Students of Design

Erikas Chesonis – Dribbble, Birds, and Design With Limitations – Ep25

Episode Summary

Erikas is a designer and illustrator who specializes in making playful geometric illustrations. He's also a boneheaded bird brain, and he knows it. Driven by his love for birds, he demands respect for pigeons, grackles, and sparrows, and he especially loves the Red-bellied woodpecker and the Scissor-tailed flycatcher. Originally from New York, Erikas has called Austin his home for the last decade and has created artwork for Austin FC, Half-Price Books, Oregon State Parks, Star Wars, HP, and many more. He's also been on the big stage and given presentations at Adobe Max and Creative Jam, and he will be a workshop leader at Design Ranch 2025. Erikas even has a course on Domestika—check it out here! Tune in for a talk about Dribbble shooting themselves in the foot, his fascination with birds, and why creating posters for Austin FC was so significant to him. Follow Erikas on Instagram @erik_as_erik, and check out fantastic artwork in his online shop.

Episode Notes

Erikas is a designer and illustrator who specializes in making playful geometric illustrations. He's also a boneheaded bird brain, and he knows it. Driven by his love for birds, he demands respect for pigeons, grackles, and sparrows, and he especially loves the Red-bellied woodpecker and the Scissor-tailed flycatcher. Originally from New York, Erikas has called Austin his home for the last decade and has created artwork for Austin FC, Half-Price Books, Oregon State Parks, Star Wars, HP, and many more. He's also been on the big stage and given presentations at Adobe Max and Creative Jam, and he will be a workshop leader at Design Ranch 2025. Erikas even has a course on Domestika—check it out here! 

Tune in for a talk about Dribbble shooting themselves in the foot, his fascination with birds, and why creating posters for Austin FC was so significant to him. Follow Erikas on Instagram @erik_as_erik, and check out fantastic artwork in his online shop.

Questions for this interview.

• How do you feel about Dribbble's most recent Terms of Service update?
• Have you ever connected with a client on Dribbble and completed the entire project on their platform?
• Is being a Dribbble Pro member worth it?
• When did your fascination with birds start?
• Do you know what a Chicken-cat is?
• Which bird is most likely to be wrongfully accused of a crime?
• Why is Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba one of your favorite books? What can you tell us about it?
• How did Matt Kaufenberg inspire you?
• Can you briefly summarize what you cover in your Domestika course?
• How much of the video production were you responsible for?
• Can you share some limitations within your artwork and how they help define your style?
• How do limitations tie into your Design Ranch workshop?
• You gave a presentation at St. Edwards University. What message were you trying to get across to those students?
• How did it feel to be invited to present at Adobe Max—one of the biggest design conferences in the world?
• You created a set of posters for Austin FC. Why was that opportunity so significant to you?
• Jolby hired you for an Oregon Parks & Recreation Department project. When did Jolby bring you into the mix?
• How confident are you that another designer can pick up where you left off and be successful with the style guide you created?
• You've painted on canvas, rocks, paint swatches, and wood. Do you have any ideas for what might be next?