WHEN you hear the name Christopher Taylor, it may sound like the name of a flamboyant sportsman or of someone famous; but this is the name of someone who is simply very gifted in graphic designing, and is trying to satisfy his hunger in the creative world of graphic designing.He is a 20-year-old soft-spoken but not timid individual, who is also a talented photographer and is employed at the Giftland Mall as a Graphic Artist.

Do not be fooled by his quiet demeanour, for he is not afraid of challenges relative to his work, and is willing to climb as high as it takes him to achieve his goals.

Taylor is a city resident who spends his free time designing flyers, video editing, doing illustrations for story books, and engaging in photography. He says he just loves what he is doing.

He became involved in graphic designing at a tender age after watching two of his siblings doing it, and he wanted to master the art of drawing by hand, something he was not versed in. After experimenting on the computer, he became fascinated by the vast array of possibilities.

Taylor, from a family of three brothers and two sisters, spent three years just taking photographs; he considers this activity as bringing out the best in him. He said, “It is not just about taking a photograph, but it is about capturing the facial expression of that person at the right time, since every picture tells a story, and photography is all about the mood of the person that is being photographed.”

Taylor is hoping to pursue a degree in Graphic Designing and Fine Arts at a recognised university overseas, but for now he is taking small steps in pursuance of his goal.

He says it has not been easy for him, but he is always up for a challenge and has an open mind when it comes to newer things in the world of graphics.

Taylor is one of those people who can create magic graphics when he sits at a computer. He is aptly described as “one of the best” by his colleagues, since he comes up with his own concepts.

For him, graphic art is not very lucrative locally, and he considers himself a ‘work in progress’ geared towards gaining as much experience as possible to qualify himself, although he is already equipped with the ‘know-how’ in this regard.

Taylor told this publication that anyone can be a graphic designer, but not everyone can be an artist. He says he wants to master both fields, and it is not an obsession of which he can simply rid himself because it is engrained in his being; graphics is his world, the place where he feels most comfortable.

Asked what he would choose if he had to choose another career, Taylor said he would be a story writer or a teacher; but, for now, he is trying with graphic designing.

“In 2011, when I was asked, ‘what career are you going to pursue?’ I froze mentally; unlike my other classmates, who knew or pretended to know what their future career goals or aspirations were. I was clueless. I always liked teaching people & writing stories, so I figured I’d be an English teacher or a story board director; but I had never thought I’d become a Graphic Designer,”  Christopher Taylor disclosed.

As a Graphic Designer and Illustrator, he uses a fusion of mythology and movie cinematics in his artworks.

Taylor said he was drawn towards Graphic Designing since, “as the middle child of my six siblings, growing up, I watched my two older brothers draw cartoons and people as a hobby.

“I wanted to do the same, and that sparked in me an interest for art. Six years later, I was introduced to the Windows XP version of Microsoft Paint by two of my cousins. I’d watched them draw with shapes in the programme, and I was fascinated by the range of tools, features and colours that were located primarily in that one programme, and how the traditional form of drawing with a pencil and paper had migrated digitally,” he said.

When he got his first computer, Taylor said, the first thing he did was teach himself the programme, then he created his first digital art piece.

He explained that the Internet had not then been created, so most of his entertainment came from drawing in the programme; and, over time, his passion for the hobby grew.

Taylor said four weeks later he got bored of the computer programme and became aware about Adobe Photoshop, which he went on to learn after he bought the Adobe Creative Suite CS3 for his birthday.

He said, “It is a funny thing that no other store at that time had stocked the software but Giftland Officemax”, the same store that became the first company to give him his work experience as a Graphic Designer, a working field he was not sure existed in Guyana until his mother enlightened him.

This self-taught individual said that both of his parents tried to enroll him into an art school to take up painting and drawing over the August vacation, but at that time he was too young, even though his skills were thought to be unparalleled among those of a similar age. Both schools, whose names he would not mention, said he needed to be at least four years older than the 10 years he was then at.

Taylor said, “As it is said:
‘Water, music and dance is life!’ So is art! Graphic Designing is a part of art, and I love it because it gives artists new ways of expressing their thoughts, character, current feelings and messages through countless forms.

“Another reason why I love Graphic Designing,” he said, “is because it gives passionate designers a way to make a living for themselves, by doing what they enjoy.”

Taylor’s advice to youths desirous of becoming professional graphic designers is this: “Keep practising; experiment often; ask for feedback, and collaborate!”

Taylor says that being experimental and practising can both challenge one’s designing limits and improve one’s skills and abilities. He says he rarely gets to meet other designers, but when he does, the collaborations make great projects and gives both parties valuable experience. (Michel Outridge)