Brian Lindstrom Art

On the surface, Brian Lindstrom may seem like your typical Orange County twenty-something. An alumnus of Aliso Niguel High School and Cal State Fullerton, Lindstrom embodies the unassuming attitude and laid-back surf style of his peers. Uprooted from Chicago at the age of twelve, only his affinity for the beloved sports teams of the Windy City gives away that he’s not originally from here. But chat with the 28-year-old for more than a few minutes and you’ll be struck by his passion for graphic design, his artistic mindset, his drive to excel, and his incredible talent.

For as long as he can remember, Lindstrom has been creating art. In high school, he doodled designs on his papers and sketched away in notebooks, and before he even finished his degree in graphic design at Cal State Fullerton, he was working professionally, designing the business collateral and identity for a local realtor. “I learned a lot from that first job. I actually ended up not getting paid, so I learned fast to always [sign] a contract first!” He has worked for ten years in the surf industry and done design work for corporate giants like Starbucks and Oakley. His design company, Newbaric, has created the logos, graphics, posters, advertising, and identities for many small businesses and entrepreneurs in Orange County. Did I mention that he’s only twenty-eight?

Every one of Lindstrom’s designs starts out as a sketch and is scanned into his computer. Lindstrom loves the aesthetic created by the mixing of computer elements and hand-drawn elements. His designs are modern and geometric, yet organic and dynamic. He posts a new design on his website daily to keep his creative juices flowing. “My mission as a designer is to push myself and become as knowledgeable as I can. I want to make sure I have what I need to give my clients the most groundbreaking and beneficial designs,” Lindstrom says.

Every morning Lindstrom brainstorms and sketches, working out of his design loft in his Laguna Niguel home. Orange County encourages Lindstrom’s creativity; he finds inspiration for his designs in surf culture, beaches, and architecture. “Everyone wants to be here,” Lindstrom says. He also appreciates his clients. “The business [owners] of Orange County are very driven and entrepreneurial. My clients know what’s important to build a brand. I love that they trust me and just say, ‘Have fun and go for it.’”

You’d think that Lindstrom would be busy enough designing, planning his upcoming wedding, and making plans for grad school, but he also takes time to give back. A few years ago, he designed for the Hurricane Poster Project, which raised money for the American Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and more recently, for the Haiti Poster Project to support the work of Doctors Without Borders. the Haiti Poster Project was launched three days after the January 12th earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Designers and artists from all over the world participated in these projects, submitting designs that sold online.

It seems that part of the formula to Lindstrom’s success is that he truly does have fun. “If it’s not fun, I’m not doing my best work,” Lindstrom says. After asking Lindstrom what he’ll do when his work stops being fun, he said without hesitation, “It’ll never not be fun.”

THE ART OF BRIAN LINDSTROM { BY LISA BIRLE }

Brian Lindstrom Online

www.newbaric.com

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1. FAVORITE BANDS: Coldplay, Tycho, The Black Keys, The Beatles and Andrew Bird.

2. FAVORITE RESTAURANTS: What a Dish at Dana Point Harbor; Mangia Bene, an Italian restaurant in Laguna Niguel; Tutor and Spunky’s Deli in Dana Point; and of course, In-N-Out.

3. FEARS OR SUPERSTITIONS: I have a lot of sports superstitions. Chicago sports are cursed. Kill the *Billy Goat!

*Authors Note:

The Curse of The Billy Goat Explained:

The Curse of the Billy Goat is often used to explain why the Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1945. It began 65 years ago when Billy Sianis, owner of Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, was asked to leave a World Series game at Wrigley Field because the smell of his pet billy goat was disturbing the other fans. Before leaving, in an outrage, Sianis is said to have declared, “Them Cubs, they aren’t gonna win no more.” The Cubs haven’t won a World Series since.

4. LAST BOOK YOU READ: I’m a few hundred pages into Atlas Shrugged.

5. FAVORITE FILMS: Gladiator, Cinderella Man, The Bourne Series, and all the Seinfeld DVDs.