Jake Hollomon: Designing Hype

You could be wearing an adidas T-shirt designed by him, you almost certainly would have been taken back in awe of the intergalactic Star Wars x adidas campaign, and you might have even dropped your lunch on your trousers when you saw the Iconics Custom Kits. But you probably don’t know anything about the creative team behind them. Meet one of the team: Roundhouse’s Jake Hollomon. We got a chance to hook up with the Portland-based designer and illustrator to talk about Star Wars, adidas Gazelles, and his work for the brand with the three stripes.

Jake grew up in a creative household, his father Kurt D. Hollomon was an illustrator and freelance art director, and for most of his elementary school he was home-schooled. With a diet free of cable TV his appetite was sated through drawing, reading, and learning typography and the basics of design. It’s not surprising that he would ultimately follow his heart to study at Pacific Northwest College of Art. Here he developed a design style that ‘incorporates an illustrative and handmade aspect’. A style that is clear to see in his work with adidas.

Firstly, Jake, tell us how your relationship with adidas came about?

My work with adidas has always been through agencies. Working in Portland means you’ll inevitably end up producing work for the two giants of the footwear industry that call this town home. My first projects for adidas revolved around Originals events. The launch of the Star Wars line in NYC is a good example.

It must have been electrifying to be involved in a project with adidas and Star Wars, the franchise of all franchises. And what a launch! You had some very special guest appearances, right?

Working on the adidas x Star Wars launch was a dream come true for my 11 year old self. Growing up I was into Star Wars, Legos, GI Joes, old Marvel comics, Super Nintendo, the usual stuff. So when I got the chance to work on a project combining one of the world’s largest footwear brands, and my beloved boyhood sci-fi franchise, and Snoop Dogg himself it was quite the surreal thrill. The centerpiece of event was an Imperial march through Times Square led by Darth Vader and Snoop Dogg. The march culminated in an unveiling of the limited Luke Skywalker sneaker at the adidas Originals Store in Soho. It was my first time in New York as well, so that was an added bonus.

Aside from that surreal collaboration, what other projects have you been involved with?

Most of what I do for adidas centers around the Originals brand. I work for an agency called Roundhouse and we handle a decent chunk of the creative work for adidas North America. I work on concept development for retail graphics and fixtures, sneaker releases, sponsored events, and other forms of marketing for new product lines. Being part of a team makes it hard to claim sole credit for any one project. I do enjoy creating t-shirt graphics as it’s especially fun to see other people wearing my work.

Have you got any favorites?

One of my favorite recent projects was the adidas Iconics custom kit. The team at Roundhouse, myself included, developed the creative around the Iconics campaign. I was heavily involved in developing this kit, which was sent out to various taste-makers and celebrities in the sneaker realm. My favorite part was the series of four t-shirts I designed for the kit. I worked a lot of little details into each of them, so you can catch new stuff each time you look closely.

Are there any top secret adidas projects you are working on that you can tell us about?

There are quite a few fun projects currently in the works, but I’m not at liberty to discuss the details unfortunately. [Sighs] We just wrapped up an internal project for adidas’ action sports division. I’m really excited about their new model for French skater Lucas Puig, but I can say no more.

We all have our favorite shoe or track top, have you got a favorite adidas product?

My all-time favorite adidas model would be the Gazelle. It’s the definitive classic sneaker silhouette. I have narrow feet, so I’ve always been drawn to a slimmer shoe.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work?

Recently I’ve been drawing inspiration from architecture. I wanted to be an architect as a kid, and occasionally my career as a graphic designer allows me to play in that realm. I’m inspired by design that has stood the test of time, whether in fashion, cars or advertising graphics. I have a collection of postage stamps that I inherited from my great grandfather, the intricate designs and brilliant colors seem almost contemporary, though they were created over half a century ago.

So if you could write your own dream design brief what would it be?

It would involve building (or rebuilding) a brand from the ground up. It could be an offshoot of an existing brand, or something new entirely. Working primarily for the purpose of retail
means that things don’t stick around for very long. I like the idea of creating something with a longer lifespan that people can grow attached to.

Lastly, what are your plans for the future?

In the next 5 to 10 years I hope to still be designing and drawing daily. It would be nice to have a small creative studio with a few friends that I enjoy working with. It’s hard to say how far technology will have progressed by then, but overall I hope to always grow in my abilities and frame of mind. It would also be fun to take what I’ve learned from the retail world and try my hand at a shop of my own.

Jake keeps an online sketchbook / journal, and a portfolio of his work as a designer and creative. They are well worth checking out.

written by Benji Blunt