The bond between fan and artist: the story of graphic designer Juni “I love Photoshop” Moon

It’s every fan’s dream to meet the artists who inspire them. Now imagine first meeting the musician you admire, then being asked to create for them.

Surreal might not quite describe the experience but for Crash Test Dummies fan Juni Moon (WorldofJunimoon.com) it really felt more like an extension of that unique bond between artist and devotee.

We caught up with Juni about her new album cover for the Dummies, and why digital design is the new frontier.

Creative Allies Most of us will come to know you through the artwork on Oooh La-La, the new Crash Test Dummies album, but that little jacket seems to be just a glimpse of your creativity. What are your main disciplines?

Juni I am a fine artist with school training but I do it all. (laughs). I am working with intellectual properties these days, selling t-shirts that I’ve designed, but I’m more than anything a graphic designer and mixed-media artist.

Allies And you created a video for the Dummies song “And It’s Beautiful,” too. How was that project born?

Juni I told Brad (Roberts, voice and mind behind the Dummies) that I have such a resource of images here in Rochester, where I live so we came up with something inspired by Talking Heads and it just worked. Brad freaked out about being in the video so I got him into the idea of a conceptual video.

There was a photo shoot, then we pieced together the video using stop-action methods and weeks of going through video stock. There was a bunch of reworking, and then I knew when it was right.

Allies The story goes that you were a fan first, then hired by the Dummies after meeting Brad – is that true?

Juni I have been a fan for about 8 years. When I was just learning how to create on the computer, I made a fan page for the Dummies. I made wallpapers and different images and the fans loved it I really cut my teeth on their images.

During that time I would go on the band’s message boards, and Brad would come on all the time too. He and I would get into these heated conversations,and we just became pen pals.

Allies In a television interview supporting the new album, Brad calls the package (which includes 24 pages), a “fan’s dream” because of all the insider references and homage to other Dummies projects. Do you think it takes a true fan to really capture an artist’s style?

Juni I think the better you know your client the more it helps in the design.  I always take a lot of time to research a client, get to know their favorite colors, their tastes.  It was an opportunity more than once on this project to be a real fan. I could say without asking would a fan like this–because I am one.

Allies You have formal training in design, but were working on your art even before that. What does the formality of design bring to the table?

Juni I was self-taught for years, but school was helpful in teaching me about the pitfalls of doing this as a business, how to control the client, all that. Plus most people want a professional who can do so many things. Nowadays you have to know everything from Flash animation to HTML and CSS and more alongside regular design.

Allies Your bio says that when you found Photoshop it was “love at first click.” Are there other tools that have been as compelling?

Juni I am better at Illustrator now thanks to school. But I just love Photoshop. I think it’s what you come up in but I love the layers – you can do anything with it.

Allies Can you tell us what visual arts inspire you right now?

Juni

1. Time-lapse photography

2. Minimalism

3. Vintage and steampunk

Allies Musicians are sometimes conflicted about the power of the internet and how it has changed their industry and economy. Where do you as a graphic artist stand on the release of information and art via the web?

Juni The Internet has done nothing but benefit us. Sites like Creative Allies are a blessing to us. We can work and create and even make money from them. I support that as much as possible.

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Enjoy more work from Juni Moon at her website. Check out our Creative Allies contest for Crash Test Dummies (since ended) right here.