Skip to main content

Hello! I’m Dave Savard

Freelance designer

Widdo

New Typeface (WIP)

As part of my practice, I often create custom typefaces (lettering) for my clients. This one is an ongoing project. I am building a full font set. As, you can see below, it is quite geometrical. Every letter fits within the same space, in both width and height.

To be continued…

Openness

There is more to what we see…

14″x17″ Acrylic on paper. March 2023.

Creativity

As a creative minded individual, I cannot repeat myself all of the time. Asking me to stick to a single style would be the end life. It would be similar as putting me in a straitjacket.

Limitations and specialties are nice and useful but they don’t mean doing the same thing over and over. That would be the opposite of creativity, to me. This would be a productivity rather than creativity.

We’re all on a journey. We have to listen to what makes us happy and what feels fulfilling to us, as unique individuals.

City on Fire

New music project (WIP)

The city is burning. The world is blazing. Beneath the heat, I feel a breeze of change.

The music is driven by the low and slow singing style. The production is intentionally minimalistic. The stories lead the way to the rootsy organic songwriting explorations. At this moment, in its early development, City on Fire can be seen as a meeting between Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Nick Cave. If you prefer, you could close your eyes and picture the sound of a balcony blues ballad.

To be Continued…

In a Box

As creatives, we have to be careful not to get trapped in a box.

We have to option to choose between blending in or standing out. The option to follow the trends or go agains’t them. The option to listen to all opinions or to ignore them. Of course, there is an in between to all of these options but, this can be a serious challenge. No matter what, in the end, we have the option to choose between fitting in a box,… or not.

Let’s be creative and embrace our uniqueness.

Taking Time

Today, I caught myself rushing through a task, I would normally enjoy. Even if I was having fun, I felt an urge to rush it. Why?

This is most likely caused by bad habits, and outside pressure of doing everything faster and faster. But, those are not good reasons, for me.

Taking time to do things. Taking a project through the steps of making. Make mistakes along the way, especially while creating something new. Try new ideas. Let it sit for a minute. Work on the details. Explore new tools. There are a million good reasons to slow down.

I remind myself to resist the temptation of rushing! There is no end to this game. You speed through this project and do the same with the next one. Then, what? Another one? Enjoy each step of the process and make it worthwhile. Have fun creating, not just achieving.

W.1ST

I recently updated the website for my indie publishing company, founded a few years ago. The goal was to facilitate the process with my client’s work. Since then, the catalog and the project list have been slowly expanding. West First Publishing specialises in original music. The current songs listing is mainly instrumental, some pieces contain vocals. The purpose is to publish original music and custom soundtracks. Learn more on: westfirst.ca

Doodle

Another fun activity to keep the creative flow rolling. Done with no intention. I take a piece of paper (or the iPad) and draw an imaginary character. The less I know what I want to do upfront, the more fun I have. I see it as improvising with a pen.

Here’s an example.

Some Type of Fun

Custom Type Design. Sketchbook, notebook, iPad, napkins,… Ideas are piling up. 😁 Teaching typography, re-ignited my passion for custom type design. 🙌

Réserve

25 parcels of land to build a dream vacation home. Located in the centre of Tremblant mountain resort. The icon represents a house, a leaf and the parcels.The colours are a reminder of the magnificent fall colours of the region. The hard edges of the customised typeface suggest the custom construction build.

Réserve Tremblant: Real Estate Development, Tremblant, QC | Agency: R+D
Mandate: Brand Identity, Brochure, Signage, Advertising | +