Only Creative

Allan Deas

Allan is a London-based designer and illustrator originally from Scotland. He has worked for many years as a graphic designer in the fashion industry. His contemporary illustrations are amazing and you will easily get hooked to it. He loves the work of a lot of 60′s & 70′s designers and gets his inspiration in everything from vintage packaging and 70s & 80s kids tv programmes to matchboxes and stamps and vinyl figures. For more designs visit allandeas.com. We did get a chance to know more about Allan’s design background, inspiration and his design process, so continue reading.

Design Background

I’m a London-based designer and illustrator originally from Scotland. Having worked for many years as a graphic designer in the fashion industry designing amongst other things hundreds of tshirts for many well known jeans brands and high street stores I have finally returned to my passion for illustration which I studied in the late 90s (before the days of computers!) and so have kind of gone full circle!

Inspiration

I would say I’m something of a ‘visual magpie’, I finds inspiration in everything from vintage packaging and 70s & 80s kids tv programmes to matchboxes and stamps and vinyl figures. I like to collect anything considered ‘eye candy’ despite running out of shoe boxes to store it all! I have books and books of scraps & tears and photos and colors and typography – it’s nice to sit and flick through them when you need an idea.

Design Process

I normally start by just scribbling down ideas as they come into my head then after editing down to the best few I’ll rework these into more understandable working drawings. From this I usually start to work up final drawings in pen and ink which I then clean up digitally in the computer. I like to draw all my elements separately then it’s easier to play about with composition once it’s all scanned in. I then finish off my designs on the mac, finalising layout & colors etc. I suppose in that aspect it’s kind of like digital collage.

Designers I love

I love the work of a lot of 60′s & 70”s designers – Saul Bass, Seymore Chwast, Ossie Clarke( drawings) M.Sasek, Heinz Edelmann, Olle Eksell, Dick Bruna, David McKee & Richard Scarry. Contemporary designers I love – Kuntzel + Deygas, Malika Favre, Sanna Anuka, Adrian Johnsone, Steven Harrington, Alex Trochut, Hiroshi Tanabe, Andrew Holder & AJ Fosik.

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