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| All images have been
used with permission. All images are copyrighted
and strictly for educational and viewing purposes. |
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Tell us a little
bit about your background? Where are you from originally?
I grew up in Southern California, in Walnut, just
east of LA proper. To me, it was an ordinary middle
class community and on the verge of massive growth.
The adjacent city, Diamond Bar, was also growing
so the two communities were tied to each other's
students. Needless to say, it was crowded. Good
thing was, high school bored me, as did the small
town vibe. Because of the overcrowding, I was able
to take accelerated courses and graduate in almost
two years. At 16, I started college (Mt. SAC, for
those in the know) and then transferred to Cal State
Long Beach to study fine art. Long Beach had a thriving
artistic community and, I found, it was a wonderful
place to be young and creative. After some years
in Long Beach, I announced I was going to see the
world! Anyway, Europe, at least. So, I jumped on
an airplane and headed to London. I loved traveling,
the freedom of the wind, the abundance of creativity
and the rich diversity of cultures. I traveled through
Europe and England for over a year then returned
to the States. In 1989, I settled in Los Angeles. |
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Who were your
main influences growing up?
Early influences included Gandhi, John Lennon and
many various liberal icons (my parents were hippies).
As a child, I was highly creative but my grade school
experience with "art" was tragic. Looking back,
it was a clear indication of how public schools
"support" a child's creativity. I felt discouraged
time and time again. Discouraged from being free
form with my creativity; drawing patterns, swirls,
abstracts, at the constant disapproval and criticism
of my teachers. I remember being told that what
I was coloring "was not art". Told my "abstracts"
should look like "something". I can hear it now,
"A tree should look like a tree! A house should
look like a house!". Or the devastating, "What is
that?".
Eventually it shut me down. In 6th grade, I remember
I crossed my arms and said, "Art is stupid". In
7th grade, I recall being forced to go on a field-trip
with my class to the Getty (the one in Malibu).
I hated it, hated art, and hated being forced to
go. I remember, I was in the back of the class and
refused to listen to the museum's docent as she
told whimsical tales about the Degas and Cézannes.
However, on a far wall, in the same gallery, I noticed
a small, framed, print by some strange woman named
Joan
Miro. I looked long at her painting. It spoke
to me in a way I had never experienced. Her visual
vocabulary was abstract and emotional, it resonated
so deeply inside of me. I was excited. I wrote the
artist's name on my hand so I wouldn't forget her.
From that day forward, my experience with Miro profoundly
changed my life. I was suddenly excited about art
again and began a journey in educating myself on
contemporary art history. Creativity was once again
a part of my life. Oh, and I learned that Miro was
not she, but he.
For many years I focused primarily on fine art,
which led me to an exploration of conceptual and
performance art, both of which I am still very involved
with.
Okay, to bring this story present, and to the topic
of design...we all know the "artists are supposed
to starve" concept. In my opinion, I was a conceptual
artist but, in reality, I was a waitress. After
almost ten years at various jobs I just happened
to be a waitress right next door to a brand new
startup company called BoxTop. BoxTop designed for
this strange thing called the "Internet". At the
time, I'd never even turned on a computer but the
customers from BoxTop kept telling me stories about
"the Web" and whatever that was, it sounded very
exciting.
I talked my way into an interview. They liked me
and created a position for me as their first intern.
That was my introduction, education and indoctrination
to computers, design and "the Web". After three
months at a non-paid position, they offered me a
full-time job as a production artist. I worked for
BoxTop for three years and rode the initial blips
of the dot-com bubble. During that period, BoxTop
was acquired by iXL (as part of said bubble) and
in that bubble, I worked my way up from production
artist to designer to senior designer to art director.
Okay?
In the bubble and outside of it, I have worked for
high profile companies and equally high profile
brands. During the height of the dot-com wave, I
helped launch the infamous DEN (Digital Entertainment
Network) as their sole Art Director, managing a
team of over 35 artists.
Today, I lead the show at the agency, JUNGLE 8/creative
(formerly Interactive Jungle). JUNGLE 8/creative
maintains a top tier client list that includes:
Carsey Warner Mandabach, Korbel Champagne, Fox Home
Entertainment, Triage Entertainment, Mandalay Entertainment,
and Big Idea. Our focus has included entertainment,
consumer brands, and non-profit entities.
During my education, at large, I have always held
to the "conceptual art" influence. To this day,
I dig deeper and deeper and, in as much, have discovered
the art of brand identity and usability. Whatever
the project or task required, I've always looked
into the conceptual foundation through which I define
the core creative; the seed from which "a project"
will grow.
My visual style does not duplicate anyone else,
though it's inspired by everything around me. I
am extremely inspired by what other artists do on
"La Web", but also on canvas, video, film –
whatever people are doing. I look to world affairs,
spirituality, my son, and the human condition for
inspiration; I look at everything. |
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Why JUNGLE 8?
For me, "Jungle" is everything: organic, chaotic,
predictable. It's the dichotomy of life: Separation,
yes, but also everything that is one experience
too. Jungle simply "is".
8 is a magical number, and:
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8 is the symbol of infinity (upright) |
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8 is the base of the octal
number system, which is mostly used with computers |
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8 fluid ounces in a cup, 8 pints in a gallon,
and 8 tablespoons in a gill (bet you didn't
know that) |
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crazy 8s (my favorite game of cards I used
to play with my grandmother when I was a child) |
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Timothy
Leary identified a hierarchy
of eight levels of consciousness |
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the Magic
8 Ball |
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8 wonders of the world (and you thought
there were only 7) |
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the wheel of life has 8 spokes |
Most importantly:
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8 denotes the law of cyclic evolution, the
breaking back of the natural to the spiritual,
which is the process of creativity |
JUNGLE 8 is all possibilities without lacking –
Natural as evolution, itself. |
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What has been
the most rewarding and challenging project you have
worked on?
Given what I have said? They all are. I feel a surge
of excitement when any new project starts, no matter
the scope or budget. Each project brings its own
set of challenges and limitations. Given both of
those, my job is to push those boundaries as creatively
and successfully as I can while I communicate the
core message. Really.
My current passion is brand identity and positioning,
creative campaign development and usability design.
Oh yeah, and I still love graphic design! |
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From your portfolio,
what is your favorite piece? Why?
All projects at JUNGLE 8 are like children. From
conception to birth, to them leaving the nest, so
to speak, we pour our blood, sweat and tears into
each of them equally. For me, the creative process
is a labor of love, which is why I guess it never
matters if the budget is high-dollar or not. It's
the process, the anticipation of giving birth, that
keeps me energized. And just like a parent with
many children, we love them all for different reasons
and they're all favorites, for different reasons.
Now granted, some projects have more exciting "gestation
periods". I tend to favor experiences where clients
trust us with their brand identity and are willing
to take some risk. More often than not, they find
they can communicate their brand through more progressive
design than they thought. When that happens, it's
an amazing experience all around! |
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Are you working
on any new projects that you can tell us about?
Oh, come on. You know I can't talk about stuff in
development for clients. I assure you, you'll be
the first to know :) |
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To see more of Lainie Siegel's
work, please visit:
www.jungle8.com |
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