***Nathan Bergfelt, Cold Feet’s Lead Graphic Designer***

Meet Nathan Bergfelt, the past lead graphic designer for issue 6 Cold Feet. Currently living in Portland, Nathan has never been far away from us in thoughts and spirit. However, in terms of his career he has definitely sprinted off with opportunities that equipped his hunger and eagerness to tell stories through his beautiful artistic narrative. Beacon has always provided the foundations to young artists wanting to give life to their inner design instincts, and it always brings us great fulfilment to see our past team members flourish and make their vision a reality. Nathan always had exceptional attention to detail and was always willing to grow to the challenge. As much as it’s great to see him evolve, we do miss him. So we thought this is the perfect moment for us to catch up with Nathan, and see exactly what he has been up to.

1. Could you introduce our readers with a little bit about who you are and what being a graphic designer and visual artist means to you?

Hello! My name is Nathan, your friendly neighborhood designer, living among the trees in the Portland, Oregon. I got my degree in Art & Technology from the University of Oregon with an emphasis in Illustration, and now currently working as a Motion Graphic designer for a small studio in the Northwest part of the city.

Being a designer and artist to me means telling a story where you can take the recipient on a journey, filled with moments that they will remember. It means weaving together several types of design into a narrative and exploring the far reaches of the imagination.

2. It goes without question that since you were the graphic lead for Cold Feet, what does the term Cold Feet actually mean for you?

For me, it is the crossroad moment, where you have the choice of either continuing the path forward or turning around to take a different path. Cold Feet doesn’t have to be a negative connotation, but rather the moment where your stomach is filled with butterflies. It is where you work through the uncertainty of if continuing down this road is the right choice for yourself.

3. What strengths do you think you brought to the Cold Feet issue?

My collaborative nature where taking critique and assimilating other’s ideas is part of my normal creative process. Checking egos at the door, listening to the room of ideas, and knowing when to leave certain ideas on the cutting-room floor.

4. What did you find challenging when starting your role within Beacon and how did you manage to get past it?

I had previously never worked with print, or even type design for that matter before Beacon, so the entire medium was mostly foreign to me! I pushed past it by asking a lot of questions and listening to the words of advice from people who knew the medium far better than I.

5. What was your favorite design component that you contributed to Cold Feet?

My favorite was bringing the aesthetic of comic book and pop-art styled design to the table, as it paired wonderfully with artists like Pol Kurucz!

6. What design process did you go through within Cold Feet and how has it changed since your time with Beacon?

Since I had such little experience with the physical medium, I dove headfirst into creative research on inspiring material. My mentor showed me a vast wealthy of sources to draw ideas from, from books to magazines to even museum handouts. My process hasn’t changed much in that the initial research and inspiration phase- it cannot be skipped or passed.

7. How have you applied your Beacon journey towards your career path and what did you learn from your overall experience?

Beacon is the major reason I have a job in the creative field now, as it directly led me to getting hired. Throughout my creative career, I have always pointed to my work at Beacon for both the creative freedom it allotted me, as well as the cohesive full-bodied projects I was able to accomplish alongside a team. All members of Beacon bring something particularly unique to the table and working as a unit is what makes it glow.

8. Is there anything you would have done differently, perhaps for a particular design that you don’t resonate to?

I would love to go back and do work on type design within the magazine now that I have far more experience and exposure to it. There is such a wide range of creative ways to visualize text!

Do not forget to check out all of Nathan’s work in the Cold Feet Issue , which is currently available to preview online!

You can also find Nathan on his Instagram and Website: @nathanbergfeltart / nathanbergfelt.com