LOCAL PRODUCE SPOTLIGHT: Dylan Ousley

Dylan’s creative talent, extensive portfolio and client list, and his delightful, happy chap personality absolutely astound me; and his age, totally humbles me. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched of me to claim that Dylan Ousley — might be one of the more accomplished, fervently persistent, and talented 21 year-olds San Diego has to boast as one of its very own: Born and raised.

However we didn’t choose Dylan to be showcased at Local Produce just by his impressive client list — that includes regionally renowned names like THREAD show, the Los Angeles Times, local creative think tank Holiday Matinee, and WAFFO clothing. Nor because he made me one of the  centerfold THREAD show poster girls (he chose the photo well before we even met — it wasn’t a ploy to get my attention).

We also didn’t choose Dylan just because of his charmingly witty use of oven mitts on his LOLable, yet very sleek website, he designed himself — which  also doesn’t surprise us much.

Lastly, we didn’t chose to spotlight Dylan Ousley just because — post-website launch, actually not until about two months after TheMixster.com went live — we realized that Dylan Ousley, was, in fact, the genius behind what I personally believe to be the most brilliant shirt that’s ever been created.
It was as if he stole the words right out of my mouth, that he managed to produce the shirt and a particularly significant phrase — that would come to define and visually capture one of the most fundamental themes of my website:

(I know. It’s PERFECT. )

Although all these above facts astound, and heck, even flatter us, we chose to feature Dylan Ousley as this month’s LOCAL PRODUCE because, on top of all his accomplishments and endeavors, more than anything, Dylan is one helluva guy; who’s extremely active within the San Diego community.

With an energy threshold equal to that of a fresh litter of frisky, newborn kittens, Dylan attends just about every niche art show, indie electronic concert, community gathering, fundraiser, and underground rap show that goes down in this city. His curiosity for all things within the creative and performance realms — art, design, fashion, music, architecture, writing, freestyle rapping, producing — and his ardent eagerness to learn everything about everything, continually leaves me in awe. This rambunctious, charismatic, yet extremely thoughtful and irritatingly-thorough ball of undying energy is envied by most; and inspiring to those who chose to delve deeper than the superficiality of your everyday super human, and your friendly neighborhood graphic designer.

The flyer above includes a design that Dylan Ousley actually did for TheMixster.com not too long ago. The task of successfully creating a design for a site that innately has an identity crisis by the very nature of its determined necessity: The inherently inexplicable ambiguity can be irritatingly problematic — to say the very least. But Dylan, on first his attempt, nailed it. Jaws dropped, coffee spilt, and the front door slammed shut: Dylan successfully captured visually what was previously, inexpressible.

Someone so culturally absorbent, sensitive to client needs, and creatively-attuned to progressive design, Dylan Ousley is a leader: At the forefront of San Diego’s new generation of creatives, with more gusto, vintage cardigans, and technological ammunition than ever before. Dylan Ousley is commanding nods of approval from every angle and is forcing the older generation of creatives out of their comfort zones, to get their As into G, and to work harder, just to keep up.

Catch Dylan Ousley designing next month’s LOCAL PRODUCE flyer LIVE on the IVY Rooftop, on Thursday, July 1st. TONIGHT!!!!

By: TD