Ryan Sargent blurs the line between graphic design and fine art

Through his work, the recent RCA graduate explores “how the physical world is being compressed and flattened onto the shiny surfaces of screens.”

Date
13 September 2022

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Are you tired of seeing designs presented in the same mock-up templates? Graphic designer Ryan Sargent may just be your remedy. Centring his research-driven practice on “exploring alternative modes of presenting work and research”, you can find his hyper-modern, experimental work displayed across numerous formats and mediums, from books, 3D printing, moving image and print making.

Situating himself between graphic design and fine art, Ryan also endeavours to explore the space that exists between the digital and physical – as inspired by other multidisciplinary designers and studios like OK-RM and Uncanny. “Since the pandemic, this has been a space I have found myself and peers trying to navigate,” Ryan details, "with virtual and physical hybrid studies, work, social life and the rise of Web3, blockchain and the metaverse.” In practice, he explores these ideas through an interest with ‘windows’ in both their architectural and digital form. His project, A Reflection, cleverly transposes glitching computer windows arranged over natural scenery to question how intertwined the two worlds have become.

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Ryan Sargent: Digital Reflections (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Digital Reflections (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Spotify Big On The Internet (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Spotify Big On The Internet (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Window 1 (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2021)

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Ryan Sargent: A reflection (Version One) (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2021)

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Ryan Sargent: Screen Burn, 3D Print (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Screen Burn, Measuring Device (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Screen Burn, 3D Print (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: Screen Burn, 3D Print (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2022)

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Ryan Sargent: A reflection (Version One) (Copyright © Ryan Sargent, 2021)

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About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) joined the It’s Nice That team as an editorial assistant in November 2021 and soon became staff writer. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in English literature and history, she’s particularly interested in photography, publications and type design.

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