'as a designer is up to us to create our own work and not wait for someone to ask for it'

Chris Rubinio is an individualistic artist/designer whose work has been exhibited in Europe, Japan, and Hong Kong and around the U.S. He has created commercial artwork for such clients as The New York Times, Guinness, Miramax, Banana Republic & the NY Public Theatre. He also runs a Brooklyn-based silk-screen studio named Studio18Hundred that makes limited edition posters for rock bands including The Rapture, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Vetiver.

When he moved to New York right after graduating his portfolio was full of paintings and clips of bad abstract animation. He made a bunch of bad record covers and discovered typography. Over the next few years he was given great opportunities with a couple higher-end design firms until he was ready to be on his own.

'From the beginning I've always tried to work on my own work, as well as on client-based projects. These have often overlapped, resulting in something that I've personally been happy with. In my experience, clients never show up asking me to work for them because of the corporate work I've done, but rather the self-initiated projects I've produced'.

The best example is his project for Banana Republic – a Christmas wrapping paper. He used the same animal motif in his studio18hundred posters and then was asked by Urban Outfitters to design porcelain plate set especially for vegetarians with a use of the same animal ornament.

Rubinio's portfolio at the Art Department NY:

http://www.art-dept.com/illustration/rubino/index.html

Artis's website:

http://www.chrisrubino.com/

Video recording for ADC Young Guns Live: The Backstory "DIY" (Chris is this handsome bearded bloke) where Rubinio (with James Victore) confesed his way of work for a benefit of us all young and unexperienced:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ig0xsY9XO4