Takeaways from Katrin Davis, artist at Obvious Plant

Katrin Davis is a graphic designer who is currently employed at Obvious Plant. It’s not necessarily an agency, but the team consists of her and Jeff Wysaski. They create satirical comedic fake products and put them on display in real stores. It’s more on the side of performance art, but elements of their process involve graphic design, such as designing and packaging the products.

Davis has had an intriguing past leading up to Obvious Plant. She graduated from MSU Denver and was hired as a designer for Legwork which was a staple agency in Denver that closed in 2019. On the side, she had been making art pieces that featured tiny figures of people placed on found object landscapes. The skills she developed were noticed by a train modeling company in Long Beach, so she ended up moving to California. The work itself was fulfilling for her, but the environment was not. She was brought on to Buzzfeed’s team in LA where she took part in all things creative. She made illustrations, graphic art, and even designed the sets for their videos. Then she worked at Super Deluxe which was an entertainment sect of Turner but also shut down in 2019. She moved on to being a receptionist at a morgue which she said was one of her favorite jobs until she met Wysaski and began her journey at Obvious Plant. The experience she’s had means she’s developed skills that make her a great fit at Obvious Plant. She’s good at making, assembling, and painting small-scale items. She’s good at illustrating and graphic design. She understands printing guidelines and constructing packaging. While the intent behind their products is to be funny, their actual production skills are high quality. They spend time with every detail in the process.

Obvious Plant has gained a cult following on social media. They have brought comedic relief for years, but it’s been especially needed during the rough times we’ve endured throughout the pandemic and other social issues. Their content touches on mental health, politics, pop culture, but can also just be outright absurd. Davis talked about a recent, notable project which was the miniature Valentino purse that Lizzie carried at the American Music Awards. She showed the iterations and processes that led up to the final product. It became a cultural icon and rapidly spread on news and social media platforms and recreated as memes.

I personally don’t want to work at a corporate design firm because of my distaste for capitalism. I don’t agree with manipulating consumers and marketing products that are harmful. Prior to Katrin Davis’s presentation, these limited options were my perception of life post-grad. She reminded me that there are tons of paths graphic designers can take. If I don’t want to participate in the unhealthy culture of marketing, I don’t have to. I can find like-minded people who also care about social issues and want to use design for good. She helped me feel more comfortable in my decision to pursue a graphic design degree. Her story reignited a fire in my passion for my career.