After graduating from the Graphic Design School in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Hypnoteis (aka Teis Albers) started Graphik, his own design company. Albers' first commissions were websites, brochures, and advertisements for local companies. In the evenings, he experimented with typographics, illustrations, various types of paper, and unconventional copy techniques. Albers got his break when Reload magazine published an interview with him and asked him to design a cover. Since then, Digit, Computer Arts, D-zone, and DPI have all requested interviews with him. His designs were published in books such as Clubspotting, A Book Designed to Help, Semipermanent, and Funkstörung's Triple Media project. Aside from freelancing, Albers currently works for MTV and is beginning to experiment with motion graphics.

hypnoteis

01. Describe the concept(s) behind your interpretation of Select Flavor.

TA: I tried to express myself around the words "expect everything." I combined images with the intention to surprise myself. The tone is quite darker than what I usually produce, and I used some new elements, like the ties, which I've never used before. I wanted to create this piece with a blank head and in one flow, so I really could expect everything from myself.

02. Give a brief sketch of the creative process you used to realize your Select artwork.

TA: I first tried to set a tone for the main image. Then I searched for images which worked well with each other and started building the piece. When I had one big image, I modified this to the different sizes and added more detail to it.

03. If you could set up a studio anywhere, what location would you choose, and why?

TA: I would love to have a studio with a nice view, so I guess that would be somewhere around France, Italy, or Austria. For practical purposes it would be somewhere in a city, but it has to be a quiet street with a bakery just around the corner.

04. Who or what inspires you to make art?

TA: My inspiration comes to me very naturally. It's been a long journey to create the way I do now. Nowadays it can come from a nice shower, a lovely dinner, or great sex. Or just from browsing the internet, watching television, or listening to the radio.

05. What other projects are you working on-or dreaming about working on-right now?

TA: Phew, where do I start? it's been crazy the last couple of months. I work part-time as a print/Internet designer at MTV Networks, so I have lots of things going on over there. My client projects that I'm working on now are four school journals, a redesign for a shampoo brand, six large posters for a big grocery store, a poster for a musical, four spreads for a magazine, three SMS applications for TMF, a website for a stylist, two websites for other companies, and regular flyers for different parties.