Over the past couple years I’ve bumped into the designers/illustrators/print makers at Brainstorm Print & Design. I’ve been following their work as they’ve grown their business and even own a few of their prints. ( SHOP prints here! ) The couple in business and in life live/work in Philly, PA and have a wide variety of clients. You may have seen them on these blogs: NotCot, Design Milk, OMG Posters, IndieFixx, Okay Great, Posters and Prints Blog, and many more. Let’s get to know them a little bit more with an old fashioned Q&A. See below!
TVH: When did you guys decide you wanted to go into business together and start what is today Brainstorm Print and Design? How has the company evolved over the years?
BPD: We met in 2007 in college, through a printmaking class, mutual friends, and a few parties. Within the first month of our relationship we were already collaborating on work. It was a major magnetic force between us. I think we knew from the get go that this was something that would become who we were not only as individual artists, but as a couple. We have evolved mainly in location, but also in our attitudes towards each other. We’ve gotten to know each others rhythms having lived together right from the beginning. We still work in similar ways from early on, collaborating on everything, and helping each other out with every step. We’ve just gotten better at it!
TVH: What are you favorite kinds of projects to take on? Do you favor one printing technique or style of another?
BPD: Our favorite types of projects (besides our own personal work) are the ones with interesting clients who can give us creative freedom from designing at the start to producing a screen printed piece at the end. We are big fans of tangible artwork and being able to hold in your hand a final product. It’s really important to us and it makes it all worthwhile at the end. We always use screen printing because it is super versatile and kinder to the environment than most other printmaking methods.
TVH: I’ve noticed the both of you have moved into a new work/ live loft? How has that been? Has it made going to work any easier?
BPD: YES. Considering that we moved 4 times in the last 15 months. Out of college we were living with parents for a bit. Then with roommates and working in cold, dingy basements to get the business off the ground. We are proud to say we have earned our own space doing what we love. There’s really no restrictions on what we can and can’t do in our warehouse. And that really goes both ways with the interesting neighbors we have. But above all else living in a warehouse space like this is really worth it for the creative community, city opportunities, and price. Seriously people, move to Philly.
TVH: What does a typical day look like in the life of “Briana and Jason”?
BPD: A day in the life of us consists of many different things. Being partners both in business and in life makes for a wide range of plans. On any given day we could be signing and stamping our own posters, mixing inks, emailing wholesale or consignment clients, making a new licensing deal, discussing contract projects, coming up with new ideas for prints, drawing, going on Facebook and twitter, napping, pulling prints, cleaning screens, cooking food, perusing the internets, going to Lowes to fix or improve something in the loft, working on craft show displays, rearranging the studio (again), organizing the desks, watching movies, going out for a beer with friends in the middle of the day, uploading photos, doing laundry, picking up film separations. Never all in one day, but any combination of them can happen. Bottom line is there is ALWAYS something to do. It’s never boring.
TVH: Lastly, are there any upcoming Brainstorm Print & Design events coming up that my readers should know about? Anything excited planned for 2011?
BPD:2011 is going to be huge for us. We are hoping to add craft shows to our list that we haven’t done yet, mostly because of location. We plan on flying and traveling farther around the country (definitely west coast) to sell prints everywhere. We are working on getting plenty of new and exciting sets of prints out this year, as well as working with some of our fantastic repeat contract clients. Also, having lived in Philly for about 8 months now, we are starting to get into doing more gallery shows. So we’ll see if that lifestyle sticks!
