The Portfolio of Max Weiss

I hope that by the end of this webpage you have gotten to know me better, both professionally and personally. If you have any questions or an interest in speaking with me further, I encourage you to contact me via email or by filling out this form from the navigation above. Thanks!

The tl;dr

A quick overview

PROFICIENCY IN

graphic design, illustration, typography, iconography, organizing information, sketching, image manipulation, photo correction, visual communication

▋ Adobe Illustrator (certified 2016)
▋ Adobe Photoshop
▋ Adobe InDesign
▋ Adobe After Effects

Microsoft Windows

Experience with

visual identity, customer service, video editing, motion graphics, sound, photography, 3D modeling, HTML / CSS, p5 Javascript library, copywriting, art

▋ Adobe Premiere Pro

Autodesk Maya

Google Drive Suite
FL Studio
SketchUp

INTERESTS

music performance / composition, game development, content creation, concept art, horology, character design, model making, computer science

The Narrative

I am a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in the city of Chicago.

I had previously used the distinctions “graphic designer” and “illustrator” to identify my position in the creative market, but to better describe my current practices I believe “artist” is also necessary (for better or for worse). I suppose this was inevitable after beginning an undergraduate program at the School of the Art institute of Chicago (SAIC) in early 2019.

In retrospect, I probably misdefined most of my early work. When I got my hands on Adobe Illustrator for the first time in 2013 I had no formal training with the program, nor in design or art in general. If you scroll way back in my Instagram timeline (or maybe don't), you'll see that a lot of what I considered "graphic design" would be more accurately defined as illustration — though I did show some concern for iconography and logotype. Additionally, I think my interest in typography and letterforms was already apparent at this stage.

My first formal experience came from Graphic Alliance, a small marketing firm in the suburbs of Chicago that specializes in print collateral and vehicle wraps. At this point I can confidently say I was doing graphic design, which ranged from simply adjusting names and copy on documents to creating new content based on a client's brand specifications — not to mention the numerous vehicle wrap mockups I was responsible for. Despite my aversion to the program at the time, it was because of multi-page documents and a necessity for more control over type that I started working with InDesign (albeit somewhat improperly). Many projects at Graphic Alliance required direct interaction with clients, either through email or over the phone, to address revisions and prepare their content for production.

Some of my proposed refinements to the Locker Shop brand, including a concise logomark / icon for social media profiles and a clearly defined color palettes. (2018)

After graduating high school in 2018 I began a part-time (and later full-time) arrangement with The Locker Shop, a branch of Unique Apparel Solutions that works primarily with schools and athletic organizations to design and produce apparel and other merchandise. Although I designed a significant number of graphics that took the form of embroidery, screen prints, or other physical media, my contributions to The Locker Shop's sub-brand are much more notable. In addition to assembling a concise logomark based on the existing logotype, I also created an extensive set of icons used to describe the various services and products offered through the company and assisted in revising the brand in general.

This all goes without mentioning the wide variety of freelance work I was involved in simultaneously: as early as 2015 I started offering my services in exchange for some pocket money, and my occupation as a freelancer has continued steadily into 2021. While I am more than happy to work on the occasional shirt graphic or business card, my growing network of colleagues and clients alongside a broadening marketable skillset have allowed me to gradually take on more substantial commissions: in the summer of 2020 I had the opportunity to work on visual assets and a comprehensive brand identity for Koya Medical, a startup based in central California that offers a more mobile, accessible treatment solution for patients with lymphedema.

An illustration I created to celebrate my 100th (documented) freelance project. (2019)

Through freelancing I have made connections with individuals from a wide variety of professional landscapes, and I think that's part of the reason I enjoy it so much: not only am I able to exercise my design abilities, but I also learn about the previously foreign subject matter with which I'm working (much to the satisfaction of my general curiosity). That being said, this experience has also enlightened me to the drawbacks of self-employment, the most notable to me being creative isolation. I have come to realize that an environment in which I can actively collaborate with other creative professionals would be ideal, and it is that of which I am currently in pursuit.

At present I am in my third year of study at SAIC, which I expect to graduate from with a BFA by the end of 2022. The majority of my coursework has been in the Visual Communications Department (which primarily encompasses traditional graphic design practices) — but because its scope is not limited by a declared major I have been exploring other disciplines, including Art and Technology Studies, Painting and Drawing, and Designed Objects (industrial design). Going forward I hope to maintain this means of "cross-pollination" in my studies wherein I'm able to bring my design knowledge to the tables of other departments, and conversely use what I've learned from these external channels to further inform my design practices. 𝝮

The results of experimentation with a new logotype for SAIC, in hopes that I might one day replace the current "box" logo that is so often criticized (2020).