Justin Bauer
Design Director / Creative Director / Brand Designer / Strategist / Artist
New York, NY / Los Angeles, CA / Mexico City, MEX
www.bauerhaus.la
instagram @justinbauerart @bauerhaus.la
Q What do you do?
“I help brands and people reach their humans! I’m a Creative Design Director, Brand Identity Designer, and Artist. I create strategy for brands, and bring it to life by making entire worlds for their humans to hang out in. If I’m working with a brand, work starts with a very consumer minded approach. If I’m working with a musician, we go deep in the material to make an album cover or image that looks like the feeling of listening to their music.”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Well, I started by flat out lying that I could make a digital logo for House of Blues. I could draw, but not ‘logo’. So I bought the book 'Illustrator for Dummies' and the rest was history. I was honestly pretty dumb back then and couldn’t grasp the concept of art commercialization. After that I got a big-boy job doing web design, and then a bigger-boy job making apparel at a big action sports company. I was very estranged from that industry but they were letting me create art for money so I embraced change! I did that for maybe 6 years until I became an Art Director.
I worked with people like Kelly Slater on global campaigns and the idea of ‘marketing’ really sunk it. I was always at odds with it as an artist but the core of it is humans connecting to humans. Which is something even introverts need!
Eventually I moved to LA and started Bauerhaus Studio.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
People always tell me that ‘I really care’ and I really do. I have extreme empathy for anyone trying to create something from nothing. I also go to extremes to build entire worlds for my clients. Since I’ve worked on giant national campaigns, with a zillion moving parts I know how to distill those parts into something easier for a small business to stomach or individuals who are just releasing their first single. We can make something that’s only local-minded. Or, when a big project needs everything from naming, campaign rollout strategy, social presence, to some fun illustrations, I can do it all. And when the budget is right I get to hire amazing creatives to explore that project with!
Q What are you working on right now?
I just finished a spinning logo animation for the musician Elke, for her behind stage screen vibe. She has a truly earth-breaking album coming out VERY SOON and I promise you should pre-save whatever you can before the world is broken from it.
Q What’s your style?
My most personal style could be called pop-industrial or pop-expressionism. I explore that on the @justinabauerart instagram, along with my paintings at justinbauer.com. I’d truly love to work with a brand that wants that edge but it’s not always practical in brand work.
I also love a very pop graphic style. I had an amazing time working with Zac Farro on his solo project album photoshoot and release. We created single covers focused around simple bold graphic imagery, did a great photoshoot with the always cool and collected Zachary Gray, and put a great vinyl jacket together.
I made a huge merch package for Paramore that felt like them, with some of my style sprinkled in there. We made a shirt of Haley’s skull X-ray that she showed on Jimmy Fallon. I loved working with Hayley on it, her care for her fans and desire to be as honest or real as possible really lends itself to creative freedom. https://www.bauerhaus.la/projects/paramore-tour-capsule
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Ha, it can be extremely overwhelming yeah. Honestly, high-fashion. The amount of time that I think about fashion would surprise most people. When I paint I think about fashion. I have so much experience in textile production and cut & sew but was a bit stuck in a different industry before.
I also want to make more music. Some days that’s how I transition from technical work into creative, I’ll blast ambient keyboard sounds from my warehouse as a sort-of synth therapy. I’m currently writing a script (cliche I know) and working on a children's book, and I’d love to get into some type of alternative art education.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
There isn’t an up or a down right now. All industries are weirdly struggling. Not weird that they’re struggling, but I mean struggling in a weird way. Commerce standards are being challenged by ‘just a feeling’. Which is ok because people respond to their purchasing from feelings. But the amoeba of how the industrial complex is changing is truly abstract. You can try to point to an overarching narrative but each business I talk to or article I read seems to net out to a personal anecdote. Some site Ai or political unrest, or Google SEO changes. But right now, nothing’s linear.
And hey, if it is because Ai, I just want to encourage people: humans will always get bored of something that doesn't have life. Make sure your art has vitality to it. Even if you make some bad art, make it vital. Also, hi, you are loved.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I just want a back massage and an aperol spritz.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Give yourself more permission to enjoy your weirdest ideas - to myself at 20. Sometimes the world will only get those ideas in ten years. But you can’t abandon them, if they keep coming back up they’re worth your time, no matter how fringe (or even cringe) that concept is.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I want to go to the Large Hadron Collider. It might be their intense collection of wires that draws me in but, I’d love a full tour of that facility. I want to see for myself if dark matter exploration is as mystical as it sounds.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I love working with brands that are into trying new things. Or that want to strip away ‘salesy’ talk to focus on what their human can actually benefit from. If you have a product big or small, it’s all noise if it isn’t centered around what your humans are actually asking for. I’d also love to create art for the sphere. Deep down inside, don’t we all?
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love when no idea is a bad idea. When we allow ourselves time to find something, and not rush to put a band-aid on. I was the Design Director at DoorDash recently. We had a big team but honestly it felt small, because I could get in a (virtual) room with a stranger or my direct team, and just connect with them on a personal level, then help create space to explore vague ideas and be really comfortable with that until we needed to move into action related phases.
Mentioned this before but, when Zac Farro was working on his new album he was on tour with Paramore. So we could just call every week and throw ideas around and it felt the same as if you were chilling in a field by a stream writing in your personal diary. All national brand value slogans should be made that way. I’m not kidding. But I guess that’s why corporate retreats exist. Creation should happen in safe spaces. If that space isn’t safe, make it safe, for both yourself and others. That’s a challenge in deliverable oriented work-places but it’s 100% possible.
Q: What is your rate?
I have a few accessible set prices on my services page, ie. $1000 T-shirt design. Brand Design packages are bespoke and start in the double digits. Also, social habits have created the need for more flex brands. Because of that speed and need to be close to your consumer, I’m feeling a brands’ hesitation to do a full re-brand or even re-fresh sometimes. So I started offering two different 5k packages that lift your brand while using your existing assets. They’re aimed at our social behavior, and they make it easier to explore some next steps before you’re ready to do your full re-brand.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
If you see me in traffic let’s scream window to window! Or email! It really helps to know your general intentions but I also specialize in ‘we know we need to grow but we’re not exactly sure how’. So I love an open honest conversation where we can sort it out together.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I love working with Zachary Gray - @zacharygray Also Payton Newcomer is a gem of a creative - @paytonnewcomer
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Keep one empty canvas lying around to wipe your extra brush paint off. You’ll make something completely untethered.
This member profile was originally published in August 2024.