MARVIN MANIGAULT JR
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
I was born in Charleston, South Carolina and raised in Durham, North Carolina where I graduated from Mount Zion Christian Academy. After high school I attended the Savannah College of Art and Design where I received my B.F.A and M.A. in Graphic Design. I grew up reading comic books and most of my love for art came from comic book artists like Alex Ross and Jim Lee. Graffiti was also a major influence in my life as well as the fashion designer who created FUBU. I considered both graffiti and comic book art some of the greatest forms of design.
My introduction to Graphic Design was at See Saw Studios in Durham, NC. This after-school program gave middle and high school teens an opportunity to express themselves through different types of art like fashion, sequential art, industrial design and graphic design just to name a few. My first assignment at See Saw Studios was to do a silkscreen T-shirt design. I saw the process for developing T-shirts and it made me see design development in a whole new light. I had a better understanding of process and how important it is in defining the work I do.
My hunger for knowledge led me to apply to Savannah College of Art and Design where I completed my B.F.A and M.A. program which sharpened my skills as a Typographer and Graphic Designer.
After college, my first job was with Marine Corps Community Service (MCCS) Marketing in Okinawa, Japan where the award-winning monthly publication "Okinawa Living" is produced. Here I had the daily task of creating effective print advertisements, billboards, logos and T-shirt designs for on and off base events. I also got to develop several unique and innovative editorial layouts for the magazine. MCCS Marketing has taught me a great deal about designing and has also helped me to achieve a higher understanding of my graphic design skills. Ultimately I won four Davey Awards including one Gold and three Silver awards for the work I designed at MCCS.
Philosophy
Brand and Logo development is one my favorite aspects of Graphic Design. Brands are created to be long lasting and the first thing that consumers remember about a business. My philosophy concerning branding with my clients is that they can have a beautiful mark, but this is 40% design—the rest is what the business brings with the mark. Some people expect the brand to do all the work, but the business has to shine to give the mark a stronger meaning. Ads are also put in place to reinforce and repeat these things to the general public so that someone will never forget and it becomes a normal thing in people’s life.
Vision
Through my design my customers will receive a brand that is timeless.