about

80east Design was started in 2002 by Trevor Messersmith, an award-winning graphic designer and photographer based in New York’s Hudson Valley, to consolidate his interests in design, photography, and digital media. Now with over twenty years of experience in the field of graphic design, Trevor provides creative direction to a wide variety of online and print projects.

In the early dot-com era, Trevor was a lead creative for e-commerce fashion retailer Bluefly.com, where he created notable visuals for the company including their “Style is in the Bag” packaging and advertising campaigns that appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Metropolitan Home. Before moving to New York, he worked as a visual researcher and designer for The Mind of the Market Laboratory, an interdisciplinary qualitative marketing research initiative at Harvard Business School where he was engaged in visual marketing research campaigns and case study development for companies such as Coca-Cola, The Heinz Foundation, Procter & Gamble, and Disney.

Prior to HBS, Trevor was a designer at Interactive Factory, a multimedia design firm specializing in educational software products and interface design, where he created interactive products and websites for various clients. He also developed and taught digital imaging courses through Interactive Factory’s professional workshops program.

Among other venues, Trevor’s artwork has been exhibited at the California Museum of Photography, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, the Center for Fine Art Photography, the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, SCOPE Miami, and the Barcelona Foto Biennale. He has been featured in The PRINT Awards, Graphic Design USA, Slanted, American Photography, American Illustration, Tumblr Radar, AIGA’s New York State of Design, PRINT Magazine’s Typography and Lettering Awards, PRINT Magazine’s Regional Design Annual, Creative Quarterly, and Pictoria: The Best Contemporary Illustrators Worldwide. Trevor’s posters for Creative Action Network are featured in two of their books: What Really Makes America Great and Posters for a Green New Deal. Additional publications include the photography books Fauxlaroids, Double Apollo, Blümen, and Objectives. Trevor earned a B.A. from Bard College in photography. He also studied graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design.

selected awards + honors

International Design Awards — Silver Award, Graphic Design
American Illustration 42
DNA Paris Design Awards —
Graphic Design Winner
American Illustration 41
Graphic Design USA —
People to Watch
Show Us Your Type —
International Winner, Lyon / Volotea Series
TED Artists For Climate —
Finalist
American Illustration 40
American Photography 37
International Design Awards —
Bronze Award, Graphic Design
The PRINT Awards —
Second Place, Photography
Show Us Your Type — Top 10 / 10th Anniversary Volotea Poster Series
American Package Design Awards — Category Winner: Fashion
American Web Design Awards
— Category Winner: Online Advertising, Social Media
American Graphic Design Awards — Category Winner: Poster Design, Publication Design, Branding Design, Promotion Design, Packaging Design, Advertising Design
American Illustration 39
PRINT Magazine Lettering & Typography Awards
PRINT Magazine Regional Design Annual
Creative Quarterly — Graphic Design; Photography; Illustration
Creative Quarterly 100 Best Annual
International Design Awards — Silver Award, Poster Design
AIGA — New York State of Design
Communication Arts — Photography Awards Shortlist
Communication Arts — Illustration Awards Shortlist
American Photography 35
Pollux Awards — Category Winner: Street Photography, Architecture & Interiors, Cell Phone Photography, Landscapes & Seascapes
Mobile Photography Awards
Fine Art Photography Awards
MonoVisions Photography Awards —
Black & White Architectural Photo of the Year