About JP
My name is JP Painter and my pronouns are they/them.
My design experience links the human capacity for imagination with the beauty of the natural world. I focus on clarity of message, functional design, and visionary partnerships. My career has taken me from construction sites to state capitol buildings to downtown high-rises and I’ve approached each opportunity as an empathy-led creative with deep curiosity.
My current personal design style finds harmony between the discipline of minimalism and a penchant for maximalism. While I emphasize clear, impactful communication, my design style is often tongue-in-cheek and finds its inspiration in both pop art and data visualization. My work is characterized by combining big, bold, and beautiful images to create unforgettable, charming imagery and experiences. I am always excited to put new energy into retro typography and unique, stunning color palettes.
I’m currently re-reading “What is queer typography?” by Paul Soulellis and it takes my breath away each time.
I was raised in Sacramento, the birthplace of Joan Didion, Sam Elliott, and the band CAKE. I migrated north, through the misty redwoods and the wild coast and eventually landed in Portland, Oregon — the other river city of the west. To work with me and explore the confluence of our potential, please see my Contact page.
My design approach and principles
Begin with radical curiosity
“To possess a telescope without its other essential half—the microscope—seems to me a symbol of the darkest incomprehension. The task of the right eye is to peer into the telescope, while the left eye peers into the microscope.”
— Leonora Carrington, Down Below, 1944
To begin with radical curiosity is to begin with both the telescope and the microscope — and compassion. All of my projects begin with an interrogation of the perceived problem and the potential theorized solutions, while creating space for new realities to emerge.
Magic is in the chaos
“Creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition.”
— Max Ernst
All creative works have their roots in the swirl of chaos. It’s where the soil is most fertile, pregnant with possibility. There are patterns in that chaos and the mystery, and one of my neurodivergent superpowers is pattern recognition. I have the observational ability to see the solution in the swirl, identify it and welcome it into creation. Being able to approach that chaos and swirl with a sense of play and comfort makes room for myself and my collaborators to ask the right questions and inspires me to create resonant solutions.
Inspire optimism
“The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.”
— Rilke
The Rilke quote above reminds me of my style of white-knuckle optimism. There’s always the possibility for joy and wonder and delight — let us continue to explore and grow and create greater and greater things. Creative hope is always available when there is trust in the process.
Here’s the secret equation to white-knuckle optimism: positive energy + curiosity + an eagerness to understand the human experience = the ability to build something impactful and meaningful