Feature Friday #027 - Steve DeCusatis
Jack of all trades Steve Decusatis joins us this week to talk about snowboarding, Europe, and Philly's penchant for producing top tier design talent.
Browse his site to discover more of his work and enjoy 20% off all of his on-demand items through Sunday, August 17 with coupon code featurefriday20 at checkout. Now on to the chat!
Before we get too deep into your process and experiences, I have to know: is there something in the water in Philadelphia? We've chatted with Martha Rich, Mario Zucca, Maria Tina Beddia… it's no question your city has produced the most interviewees in this series.
What's the design community there like? Is it so big that you have little interaction or is it tight knit with plenty of collaboration? Whatever the answer, Philly is doing it right. The collection of talent is impressive!
There just might be! Take the Schuylkill and mix in a splash from the Delaware, and there you have it. I'm in good company here with the people you mentioned. All great folks-and extremely talented!
I've known Mario since school; we studied together at Tyler School of Art and have collaborated a bunch over the years doing logos, apparel, icons, etc. We even spoke at a conference together about our collaborations. Big high-five to Mario!
Martha is super cool. Martha and Mario spoke at a Philly lecture that I hosted many years ago called Multifaceted. Come to think of it, Martha and Mario have both done some snowboard illustrations with me. Maria took part in two PhilaMRKT events as a vendor, and her illustrations are dope.
PhilaMRKT is a pop-up marketplace hosted by Mario Zucca, Josh Carter, and myself. We feature Philly's best designers, illustrators, printmakers, independent artists, and more.
The design community is wonderful here. It's one of those cities that feels like a small town; especially when you're at a design event. There are some very talented designers (and illustrators) in the Philly area and new talent emerges often. It's inspiring.
That's some sort of cocktail! Your city definitely has a few of our favorite CB folks (don't tell the others).
You mentioned two very interesting points that I want to followup on. First, and more simply, what's your favorite snowboard destination? You can certainly do worse than our Appalachian resorts in PA, but having recently experienced Breckenridge and Park City, holy moly the Rockys are a different animal.
Snowboarding is such a fun way to get outdoors and be creative. I started riding in 1994 and have immense passion for it, even though I don't get out too often.
My favorite destination would be Killington or Pico, and we lived nearby for a few years. From Philadelphia for a day trip, I would say Bear Creek or Blue Mountain are two solid options.
Vermont is next on my list! I've heard Killington is a great East Coast resort. And Blue Mountain looks pretty awesome. Really at this point I'll take any non-90°-full-humidity weather.
Okay a little more topical, tell me more about PhilaMRKT. How did it get started? What's unique about it? Does the city have the grease the lamp posts when you have the event?
I'm typing this on a day with a high of 95º, so any mountain right now would be incredible!
PhilaMRKT is super cool, I must admit. It's a pop-up event where we take over a space and fill it with graphic designers and illustrators. Most artist markets are more "artsy" and we're more "designy" if that makes sense. It's fun, community-focused, and we started it in 2017.
The vendors set up shop and sell their goods, and before the events we promote the heck out of it. No grease needed, haha. You can check out our website or @PhilaMRKT on Instagram for a glimpse into the events. Josh, Mario, and I are kinda on a bit of a hiatus, but PhilaMRKT could resurface again.
The 'designy' market is definitely evident. It's very cool to see the community creating such exposure. It's a great collection of talent but clearly features a lot of variety as well. That seems par for the course with you personally, no? An Italian study abroad program with history, language, and cinema courses… that's a full experience! How did the time away affect your work, in regards to both juggling projects and expanding your skillset?
Yes, I like variety. It's the generalist vs. specializing debate that's tough for me sometimes. I love designing logos, but I also like doing packaging design, apparel design, snowboard design, etc. I also love being a student as much as I can to learn new things.
Studying at Temple's Rome Campus has been amazing. I've completed their adult study abroad program twice now, with different classes, professors, and classmates each time. This time around, I had a wonderful drawing class-highly recommended. Luckily, I was able to juggle some ongoing design projects while being there. I usually spent my evening hours catching up on emails and keeping designs moving forward. A nightly gelato break didn't hurt the momentum.
Speaking as a fellow generalist, I 100% get this mentality. And I have a few questions about your versatility, but we're going to keep this one simple: What was the best thing you saw or did in Rome and will there be a third trip some day?
Trying to keep this one simple: Arriving in Rome on the first day of the Conclave was special. Witnessing the energy and global news reporters in St. Peter's Square during such a historic time was unique. Another trip to Rome? Absolutely.
That's so cool! It's definitely a bucket list trip. And with minimal interruption to your work projects, it sounds like you're getting the best of both worlds. But I do want to focus on the business side of things for a second…
Clearly AI design has become more prevalent over the past few years. Have you seen an impact to your logo or packaging work? Either positively through its usefulness as a tool or negatively with client expectations and demand? I also wonder if you're set up to be in a stronger long term position because of your proficiency in multiple areas. A wider scope means more security, no?
It's hard to say too much about the direct impact of AI. I think having a diverse set of skills is important for designers. Adaptability, creativity, and flexibility are crucial. I've been leaning into teaching a bit more lately as well.
Teaching is such a great way to give back to a community you're active in. I don't think there's anything more valuable than hearing from successful business owners and accomplished designers about their methods and experiences.
Has the teaching process mainly been facilitated through a studio, online classes, or more student based school systems? I'd expect to see a younger demographic more invested and enthusiastic about generated art. Have you noticed a similar theme?
Thank you! Teaching is wonderful. Challenging at times, but overall impactful. I've been teaching at Philadelphia and NJ universities part-time for almost 20 years.
I touch on some of the generative AI tools via Adobe. For example, the Generative Color feature in Illustrator and the Generative Fill feature in Photoshop. Some of the students are into it. These tools are useful at times. I like to show multiple ways to handle design scenarios. It's important to explore and improvise. Generative Fill is insanely powerful. Adobe even has a similar feature in InDesign now. It's totally wild what you can do!
Agreed. The possibilities are some weird combination of exciting, scary, and intimidating. I think we've done our due diligence on your process and experience. Let's wrap up with this one…
Many of your CB designs revolve around Philly even though it's the second best city in the state (😉). If the Acme cheesesteak factory exploded tomorrow and buried the city in whiz, what does your fresh start look like? Maybe a new location, different industry, or focusing on passion projects… anything is on the table.
Anything is possible. My wife and I are both close to getting dual citizenship in Italy. That opens up some doors to the EU. Winning the lottery and/or retiring early would be amazing too! Working less and traveling more is an ideal scenario.
Thanks so much for your time and fun questions, Joel! Much appreciated! Also, much love to Pittsburgh. Cheers!
Appreciate the time, Steve. This was a lot of fun!