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I often do spotlights with designers and illustrators that have earned their keep as a professional in the industry. Matthias Bäuerle however didn’t catch my attention because of his experience or impressive list of clients, my interest in him was aroused for a very different reason.

The reason I wanted him on the site is because I was impressed by his diverse portfolio, clear vision for his future and a pro-active attitude to reach his goals. It’s my opinion that talent harnessed correctly combined with a clear view of what you want to achieve will always lead to those goals being reached. No doubt in my mind that these are the people to put in the spotlight since the inspiration they can radiate goes beyond “I wish I could do illustration like Neil Duerden” and might just lead you to evaluate and re-plot your own direction.

Hey Youri and dear readers. My name is Matthias Bäuerle, I’m 24 and live in a small city in southern Germany. I’m currently studying Mediadesign/Graphicdesign at the Academy of Ravensburg until October 2009. 

I think the passion for design started in my childhood since I was always drawing which later turned into the wish to create my own designs.
 
Being a musician I’ve always been busy creating the art for my own band but also for others. Around three years ago I brought “Season Zero” to life - which was at first just a name for my portfolio. Last year however I started working for a lot of bands, providing them with album artwork, posters, websites, band photos and what else they needed.

I’m a big fan of the working styles of “Invisible Creature” and “Sons of Nero” who exclusively work for bands and record companies. Additionally I’m also a total typography addict that’s always trying to evolve his hand lettering skills to provide even more individual logotypes for clients.

When I started using Photoshop roughly ten years ago I only made photo compositions, trying to realize the ideas and images I had in mind. With the years I became more and more involved in “common” graphic design, including corporate design and typography. Concerning this I’m a total old school print designer. So maybe my “diversity” is based on the thought that it’s definitely important to divide between an illustrative artwork style and a more reduced “typographical” layout based style.

When doing an artwork like “Escape from Twilight Menagerie” I strive for a result that is recognizable as a Season Zero piece but when doing commissioned work, the most important thing is to communicate the client’s statement and not my own. The best thing is when it’s possible to realize my own style to visualize a client’s brief.

It’s very important to specialize. In my case I have to admit that I completely hate doing web design. I don’t have the time to keep up with all the trends or programming hacks you need. Sure, it would be possible to do more websites but my recent decision of not expanding on this field might be the toughest one I’ve made lately.

Regarding the rest of my work I’m not worried. The best thing as designer is the variety of sub-fields you can work in without leaving the actual field. In my case it’s great to combine photo compositions, layout and typography with varying importance depending on the desired result. I definitely don’t want to miss a thing.
 

The band is called Mantikor and we’re playing a catchy kind of Metalcore. You can visit our site or check our Myspace out. Our first album “And the Light of Long gone Days” is being mixed and mastered at the moment and will be out later this year - so check back then to get some better sounding samples. Also watch out for the album artwork that I’m currently working on!

To be honest I’m not in the “big business” yet. I strive to contact bigger labels next year when I’m done with the studies. At the moment I Mostly work with underground or unsigned bands here in Germany. This is really fun because you get the opportunity to become a small part of the bands you work for. I love visiting rehearsals and discussing designs when I’m working for bands. It’s a creative collaboration that always results in unique designs.

I have to admit that it will probably be hard to work exclusively for the music industry, but hey - nothing ventured, nothing gained! Invisible Creature and other specialized graphic design studios are proof that it’s possible!
 

1. Listen closely to the music of the band/artist you’re working with. I sometimes listen exclusively to the music of the band when I’m working on a piece for them.

2. Never restrict yourself to any kind of music, even music styles you don’t like could become a great possibility to create unique designs.

3. Start to play an instrument:-) You’ll start listening to music in a totally different way.
 

I have a wide ranged musical taste that ranges from David Bowie and Daft Punk to Killswitch Engage or Nine Inch Nails. I couldn’t really say for which one band/artist I particularly would love to work for. I’d like to work for all of them, being totally naive for a moment! But I also like the challenge to work with bands I’m not familiar with and experience new music - no matter if they’re signed, underground, newcomer or bestsellers.
 

 I think I would stick to Season Zero. As a band you’re totally exposed and dependant of so many people - like booking agencies, record labels, producers, managers and even the other band members. It’s really tough and in most cases you need all the strength and time you can muster to make it big. Doing graphic design through “Season Zero” means I’m the only one who is responsible. It’s a good thing to rely on your own skills. So everything you achieve (or don’t) fully lies in your own hands