[LEFT]: 2007 | POSTER SERIES FOR THE 2008 LONDON SCI-FI FILM FESTIVAL | PERSONAL WORK 2008
[RIGHT]: IDENTITY SYSTEM & BRAND BOOK FOR THE CHURCH OF TYPOGRAPHY | PERSONAL WORK

Emerging Talent No. 10: Owen Gee
“Owen Gee has impeccable graphic design skills combined with a very strong conceptual and content-driven approach,” says Nik Hafermaas, Art Center College of Design’s chair of Graphic Design. Petrula Vrontikis, creative director of Vrontikis Design O≈ce, another of Gee’s Art Center professors, echoes this: “Owen has an ability to tackle complex messaging and bring it to the audience in a unique way,” she says. “He’s both innovative and organized—a rare combination for a recent graduate.”

Gee works on print, branding, packaging, object-making and environmental design. “I have always judged the validity of my work based on whether or not it contains personality,” says Gee. “Beautifully crafted and practical designs are not hard to come by these days. I’ve learned [that] for something truly special, you’ve got to have soul. The work of great designers and typographers of the 1960s seduced me, and I strive to bring that same charm into my work.”

Interest in design started early for Gee. In high school in San Diego, he launched Dork Brand, a cheeky clothing company. “It was a wonderful experience, designing and giving creative direction for collaborating artists,” notes Gee. “But as the company grew, I realized I was in love with many other aspects of design, and not limited to garment making.” This led him to further pur sue his design education at Art Center. “The way I approach design now, I owe much to the efforts of an instructor, Roland Young,” Gee continues. “He has instilled in me that, in everything we do, the idea is god.”

Gee found like minds in school, including his friend and sometime collaborator Shaun Smith, a transportation designer. “For us, great ideas are not constrained by any specific medium,” Gee says. He’s also had a chance to work with creative director Yolanda Santosa at the brand strategy and design firm Ferroconcrete. Santosa says of Gee, “His approach to each project is very thoughtful, precise and beautiful. He is wise beyond his years.” In terms of clients, Gee says his favorite up to this point has been NASA. “The branding project [I worked on] resulted in a unique way to re-establish discovery as their core value by joining virtual and physical space,” explains Gee. “It was an experience that took me from Houston to the moon and back.”

Gee plans on continuing to explore branding on a holistic level. “In the future I would like to begin what I’ve been ranting about all these years—a brilliant studio with charming people,” says Gee. “For now, I’m looking forward to working on brand projects for WET design, a great but largely unknown kinetic water-works studio.”
www.nicelyobserved.com | www.dorkbrand.com