Felix Sockwell is an illustrator and graphic designer based in New Jersey. Following a storied early career in some of New York’s top agencies, Felix changed direction to pursue his solo practice as an illustrator. For him, setting up outside the City didn’t mean obscurity; instead, he’s developed a unique signature style and works with a varied of high-profile clients like Facebook and The New York Times.
See more of his work on his website, FelixSockwell.com
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- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 37 (MP3, 36:49, 17.8 MB)
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 37 (OGG, 36:49, 32.3 MB)
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Felix Sockwell for WQXR, his signature continuous-line illustration style, click to enlarge
Show Notes & Links
- Felix describes himself as both a designer and illustrator, from a family background in design, illustration, and advertising
- “Illustrative Designer” Von Glitschka
- East Texas State University, Felix’s almost mater
- DDB Needham/Tracey-Locke, ad agency in Dallas
- The Richards Group, communication agency in Dallas
- Brian Collins
- Ogilvy‘s Brand Integration Group (BIG) in New York, known for their 16-hour days
- Rick Boyko
- Laurie Rosenwald
- Luke Hayman
- Tom Vasquez
- Alan Dye
- Felix’s style is continuous vector line illustration
- Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, cover artwork by Felix Sockwell
- T.S. Monk — one of Thelonius Monk’s similarly-named sons — lives in South Orange, NJ
- Charles Anderson
- Eric Johnson
- Starwood Hotels
- Le Méridien, a Paula Scher/Pentagram client at the time
- Christine Blackburne, photographer and previous podcast guest
- Highlights Puzzle
- Pushpin Studios, an influence for Felix
- Prescott worked with Seymour Chwast
- Norman Rockwell‘s style
- Joe Marianek, formerly of Michael Bierut‘s team at Pentagram and past guest on Design Matters with Debbie Millman. (Bierut and Millman have both been guests on The Busy Creator Podcast, by the way)
- karlssonwilker
- Paul Sahre
- South Orange “feels like Williamsburg, Brooklyn” (according to Felix, at least)
- Felix’s recent calendar poster for NPR –
- Jonathan Selikoff, founder of Vote for Letterpress in South Orange, NJ
- “Squirrels are our friends”
- Kyle Webster, illustrator
Tools
- iPhone
- Adobe Illustrator (not Photoshop, not InDesign)
Techniques
- Work with a rep/agent only when it’s a really big job
Habits
- Save tedious or intricate pieces for yourself, for later use (ex. drawings of hands)
- Embrace the slow evolution of your own style
- Build a personal zone, which can involve coffee, music, or weed
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