5 Graphic Designer Arik Mergi Under The Spotlight

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Arik Mergi is a Graphic Designer from Tel-Aviv. His works includes Photo Illustratons, drawings and 3D elements. Here are some of his most famous artworks. Arik Mergi talks about his fantastic works and his design life. Let's have a chat with him!

1. Welcome to Think Smart Designs please introduce yourself. Could you tell us where you're from and how you got started in the field?

My name is Arik Mergi, born, live and create in Israel. After completing my design studies at Vital, the Israeli branch of Middlesex University, London I went on to ESAG, Paris for an additional year.


As a little boy I was always interested in painting and colors. Then one day, sometime in my teen years, I went to see a dance performance by Israel's best dance group - Bat-Sheva. The show was called "Anaphaza" and I had no idea what I was about to see or hear. The show incorporated dance, music, video, text, poetry, images, and rhythm; it was a mesmerizing experience that took my breath away and left me with a sharp message. Over the years I've learned that combining several elements into one experience in a creative way was called design.

2. How was your first experience with Photoshop? And tell us how you have evolved as an artist since then, what lessons have you learned that stuck with you all these years?

My first experience with photoshop was before I was 15 and since then I always discover new things. After working with this program for so many years I understand that before starting to work with photoshop or any other program you must have an idea-concept, and just after that you can execute your design on the computer. Programs are great tools to help you express your creativity, you must not let the programs lead you - only the idea and your brain can lead you.

3.Can you please walk us through how you created your pieces and what exactly you intended the message to be when you created them?.
Since completing my studies five years ago, I have been working as an art director for an agency that specializes in branding and design for a commercial sector. While working, I started looking for my own language, a unique way to express my thoughts and ideas about the many issues that preoccupied my life and mind on a daily basis. The use of collage came from my attempts to pull apart metaphors and images and then put them back together into one intriguing new image. From a creative standpoint, connecting elements from different worlds into one collage expresses the meeting points that happen all around me.

4. Your design style varies from piece to piece, it could go from typography, to photo manipulation. Why do you experiment with so many different styles instead of sticking to one and mastering it?

I live in Tel-Aviv, a visually and culturally intriguing city. Tel Aviv is the center of culture, creativity, business and leisure, in Israel, and one of the most obvious things about it is the impact and influence of other large cities in the world. A lot of my work captures restless moments, and feelings of alienation I feel around me every day. I also feel the work touches on the meeting between the people who live in the city and the endless mechanism which is the urban environment.
From a creative standpoint, connecting elements from different worlds into one collage expresses the meeting points that happen all around me.

5.In your opinion what would be the best way to market yourself as a designer to attract clients?

In our world after every designer has his own website where he can share his portfolio, the market and clients look for something more...they want to know who is the person that stands behind the designs, what are his thoughts about many subjects...so from my opinion every designer must have a blog where he can express his thoughts and opinions about many things..And if you are consistent with it, and keep it interesting, it will be worth it for you. On these days I'll be working on my blog and it will be on the web soon...

6.What programs do you use? And lastly walk us through a typical session as a graphic designer.

The main programs I use are my brain and my hands,, before jumping to use the computer I start making some simple sketches with a pencil and a sketch book..After I get the idea of what I want to do...I go to my beautiful Mac and let it flow by using: Illustrator, Photoshop , InDesign...I recently started working with friend of mine on some 3D elements...So, I import them into illustrator and play with them...

7. Which would you say is your favorite illustration that you have created, and why?

I'm teaching myself , not to fall in love with my works...So, I always hope that the next work will be better than the previous ones.

8.Thanks for providing Think Smart Blog with this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?

what is thought to be the edge is only the beginning.

9. Where can we find you on the web?

http://www.arikmergi.com/