Profile: Craig & Karl

"There’s no conscious decision to head towards one thing or another, it’s just our personalities loosely guiding us in a direction."

Craig & Karl are quite unique in their ways. Their collaborations are transatlantic, with Karl Maier living in London, and Craig Redman living in New York, the two battle miles and timezones to create their work. Despite this, they have become hugely successful pop culture illustrators, working on fashion, art and media projects with bright colours and humour.

Craig & Karl are a great example of how the internet has changed the design world. As mentioned in the talk I attended by Founded, with the invention of pdf's and the internet, studios are no longer restricted to regions. Illustrating this, the two make their collaboration work via the use of online messaging and video programs such as skype. Often they manage different projects, and check in frequently with one another to discuss ideas and feedback. They are both heavily involved in the projects together, stating, "we know who is best suited to each part of a project so we are able to quickly delegate tasks and organize our schedules. It works because we know each other well and we listen to and respect each other’s opinions."

Growing up on the east coast of Australia, they met during their first year at Art College. During that time they worked on any college project, that they were permitted to, together. They became largely considered as a singular entity by friends, family, and professors, and believe that it would have been more surprising if they hadn't have continued to collaborate after college also. Though sacrificing a lot of the spontaneity that came from real life interactions together, the two believe there aren't many negatives to living in separate cities: being present and engaged in both has aided their work.

Both Craig and Karl share a similar aesthetic, though there are stylistic elements that are particular to the person. Influencing each other, the work they produce is of a recognisable style, and they strive to create a visual language that is unique to them as a duo. With bold, colourful and quite pop-arty illustrations, Karl describes their current influences are "pretty eclectic," naming artists such as David Hockney.

And it's quite clear what the two are producing is working for them, as they are high in demand. Recently featured in Vogue, Grand Designs, Little White Lies, Volkskrant, Bayerische Staatsoper, and the New York Magazine, one of their most famous pieces is the portrait of Barack Obama, following his win of a second term in government. They also describe it as one of their most significant projects, "the combination of the man, the moment and being on the cover made it very special." Some of their other projects have been collaborating with Le Specs, creating a sculpture of Michelangelo Antonioni, the 72dp mural, a huge, colourful transformation of an underground car park, skateboards, and Neon Lane, a permanent light installation in Melbourne.

They are also working on brand collaborations, a range of bags with MCM, a gig poster for the XX and a capsule clothing collection for Kid Robot. They were also chosen this year as Kiehl's annual artist collaboration, where their signature bold designs can be seen on gift boxes.

Karl's advice for Graphic Designers to remember is "you can't polish a turd." You can see more of the duo here, here, here, and here.