Noah Beckwith’s experimental approach to his “stream-of-consciousness” posters  

Date
22 May 2017

“My style is always evolving, but I think a common thread throughout is that my work always appears to have something almost wrong with it,” explains New York designer Noah Beckwith. “I like to think of it as teetering on the brink of disaster. Lately I’ve been exploring ugliness and precision as a means of constructing beauty or intrigue. I’ve been imposing restrictions on myself, and forcing myself to use certain colours, elements or typefaces with little compromise.” 

Noah’s typographic experiments and odd poster designs form part of his practice as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. “I’ve had a handful of professors who have been extremely helpful with teaching me how to speak about my work, and made some close friends who I talk about my work with,” Noah says of his time there. “I love working on everything from digital compositions to posters, branding or art direction.” 

The designer has developed an impromptu approach to working, by designing and experimenting as soon as he feels like it. “This way of working is extremely gratifying, especially when the ideas I explore contribute to a larger project,” he says. Noah explains he’s always loved finding unique typefaces and using them in unexpected ways and this year he’s started to create his own. “It’s opened up a new understanding of why I’ve been drawn to certain typefaces in the past. I love fashion and I see parallels between type and fashion,” explains Noah.

His work has a “stream-of-consciousness” vibe to it, with composition and layout often appearing sporadic and haphazard, with a plethora of bright colours adding to the frenzy of Noah’s work. “The line between graphic design and art is blurred for me," he says. "No matter if I’m working on an abstract piece or a more traditional project for a client, I’m still just composing with colour and form in an attempt to create a fulfilling and emotional experience for the audience.” 

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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Noah Beckwith

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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