Is Aaron Draplin a great graphic designer?

To the DDC devoted: Please watch the whole thing before you go ape shit. The result may surprise you.
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[@DaveConrey]

This one may light some fires right out of the gate.

[@JustinEpperly]

Draplin is great because of his *design theory* which you seem to not have discussed at all. ...watch his most recent interview on the Bombhole podcast. He talks about it throughout, ex: Draplin's perspective finds great design work in the packaging printing that gets put on the bottom of the package, that 'no one' sees. Also your California patch is totally a rip off of Draplin style imho, ironic that.

[@eddieize6371]

@@JustinEpperly EXACTLY!! it's the little details! just about all of Draplins merch on the DDC is sweet... I also lol at the California patch :p

[@methebee]

oh a bearded man reviewing a bearded man

[@DaveConrey]

it's how we perpetuate

[@toddkillian]

Great video! I have never heard of Draplin before; however, now I'll be digging into his work. I'm not an artist or designer. I found your channel trying to learn about Affinity for use on my channel. I subbed for the constant inspiration to create are the honesty. Thank you!

[@DaveConrey]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@tomislavmatic4458]

He is undeniably a good designer in terms of work he does and he did change the industry in terms of his philosophy towards life. You said it yourself, he is kind and a nice person and he goes around preaching that. That makes him great.

[@DaveConrey]

I think it's a stretch to say he changed the industry. There are still plenty of tools in the design world.

[@thanemakes5377]

Love it! I meet Draplin here in Ft Wayne several years ago on his talk tour… great guy and I think your dead on!

[@DaveConrey]

Thanks man.

[@westbunting4358]

I would say his merch model is the thing that is changing the industry. He is the only designer that I have heard of that can sell a poster of logos he has designed that are probably the property of others (depends on how his contracts work.) It brings a whole new meaning and understanding of ownership that I believe is lost in the graphic design world. I think between that and bringing attention to the industry are the biggest contributions he has brought to the industry.

[@DaveConrey]

I agree with this. I think there are now more design agencies doing it, but not nearly to his level of success. One that comes to mind is Lincoln Design, also based in Portland, graphically different, but still making a name for themselves as merch sellers. Also, if I'm being honest, Draplin had a lot of influence on me switching gears from doing client work to selling my own goods.

[@westbunting4358]

@@DaveConrey well a designer making "Designer" Co. Merch isn't new. Build a brand around the fact your a designer and sell your style. That's kind of one of the grand achievements in the design world. The other is a book that reflects on your work. That might be the highest honor. Draplen however has seemed to turn his portfolio into merch. Purchasable product sold to someone that he is reselling as his as well. Stickers, posters, pins and so on. It's like he figured out the royalties deal with out putting it in the contract. That is the thing he has done different. That is one of his great contribution to the industry, imo.

[@musechampion]

OC represent

[@RuudKuin]

Never ever heard of Draplin, until you mentioned him in this clip... Thanks, I'll Google the chap!

[@DaveConrey]

He’s a good guy, totally worthy of attention.

[@JMPerona]

Ok, you convinced me. I may agree with you in some points, About the "why" or "point" of the video... maybe another within the same theme and longer?

[@DaveConrey]

I talk about this often honestly. This one was intended to show how he also does what I try to share with others.

[@TenderloinsToughest]

Aaron is an awesome human, and a brilliant identity designer, but like all of us, he has some weaker areas and strengths. I was a bit let down by the design of his book as well as the copy editing. The layout was jam packed with not enough white space and the copy was littered with errors. Even the most famous of designers are just humans like the rest of us, with assets and defects. It's really Aaron's ethos that I think makes him so popular. Being unpretentious and grateful to do what we do for a living..."moving our little mouse finger" as he puts it.

[@DaveConrey]

Thanks for sharing

[@aaronedgeart]

Well said!

[@DaveConrey]

late reply, but thanks for watching.

[@loganbotwig]

Draplin is a good desginer, not a great one. He knows how to use the software very well, he knows color and he knows how to make something "pop". Those are very important things to know in design, but they dont make you GREAT. He has the same style for everything and thats fine except for the fact that it lacks "warmth" or "soul". He can make a very cool sticker, but can he carry the weight to give a Brand a genuine identity? one that doesnt look just like all of his stickers and notebooks?

[@DaveConrey]

Well said!

[@IanMcCausland]

great reminder of Draplin's influence, as a human being FIRST, designer, second! Yeah ok Fanboy I hit like, you happy now? :-) Ironically I did while wearing my Do The Work Shirt!

[@DaveConrey]

Ahahaha, thanks so much!

[@d1namis]

Jony Ive is kinda a bigger name right now. And Design now, actually not a huge scene, it's a small part of entire marketing and product placement technology. Actual design is a much smaller thing inside of product identity. Most of startups take names from a freespace domains and buys cheap logos in trendy style. Honestly Aaron Draplin is all about timing, 2021 not ready for new Aaron, time for design super star kinda passed. But you still can become huge artist like Pokras Lampas, but a presentation is a huge part of it.

[@DaveConrey]

Be Jony didn't come after Draplin.

[@narussell780]

All true in the age where templates are everywhere it's hard to convince people to try something original and then get them to pay for it because let's face a lot of the time they try the whole it will be good for your portfolio or whatever failing that it's my mate could do it for free.

[@DaveConrey]

100%

[@AngelDesign1]

Great video buddy 👍

[@DaveConrey]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

[@TheAndyCzech]

what is that metal triangular thing on the wall behind you?

[@DaveConrey]

a drafting triangle and template.

[@TheAndyCzech]

: ) I know! I haven't seen one of those in 30 years. Long live all of us old graphic designers. I bet you have some dried up Rapidgraphs somewhere near by.Have a good one brother!

[@ashwix]

Why not say “Draplin is a great designer and a fucking awesome human…let’s all be a bit less drab and a bit more Drap!…turn that b upside down bitches!”

[@DaveConrey]

Because I would not put him in the same class as Massimo Vinelli, April Greiman, or Saul Bass. Those are great designers. Draplin is highly competent as a designer, but not in the very top tier. Which I pretty much explained in the video.

[@tomislavmatic4458]

@@DaveConreyThat is a very narrow way of looking at stuff. Is a Ferrari a great car? Is it a great car for going to the woods and offroading? I would put Draplin in the same category as forementioned giants, and he had a huge impact on the way I and a bunch of people look at graphic design. Should you work like Draplin and thick line everything? No. But you shouldn’t work as Saul Bass either. You should do you, and learn valuable lessons from the greats, and I would argue that you could learn form Saul Bass and Draplin equally valuable stuff, although somewhat different.

Well the title sure made me click, but this was simply great! :) Thanks for sharing. (It also made me like and subscribe.) :)

[@DaveConrey]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MarcCardwell]

Ok, ok, I clicked it!

[@DaveConrey]

My powers of mind control are second to none.

[@oenhammonds3739]

Nope. Not a great designer. He is a hustler and has made a lot of stuff but none of his work is impacted or shifted the industry. Being loud doesn't make him great. Speaking truths doesn't make you great. Knowing a bunch of other people doesn't make you great. He's good because of his nostalgic appreciation for design history.

[@CHASIN_A_BASS]

😂😂yea okay..

[@DaveConrey]

thanks

[@thecomment2467]

This guy might be a graphic design god... but he is surely not a web designer! I happened to pay a visit to this website of his... The website looks like it was made 20 years ago, and has not been updated ever since! Maybe I should message him and offer to fix the website, as I am a web designer, meanwhile I would (of course accidentally) introduce my own graphic design ideas to him and see what he likes of them! Masterplan! :D

[@DaveConrey]

Probably not a good plan because he has a certain distaste for web developers. He's pretty vocal about that one.

[@CloudOfThoughts]

Well…..nope…..I agree with you.

[@DaveConrey]

Thumbs up!

[@courtoisclarens9068]

Click bait👍🏽 Nice video

[@DaveConrey]

thanks, I think.

[@boldlinedesignllc]

While Draplin is really good at what he does - I think he's more famous for being famous. We as a design community are told "Draplin is God!" and expected to elevate him as such - everyone else likes him because everyone else seems to like him. The fact that you even said, "this one may light some fires right out of the gate" tells it all. Why do people take it personally whether you or anyone else likes a particular designer or not? Even if I'm a fan of any artist's work, if you dislike it - that shouldn't bother me. Yet with Draplin - everyone is expected to tow that support line or risk being ostracized or labeled "not a real artist".

[@DaveConrey]

There will always be fanatics when it comes to icons in an industry, but I don't think he's famous for just being famous, as you put it. I think he put in the work to make himself a name, and because he acts different than most of the stuffy designers we're told to appreciate, a lot of people love him for that.

[@boldlinedesignllc]

@@DaveConrey I can respect your view on that - I agree his lack of pretentious stuffiness is certainly a draw!

[@brentpaul]

Charles and Ray Kaiser Eames Saul Bass Massimo Vignelli April Greiman Stephan Sagmeister

[@DaveConrey]

pretty much the names I mention in the video.

[@brentpaul]

@@DaveConrey thank you, looked them all up, learned a lot.

[@killdozersnakeboy]

Lol. The fat jokes to start immediately create an underlying tone of petty jealousy. Everything else after that (valid or not) is coloured by that tone.

[@DaveConrey]

Look at that. You figured me out. What ever will I do with my life as I wallow in my petty jealousy. Perhaps I’ll go back and watch all the times he’s referred to himself as a big man, and remember that my comments are a hat tip to the attributes he actively points out. But perhaps I know a little too much about him while you don’t know anything, especially contextual humor.

[@patrec7638]

Nice work to try and boost your channel views/subscribers with the click bait title. Good luck with that.

[@DaveConrey]

You watched.

[@timz9862]

Dave McKean is the last great designer.

[@DaveConrey]

never heard of him

[@timz9862]

@@DaveConrey then you should look him up. He designed all of The Sandman comic book covers.

[@eddieize6371]

This whopping 8 min and 32-second video blows. Clickbait title & doesn't make any sense Also.... who are you to judge ??

[@DaveConrey]

The fucking irony of your last question.

[@eddieize6371]

@@DaveConrey Aren't you too old to be using clickbait titles anyways.

[@DaveConrey]

There's nothing click bait about it. I made a statement. I backed up that statement. It's straight-forward. And again, here you are making judgements, which is so damn ironic to your first comment.

[@eddieize6371]

@@DaveConrey ok! bud

[@Moodboard39]

​@@eddieize6371Everyone use click bait titles dummy lol they all over 😂 which I don't agree but people use it for views ....KZbin should put a strike on those who do

[@simonharrison1874]

I'm strongly right wing, but Draplin is one of the few leftists where his misguided political beliefs don't really matter. I just tune that shit out.

[@DaveConrey]

Man, you are in the wrong fucking place.

[@simonharrison1874]

@@DaveConreyWell, I was SEVEN months ago.