Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joe Till. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Joe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I am very lucky because it feels like my career path was pretty clear from an early age. I would spend countless hours as a kid drawing the things that interested me. I especially look back at all of the sports players I would draw. I have tons of old drawings of NFL and NBA players that I did when I was kid, so it is pretty cool knowing that I pretty much do the same thing now for my career!

As for a more specific story from when I was a kid… The first time I heard the term “graphic design” was from my Mom. I was spending an entire weekend drawing all of the NFL logos to hang in my room. I didn’t know that there was a formal job at the time designing logos (or anything commercial, for that matter). She suggested I become a graphic designer, and I still remember that moment vividly!

Joe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been a full time creative for 6 years now. I specialize mostly in illustration, but also do branding and packaging work. Milwaukee (where I live and where I was raised) has played a major role in my career trajectory. Back in 2016, I had an internship with Sprecher Brewing Company, a Milwaukee staple. I had the opportunity to design all of their beer labels. That was a tremendous opportunity for me at such a young age, and it truly jumpstarted my career. I was able to show my work to other breweries in Milwaukee, and it was my first taste of seeing my work all over town.

This gave me the confidence to start out on my own as a freelancer. Although challenging at times, I was able to find projects that my skills and passions aligned with. My illustration style really rounded into form, being inspired by comics, vintage graphic tees, or pretty much anything that has solid colors mixed with vintage textures.

I worked on a lot of branding projects with local companies, packaging products for breweries, and illustrations for a variety of formats. One of which included an ESPN article regarding LeBron James free agency decision.

I was then able to attract the attention of my hometown Milwaukee Bucks, and worked on a few different shirt designs for them. This was a dream opportunity for me, but it also set me up perfectly for what my career looks like now.

In 2021, I was approached by a company named Legends Global Merchandise. They produced the shirts I designed for the Bucks, and offered me a full time opportunity designing sports merchandise for all of the programs they work with. Accepting the job was an easy decision. I am still working with them now, and I spend my time illustrating graphic tees for programs such as the NBA, NFL, College Football, NASCAR, and much more!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

All of the resources and inspiration that creatives have access to, while great, can be overwhelming at times. It is easy to get caught up in a list of to-do’s, or anxieties about all of the outside factors that can advance your career. So for me, I try and keep it simple. In the end, it’s about the work. I work as hard as I can on every project I get. I want everything I work on to be portfolio worthy, and something I can look back on with pride. One pillar of my mindset is gratitude for the opportunity. I always want folks to be glad that they trusted me with a project. And when you focus all of your energy on what you are working on in the moment, people will be very happy with the product you provided them. That’s how you gain a good reputation, and you don’t need to work nearly as hard at selling yourself. Because the work speaks for itself. And I think that is one of the main things that has allowed me to be successful.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think creatives impact the world more than they will ever know. Who knows how many people have seen your work on a beer bottle, or a shirt that they bought, and associate it with happy memories. Thinking about my work that way makes it the most rewarding. For instance, I got to design a lot of shirts for the Denver Nuggets during their championship run last year. When I watch Nuggets games, I still see a few shirts of mine in the crowd. That’s such a honor for me. It’s incredibly rewarding knowing that my artwork was platformed during such a big moment for that city.

Contact Info:

• Website: joetillstudios.com
• Instagram: @joetillstudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joetillstudios/