Aiming high and aiming straight

This summer I decided to take part in the annual Global Talent Search (GTS) – one of the top competitions for illustrators.

I love working for a brief for a specific demographic while showing who I am. Knowing who the client is, understanding the type of customer I'm making art for is very helpful. I enjoy expanding the research beyond things like income, marital status and geographic region. I try to understand how they spend their time and wonder what are their favorite TV show, book, shop, blog and podcast. It’s not that I alter my very being; it’s about getting a feel for things and reflecting my own personal style through the lance of the client's quirks.

That is why taking part in the GTS feels like solving a puzzle that has many answers. Each solution should be appropriate for the client while being unique to only one creator. Such a great challenge, don’t you think?