Event Description

Chicago Designers Nigel Dennis, Yann Legendre, and Tnop Wangsillapakun

AIGA Chicago’s Fresh Talent 2007 highlights the work of three young Chicago-based designers – Nigel Dennis, Tnop Wangsillapakun, and Yann Legendre. The discussion centers on the city we call home as the three young designers publicly reflect on their work and place within Chicago's design history. Rick Valicenti of Thirst moderates and asks each designer to begin their presentation by identifying a designer or designers who have come before them with whose spirit theirs best aligns.

Join AIGA Chicago for an evening that promises to ignite your Chicago pride.

Event Summary

This year’s Fresh Talent focused on young, Chicago-based talent. Rick Valicenti, a national Fresh Talent alum, curated and moderated the event. Featured designers Nigel Dennis, Yann Legendre and Tnop Wangsillapakun highlighted fresh work from the Windy City as they gave individual presentations and formed a panel with Valicenti to answer audience questions about their practices in Chicago.

Nigel was the youngest featured designer at age 24, with his work at Electric Heat ranging from art for Coca-Cola to album design for independent musicians. Valicenti aptly described his success as “having simultaneously attracted the attention of the corporate world and underground culture.” Nigel cited music as his primary inspiration, “his breath, his life,” for work characterized by many layers.

French-born Yann Legendre emphasized his love of drawing, which he views as a way to discover his environment and ultimately find inspiration. “I try to be very diversified and to surprise the public with a different technique,” says Yann about his work at Tanagram Partners, garnering inspiration from observing art and life.

Tnop Wangsillapakun began his career in Chicago after graduate school at Savannah School of Art and Design, and a few years later he started his own firm bePOS|+|VE with locations in both Chicago and his native Bangkok. Tnop combines advertising, art and design to form a very unique style. His good-natured personality and strong logo work has attracted a large, international clientele like Corbis, Nike, and Intel.