Steve Noble

Steven Noble’s site is so jam-packed with image categories, jumps to his array of satellite websites and revolving images that show logos and identity for nearly every type of product or service you can imagine that you might get the impression that he is the hardest-working man in illustration. And you could be right!

From packaging for Altoids, Samuel Adam’s, Budweiser, Peet’s Coffee and tons more, to book covers, ad campaigns, wine labels for Sutter Home, Glen Ellen, Ventana and Cakebread Cellars, to the dollar bill, his scratchboard illustrations have graced and enhanced the identity of a who’s-who of high caliber clients.

Noble lives in Petaluma, California and works out of a studio in the Mediterranean-style house he bought because it reminded him of the houses in the South of France that harkens back to his childhood. The Northern California countryside is also a pleasant reminder of his early surroundings. “I love to take small trips on the weekends in my convertible out into the wine country in Sonoma and Napa valleys and do wine tasting,” Noble relates. “I'm often invited to many of the wineries for whom I've illustrated the labels and get complimentary tastings and discounts on wine. It's wonderful to see the final product out on the shelves, which gives me a great sense of pride.”

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As an editor I cull from a vast number of magazines, websites, blogs, vlogs and more to find information that I feel can be of assistance to IV readers. While much of the material I peruse on a daily basis, might be focused more on design or another field related to illustration, I believe that there is good, practical advice to be gleaned from these disparate writings.

I admit I was first drawn in to Jim Signorelli’s piece below by the literary reference in the title. Like it or not, branding is now a ubiquitous cultural term. I admit I still think of it in connection with cows, and my time on a Texas ranch, but it has come to define savvy advertising that taps into the core qualities and attributes of a product or service, distinguishing it from the pack. Illustrators can take a lesson from the message here: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You are the brand. You, the artist, your imagination, dreams, history, influences. Don’t try to be someone else, be you. Each of us is unique. Artists, and other creative individuals need only tap into their passion, and be true to who they are as an individual. Nearly every creative person out there says the same thing on their website, or in their PR materials: That they are problem solvers, they are creative thinkers, blah blah. And while the work does speak for itself, it is nice to have a little background about those we work and collaborate with.

When I go to interview an illustrator, I want to know what makes that person tick. Why are they an artist? What path did they take? What drives them? What books are on their shelves, what music on their iPod? How do they live? Tell your story, not the party line, but YOUR story. Make that your resolution for 2012! I wish everyone a Happy and Successful New Year.

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