It's another designer interview! Welcome to Feature Friday #007, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. This week we have space design extraordinaire Justin Van Genderen. You can find him on Instagram and around the web. You can also shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

Your space tees are some of our favorite designs on the site. So let's jump right into things with a hard hitting question. You get one shot: Who is your first spaceflight with? Virgin, Blue Origin, or Space X?

Ha! Good Question. Truth be told I am not much of a thrill seeker, so I guess if Blue Origin can send up 90-year-old William Shatner without much issue that may be the ride for me.

To be fair, Bill Shatner is immortal but ok, let’s get serious. What is it that draws you to space themed designs? Is it something that you’re personally fascinated by or is it just a subject that allows for maximum imagination when creating?

I would say both those are very true, I am endlessly fascinated by space/exploration/engineering, and I love the sci-fi aesthetic that comes along with space design. But what really got me started down this path was a curiosity in life's "big questions". Where do we come from? How is truth defined? What can I do as an individual to point consciousness in a beneficial/helpful way towards the values I hold in high regard? It all started with physics and led me to applications put forth by space agencies/companies. You did say let's get serious, right?

Well I was thinking more along the lines of let's-talk-inspiration not let's-contemplate-existence but this is so much better. While we're here, can I ask what you've discovered through your examination of these big questions? Not to get too personal but how have any answers you've found impacted the way you approach your work?

I find it fascinating to explore people's professional direction when it's so strongly guided by their personal journey. And that seems to be much more common in this field than in others.

I don't know that I've really come up with any answers to these questions, or at least any good ones - It's usually the questions that drive me. However, one discovery that has impacted my visual approach is a parallel I found between the great modernist designers of the 50's & 60's and the work of theoretical science/physics. Both, in a sense, are attempting to find a stripped down, beautiful, way to solve a problem.

With physics it comes into play with the search for a unifying theory between the ultra big (black holes) and subatomic worlds. With the modernist movement it is a stripping away of all that is unnecessary to communicate clearly and beautifully. So with my designs I am hoping to find a simple, beautiful way to communicate some of the fundamental laws of the universe... and of course make some bomb-ass-cool space stuff.

Now that makes sense. I think. Honestly the physics stuff is a little above my pay grade but I can definitely say mission accomplished for the bomb-ass-cool space stuff.

Let's continue with the subject of physics and how time doesn't exist and whether or not we're really even here (see: pay grade). What does the future look like for your industry? The art and design world has changed so much in the last few years. From COVID limiting event opportunities, the social media landscape, uh, progressing, and now AI becoming more mainstream. Where is design headed? Sorry, but at this point we've moved past the cupcake questions like 'why are we here.'

Ha, fair enough. Yes, the design world always seems to be in flux. With a field that is so dependent on technology and with technology advancing at incredible speeds, us freelance creatives are always trying to keep up. All of it seems very much out of our control, so my approach is to concentrate on what I do have control over, and that is my work. If every day I try to create something that makes me a healthier, happier person, that is what I try to concentrate on. All the other stuff, AI, social media, technology... I attempt to keep tabs on, but always with a playful interest, not fearful anxiety.

That's a super grounded outlook. And really it's the only way to analyze design tech without losing your mind. At this point the trajectory seems to be that advancements work as tools, not replacements. So let's scale it down to the human level. Chicago is obviously big enough that it can support every community. But what is specifically great about the local design scene there? Does the size make it more difficult to stand out or easier to be seen?

To be perfectly honest with you it's such a big city with so many different artists it's very hard to lump them all together. If there is one common thread it may be the blue collar, midwestern mindset of putting in the work. In other words, don't tell me, show me. Show me the work is important to you. Hone your craft. Put in the hours.

With so many artists it can be hard to stand out, but even on a local level I think the internet plays a big role in the exposure you get. There are a lot of talented street artists and screen printers in the area and every one I talk to has plenty of work on their plate, so it feels like a great city to work in.

There might be enough work on everyones' plates, but is there any deep dish pizza on them? I sampled 3 different pizzerias while in Chicago recently. Can't say I had high praise for any of them. Is deep dish pizza the most overrated food in the country or did I just have a bad experience?

You didn't hear it from me, but I tend to agree. I grew up on the east coast, and still favor the east coast style of Pizza. The deep dish???? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh, at first you're like, wow this is so much cheese... I love cheese! But then you grow up and learn you should probably not mess with a good thing. Listen, Chicago has a lot going for it food-wise these days, but deep dish pizza??? Just not my thang, and apparently not yours either. Next time you're here let me know and I'll show you the good food places.

I'm absolutely going to hold you to that. And just so you know, next Chicago visit I'm really honing in on the Italian beef.

Alright you've been a great sport so we'll get you out of here on this one: What is next for you? Any cool projects you're working on now or maybe one coming up that you're excited about?

You're definitely in the right town for Italian Beef.

I've got a few projects going on right now that I am very excited about - I'm not sure if I can share details about them quite yet but they are all for JPL/NASA. I still have to pinch myself every time I get to work with actual NASA scientists on a project. Hopefully we will be done in the next few months and I can share all the good stuff we are working on. As always, I'll be creating new stuff surrounding any new scientific discoveries/news etc...

Thanks for talking with me about all this stuff, I had fun. Cotton Bureau is a great place to quickly get a tee up and available. The design of the website is bar-none the cleanest and most beautiful I have had the pleasure of using. Congrats on all the success.

Working with NASA definitely qualifies as a ✌️cool project✌️ in our book. We'll be paying close attention to your Voyager. And thank you so much for the kind words about CB! Designers like you make such a Deep Impact in this special community. Wishing you best of luck on your future Endeavors!

Ok that's all the space craft puns I can fit into one paragraph so we better end it there 😉

Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #006, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Andrew on Instagram and around the web. You can also shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

Hey, Andrew, you’ve got a ton of designs on Cotton Bureau ranging from pop culture to sports to technology. What’s the common denominator?

For the longest time I can remember being creative and absolutely loving all things art. I can thank my Mom for getting me any and all arts and craft materials into my hands at a very young age. It wasn’t until high school I realized I could make the a legit career path in creating for a living, which brought me to graphic design and advertising.

Every day I love what I do and the fun thing about side hustles in creative, like with Cotton Bureau, I'm able to continue to create for anything I find interest in and in turn give that love to another person. Many of those topics come from personal interest and or topical items that I find inspiration in on that day. Sometimes created in the moment and submitted in the same night. There is no greater joy than a creative outlet that gives that much freedom and in turns get to share it with others.

That’s awesome. Judging by the portfolio on your site, you’ve definitely succeeded in making a career out of that creativity. Speaking of careers, how are you feeling about AI-assisted design and photography? Is it a threat to what you do or just another tool?

It’s felt like an eternity but I’m reminded it goes by so fast and with nearly 15 years into the creative advertising world I am still just as excited and driven as I was when I was younger.

When it comes to AI and how it's changed or would change my career I think it’s simply new and always evolving at this point. Thinking back to my college days a professor told me in design “adapt or get left behind”. That is so true today as we find new tools and programs and resources its alarming how quickly things are changing and evolving its difficult to keep up. When it comes to the design world, I have seen some amazing things but what ai programs today are creating are no different than what I see on free stock sites, not much worry there. When it comes to photography that is the game changer.

As a creative that is where things are getting way more interesting. As a designer by day I am able to find or build custom images from nothing with ease and little upfront costs. Then with Adobe pulling it into a beta photoshop I have used it countless times to remove and add things into photos for months now. As a photographer that scares me because I am seeing one glaring thing no one talks about, where is the AI pulling these images from? Likely source material so how much of that photo is owned by someone else? 20%, 80%? That is where folks that drive for stock photography as a living are going to get their images pulled for others use. Right now, I believe most ai software is not for commercial use which makes sense and Adobe seems to be taking it super slow to make sure its used properly.

I have been playing with ChatGPT for months now, that seems to be the most useful at the moment. Using it every other day for basic needs such as pulling most relevant hashtags, writing quick headline ideas, creating SEO friendly copy for various articles and social posts and even writing entire blog posts.

Ha. What are we even doing here, right? Might as well let ChatGPT finish the rest of this interview for both of us. But in all seriousness, ChatGPT, etc. just seems like… fancy plagiarism? Copy and pasting and summarizing without any original thought, a soulless pastiche of words and pixels. Bleh.

Changing the subject, tell us one thing about yourself we wouldn’t necessarily know from following you on social media. I see a pretty cool refinished basement that it looks like you did a lot of the work on yourself. What are you into that doesn’t get as much shine online?

Totally, ChatGPT will complete the remainder of this interview. Why waste our time interacting with humans?

The funny thing about social media is the way we try and make it into something too early or from the start or fall within a niche or category. I see photographers constantly find a way into the career and then make a photo account, then a wedding photo account, then a events photo account etc. This is across the board for creatives. They feel the need that within a niche is where you make the most impact and it's actually the fastest point to burn out for many professionals, and hobbyists too.

Now, I have used social media on and off for many many years now but always find myself sharing what I am into and if people come along for that journey great, if not no big deal its not for them and in turn maybe I am not for them. I think I have always been a serial creator and turn hobbies into side hustles more time than not and its a fun challenge. As you state, recently I got into wood working in late 2020. Funny enough the reason was I had made a few tee sales on Cotton Bureau and thought why not go buy a miter saw with that extra income and make some floating shelves for "cheap". So thank you guys!

Those cheap floating shelves turned into a sofa table, a coffee bar, a bench for my bedroom to store blankets, then my home office built ins for the perfect Zoom background, and eventually my full basement built ins with bench, electric fireplace, and shelves to show off old cameras and family photos.

That drive to simply share my passions with others whether it be my design work, my photography of the town I grew up in, or somethign completely new like wood working it all pulls back to the drive to create. Problem solving and sharing that process with others. The interactions I have got from DIYers, friends, family, other wood working professionals giving me tips and tricks. It’s absolutely beautiful that you can reach so many types of people with a small passion you have on the side far away from your day to day.

Are all those things I mention above things that I do outside of the norm that I share? Not really. I actually find myself naturally just sharing small moments in my life or things I am into at the moment that may or may not grow into a larger side hobby or even side hustle with some sales to friends or strangers. I like to sprinkle in many things to my social from the obvious family and life moments all the way to career moves.

Now, one thing I tease every once in awhile that I wish I shared more of is my love for ultimate frisbee. I am going into my 20th year and feel more into the sport this year than ever as the sport grows in popularity. So get ready to see more of that!

That’s awesome. I love your definition of social media. So pure and honest compared to the performative, dystopian place it somehow ended up. Maybe it’s time for me to pull the trigger on that miter saw I’ve been eyeing up? You can have ultimate frisbee though. Too much running, I’ll stick to golf.

Let me ask you one more thing. If you had to throw away your creative career and start over in a new location away from the Midwest doing something completely different, where would you go and what would you do?

You 100% need a miter saw. That sucker changed the game for my home projects and helping make my house a home the last couple years. It's also a totally different creative outlet to build something from scratch. One small tip: just google whatever you want/need and add "DIY plans" at the end of it. It's all 2x4's and plywood. The pantry in the kitchen and then a small kitchenette and bar is next up in the basement!

That is a damn near impossible question to ask anyone let alone a creative that has had the want and passion to simply create and be an "artist" since I was 2 years old. Though in reality it is a question you have to ask yourself constantly when you are working within the field due to the nature of marketing and saturation, burn out, competition, and simply constant mental strain to build something from scratch.

I am 15+ years into this career full time after college and have to admit its not been an easy path but one I find still to this day just as rewarding and passion filled as I did when I was a child. I truly can't believe someone pays me to do what I do every day.

That said, I have always told myself if something did happen and I lost it all tomorrow and I am working this hard I could easily drop it all and work construction and make the same money in a small town USA anywhere and still have a happy life. I think as wannabe poker player to quote the classic film Rounders "Always leave yourself outs". That has been my mentality my entire life and especially in a volatile and competitive career as marketing. You have to be ready at all times when it comes to financial crashes, economy changes, world pandemics etc. Also knowing you can build other skillsets outside of your day to day is what keeps you tack sharp and ready to move on if needed and be able to adapt.

Having picked up wood working I would happily move to a growing town out in New Hampshire and become a contractor for custom builds while also working construction on the side. When people ask me who am I inspired by I never realized until much later in life it was my parents. So much of my drive and passion shows in what they have done in 40+ years each in running a daycare out of home with my mother who LOVED children so much and my father who is a professional truck drive and even competes in it today at a high level. To find passion and drive in life is everything to me and seeing them do that in the most unexpected places I have a true appreciation for it.

That drive and passion is what I saw in my wife when we met as well. I truly believe her love and passion for what she does and push to do it at a high level for others is infectious and something I think I saw in my parents growing up and has continue to grow to an even greater level since I met her. I give a lot of credit to the people around me and she is at the top of that list.

Fantastic. Love the passion. Thank you so much for your time, and good luck with all of your upcoming projects. Always a pleasure talking to you.

Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #005, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Christopher on Instagram and around the web. You can also shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

What’s up! It’s been almost six years since we last interviewed you. At the time, you were living in Boston? Are you still there, or have you moved on?

It's weird how 6 years feels like a lifetime ago. I actually moved on, and then moved back. My family and I moved to Seattle at the end of 2016, and then moved back to the East Coast in the summer of 2020.

No kidding. It’s been quite a ride for us as well. What’s new professionally? Do you feel like you’ve grown as a designer during this time?

Most definitely. I've grown as a designer and as a human being. I switched roles at my day job which has allowed me to be more creative in my "free" time. And because of that I've been able to develop more as a designer, illustrator, and artist. Carving out my corner of the internet and creating a community based on common interests. It's been fun and has created a lot of opportunities for me.

Nice. What are your favorite side projects you have going on right now? Can you tell us about any of those opportunities?

So I create a lot of personal or passion projects under the moniker Failed Imagineer. And because of that I've been asked to do artwork other brands. More recently I've done some spot illustrations for a Disney guidebook, designed some (croc) jibitz for a brand, and have had the opportunity to join Gallery 1988 for 8 group shows this year.

Very cool. Where are you hanging out online these days? Anyone in particular that you have been following that you want to shout out?

Instagram (@failedimagineer) almost exclusively. Focusing on more than one has proven difficult for me. On Instagram I can share easily when I have time, and recently started subscriptions where people get lots of sneak peeks of what I'm working on, give me early feedback, and some goodies in the mail.

I seem to have carved out a nice little corner for myself, and have connected with a lot of like minded people. There are way too many people to call out that have been so supportive, but my pals Mariana (@landandworld), Julia (@pixelandpost), and John (@weare1025) have been super helpful as a sounding board for all my ideas. Also shoutout to my therapist.

Oh, that’s fun. What was the inspiration for the Failed Imagineer persona? Did you ever apply to work with Disney?

I believe I applied to work at Disney at least once, but that wasn't the inspiration. The name really illustrates my love for punk rock and pop culture, and mashing the two together. I'm almost always inspired by something, and to be honest, "Failed Imagineer" is a song title that sparked a t-shirt, that pointed me down the path I'm on today.

Changing the subject slightly, what’s your feeling on AI-generated artwork? It’s such a weird time for design.

That's a heavy question. Overall I see value in AI being an aid to existing workflows. I can see it saving time doing redundant steps I have to do a lot with existing artwork. That being said, I think art that is fully created by AI is extremely recognizable as such, and overall lacks a certain something (soul? perspective?). As someone whose art is already extremely derivative, I don't see AI as something that's going to take my job, but hopefully something that may help. I hope?

I think that’s what we’re all hoping. So, what’s next? Where do you see yourself in 3–5 years?

I have some commissions I need to finish up, some more Gallery 1988 pieces I need to figure out, and a long list of things that I want to draw. In the next 3-5 years? That's hard to say, but I've been setting goals for myself and it's been really fun to see how I'm approaching or achieving them, even if it's in a way I didn't expect. I'd love to have some pieces for sale in some specific stores, I'd like to be a part of more gallery or group/curated shows, and mostly I just hope I'll still be having fun, and if not, I'll find something else to do.

Awesome, so good to catch up with you. Good luck with the Gallery 1988 project. (Love the Needlenose Ned print, by the way.) Thanks again for taking time to share what you are working on.

Hey there, and welcome to Feature Friday #004, our series highlighting some of the incredible people on Cotton Bureau. You can find Tim on Instagram and around the web. If you’re looking to pick up Tim’s new Design hat or his classic Heart of Pixels tee, you can shop his collection on Cotton Bureau.

(Oh, while you’re here, be sure to check out our new referral code program. You can read all the details on the blog, and you might just go home with a brand-new iPad Pro.)

Yo, Tim! We’ve had the privilege of knowing you and working together for over 10 years now. You’ve certainly moved around a bit during that time. Can you update us on where you are now and what you’re up to professionally?

Hello! You caught me at a rare moment where I'm in between full-time projects. I'm currently doing a mix of product design freelancing and advising, and have a bunch of keyboard projects running on the side as well.

We moved back to Belgium about 4 years ago, and I've been working remotely ever since (and loving it). We also got a dog, 4 chickens, and have 3 kids now (last time we spoke it was 1).

Wow. You’ve been busy! Tell me more about the keyboard projects. (But, also, have you seen the chicken orb??)

That chicken orb looks pure evil, not gonna lie. There's something diabolical about putting chicken in a cage shaped roughly like the eggs they lay/come from.

The keyboard thing…

Looking back, it was probably the side project I needed. After having been designing digital interfaces for almost 2 decades, I felt a bit burned out. During the lockdowns I slowly started experimenting with building mechanical keyboards (not tricky, most of the components are standardized, and you can customize anything you want to achieve the look/sound/feel you want).

Me being me, I started thinking about designing some of these components myself. So down the rabbit hole I went. This is where things started moving at a breakneck pace. Taught myself Blender to render out ideas for keycap sets (shout out to Youtube Premium), started learning a whole lot about the production process, got cozy with online shops all around the world to set up a global network of sales points, and so on and so on.

Today, I've got a nice little thing going (still a side project though). Every couple of months I release in-stock drops of keycaps, I've got some keyboards in the pipeline, and am working with some companies on commission projects (I design the boards and caps, my friend takes care of the production model, another friend is a machinist who actually makes the boards). Got some really nice projects coming up I hope I can share more details about soon!

The production pipeline is humming along, so all I really need to focus on is the design side. It's nice.

Very cool. The keyboards on your site look fantastic. Every one has a different vibe. I’m particularly digging Expo, maybe because it reminds me of Severance.

Do you think designing keyboards could eventually lead to other analog projects? Maybe other computer peripherals or desk accessories?

I fully expect that to happen. I’ve learned a ton about designing and producing physical goods over the past couple of years, and it would only make sense to use that knowledge on things outside of keyboards.

I’ve been asking a lot of designers how they feel about AI-assisted — or even completely generated — artwork. Where do you come down on this? What do you think the next 5-10 years of design and art looks like?

I personally see it as a tool which helps designers do even better work. The thing about tools is it’s about how you wield it. If you want you could do amazing work with MS Paint. I currently use it as inspiration, and that’s how I see myself using it for the foreseeable future; the final work will always be done by myself, but occasionally it’s helpful to get unblocked. Maybe one day I’ll be able to train it (like I would train a more junior designer), but I’m pretty against training AI by feeding it pixels and using the pixels that come out on the other side as the final product. Sure you’ll get some nice results, but you lose the human spark.

If I’m not mistaken, you’ve had a chance to live in some amazing food cities during the course of your career. If you had choose to eat the food of only one of those cities for the rest of your life, which one would it be? (And what would be your go to meal?)

Aaaaaaaah that's a tricky one!

Austin is where I fell in love with BBQ, but if I had to eat that for the rest of my life, it wouldn't be a very long one…

I'd have to say San Francisco or anywhere in California. The fruit and vegetables there are just insanely fresh and tasty year round. Typing this from Belgium where summer is the only time of the year we can get overpriced crappy avocados.

At least you have frites! Last question then we’ll let you go. You’ve got a sweet new hi-vis orange Design hat on Cotton Bureau. Your website has strong neon vibes. You’ve got a blindingly yellow keyboard. Have you always been attracted to bold colors, or is that newer development?

Ah, fries, classic. Every Friday; fries with mayo and some poutine-like stew over them.

The bright colors is a relatively new thing. It started with a pair of shoes from my friends at Atoms, and quickly became an obsession from that point on. Partially because it's so hard to produce in print, plastic, fabric… These days I'm just hoovering up whatever bright things I can find. I'd show you my favorite vacation outfit but it might blind you.

Haha, incredible. We will just have to leave that outfit to the reader’s imagination. Thanks so much for your time! Good luck with the keyboards. Can’t wait to see what you do next.