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Enter the Wildly Imaginative Mind of Visual Artist & Designer, Andrew Herzog

In the spirit of O.N.S’s Fall/Winter 2019 collection, which revolves around the theme of “Aerial Utility,” we thought who better to chat with than Andrew Herzog, the creative multi-hyphenate whose work has allowed him to spread his wings from small creative studios to Google’s Creative Lab and back again. Herzog’s work — which often falls at the intersection of art and design — is guided, above all, by his personal principles of transparency, accessibility, and humbleness. Just look to his “Walking Around Greenpoint” project — executed by drone cameras — as an on-the-nose example of his work’s relation to “Aerial Utility.” O.N.S Manual caught up with Herzog to discuss his professional journey, interdisciplinary approach, and sartorial sensibilities.

How and where did your journey to becoming a visual artist and designer begin? 

I think my journey to becoming a visual artist and designer comes down from the way I grew up. When I was a kid, we never bought anything new. My dad never hired anyone to fix things around the house. He did it all, which meant I had to help him and learn how to do it all too. So when I wanted a new skateboard, I actually tried to learn how to soak plywood and bend it to make my own. When I wanted new clothes, I usually had to alter some hand-me-downs or stuff I already had. I think this led to me being a pretty creative and resourceful kid, because I was trying to design and build the things that I wanted since we couldn’t afford to buy them — but I never realized it until I went to art school.

I met a girl my senior year of high school who was going to art school. Because I had no other collegiate plans, and it was January of my senior year, I put all my energy into throwing together a portfolio and trying to get into any art school that would take me. (I later married that girl.) My dad worked at a label printing shop which employed a “graphic artist” — so when I proclaimed to my parents that I wanted to go to art school, they told me I had to study graphic design, because they knew I at least I could get a job. After I went to art school, I was hooked. I realized I was in the right place.

Since graduating many years ago, I’ve worked at a big ad agency (R/GA), a small design studio (Sagmeister & Walsh), and a large tech company (Google). And then, finally, I started a design and technology studio with a few partners called HAWRAF, which we closed down earlier this year after running for about three years.

The whole time I’ve been working as a designer, I’ve [also] kept a personal practice going as a means to experiment and test ideas. I guess these projects fall into the scope of “capital-A” Art. Over the past couple of years, I’ve started interacting more thoughtfully in the Art space—more than just part-time—which has led to a lot of new opportunities.

You mentioned Google’s Creative Lab. We actually have an O.N.S Creative Lab too. How did that job affect and influence your creativity and career?

Working at Google’s Creative Lab had a pretty significant impact on me. In terms of my career, it’s undoubtedly helpful to tell people I used to work for Google. But more importantly than that, I learned about designing and building things that will be seen and used by millions of people. I learned how even big companies can create interesting work, and how to navigate the structure of big companies to get that work out into the world. Plus, I got to work with a lot of really intelligent and talented people. I got to initiate a few projects that dealt with creativity, artificial intelligence, and accessible creative tools while I was there. The work I did there has had a lasting impact on the work I do today.

With the now-defunct agency HAWRAF, you did some really cool work; what was your favorite project(s) you worked on with that? 

We made a lot of really interesting work with HAWRAF. We learned so much in the three years that we ran the studio. I think my favorite projects were the ones we did that dealt with Creative Accessibility. Creative Accessibility was an initiative that we tasked ourselves with when we founded the studio to try and expose the inner-workings of a design studio. We felt most companies and studios were sort of mysterious about the work they do, so we tried to be as transparent as possible throughout the life of the studio. When we started the studio, the first self-initiated project we did was called the A-Z project. A-Z was an attempt to demystify the creative process. As a new studio, HAWRAF didn’t have an established process. In an attempt to create one, we responded to 26 briefs over 26 hours — documenting and live streaming it all, so anyone, anywhere could follow along. Then, at the end of the studio, we aggregated all of the documents and information that we could (without getting into any trouble) to share with the internet in the form of a public Google Drive. The drive was an amalgamation of things we felt we would’ve liked to have had or known about when we started the studio. We hoped that it would nudge the starting point for creative endeavors a little closer to reality for anyone who may be interested.

A lot of your art deals with the relationship between the viewer and the art — what intrigues you so much about this dynamic? 

I think art is very inaccessible in most forms, and when it’s made to be accessible, it ceases to be taken seriously by the Art world. I’m very interested in who sees art, who feels comfortable around art, and who feels like they can appreciate art. I didn’t go to an art museum until I went to college. And when I did, I felt very uncomfortable in that space. We didn’t do that sort of stuff when I was a kid, so I had no relation to that space, those objects, that language or those people. For me, art is a form of communication. I think if you make work that is only communicating with certain people, then the language that you are speaking is very narrow. I’m interested in talking to people who are already interested in art as well as people who don’t typically consider themselves as people who are interested in art.

This is why much of my work takes the form of public artworks, and when it’s work that goes into galleries or museums, it’s created with minimal means and tools. I like to expose the process behind my work, and I use Instagram to do this. So if I’m working on an installation, I’ll be posting about the process for months before it’s realized. I show everything from the proposal to the sketches to the prototypes to the realization of the work.

You’ve also taught at the New School & School of Visual Arts; what do you enjoy the most about teaching the next generation of artists/designers? 

I feel like I always learn from teaching. I get to see what the next generation of designers is interested in, what tools they are using, and what projects they’re excited about. It’s also a good exercise in practicing the fundamentals. At this point in my career, I do a lot of things in autopilot, but when you’re teaching, you have to break it down and explain why you’re doing the things you’re doing. I think this practice keeps me humble and keeps me working on the fundamentals of my game.

In art, there is always the constant push and pull between creativity and commerce; does money play a big part in new commissions/projects you undertake? 

Because I’ve always supplemented my art practice with my design practice, I’m not bound by commissions or galleries. I do sell work through the gallery system when I have shows, and commissions have funded public works that I’ve created, but I don’t rely on that income to support myself. This makes it a lot easier for me to pick and choose the work I want to make and which institutions I want to make it with. Being able to pay my bills solely off the artwork that I make would be nice, but it’s certainly not the reason why I make the work I make. I also like that my practice is multifaceted. It allows me to learn and pull inspiration from different projects, tools, and perspectives. I’m not sure that I would want to be seen as solely an artist. I’m not sure if that’s the future of working creatives.

With modern technology and information moving at such a breakneck velocity, do you think this will affect the value and staying power of ART?

I think new technology and more widespread access to information changes the way we relate to art. We can see any work of art by searching Google. Which is amazing, I think. It brings up a lot of ideas that John Berger touches on in his book, Ways of Seeing — how we no longer need to have seen the actual work in a museum because we have access to it through our phones. It begs the question: where is the value? Is it in the real thing, the object, or is it in the fact that it’s been seen by millions of people?

I think the other great thing about technology is that most people now have devices that allow them to create things. I think we’re moving more in the direction of everyone making things — taking photos, posting videos. Most people have the means to create with the phone they carry around in their pocket.

Let’s talk about fashion interests — does your love for design extend into footwear and clothing; what would you say are your go-to fashion staples? 

I’ve always felt that fashion is one of the most accessible forms of art. Whether we choose to or not, we are communicating something through the clothes that we wear. Everyone is partaking in a creative act, even if that act is not caring or if they consider the things they wear to be strictly for utility purposes.

What we wear has the ability to change who we are and how we see ourselves. When I was a kid, because I didn’t get to buy new clothes, I learned how to sew and alter the clothes I had to make me feel comfortable. I definitely didn’t have cool stuff, but I realized that I just needed to be able to make things that made me feel cool and comfortable with the way I was communicating myself. I still feel that way about clothes. For me, it’s not really about the brand as much as it is about what it communicates or the way it looks when I wear it. Although, I have to admit, I have developed a bit of a shoe fetish.

We know you’re working on a new agency right now. Can you tell us a little about that and other special projects you want us to keep on our radar? 

Right now, I’m in the midst of starting a new studio. I learned a lot from HAWRAF. We had a good run and made some fun work. I think the most important thing I learned from that was defining what I value. I realized that I value the ability to learn and put myself into situations that challenge my skill set. This new venture is built around the idea of balancing things we know how to do that create income and investing in studio-initiated projects that cultivate new knowledge of new skills, tools, and technologies. I think we exist in a time where creatives need to keep moving. We can’t afford to stand still, and the companies that we work with can’t either. This new studio is an embodiment of that. I’ve started building out a team, and we’re already doing a few projects. We’ll announce more later this fall.

Be sure to follow Andrew Herzog on IG here 


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