Visual symbols have a way of communicating ideas, messages and representations to the human mind. For thousands of years, they’ve assisted mankind to develop various forms of communication and interaction. In the lexicon of popular culture, artists and brands have deployed their own symbols to spark emotional responses because of the values they represent. Take, for example, Nike’s signature swoosh logo or Louis Vuitton’s interlocking L and V with a floral motif which are widely known by international consumers and the importance they have as part of the cultural fabric.

Digital artist and designer, Craig Redman, of the renowned design duo Craig & Karl has worked with the likes of both aforementioned brands and knows the effervescent power that symbol holds. It’s no wonder that the Brooklyn-based artist created his own symbol back in 2008 to etch his creative imprint in the cross-roads of fashion, design and more. Redman’s Darcel is an egg with a single eye that acts as a versatile avatar for the physical and digital realms. He first used this cyclopean subject to act as a substitute for himself in an illustrated blog called Darcel Disappoints that he created about his life in New York City. Darcel pokes fun at the everyday mundane with cynical illustrations depicting the character drunk at crowded openings, drinking booze, shopping, eating and other sardonic situations.

Redman’s blog has attracted major brands, catapulting his cycloptic character into a number of different collaborations with Nike, adidas, Coca-Cola, IKEA, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, colette and many more. With an avatar over a decade old, Redman has secured himself a popular symbol that will naturally take its next, timely step: the metaverse. The artist is set to release a collection of 10,000 “moody frens” from the world of Darcel Disappoints. Each Dour Darcel is randomly generated and is a unique NFT that lives on the Ethereum blockchain.

“Building the community has been the most fun part.”

“Darcel has always been a relatively solitary figure, Dour Darcels has given me an opportunity to create an entire community,” said Redman to HypeArt. “The idea was to create a collection of 10,000 frens, a community of Darcels that could come together and work towards a common goal. Building the community has been the most fun part. It’s so nice to have different people come together from all over the world and rally around Darcel, instead of it just being me.”

The NFT collection will launch with a resale this March 4 with a public sale to commence March 5 on Dour Darcels’ official website. Ahead of the sale, we spoke with Craig Redman to learn more about his foray into the crypto realm, Dour Darcels, creative processes and more. Check out the exclusive interview as part of our ongoing Studio Visits series below.

“There’s room to create lots of Darcel personalities just by switching up those key elements.”

Where are you based currently? Describe a “day-in-a-life” in your studio.

I’m based in Brooklyn, the day starts with a coffee and checking emails, messages and Discord. Then it’s on to working, my practice includes design, illustration, installation, paintings and NFTs. My days are long, really long at the moment, I’m leading up to releasing Dour Darcels, my upcoming NFT collection – it’s an epic amount of work.

What were your main motivations behind creating Darcel Disappoints?

I first created Darcel when I moved to New York back in 2008, I created him to be a substitute for me in an illustrated blog about my life in NYC. Over the years I got to work on lots of collaborative projects with him and brands like Adidas and Coca-Cola. My most enduring partnership was with the Parisian store colette who I collaborated with for over 10 years, including a collection we did together for IKEA.

How did you come up with the cyclopean avatar as the star subject of the collection? What were your inspirations behind this character?

Since Darcel has been around for a while, and people already use derivations of him as their profile pics for social media, it made sense to develop an NFT collection where he was the central figure. I think because he’s very simply designed, essentially an egg with a single eye, he works great at a small size and is a simple shell to add attributes to, like different hair or glasses etc. There’s room to create lots of Darcel personalities just by switching up those key elements. It was a really fun process to figure out.

“That’s what I like about NFTs, it’s a way of giving verifiable ownership to digital art.”

Digital art has been a primary focus in your career. Tell us about your early beginnings and how it was like when you started.

I studied design, eventually segueing into illustration, painting and installations. Digital artwork has always been at the core of what I do though, even if I’m working on a painting series they will always start as digital sketches first. That’s what I like about NFTs, it’s a way of giving verifiable ownership to digital art. Creatives are so used to giving away their work for free, even if it’s just posting on Instagram – minting NFTs gives a digital certificate of authenticity to everything I create.

The metaverse is a hot topic of conversation these days. What are your thoughts on it and its implications for the future of technology?

I think it’s a fun addition to IRL experiences. It’s not good or bad, it’s just a different way of experiencing things. Strolling around Decentraland and chatting to people’s avatars at a metaverse event is fascinating, I see it as an addition to doing the same thing IRL. The same way that you make friends IRL you also do in web3, it’s just a different group of friends and experiences.

NFTs, especially collectibles, get a bad wrap in a sense that they’re “money-grabs,” how would you counter such criticism?

Some are, for sure. I personally look for projects with a doxxed and established team, either people that are deep in web3 or artists who have established careers. I’m only into projects I relate to as well, whether it’s the artwork or the utilities they offer. There are lots of incredible NFT projects out there, but it can be a minefield when you’re first entering the space.

“I would get so bored if I did the same thing over and over ago.”

How do you pick and choose which brands you want to collaborate with?

I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to be selective with Darcel, I’d rather say no to a project with a brand I don’t like than just do it for the sake of it. Mostly I want to work with brands like I can relate to, or that have relevance to my life. Darcel is a very personal character to me and I only want to work on projects that reflect that.

Describe your signature style in three words.

Colorful, bold, humorous

What advice would you give to budding designers or artists? 

Try everything. Don’t restrict yourself to one medium, or one set of ideas – try them all out. I would get so bored if I did the same thing over and over ago. To have a long career in the creative field you need to be flexible and be willing to try new things – push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Aside from Dour Darcels, what projects are you also working on?

As well as Darcel stuff I’m always doing projects with my creative other-half Karl, we work together as Craig & Karl. We’re currently working on a big exhibition that’ll open in Shanghai this year (pending Covid restrictions), it’s part immersive, part experiential, part traditional artwork – I can’t wait to see it all come together.

Stay up to date on Dour Darcels by following its official Instagram account here.