About the Designer
Generally Speaking..
My name is Jonathan Anthony Keller. I’m 22 years old and I was born in Brooklyn New York. I moved to Orangeburg South Carolina when I was about 12. I attended Claflin University with a major in Studio art for 2 full years from the age of 18 before transferring to The Art Institute of Charleston in South Carolina where I graduated with my BA of fine arts in Graphic Design in 2010. Before coming to Charleston I’d had no previous experience in any of the Adobe programs, I wasn’t even sure what a Graphic Designers’ Job was! But I knew that I wanted to do something that was more progressive and mainstream than studio art, something that I could apply and use in the real world and really sink my teeth into. I immediately took to Design and all of it’s magnificent possibilities. I applied a lot of the knowledge that I’d acquired whilst in my studio art major and was able to produce pieces that both showcased my talents as an illustrator and at the same time reflected my style and perspective in terms of design.
Design Philosophy
When it comes to design I like to go for simplicity, but with a clear, strong message. A good design shouldn’t have to be complicated. I first begin with a couple of sketches to get the design process started and generate some good ideas. After which of course comes discussion with the client to figure out which one speaks it’s message most clearly. Colour is also important. Choosing the right colour can speak for the design itself because colour evokes so many types of emotions and each has its own connotations. Although, if a logo design doesn’t work in black and white, it’s futile to begin exploring colour options. As far as font choices and graphics go, I like to employ clean edges, trendy graphics and modern fonts, adding a bit of grunge to give it some character is always fun too depending on the type of project and the audience. To me these characteristics are ideal and appeal greatly to today’s culture. When I’m working with a client communication is key. The clients ideas are important to me and my job is to dedicate myself to communicating and incorporating those ideas as best I can in an efficient manner that will work for the brand.
F.A.Q. What does “Shinzart” mean?
You wouldn’t believe how many times I get this question. And so to save a little time, and numerous emails, I thought I’d go ahead and break it down. It’s possessive. Basically, my high school friends and I were all about anime when were younger and so we chose Japanese names for one another. Shinzou, meaning heart in Japanese was mine. And so this is my art, shinzart. It also works on two levels, as does the tagline “Creativity is in the works”. Because the word “shin” in Japanese means new. It’s my new art.