Justin Hunt Sloane

What is your story? I am an independent designer, artist (sort of), and researcher working in New York City. I came to design through printmaking and music when I was in high school. I attended school in Los Angeles, then I moved to New York to work in connection with the arts and publishing. I co-published a project called ‘Underscore Quarterly’ for several years. It was part of Swill Children, a label and publishing project run by Jesse Hlebo, with whom I shared a studio for several years. I was an in-house design director for the arts organization Creative Time for the first year I lived in New York. Once I left that job, I worked as a fabrication assistant and technology consultant for artists producing sculpture work. From 2014 to 2016, I was a senior designer at Wolff Olins. Finally, I left that job at the beginning of 2016 to work on my own again.  

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your creations?  People, research, finding out about things and wanting to try them. All of my jobs have led me to find different materials to experiment with, ideas to make small books about, forms to explore…

How do you see the boundary between art and design?  It is tough to see a separate boundary because there is a lot of different fields where people make art and design in (graphic design, film, theater, craft…). I think that beyond having a clear definition of what differentiates an artist from a designer, it is more of how you interact with your benefactors. For me, designers are willing to make compromises and see their discipline as something flexible, artists tend to be more attached to their own style. But you can be a designer and act like an artist, and vice versa. It seems like a big question the past few years is how to be an artist outside of the traditional gallery system and inside more of a business framework. Today, there are many interesting structures looking like tech startups or research groups, that are equal parts an art practice and a business.

Do you think current graphic designers have to look beyond their domain?  Getting too caught up in your job leads to stagnation. Learning something new and having our conceptions challenged is essential for getting better at something and evolving. It is important to get outside our comfort zone as often as possible.  Interview conducted in July 2016 ©ktlg