As a very experienced global graphic design studio, Darkhorse Design formerly designed new brands and promotions for major international pharmaceutical corporations. Since its inception in 2007, Darkhorse Design has taken flight, growing its customer base to include airports, avionics, pilot training, aircraft repair facilities, air shows, air museums, and more. Coming from a family of aviators, it’s no surprise studio founder Robert Talarczyk uses a plane in his promotional Gold award-winning work, “Warbird Gathering.” Read on to learn more about the work.
By: Robert Talarczyk, Founder, Darkhorse Design, LLC
Introduction to You and Your Work
Coming from a family of aviators and pilots, my own fascination with flying spans decades. It began at about six when I went to airports on weekends with my family. I was sitting in the pilot seat of a WW2 Vultee BT-13 aircraft, my first flight in a Bellanca, Champ, and being too small to see out of the window. I was hooked!
I began photographing aircraft with my first Nikon 35mm camera at 18 during my first year of professional education (advertising and design) under the guidance of Professor Ed Scolomario at NSFIA. I was so passionate about photography that my professor gave me a key to my personal darkroom on the third floor. That way, my fellow students wouldn’t be upset about me monopolizing the main darkroom. I remain deeply thankful for his thoughtfulness. This passion became the basis for the eventual birth of High and Mighty Photo.Com within my new graphic design studio founded in Santa Fe, NM, now relocated to Pennsylvania, where my family’s farming roots began.
Inspiration
High and Mighty Photo.Com specializes in photographing WW2 Aircraft.
The Army Air Force, part of the “Greatest Generation,” helped save Europe from Nazism and imperialism in the Pacific. They shared camaraderie, respect, quality, and teamwork amongst people of all races and nationalities to get the job done in the air, sea, and ground or face tyranny if defeated.
Creative Strategy
Darkhorse Design and High and Mighty Photo.Com are masters in graphics and aviation photography. The photography and layout show strength and power. Darkhorse Design… innovator and invaluable resource.
Challenges and Solutions
When shooting moving aircraft, you must judge which camera settings are correct for the subject aircraft. Airspeed and horsepower must be considered when adjusting the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO correction. Sky backgrounds are also important: blue sky, cumulus clouds, light winds, and sunlight on aircraft for good color and sharpness are ideal. It’s all challenging for each aircraft, along with current weather conditions. Every day is different, with sky conditions and aircraft types, i.e., propeller aircraft versus jet aircraft. There is an adrenaline rush when shooting warbirds, and the excitement of editing them is exhilarating even as there may be as many as 2000 images per shoot… perhaps 15 to 20 percent may be suitable.
Since that image was taken, B-17s have been temporarily grounded pending wing spar directives issued by the FAA.
Client Perspective
Hey! We are the client and the agency! That’s different!
Darkhorse Design is a very experienced global graphic design studio that formerly designed new brands and promotions for major international pharmaceutical corporations. Since the inception of Darkhorse Design in 2007, we have specialized in working with the following: airports, avionics, pilot training, aircraft repair facilities, air shows, air museums (like the USAF Museum), the International Balloon Museum, Southwest Soaring Museum and Foundation, and non-profits like Esperanza and other social responsibility organizations. Darkhorse Design’s partner, High and Mighty Photo.Com, takes over the photo assignments. We are a two-barrel operation: design and aviation photography. Warbird Photography is one of our specialties at High and Mighty Photo.Com.
Outcome and Impact
The ads have been so successful that we have created over a dozen!
Personal Reflection
The greatest reward for doing an ad is to be recognized by your peers with an award or medal. All awards are essential to me, but a Graphis Award is the highest professional recognition. It inspires me to go forward through the stress of deadlines and what goes with them!
Advice to Fellow Creatives
It has always been exciting to me to have conceived a visual on my own or through collaboration with a writer for the marriage of copy and visual, otherwise known as the BIG IDEA, to solve the marketing objective.
I grew up with heroes in sports, and I also have heroes in advertising and design. Reconnect with your heroes and evaluate how they continue to contribute to your success. Keep the creativity going; it’s essential for the growth of mankind. Creativity is what keeps my heart pounding.
Conclusion
It is my personal opinion that the American business philosophies popularized in the late 1980s have led to a significant elimination of highly talented career professionals in favor of lower payroll costs and increased profits. These consequences are now being seen today.
AI can be a valuable asset if used positively in the future; my concern is its harmful and destructive use. I believe we need an “AI Oversight Group” composed of savvy industry AI professionals. This is also needed for social media.
Robert Talarczyk attended the New York School of Visual Arts. He graduated from Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art with a diploma in advertising graphics. He earned a BA in graphic design from William Paterson University and got an MS in design communications from Pratt Institute. His creative career includes being the art director at Bozell & Jacobs (formerly Reach McClinton) and N.W. Ayer & Sons, the senior art director at J. Walter Thompson (Deltakos), the design director, film director, and producer at Ciba-Geigy Corp. (Novartis Corp.), and the global design manager at Merck Global Headquarters. He is the founder, CEO, and executive creative director of Darkhorse Design, located in Lancaster, PA. He is also the founder and director of photography of High and Mighty Photo.Com, a DHD subsidiary. In his spare time, he flies vintage aircraft and sailplanes. Besides his wife, his camera is one of his best friends in capturing special moments.
