The Behance Blog
Meet Our February Guest Curator: Kervin Brisseaux
Each month we invite a creative to curate our social feed for one week. We spoke with February’s Guest Curator Kervin Brisseaux about what it takes to develop a signature style and the Behance moodboard he curated for his takeover.
Kervin Brisseaux is the Design Director at brand experience and packaging design studio Vault49, crafting campaigns for some of the biggest names in food and beverage. As a freelance illustrator, he creates bold and dynamic illustrations — one of which you may recognize from the start up screen of Adobe Illustrator.
Kervin’s creative philosophy marries two seemingly opposing forces: passion and patience. Passion often breeds success, and he encourages free exploration of creative fields, whether that be music, photography, acting, illustration, or dance. But to be a successful creative, that raw drive must go hand in hand with persistence. “I think the most important advice I can give is really just to put the time in and don’t rush it. You need a lot of patience.”
See more illustrations from the BURIZU project
BURIZU, a recent project by Kervin, explores characters and concepts through dynamic, manga-influenced illustrations. “This was a passion project that reinvigorated my love for illustration and character design. I really pushed myself to make a consistent illustration series and I plan to do more in the future!”
Illustration by Kervin featured as the start up screen of Illustrator CC 2019
A signature style is not something found overnight. Kervin’s illustrations are the product of years of practice, experimentation, and studying of works by other artists that he admires. “The style I have now is an amalgam of things that I’m most inspired by.” He was originally classically trained as an architect, and now quotes photography, streetwear, and Japanese animation as the primary influences on his creativity.
And while his style of illustration is instantly recognizable, Kervin doesn’t consider having an “ownable style” that important. “I think what’s more imperative is to have a clear voice in what makes design good to you. Have an opinion and be able to articulate it. I think you’ll find that this form of conversation and conceptualization amongst yourself and your peers is what will inform your process and eventually your style.”
Kervin collaborated with photographer Marc Hayden for this series of illustrated photographs
Kervin starts each creative project by first finding the right references. Sometimes that reference comes in the form of a book or a photograph, and other times, as a playlist or album. “You can’t beat a great DJ mix or playlist,” he shares.
See all the projects from Kervin’s moodboard
Moodboards also play a pivotal role in Kervin’s creative process. On Behance, he organizes moodboards by creative fields, ranging from photography, typography, and graphic design. His moodboard for this week’s social takeover is a mash up of various inspirational references. He describes his curatorial process as a “visceral response to the aesthetic.”
One of the projects featured in the moodboard he curated for the Behance social channels this week is a series of typographic murals by fellow New Yorker Ricardo Gonzalez. “I’ve been captivated by Ricardo’s work for some time and this one is by far my favorite project of his,” shares Kervin. “Just an awesome series of typography works at an immense scale. Wish I could have seen this in person!”
Nothing Lasts Forever by Ricardo Gonzalez
Given how much Kervin emphasizes passion and practice, it’s no wonder that he was drawn to Wes L Cockx’s 3D and typography project. Titled COLLECTED, they are Wes’ explorations of 3D typography and illustrations. “I really like these passion projects driven by craft and interaction. I think Wes does an amazing job here creating some really captivating 3D sculptures” says Kervin.
COLLECTED • Explorations by Wes L Cockx
Another project that caught Kervin’s eye is a series of portraits by illustrator and muralist Saddo. Like Kervin, Saddo finds inspiration from music and has a bold, recognizable style that is celebrated by his audiences. “I love Saddo’s mixture of traditional painting with pop culture references. This series is a great mix of color and iconography with bold compositions.”
Portrait of Kamaiyah by Saddo
Throughout the week we’ll share more projects from Kervin’s moodboard on our Instagram and Twitter. You can see more of Kervin’s work on Behance.