Meet JAYLAN BURGESS | Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with JAYLAN BURGESS and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JAYLAN, what inspires you?
I am inspired by my inner child. My inner child is where I hold my purest form of imagination, creativity, and expression without the constraints or influences of growing up. I believe that through the process of play and interaction with the world as a youth, we start to mold what truly interests us and as we begin to develop a clear process of cognition and proper resources, we start to create and design that same world we saw as a youth, with our work as adults.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art and brand is a reflection of myself and my emotions through graphic design. I think the thing that sets me apart from other brands is the human aspect of the art. A lot of brands are in the fashion space for money, bragging rights, and just to say that they can do it, where my brand is focused on the art piece; from the small details within the piece to the overall message that the piece speaks to. I want to evoke emotion and questions from anyone viewing the art “Wow, I never noticed this about my hoodie,” or “What does this mean? What was the inspiration behind this?”. What makes me most proud of my brand is the fact that I don’t force the design process to meet any goals other than to spread a message and build my portfolio, on my time – my way. Professionally, the time and work it took to get to where I am today was not easy by any means. It has taken days, months, years just to understand simple things of business and design that, still to this day, I have yet to master, but being in this space, you’ve got to fall in love with the process and never the destination. That is the best way to overcome any obstacle that you might encounter, whether it be creative blocks, lack of capital, or lack of support, using those things to fuel and motivate you will bring something out of you that you never could imagine. The one thing I would want people to leave with, after interacting with me and/or my brand, would be that every ounce of energy and messaging is to make the world a better place. I want people to think. I want people to question everything that they have grown to know. I want people to get back to essence of life, where the problems and trials of the real world doesn’t hinder your growth, but aid in it. I want my brand to reflect the purest form of you!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Welcome to Atlanta, baby! The greatest city on Earth. My perfect day in Atlanta would consist of starting my days off with brunch or early lunch in Old Fourth Ward at Ponce City food hall where you have an endless variety of food and drink options, not to mention shopping opportunities. From there, I would suggest something chill and some place where you could learn something. I’d head over to Midtown to the High Museum of Art where you can find the best fine art in the city, or the Museum of Contemporary Art if you’re into a more modern take on the art scene. From there, its time for a drink and some fun! I like to to bowl, so Atlantic Station’s Bowlero is a perfect place to bowl and bar! In Atlanta, we love our sports, sometimes in spite of our health, but after that we can go see the Hawks play at State Farm arena, then walk to ride the Ferris wheel at SkyView down the street. By this time, its probably getting late, so lets find a lounge or a bar to kickback, drink, and listen to good music. You can never go wrong in Buckhead looking for some fun at night but you can never visit Atlanta without experiencing the night clubs scene, specifically the most provocative ones where clothing is optional and the chicken wings are to die for. And don’t forget to be sure to tip quite generously at these spots. After that, its only right to hit your local Waffle House on your way home from the club. You might catch a fight, car jacking, or a cook-cashier yelling match, but best believe your All-Star will be the best one you’ve ever had-until next time of course. That is a perfect day in Atlanta, for me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would give my shoutout to my family and friends for unwavering support throughout my entire journey, to begin. A special shoutout to my brother for influencing me with the “rebel approach,” that has lead me to question the world around me in search of a divine truth. Another special shoutout to Architecture school for providing me the necessary tools to design the world around me with intent, care, and focus on the things that really make design fun for the artist and the patron, merchant, viewer etc.

Website: ignorantyouthatl.com

Instagram: @ignorantyouthatl @iy.ds @jaylanbtg

Image Credits
@yuelshots @iy.ds