fundraising involvement of Alyce and Warren Williamson, two individuals whose activities have resulted in the donations of over $12 million to the school.”

Hafermaas, who was appointed chair of the Graphic Design department at Art Center during Arnold’s last year, says, “Dustin is quickly evolving into a leading figure on the cutting edge of graphic design. I’m dedicated to keep him involved with Art Center on many levels. His outstanding aesthetic talent has already won him commissions from clients such as Nike Japan, Bang & Olufsen, and Levi Strauss Premium, to name a few.”
Emily Potts