Since morphing their graffiti crew into a full service design studio in mid-nineties, the often imitated but never replicated 123Klan are veterans of the graphic design landscape. The clean street style of founders Scien and Klor have made their way onto cars, kicks, clothes, magazine covers, toys and beyond.
With a client list to rival agencies many times this duo’s size, and an aesthetic that continues to impress 10 years on, 123Klan have proved themselves worthy of veritable OG status in graf and digital design world. We had a chance to ask Scien a few questions…
So how is a day in the life of 123Klan like?
It depends, usually it is very classy, like: checking emails, myspace, facebook, twitter and working all day long while listenning good music. Sometimes it is crazy, like runnin everywhere for different meetings. Sometimes it is super chill, like to paint with a bunch of friends a cool spot while having beers and a bbq. And sometimes it is just amazing, like to give a conference in Kuala Lampur, enjoying the sun in a 4 stars hotel + going to party crazy all night long.
Anything that would catch my eye, it can be an old neon sign in the street with a cool font, a nice handstylish tag, some good colours combo, a new electro track or an old hip hop track, some vintage american mascotts or some graffiti pieces… as for books or movies i haven’t particulary got one. That is why we love flickr, because you can find out all sort of cool stuff on it, from toys to font to graffiti to lego freaks to talented painters, etc…
Good collaborations are usually coming from a good relationship or simply a motivating project.
Any companies are welcome as far as they respect our artwork and our budget, our job is to give them back the best of us, who ever they are except maybe nazis pedophiles or this kind of people…
We are still excited by graffiti like day one i guess, we love the fact to give your best with nothing in return, to see new styles, taking risks to share the best of you, the smell of spray paint, having fun with friends a sunny day.
It depends, usually it is simply some ironic jokes or the way we feel things going on. Style is the message was the easiest way we’ve found to explain our opinion on what graffiti was about to non initiate people. Today it became our philosophy, in everything we do or consume, you can apply it to many things in fact. Style is the message could also mean that we mind a lot about details in things we like, from a graffiti piece, a logo, a character, a photo, a building, a furniture, a piece of denim even in a burger or a pizza…
Many things in fact, especially technologies evolved a lot, spray paint like computers, and of course communications. It is really hard to see how everything will evolves in the future as everything today is going so fast. About originality and styles, it is the same old recipe, new tendencies takes over the old ones a bit too fast in my opinion, Today it is easy to be famous, but it will be harder to become a classic.
I don’t really know, maybe to buy a new eraser, i can’t find where i’ve putted my old one…
3 Comments
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