Scott Hull Associates

Art Directors Matt Bambrough and Jory Dayne talk with SHA about Meg Hunt’s work for Utah Valley University

Project title: Utah Valley University, Pre Tour Poster

What creative and business goals did you have with this project?

Jory: We wanted to generate interest among high school students – both in the university experience as a whole and Utah Valley University specifically. To that end, we were looking for something that would highlight the school but also showcase the incredible valley we call home. We wanted artwork that would be both youthful and refined – something you would remember and want to hold onto. Something that high school students would think was cool, but would also keep them thinking. Naturally, our default thought was Meg’s terrific illustrations. I wanted her to shoot for something between Satoshi Hashimoto’s “Curated Community” maps for Monocle magazine and those dotted-line activity spots from Family Circus.

Matt: We also wanted something to be used internally for current students and students that come on tour to understand what is currently available to them and the diversity that exists in Utah Valley as well as in the state. The thought of skiing in the greatest snow on earth and then turning around to hike the redrocks of southern Utah is a reality, and a luxury most students don’t even know we have here. Meg has captured that visual reality in he illustrations. She captured the colors and locations that tie everything together for a comprehensive rendition of what is offered at Utah Valley University.

Were there any special hurdles or requirements that the artist had to address?

Jory: Absolutely. We asked Meg to create a very detailed map of a place she had never been, replete with a dozen or so activity vignettes. We did what we could to provide a complete picture (maps, pictures of buildings, renderings, etc) but we were blown away with what Meg came back with on such vague parameters! I have no idea what kind of research Meg did, but it went above and beyond what I sent her in the initial kit. The general exclamation among all we showed it to was “Whoa! She even got _____ in there! How did she know about ______?!”

Matt: We also overcame many hurdles of bureaucracy. Because of the professionalism of Meg and Scott Hull Associates, it was easy to sell our idea and concept to the recruitment board because of the credibility and manner that this whole project was handled. It was amazing how even the most difficult personalities seemed to jump right on board after we presented the first round of drafts.

Describe the final outcome of the project:

Jory: The whole experience was great for us. Meg was so on the ball, she kept me in the loop every step of the way and was always quick to respond or answer any questions or concerns. Everyone — everyone — we showed this to absolutely loved it. Meg’s work lent such a unique quality to the piece as a whole. It doesn’t look or feel like anything we’ve ever seen any other school send out. It captures exactly the feeling we were hoping for. The quality of her final work speaks for itself, but the experience of working with her exceeds that quality. I’m busy thinking up other projects to rope her into.

Matt: We printed 33,000 posters to be distributed all over the region and the comments and excitement that has been generated internally thus far have been tremendous. We have also had many comments through social media amongst creative industry peers that were amazed at the scope of this project and the final outcome of Meg’s artwork.

At UVU we are always trying to come up with new and creative ways to recruit students or market our university. Not only does this add more intrigue and interest to our university, it also adds credibility to our department for being on the cutting edge by using sought-after creative professionals like Meg Hunt.

Client Interview with Adrienne Pitt

Artist/Illustrator used: Meg Hunt

Title of project: Gardening section, Jamie Oliver magazine

Describe your target audience/client base: Those who are fans of Jamie Oliver and his work and food, those who love to cook and desire to get more involved in cooking, or those who are interested in a gorgeous lifestyle magazine which covers a range of topics from food to travel.

What creative/business goals did you have with this project? The Gardening section appears in the front of the magazine with a lot of newsy items surrounding it. As such, the pages really need to sing out – be colorful, attention grabbing, and beautiful. Also, Jamie’s gardener Peter Wrapson is so passionate about his subject, I knew I needed illustrations that would reflect that passion.

Were there any special hurdles or requirements that the artist had to address? In each issue, Peter talks about various things that are in season, gadgets to try out, or new techniques to use. The illustrator I needed to do these pages had to be someone who could illustrate not only food, but also plants, people, activities, inanimate objects… The list goes on!

Describe the final outcome of the project: This section has become an ongoing job for Meg, as her colorful style and attention to detail really combine to create illustrations that jump off the page. Some of the topics are a little tricky but she always comes up with charming and detailed works that enhance the words on the page.

Tell us about your experience working with our artist: Meg is a delight to work with and strengthens the visual brand of the magazine. She’s friendly, delivers on deadline, and most importantly, sets her amazingly imaginative mind to every assignment given to her. You know when you hire Meg for a job that she will always go above and beyond to make sure the illustration is amazing. I’m happy to have this ongoing commission with her, and always look forward to seeing the work that she creates!

http://showandtell.meghunt.com/post/616677212/gardening-from-jamie-oliver
http://scotthull.com/artists/hunt/

An Artist Interview

Client: Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon

Art director: Tim Engle

Title of Project: 2010 Flying Pig Marathon Winners Poster

Target audience: Marathon runners, families, and residents of the Cincinnati area.

What was the creative challenge? To develop a poster that would be awarded to runners in the marathon. The client wanted something that would capture the fun spirit of the event and become a cherished creative memento of the runner’s experience.

How did you resolve the challenge? There were three requirements—there must be pigs, Cincinnati, and running featured. Anything else was game so long as it fit with the spirit and honored the race. I found myself being drawn to the aesthetic of vintage travel posters and thought it might bring a fun and joyful spirit to place the runners high above the city, floating in hot air balloons with their friendly pig friends floating through the clouds.

What was the artistic style used? I worked with a stylized retro sort of style, using warm colors and playing off their advertising for the 2010 marathon, which was characterized as a ‘60s lava light feel.

Any further details into your creative process you’d like to share? Talking with the team, I started drawing up concepts of the pig and various scenes to place him in; we worked together to figure out which ideas suited the pig’s nature and history and then picked a concept to strengthen and rework. Then a lot of careful detail was placed into the work and colors picked to evoke that warm retro sunset feel.

“This year’s poster was approved with only very minimal edits, and it was the easiest poster we have ever had to approve.”

Featured Artist

Meg Hunt loves a challenge. She also loves Alice in Wonderland. Read on to find out what’s freshly brewing in the mind of this quirky, creative illustrator.

What was the motivation behind this self-initiated project? I wanted to challenge myself to work on an extended project and focus on experimenting with more narrative work. I chose the classic Lewis Carroll book, a childhood favorite, and chose to start illustrating my own personal view of Wonderland – being inspired by patterns, microbiology, undersea life, and concept art.

Tell us a little about your creative process: I chose to present this initially personal project as a challenge to some talented friends and peers, and in the process curated and developed a group illustration blog called Picture Book Report. (http://www.picturebookreport.com) The project is now wrapping up its second month of illustrations and throughout the year we will continue to develop our blossoming views of the narrative worlds we’ve created.

So far the project has had a lot of good feedback, and we’re all enjoying the rigors of producing work that does our much-beloved stories justice. In working on my tale, I’ve been fascinated by world-building and have plans to develop a small animation to investigate this world further. In addition, working on the project has led to developing a limited edition notebook Alice-themed design for Monoblock, which is very exciting!

“I’m looking forward to checking in often and seeing fresh interpretations on so many classic titles.” – Irene Gallo, art director for Tor Books

“The contributors are generally young, hungry and extremely talented, and some of the work they’ve been turning in so far is superb. As far as responses to the rapidly changing value of illustration goes, this is an excellent one.” -Khoi Vinh, design director for nytimes.com

“Best new idea on the internet.” -Faythe Levine, director of the documentary Handmade Nation

An interview with art director Tim Gough

Title of Project: 2009 Holiday Gift Guide Cover

Target audience: Philadelphian urbanites in the 18-45 demographic.

What was the creative challenge? To create an eye-catching cover illustration to entice readers to explore Philly’s annual gift guide, without being holiday-specific. It needed to be colorful enough to draw our readers in from street level and have a broad appeal.

How did Meg resolve the challenge? She chose a winter-feel for the illustration, drawing a reindeer whose antlers were hung with presents and ornaments of all colors. The color scheme was purposefully chosen to not reflect the usual holiday style, which gave it a warm and welcoming feel.

Describe the final outcome of the project: Excellent, it was one of my favorite projects to have worked on. Besides being extremely professional, Meg was a great communicator, and always delivered sketches and finals on time.

An interview with art director Josh Baker

Client: Metaleap Design/ Paste Magazine

Title of Project: New Records in Old Cabins; Listening to my Life: Night Rounds

Describe your target audience/client base: Influential independent music aficionados within the 18-35 year old demographic.

What creative/business goals did you have with this project? We sought to visually represent the environment that writer Jenna Sandgate lives in from a creative and fun perspective. We wanted to engage readers and lead them visually into the article in the magazine.

What was the creative challenge? To create a portrait of Jenna, who blogs at Cold Antler Farm, about her adventures of homesteading and farming in Vermont, as well as her love of music. The image was to accompany an opinion piece Jenna wrote for Paste. We wanted to be sure to have the writer’s likeness represented in the illustration. Meg did a fantastic job of placing her in a few different environments before we decided on the final direction.

How did Meg resolve the challenge? To quote from Meg herself, “I read through a large part of Jenna’s blog to understand her experiences and passions. From there I tried to capture her lively personality and the things she loves and surrounds herself with. I attempted to visually convey her lifestyle of being ‘alive with the sound of music’.”

Describe the final outcome of the project: The finished piece shows Jenna surrounded by the animals, plants, and music she shares time with on her farm. It does a great job of transporting the reader into her world, enveloped in music and companionship in an otherwise isolated environment. Meg went with a quirky flowing style to play up the musical element of the story.

Jenna herself was so pleased with the finished product that she posted the image to her personal blog and commented on how much she really enjoy the portrait, “I got to write a full page essay for the new issue of Paste, which I was beyond thrilled about. Also, they hired the illustrator Meg Hunt to do this picture of me for the piece and she managed to really capture Cold Antler Farms!”

Tell us specifically about your experience working with our artist: My experience with Meg is certainly one of the best I’ve had with any illustrator. She creates such great, lush, colorful artwork that really captures the feeling of whatever piece she is illustrating. She is super easy to work with and a great person to boot!

http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com
http://www.pastemagazine.com/

View Artist’s Portfolio

Inspired by Peruvian images in National Geographic, Meg Hunt created these whimsical animal illustrations for children and adults alike. Always looking to expand her artistic range and try new methods of artistic expression, she decided to put this design on a pillow.

Meg’s work is a beautiful collection of fanciful color and relevant style.
And given her love of artist designed house-wares and textiles, she thought there was no better way to show clients how versatile and applicable her art could be in the branding field, than to show it on something as unique as fabric.

Meg has youthful spirit and light heart. It shows in each and everything she creates. These charming pillows are no exception. And let’s be honest, there is nothing like napping on a llama.