The ever evolving portfolio of Parks Perdue continues to use "silly tropes to my advantage"

Despite still studying, the DIY infused aesthetic of graphic designer Parks Perdue continues to bowl us over with his regular portfolio updates. However, at a point in his creative career where the possibilities and projects are endless, Parks is deciding to keep things local.

“I have some larger, more fleshed out projects in store for 2018,” the designer tells It’s Nice That of the year ahead. “I’ll also be finishing up my undergrad program in May, which is equally as exciting.” Despite amassing quite the design-loving Instagram following, internet collaborations is not what excites Parks about growing as a designer. “In general I’m trying to work more with local designers in the southern US,” he explains. “Like, recently I’ve been working with Davis Gooch, a Nashville-based designer and Risograph printer. Talking over the internet with people and dm’ing back and forth and whatnot is always cool, but working and collaborating in person with someone is always better. It’s also kind of rare for me as well, to find someone who is in proximity and sort of on the same wavelength, so that’s been a great experience.”

When we last wrote about Parks his work stuck to one or two colours, displayed in a photocopied style that although displayed on screen remained textural. Now, his style is edging towards “working with colour and shapes more than I used to,” he tells It’s Nice That. “I feel like I’ve toned things down a bit as well. At some point, my work began to feel like a novelty so I’m kind of reacting against that, a little bit at least.”

Still sticking to a dark colour palette that utilises the eccentricities of certain typefaces in neon colours, his work has certainly stepped a gear in terms of a graphic design aesthetic. We’re also very pleased that the playfulness that originated from his early work has stuck, as he continues to use “silly tropes to my advantage”.