Joey Guidone
Ivrea, Italy
Motion/ Animation
Barilla UK | Intensely Italian | Alfresco
Barilla UK | Intensely Italian | Sunset
Barilla UK | Intensely Italian | Pinching the Pasta
about Joey
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Bio:
Joey Guidone was born in 1985 in Ivrea, a town at the foothills of the Italian Alps. He studied at the European Institute of Design (IED) of Turin and at the MiMaster, in Milan. Since 2015 he has been working as a freelance illustrator with newspapers and magazines, advertising agencies, book publishers, and corporate communication studios. Joey works mainly for U.S. clients such as The New York Times, ESPN, Apple, Adobe, and occasionally collaborates also with the main Italian magazines and newspapers. Since the beginning of his career, he has been awarded several times by the NY Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, 3x3, Association of Illustrators (AOI), Applied Arts. From time to time he teaches classes at the MiMaster, an international training school for professional illustrators. Selected Client List:
Clients include: Adobe • The New York Times • ESPN • Vanity fair • Italy Variety • The Boston Globe • BBC • Oprah magazine • The Economist • Die Zeit • Playboy • UCLA • The Wall Street Journal • Roche Science Magazine • Johns Hopkins University • Family Circle • Mayo Clinic • OZY • The Village Voice (partial list) Accolades: “The ways in which Joey uses visual metaphor to distill complex concepts into quick, memorable images and his use of bold color and composition are a great fit for our projects. We love the style we’ve seen in his work so far. We’d like these to reflect that, and the smart thinking behind solutions he’s already created. We’re trying to make our audience think a little, and give them something memorable to refer to when remembering the concepts in these stories”. ~Laura Gosnell, Unboundary.com “Italian artist and illustrator Joey Guidone uses his talent to illustrate social issues and everyday life problems that we are facing today. The artist creates images about science, modern society and changing times. He uses different objects and symbols to build visual paradoxes and metaphors that perfectly depict social issues.“ ~Hankermag.com “We are reacting positively to Joey’s simple, elegant line quality. His ability to move the viewer, suggesting a surreal landscape or story with a tether to something real and relatable.” ~Kari Luoma, Fellow Inc. Interview with Joey Guidone:
How old were you when first realized you wanted to become an artist? I clearly remember a life-size-drawing of myself on a large sheet of paper with a phrase written in the middle: “Voglio diventare un artista” (I want to become an artist). I was 8 years old. Have you studied art formally? Yes, I did, from a young age. When I was 14, I enrolled in art school. After that, I studied illustration at the European Institute of Design in Turin, and a few years later I got a scholarship at the Mimaster school, in Milan. Is there an artist whose work you admire? What is it about their artwork that intrigues you? I have been influenced by many artists—mainly illustrators—but they have changed over time. The three big names of my current list are Saul Steinberg, Christoph Niemann, and Guy Billout. How did you arrive at your current style. What techniques or authors inspired you? I find more interesting a concept or a story beautifully conceived through a simple drawing, instead of just beautiful artwork as an end in itself. In my approach to illustration, style has not a merely decorative function, but primarily derives from the visual explanation of a specific concept; it is a function of what I want to tell. What clues might you provide to help viewers understand your art? My artworks are directed to as wide an audience as possible. I love illustration precisely because it is understandable and can talk to everyone, it is a democratic art that makes no distinctions. If an illustration needs to be explained, I think it failed its primary mission. Can you describe your creative process? Reading carefully the brief and listening to the needs of the art director can really makes the difference in this job. After that I usually explore many solutions very roughly on paper, then I refine the 3-4 best ideas into proper sketches. I consider the sketch stage the core of the creative process. What tools do you use most in your work? I mainly use a pen tablet and a few tools of Photoshop. However, above any software trick or Photoshop filter, I believe the mind remains the main tool of this job. What is your favorite activity when you take a break from the studio? I was raised in a small valley in the Alps and I’ve kept a strong connection with nature. A run in the woods around my town is enough to clear my head, especially if I am in the middle of a creative struggle. |
