Extend the Cypher

Fisk Studio's roots are inspired by hiphop, more specifically b-boy culture. None of the work on this website would be possible without the introduction of design through Breaking. While Greg Fisk atteneded grad school at MICA, he spent his time traversing the landscape of breaking culture by investigating the intersection of movement, design practice, technology, and archiving. This visual embodiment of breaking is thoughtfully crafted in an effort to share knowledge and preserve history while at the same time revealing how to approach design practice with an authentic point of view. It's also a bit of perspective into what fueled the Fisk's design practice.

With a growing number of independent writers making a living by connecting directly with their readers, FB Bulletin offers a new set of publishing and subscription tools for US-based content creators. This icon design is an abstract form designed to gain recognition over time. The goal was to create an original symbol that wasn't immediately recognizable—yet still felt familiar. The icon was part of a larger system of iconography developed by Buck.

Services

Typography
Poster Design
Book Design
AR

Credits

Jennifer Cole Phillips
Ellen Lupton
Jason Gottlieb
Elaine Lopez
Annaka Olsen
Adam Garcia
Jerome Harris

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I discovered hip-hop at an early age. This discovery opened my mind to a global perspective and experience I could relate to. It had a huge impact on my life and eventually led me down the path of breaking. Breaking culture furthered my exposure to diversity and the richness of cultural self-expression. Immersing myself in this home-away-from-home—the melting pot of the dance floor—was instrumental to my personal development and eventually fueled my interest in graphic design.

I discovered hip-hop at an early age. This discovery opened my mind to a global perspective and experience I could relate to. It had a huge impact on my life and eventually led me down the path of breaking. Breaking culture furthered my exposure to diversity and the richness of cultural self-expression. Immersing myself in this home-away-from-home—the melting pot of the dance floor—was instrumental to my personal development and eventually fueled my interest in graphic design.

My humble beginnings started at Kinkos where I used to post up all hours of the night making event flyers for breaking events. I would hand-draw letterforms, scan images from old records, and tape everything together into my desired compositions. I would then xerox them over and over again, messing with copy settings to get the highest contrast and subtle grainy textured imperfections.

I would pick the most vibrant paper on the shelf, print hundreds of copies, and spend the next day distributing them throughout the city of Portland, Oregon. It was the power of print design that drew people to these battles. It was my successful stint as a breakdance promoter that eventually sparked my interest to pursue graphic design as a career and continue to build in higher education.

For my thesis, I wanted to give back to this community that did so much for me. Throughout this body-of-work, it is my intention to narrow in on the root of what inspired me. It was my goal to study history, taking into consideration the subtleties and traditions that make breaking indisputably original, in hopes of representing what I see—a brilliant prosperous future.

My humble beginnings started at Kinkos where I used to post up all hours of the night making event flyers for breaking events. I would hand-draw letterforms, scan images from old records, and tape everything together into my desired compositions. I would then xerox them over and over again, messing with copy settings to get the highest contrast and subtle grainy textured imperfections.

I would pick the most vibrant paper on the shelf, print hundreds of copies, and spend the next day distributing them throughout the city of Portland, Oregon. It was the power of print design that drew people to these battles. It was my successful stint as a breakdance promoter that eventually sparked my interest to pursue graphic design as a career and continue to build in higher education.

For my thesis, I wanted to give back to this community that did so much for me. Throughout this body-of-work, it is my intention to narrow in on the root of what inspired me. It was my goal to study history, taking into consideration the subtleties and traditions that make breaking indisputably original, in hopes of representing what I see—a brilliant prosperous future.

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MOTION CONCEPTS

Motion Concepts

Thesis Book

Thesis Book

As part of my graduate thesis work, I document all of my findings into the form of a Thesis Book. Below is a compilation of some selected spreads and a runthrough of the publication.

As part of my graduate thesis work, I document all of my findings into the form of a Thesis Book. Below is a compilation of some selected spreads and a runthrough of the publication.

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Community

Identity System

What's the process of engaging and representing the voice of a community through graphic design?

This collection of Risograph prints was designed with content I pulled through crowd participation. My method for collecting copy was pretty straight forward. I used a google form and shared it with my immediate breaking community on Facebook. In this form, I included three basic questions that I felt would stir up some solid content.

In general, people took their responses seriously. Breaking clearly meant as much to them as it means to me. I found a lot of commonalities in the answers and when pieced together, it was a universal voice I could transform into a poster series expressive and authentic to the culture.

What's the process of engaging and representing the voice of a community through graphic design?

This collection of Risograph prints was designed with content I pulled through crowd participation. My method for collecting copy was pretty straight forward. I used a google form and shared it with my immediate breaking community on Facebook. In this form, I included three basic questions that I felt would stir up some solid content.

In general, people took their responses seriously. Breaking clearly meant as much to them as it means to me. I found a lot of commonalities in the answers and when pieced together, it was a universal voice I could transform into a poster series expressive and authentic to the culture.

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Scan 38
Scan 34
Scan 30
Scan 36

SELECTED PROJECTS

Google I/O 2023art direction, web

i Phone 143D, animation

Beyond Meat Brand Refreshart direction, branding

Resilience Muralenvironmental

Smithsonian 175branding, motion

Smithsonianbrand identity, typography, web design

Spin Controlbrand identity

Extend the Cyphertypography, motion graphics

Break Tapesillustration, web design, typography

Creative Theorybrand identity, environmental, web design

Google Careers on Airbrand identity, illustration, motion graphics

Launchbrand identity, typography

King of Whattypography

Humanity Muralenvironmental, typography

F—S

For inquiries and information

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