Heinrich's Adam Reker on Art, Deliberation and Delivery
We caught up with Adam in the Capitol Hill hood on an overcast April morning. The goal? Over coffee, gain a little insight on cultivating creativity in the agency space. Yet when he showed up wearing a grey, double-breasted trench coat, a Tungsten wedding ring and oversize sunglasses, the plot thickened.
Adam Reker on Art, Deliberation and Delivery
This is a guy who spends his time negotiating print estimates, correcting dot gain and monitoring quality control pulls. But it turns out Adam is part print professional, part artist and part designer husband. From deer antlers to ink density and lace to letter sign-offs, here are the disparate details of his world and how he dishes out inspiration in every ‘sphere.
On Adam’s artistic style: The genre is pop surrealism. It’s the combination of natural or antiquated elements with pop imagery and colors. It makes for very unexpected and often ironic visuals.
On his creative process: There’s really just two steps: sketch and start. I have a vision and then I dive in. But from there, the complexity increases. Creating anything, whether I’m at the drawing board or my desk, is about multiple layers and levels of detail.
On blending worlds: My work and my art go together pretty well. As a print production specialist, I’m required to have an eye for detail and consistency. If you look at my artwork from a distance, it may appear spontaneous or scattered, but there are deliberate details everywhere. In both art and say, a direct mail project, it takes careful selection of paper, material and dye to create the desired effect and really deliver for the client. On his favorite materials: I use everything—lace, wood, old photographs, stencils, the works. Sometimes I find stuff at Home Depot or even on the street. This makes it a more tactile experience. I love working with fabrics for large screen prints, banners, even t-shirts (on a recent Hispanidad project) gives me the ability to experiment with the layers of vibrant colors.
On finding inspiration: It often comes from graffiti, street art and the patterns and colors you’ll find in an urban neighborhood. I’m really attracted to bright colors.
On his art’s message: No message. In fact, I like it that art is open to the interpretation of the viewer. But I do love taking things that don’t belong together and finding a way to make them fit. I prefer to keep a sense of humor in my pieces. I think people take art a little too seriously, which keeps them from fully appreciating the underground world of design.
On creating in the communication age: Facebook has been great for connecting me with the artist community. I’ve had conversations with people who I never thought I’d get access to. I also post on Flickr, which I’ve found to be an awesome testing ground for new pieces because people post feedback—some positive, some negative—whether you want it or not. It builds your confidence as an artist and reminds you that your audience has a voice, too.
On the Heinrich culture: It’s cool. They’ve managed to create a down-to-earth working environment where I work with big name clients, have a nerf-gun fight and approach the CEO personally. That combination is kind of rare.