Tom
Jermann
So, how did it all start for me?
Well, I would have to go back in time quite a bit to trace the roots of the path of my professional career. I would like to think that my mother was and probably still is my main creative inspiration in life. A trained tailor and accomplished artist, she encouraged me early on to draw and create my own art and designs. Whether it was building wooden street hockey goals with old linens, crafting gifts for Christmas or designing my own winter jacket, which she then cut and sewed for me.
Right around first grade, I was introduced to music and the world of rock ‘n’ roll via The Beatles. For a few years, this was the only band that I would listen to. I had a few cassettes which older friends taped for me and essentially wore them out just until the day I discovered KISS. The moment my best friend’s older brother handed me their 45” Single ‘I Made For Loving You’, changed my life forever. Of course, I didn’t realize that at the time.
That was sometime in 1979, the year I turned 10 years old. Growing up in my native country of Switzerland, it wasn’t easy for us kids to get a hold of news about our favorite bands, so essentially every few months we’d go down to our local electronics shop which also sold vinyl records and tapes, and inquired about new release dates of upcoming albums. I admit, I did become obsessed with this newly discovered band KISS, as well as with rock music in general. More so than the music perhaps, their visuals just completely mesmerized me. I ended up drawing their faces over and over again. Needless to say, I can to this day draw them with my eyes closed.
As I ventured in my teen years, my friends and I continued to shop for vinyl records and eventually started to buy import music magazines like Hitparader, Cream or Guitar World along with other European publications. Now, that added another layer of fascination. Rock photography. Which definitely led to my fascination with album covers. I started studying the covers, front to back, whether it was a Ken Kelly painting for Kiss, a Hipgnosis design for Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd or a fictitious illustration for YES by Roger Dean. Deep inside, my path to become a graphic designer was set. But first I was to complete my studies at Architecture school to earn a BA. It was around that time, that I also played guitar in several local bands, with moderate success. That didn’t matter, we were set for rock stardom like our idols.
“Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it,” someone once said. Well, I can’t complain. Everything and beyond came true for me. What’s better than creating art and designs and getting payed for it? Of course, it’s not always easy being self-employed, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything."
22