Overview
Nathan Douglas Yoder is a multidisciplinary illustrator with 8 years experience within the fields of illustration and design. His studio, Yondr Studio, is located in Edmonds, WA, just north of Seattle, where he resides with his wife, Katherine, and son, Arthur. His specialities include pen and ink illustration as well as hand lettering and branding.
Past clients include:
PepsiCo, MillerCoors, Nike, REI, Dakine, Bremont Watch Company, Converse, Random House Publishing, Abrams Books, Car and Driver Magazine, Field and Stream Magazine, Outdoor Life Magazine.
Contact
info@nathandouglasyoder.com
(918) 704-1809
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Background
Nathan was born in Tulsa and raised in Pryor, a small town in rural Oklahoma. In those days, when not outside jumping his bike, shooting his bb gun, or climbing trees with his brother and three sisters, Nathan enjoyed drawing airplanes, superheroes, and the wildlife he saw in his backyard.
Nathan (center), his brother, and three sisters in front of the playhouse built by their dad.
In the eighth grade, a serendipitous invitation from a local sign shop to draw t-shirt designs, unbeknownst to him, was his initiation into the world of graphic design. This gradually lead to a fascination with screen printing, the Adobe suite, and, eventually, logo design. Through high school he designed logos and websites for small businesses while not working his part time job at the skating rink.
In 2010, he graduated from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, earning the Ackerman McQueen Distinguished Portfolio Award and a degree in graphic design. From there he went on to work at a branding agency in Tulsa for three years where he specialized in logo design, web design, and the occasional animation project.
A short time in the world of the creative industry made it clear to Nathan that drawing still remained his first love. This manifest itself through lettering and illustration sketches that he began sharing online. In 2013 these self initiated works were noticed by a startup clothing brand in Southern California who offered Nathan the role of lead artist on their creative team. After a year spent growing and learning at this company the opportunity to set off on his own presented itself. 2014, he took advantage of that opportunity before relocating to Portland, OR. There, he opened his own creative studio, Yondr Studio, and began contributing lettering and illustration work to brands such as Nike, MillerCoors, Dakine, Random House Publishing, and Abrams Books.
Shared studio space with Sam Larson in 2014, Portland.
In 2015 Nathan met the woman who would become his wife, Katherine, an artist and elementary school teacher in the Seattle area. Katherine’s influence on Nathan’s work was almost immediate. By the time they were married in February of 2017, Nathan had completely shifted the approach he took to his work. Whereas the work of his past three years had rooted itself in a rebellious lifestyle, Nathan now chose to focus his work on the service of others.
Today Nathan continues the work he started with Yondr Studio, working with clients to create illustration and lettering work for branding, editorial, packaging, and clothing purposes. By night, Nathan enjoys exploring new mediums and using his work to help make the world a little brighter place to be.
