Real Rad Magazine : Summer Quarterly 2015

TODD LITTLE & THE ART OF OAKTOPIA
by Chill Berkley
Tell readers what major projects
and artist you have worked on
in regards to graphic design/
artwork.
I’ve done a lot of work in my
professional agency life for an
assortment of clients from doctors
to non-profits, all the way to liquor
companies. Yet, what led me up to
that was working mostly with local
musicians in the DFW, primarily
in Denton. There isn’t a venue in
Denton I haven’t made a flier for
at one time or another. I’ve done
artwork for Afroman, Qbert & Kool
Keith, Vanilla Ice, Astronautalis, plus
many more local artists. I’ve done
tons of album covers and branding
for local artists including Fab Deuce,
Juicy the Emissary, the Bodega
Brovas, and too many others I can’t
even recall. It’s not uncommon to see
stickers, fliers, or shirts I’ve designed
when I go to any given venue in
Denton. I’m just getting started.
You are the Art Director for
Oaktopia. Explain the choices
that were made in terms of the
redesigning of the Oaktopia
logo as well as the look of the
festival/website.
Well, last year was Oaktopia’s second
year, but the first year they brought
me and Real Rad on to do the
artwork. We wanted to use the city as
our backdrop. We went out and took
photos of landmarks, textures, walls,
and anything really that we thought
was unique about Denton. This year
we (Real Rad and Oaktopia founder
Matt Battaglia) decided to update
the logo to something a little more
simple and stronger. The triangle
represents the “golden triangle” of
the DFW, but it also serves as the
top of the spire of the courthouse on
the square. From that you have what
would be sound waves coming out
of it into the final outline, reminiscent
of a cross section of a tree trunk. So,
it kind of represents music coming
from the square, the Oak tree, and
the DFW, all in one simple package.
We also decided to move towards
more of a celestial look. Instead of
focusing on the city like the first year
Real Rad came on to do the design,
we wanted to move to a more
vast idea that would represent the
possibilities of a bigger Oaktopia.
So, instead of manmade textures and
building, we went with more organic
images of sky’s and stars. We wanted
to create the idea that this is much
bigger than a small town music
festival.
Who are some graphic artist and
visionaries that you are currently
inspired by?
The first person that comes to mind
is George Lois. His proclivity for
broad, simple, and powerful ideas is
something that inspires me. Design is
more than an aesthetic; it has to be a