1.⁠ ⁠Can you tell us a bit about your journey as a creative? How did you start in illustration?

My mother was a painter, ceramist and allround-creative. So, I was surrounded by ceramics, paintings and crafts since I was young in the late 70s and 80s. So - I and my sister started doing creative things very early.
Unfortunately I was not good at drawing like my mother or my sister (and many others), but I was always enthusiastic about colors, graphic forms, typography, abstract art, pop culture and so on.
So I decided to study Graphic-Design in the 90s, but later started exploring art, illustration, photography, graphic design and product design.

2.⁠ ⁠How has your style evolved and changed over time? Do you actively shape it or is it changing organically?

During my time at university I was very impressed by simple and bold graphic art and design. My Professor was a swiss designer from this famous 60th swiss design area. You know … Helvetica and so on …

This was the starting point - I was always in love with 50s/60s/70s/80s designs, but also very interested in all the Zeitgeist stuff. Finally my work has always been a mix of old and modern things and parts of my childhood as well as my youth.

Unfortunately I am very quickly bored of doing the same thing and doing something two times might sometimes be enough already! So maybe I tried too many things in my career?!

Looking back I sometimes did strange and not very good things and of course clients would love to know exactly what they get. Maybe that is the reason why I do not have a „special never changing own style“?!
On the other hand I still learn and try out so many things and really really love it. Neatly to say I am still „on fire“ after 25 years.
That’s great, although it would make sense to have a more distinctive style from a commercial point of view(?).

3.⁠ ⁠⁠How do you find and connect with clients? Do you rely on social media, networking, or other platforms? How do you promote your work?

I had the luck to meet a few people in my life who helped me to get jobs and interesting work for years. First of all it was my friend Thomas Morr, who founded the Berlin based record label Morr Music in the late 90s. He asked me to do all the graphic stuff for him - website, record/CD-covers, posters, T-Shirts and much more.
In the early 2000s we had some international success with the label, the music and identity somehow got hip and we got features in design books and magazines, had exhibitions in different countries and so on. This helped a lot and I am still benefiting from all the people I met while working for the music scene.

The second important person was the creative director of “Die Zeit”. He was visiting a concert and I was selling band poster on a concert in Hamburg. He as asked me who has made these posters and after I told him that it was me, he told me that he maybe has a job … He asked me to come to his office on Monday. This was a start of a very long relationship and many jobs I did for “Die Zeit” during the last 20 years.

The most important thing that happened to me, was that we discovered a shop by chance! When I was looking for a space for our new founded studio Human Empire with a friend in 2003. We found this lovely shop near the Schanzenviertel and worked there with four designers and started to sell things we designed.

In the beginning just records, posters, T-Shirts, but then we started to sell things from other artist for example friends we met through the connection with Morr Music. Artist from Japan, the UK, US, New Zealand and other places. We also did exhibitions in our shop and opened our first Webshop. Somehow this helped a lot to be connected: Looking back, it was a huge stroke of luck and changed everything!

4.⁠ ⁠⁠Do you work independently or collaborate with an agent, agency, or other creatives? Why did you choose this setup?

20 years ago I worked with an agency for some years. But honestly I love to work alone cause I need silence and it needs some time to get lost in „work“.

But we collaborated with many artists and designers in our store and sell their things, do exhibitions and so on.

5.⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠What is the most challenging part of being an illustrator/graphic designer/photographer for you?

The problem is my total enthusiasm for so many different creative disciplines and that I often have to stop myself by saying: Jan you do not have the time and you will not earn any penny with this (cool) project. The older I get the more I spent time with projects I love! But the bigger the pressure of this money shit is, sometimes I´m afraid, that I have to stop doing the things I love … but maybe these are just strange fears and give an extra-portion of motivation to always give my best. Haha …

6. Looking back, what advice or knowledge would have made all the difference or would have helped you a lot in the beginning of your career?

The most important thing, which helped me to remain 100% enthusiastic is to keep on doing what I love. Even if some commercial jobs do not give me satisfaction I always come back to my own personal work. Otherwise I would be depressed very quickly.
Many people in my age just do the creative stuff for earning money and for them it seems to be ok. I think many of them earn more money. And I sometimes think: Maybe you just have to do a boring job, always doing the same thing. But the older I get, the more uncompromising I become - that is a good sign that I am still on fire and hopefully finally it will result in something good, at least it shouldn't end in bankruptcy ; )

7.⁠ ⁠⁠If your design style were a playlist, what would the first three tracks be, and why?

1. Beatles - Yesterday (all my trouble seem so far away) for my love for Vintage design and the good times I had.

2. Slow Pulp - Slugs / A relaxed Indie Pop Song. Melancholic, emotional but beautiful ; ) Often hear this kind of music while working

3. The Cure - Just Like Heaven - Melancholy, but somehow optimistic. My first indie love song … and at least in my art I try to find a combination of simple and bold art with very emotional texts.

8.⁠ ⁠⁠Do you have any resources that everyone should know about?

Sounds a bit silly, but the best resource is yourself.
If everyone would stop the never ending stream of inspiration for a moment and think about if she/he could add something very personal to to this stream. Maybe one day design and illustration would not look the same, between the Indonesian jungle and a village northern Finland like today.

Maybe this sounds a bit sarcastic, but I really love artist, designers and illustrators who do not just follow all hip styles, but put something personal, authentic and deep in their work - even if it´s not popular and for the algorithm. :)

9.⁠ ⁠⁠Can you please add 3-5 links of things that have recently inspired you, made you think about things more deeply or you just feel incredibly entertained by!

de.pinterest.com/Vintageillustrators/

I collected more than 450 illustrators and designers from the 60s, 70s and 80s on this Pinterest account. Somehow there are so many almost extinct styles which really inspire me. I really still love this!

Unfortunately I do only know the platforms and websites everyone knows. At the moment I think a lot about the total overload of media, information, design and things in general and what it makes with us. I sometimes feel bad to put my (not very important) posts and stuff in the internet. It is just already too much there and maybe we need a media and picture diet not just more and more stuff.

Anyway … this is just a personal impression … maybe it is just a sign for my age. ; )

Find out more about Jan here and about his SHOP: HUMAN EMPIRE!

Spotlight Artist & Illustrator: JAN Kruse

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