Words: Jay Riggio
Photo: Dave Potes
In the ’80s flick The Outsiders, Johnny tells his buddy Ponyboy to “stay gold” shortly before succumbing to a foreseeable death. Johnny got broke-off super hard ’cause he followed his instinct to save some kids from a blazing church fire. To my knowledge, 32-year-old artist, Benny Gold has never saved the life of any living thing. However, he did follow his gut the way Johnny did, and pushed to make a life for himself as an independent artist.
Over the recent years, Benny Gold has been laying down the law on what looks good for practically every aspect of design. Whether it’s logo branding, art direction or just straight up apparel design, Benny’s handling his shit with unmatched expertise. His respect is evident in the caliber of clients that regularly seek out his skills, including big-hitters like Stussy, IPath, Real Skateboards, Nike, Adidas, DVS, Beams in Japan and Huf. Specializing in apparel, Benny’s special touch is seen throughout brands that are rising above the rest in terms of straight-up originality. As one of the main designers for Huf, Benny’s responsible for the brands’ distinct Etch A Sketch-inspired logo as well as the Nike/Huf Earthquake pack. Yeah, Benny did that shit.
Initially drawn to the city of San Francisco because of its thriving skate scene, the Miami Beach native had always planned to move to SF right out of high school and try to make something of a skate career. “My parents were like, ‘No way. You better get your ass to college,’” says Benny. “I was like, Shit, I guess I like to do art. So I went to art school.” The day after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design in ‘97, he hopped in a car and shot straight to the rolling hills of SF. “I left everything in my apartment and just left. Grabbed my skateboard and portfolio and that was it.” Upon arrival, he went full-force into the realm of commercial design, with the intention of sharpening his skills. Benny snagged job after job, working for a series of corporate level design firms. His years were spent focusing primarily on branding, identity and packaging. About five years ago, Benny branched off on his own as an independent designer and has since been acquiring the biggest and most innovative of clientele. Hired strictly through word of mouth, Benny works from the confines of his downtown apartment, all by his lonesome. “I’m getting ready to hire someone and move my studio out of my house. I’ve been getting more work than I can handle right now.”
Describing his style as “classic and clean,” Benny keeps all of his work idea based, carefully executing his concepts in his head before even stepping to a computer. “It’s easy to make things look good, but if there’s a reason and purpose behind it, it’s more meaningful,” says Benny. “I start with lists actually. I write down lists of what I am trying to accomplish with it. Say it’s an identity for a sneaker, I write the attributes of what the client wants to get across and I connect to that.” Constantly on the grind, he’s recently launched his own clothing line, Benny Gold. “The brand will be more based on the stuff I’m into, like skateboarding and bike riding and ditching to go out and explore.” Even though we lost Johnny to the world of cinema, Benny is thankfully still kicking, as he continues to flex his guts and explore the infinite possibilities of design.
