Born and raised in Georgia, designer Roy Fleeman began his journey into the design world after a mundane and dreadful spreadsheet test sparked the realization that it wasn’t a business degree he was after. Always interested in art and drawing, as a child Roy would try to emulate letters he saw while watching his father, a sign painter.
His aesthetic — clean with hints of whimsy and gleam of vintage quality — boosts the spirit of the brands with which he works. After starting out as a junior designer at an ad agency, Fleeman is now making his mark on Atlanta with business partner Bart Sasso and their newly founded creative agency, Gentleman Design & Works. With clients like Ticonderoga Club, The Bitter Southerner and Wild Heaven Brewery, we expect to be keep seeing more and more work from this talented local.
Here, Fleeman chats with CommonCreativ about his influences, inspiration, and his love for Game of Thrones.
CommonCreativ: When did you first get into design?
Roy Fleeman: Growing up, my dad was a sign painter. This was before vinyl lettering took over, so some of my earliest memories are of being in his shop and smelling lacquer thinner while watching him hand-paint signs. I used to try to mimic the letters he would paint while he was working and then I would use these new skills on my drawings (my specialties at the time were Ninja Turtles and spaceships). Later I would get into comic books and spend hours redrawing the semi-naked, extremely exaggerated female characters of the mid ’90s while also redrawing the speech bubbles.
As extremely cliche as it is, a specific album was a huge eye-opener for me. When I was 10 years old I saved up my money and bought Vitalogy by Pearl Jam. I would sit in my room with the album on repeat while pouring over the images and lyrics. It’s the first time I could really sense how the design of something added to the overall experience. I can specifically remember running my fingers over the cover and feeling the embossed title printed in gold foil as Mr. Vedder mush-mouthed his way through “Spin The Black Circle.”
CC: What’s your creative process?
RF: It really depends on the project and client. Sometimes I have an idea that I know will work right away and I can jump on the computer and knock it out, but a lot of times it takes a couple pages of little messy sketches to start to unlock an idea. I’ve really started to focus on identity and branding, so I’ve recently been providing clients with branding worksheets for them to fill out as homework before I even begin to formulate solutions. It’s always easiest for me when I get to work with someone who has clear goals for their brand or project. The blank canvas can really be crippling, so I find that when you’re working with someone that can provide you with a spark, it will always be a more rewarding and beneficial end product for everyone involved.
My process has also changed lately in that I stopped trying to force things. I’ve spent plenty of time staring at a notebook at 2 in the morning just trying to unlock an idea from my brain. Sometimes it would work…most of the time it didn’t. I’ve found that getting some rest and getting away from the computer for a bit is much more helpful than checking every design blog on the internet. Many of the better ideas I’ve had have come to me while taking a walk or sitting in traffic.
CC: How have you developed your style as an artist?
RF: The biggest development in my style has been the idea of subtraction. Starting off, I wanted to throw every trick I could come up with at everything. Textures, colors, gradients, etc. I feel that young designers can often overwork a weaker concept with too many flourishes. Now I always ask myself what I can take away to make something stronger and more impactful.
CC: What are some of your creative inspirations?
RF: I’m lucky enough to have a lot of friends that are also creative inspirations. My good friend and partner at Gentleman, Bart Sasso, is a fantastic designer who I followed long before we ever talked about working together. It’s always inspiring to work through design problems with Bart and to see his ideas come to life. Trey Wadsworth, who has been one of my best friends for 10 years, is doing some amazing work for Adult Swim.
I tend to gravitate towards a lot of work from the ’60s and ’70s, particularly for the aesthetic. Designers and illustrators from that era were able to distill ads and logos down to basic shapes and do it with such style. That’s what I strive for.
Roy Fleeman
CC: Who are some impressive or cool clients you’ve had?
RF: Starting out in ad agencies around the city, I was able to do work for a some of the great Southern institutions such as Chick-fil-a, Coca-Cola and Children’s Healthcare. I was also able to rebrand my city, the Marietta Square, which was really rewarding. Walking to dinner and seeing your logo and messaging on bumper stickers, posters, banners and billboards is a great feeling.
Right now I’m really happy about the clients Gentleman is working with. Earlier this year, Gentleman became the creative agency for The Bitter Southerner, which has been an amazing opportunity for us. Having such rich content and being our own creative directors has led to some really amazing work. Along with that we are working with Wild Heaven Brewing on their branding and new can releases, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, and Ticonderoga Club along with many other Atlanta food and beverage businesses.
CC: What’s up next for you?
RF: Bart and I partnered at the beginning of this year to form Gentleman. We had been knocking around the idea for some time and it finally came together officially. We hope to keep growing the company this year by bringing on a full-time account manager and junior designer.
CC: What are your thoughts on the Atlanta’s art scene?
RF: I love how the city seems to be embracing the arts more and more every year. For example, a place like The Goat Farm is really fostering an amazing creative community of artists. Even more corporate places like Mailchimp are giving artists the opportunity to share their work through projects and showcases. Atlanta seems to exploding — not just in the visual arts, but in the culinary and music worlds too.
CC: What do you listen to, read or watch to get inspired?
RF: Oh man, like everyone else in the world I love Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. The show I miss the most is actually Hannibal. That was one of the most visually and audibly rich shows that I have ever seen.
When I’m working, the music I listen to is across the board. I was really into the hardcore music scene for awhile, so I’ll frighten my wife [by listening to] Converge or Hope Conspiracy sometimes. Right now my go-tos are Future Islands, Sturgill Simpson and James Blake.
You can see more of Roy Fleeman’s work on his site and Instagram.
