Pictoglaze Gets Their Sneak On
By Alixandra Rutnik on Feb 19, 2021
One Club Member designs type inspired by sneaker brands
One Club Members Nicholas Poon and MeeChain C. co-founded Pictoglaze two years ago and this Creative Director duo really loves sneakers… who doesn’t? To satisfy their sneaker obsession, the pair designed an intricate 3D alphabet dedicated to flashy footwear styles and the outcome is eye-popping, to say the least.
We caught up with these two creative directors to hear more about their sneaker themed type, because when it comes to intriguing typography we’re all ears — or feet, in this case.
You both founded Pictoglaze together two years ago. How have the past two years been for you professionally?
MeeChain: Both Nic and I have been working closely together since 2011 and we both share a love for illustrative 3D digital art and motion graphics. Therefore we decided to create a space allowing us to express or even inspire each other to create more content.
It's been an interesting process for us because we basically started a business from scratch, even though we both have a background in commercial 3D projects. The past two years hasn’t always been easy, but we're grateful that we are still able to do quality work that our clients entrust us to deliver. We'll be continuing to create more projects this year and hopefully we're able to expand our team and collaborate with more talented individuals.
Let’s talk about your 36 days of type. How did you come up with the sneaker theme?
Nic: We were very into sneakers when Adidas introduced their Boost collections. We were so fascinated with the design and amount of details on these shoes, not to mention the comfort level– we both own quite a few pairs of sneakers. We realized that we have spent so much money on sneakers, so we had to do something to stop the urge to splurge on these shoes. We decided to share our excitement for sneakers through a 3D series of letters for 36 Days of Type. It definitely makes us feel excited, seeing so many viewers out there are able to connect with this series. We are aiming to complete the rest of the letters this year!
"We realized that we have spent so much money on sneakers, so we had to do something to stop the urge to splurge on these shoes."
Your work is overall very colorful. How do you play around with colors?
MeeChain: Honestly, we have a very contrasting view when it comes to colors. We use colors based on our mood and the tone we set for each project we take on. We make sure that the forms and colors communicate well in the end result.
How do you determine when a letter is finished?
MeeChain: We use Cinema 4D with Octane Renderer to create the letters. Since we need to do these iconic shoes justice and put the same level of craft and thoughtfulness into each letter, we have spent quite some time getting the design and textures right. We want the letters to look and feel like objects of desire, just like how we love our sneakers. As long as the end result captures that feeling, we can then proceed with the next letter. Each letter took us about two to five days to create depending on the design– some of the designs are rather challenging.
"We want the letters to look and feel like objects of desire, just like how we love our sneakers."
Nike, Converse, Adidas, Gucci, and Kith are represented in your letters. Why did you choose these specific sneaker brands? Are you the wear-a-different-pair-of-sneakers-everyday kind of people?
Nic: When we started this project, we made a list of the brands and sneakers we love– we especially love Nike Air Jordan, Adidas Hu NMD, Yeezy Boost, and many other worthy sneakers designed by incredible artists. We implemented specific brand designs into these letters to honor and express our appreciation and love for sneakers. We are both big fans of Adidas especially the Boost and Yeezy collections. We have about 40 pairs of sneakers, so we do enjoy rotating them around to match our outfits.
"We have about 40 pairs of sneakers, so we do enjoy rotating them around to match our outfits."
One Club for Creativity Members get featured here on the One Club website and across our social media channels. Have a new project you'd love to share? An upcoming exhibition and you'd like us to help spread the word? Drop us a line at membernews@oneclub.org. We always love to know what our One Club Members have been up to, so don’t forget to send us your cool work!
Related
