Designer Parks Perdue adopts a DIY aesthetic for his music-inspired projects

Date
2 May 2017

21-year old designer Parks Perdue is currently studying at the University of Memphis and has been working on establishing a style and approach that suits him. “Currently I’m experimenting. I don’t want to shed the DIY aspect of my work too much but I’ve been forcing myself to work in a more constrained set of design fundamentals, just to see where it will go,” explains Parks. “I’ve been studying a lot of old corporate design from the late ’80s and ’90s, which is a great inspiration because it feels both serious and laughable, which I think is an interesting dichotomy.”

Other influences for Parks’ work is through making his own music and running a small electronic record label with his friends, called DM Hardware. “I’ve always been interested in electronic music and there’s of course a tonne of amazing design source material that comes with that culture. All the old Dance Mania records and Underground Resistance releases had amazing hardcore DIY art that’s really stuck with me,” he says.

A lot of the work in Parks portfolio right now has been created for musicians and music-related clients. “This isn’t on purpose but it’s definitely nice, they are usually down for the more off-the-wall stuff. Working with artists steeped in experimentation like Palm and Cities Aviv is a treat too. They understand the attitudes I’m trying to pull off,” the designer explains.

With a focus on typography and using found imagery, Parks’ work feels fresh, exciting and bursting with potential, and this zest for design stem from his childhood. “My parents are both graphic designers so I grew up in a house full of reference books and Adobe products. They never forced me into design or anything, though; I really sort of fell into it,” he says.

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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Parks Perdue

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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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