Young Guns 17: Chloe Scheffe

By Brett McKenzie on Nov 04, 2019

Shining a light on the amazing class of Young Guns 17


What happens when you take a jury of 60+ respected creatives, more than 500 entries from all over the globe, and mix them all together for two months of serious consideration, debate and decision-making? Eventually you get the winners of Young Guns 17! This year, The One Club for Creativity is honoring a creatively diverse class of 28 winners, including animators, designers, photographers, illustrators, film directors and editors, all of whom came out of this process as true champions of their craft.

Ahead of the Young Guns 17 Ceremony + Party taking place on November 20, we are featuring the various superstars who will be taking the stage that evening.


Chloe Scheffe
Designer

Based:

New York, NY

Hometown:

Seattle, WA

SEE CHLOE'S ENTRY

 

First of all, congratulations! Now how did you first learn about Young Guns? 

I learned about it in college and immediately loved that the point was to honor creatives who were on their way to someplace interesting.

This was your third time entering Young Guns. What did you do differently this time that may have brought you victoriously to the finish line?

This was the first time that I editorialized my entry. This time around, I selected projects and framed the submission around the implicit narrative of my career thus far — I think this was the first year that I was able to perceive that narrative clearly. My resulting portfolio was the narrowest it had ever been, in terms of types of projects, and the work was from a range of years, not majority newest.

Which of the projects that you entered is your personal favorite and why?

My growing little library of Verso titles. I love the challenge of designing covers for academic texts, and Verso is a wonderful client. 

One of the cool things about entering Young Guns is the ability to submit personal projects alongside professional ones. Did you take advantage of this?

I didn't! Instead, I represented my more personal, experimental work with an entry of commissioned but open-brief posters, made over the last few years.

What was it like to discover that you won YG17?

I happened to be visiting home at the time, so I had a celebratory dinner with my parents. Sweet and simple.

How would you describe your creative style?

I love a grid.

What is your favorite tool when it comes to making what you do, something you’d feel naked without? 

Aside from a sketchbook, which I use mainly to get myself unstuck, the thing I've loved and used over and over is a laser printer-copier — the standard behemoth corporate-office kind. I began incorporating photocopying into my work in 2016, while I was on staff at The New York Times Magazine, designing a special issue about high school in America. I photocopied every single layout to give the finished thing a kind of imprecise, tactile, cheap, zine-y feel. Since then, I've used photocopying for a number of freelance clients, and in my work for Here. It always looks so right. 

What do you do when you hit a creative wall, when you are stuck for ideas and solutions?

I usually step away from the work — switch projects, take a walk, read, look at some stuff by a great painter or photographer, see friends, sleep on it. Time solves most problems. 

Who are some of the biggest influences on your work and career? 

Tauba Auerbach, Job Wouters, Richard Turley, Irma Boom, a number of Dutch master painters and so many others. As for people I actually know: Andy Pressman, Matt Dorfman, Peter Mendelsund, Michael Bierut, Nancy Skolos, Raf Rennie, Jessica Svendsen. (Hello! Thank you!)

Now that you’re in the Young Guns family, are there any past winners that you look up to and admire?

Many! Armando Veve (YG15), Nejc Prah (YG14), and Braulio Amado (YG13) come to mind first. 

Name a creative dream that you have yet to fulfill.

I really want to do a mural somewhere in New York City, and I'd love to exhibit some of my personal work (drawings, mostly). Otherwise, a studio space and an independent practice, a small publishing venture — who knows?


WORDS FROM THE JURY

"Chloe's submission stood out immediately amongst other applicants as a cohesive body of work coming from a defined point of view. She fluidly moves from different contexts, clients, and publications while maintaining a recognizable visual signature and personal voice. Her projects for The New York Times Magazine, Verso Books, and Away's Here Magazine all have a common thread of commanding the viewers' attention. She embraces the feel of grainy ephemeral formats with her exquisite mix of typography, illustration, photography. All of which gives Chloe's work a classic yet refreshingly modern feel."

Max Kaplun
UX Design Lead
SSENSE
Young Guns 5 Winner


"Chloe’s work is bold and contemporary in a style all her own. Her graphic and uncompromising use of color immediately caught my eye. I can’t wait to see what she does next!"

Mary Dauterman
Director + Creative
Young Guns 16 Winner


"Chloe Scheffe pushes against the parameters of the printed form. Her editorial design work is bold and dynamic, breaking the rules in a way that feels fresh and unexpected, yet is conceptual and extremely considered. What I appreciate most about her design approach—and what makes her stand out as a Young Guns winner—is that verve and ambitious can-do spirit demonstrated in the way she makes things herself and experiments with type, illustration, and collage. There’s a meticulous level of thought, craft and serious play in her design work that is engaging and surprising and makes me want to see what she does next."

Erin Jang
Creative Director
The Indigo Bunting


chloescheffe.com


The Young Guns 17 Ceremony & Party takes place on Thursday, November 20 in New York City. 

TICKETS & INFO

 


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