About the artist / Scott Schaaf
To illustrate the future, Scott Schaaf looked to the past. Schaaf, 21, was asked to design the cover of this month’s CbusNEXT section. He pulled inspiration from some favorite animated shows he watched as a child: The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Tom and Jerry.
“I wanted to make a retro- future poster, kind of like what people thought of the future in 1950 or 1960,” he said.
Schaaf, who moved to Columbus from Goffstown, New Hampshire, graduated in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from the Columbus College of Art & Design.
He has worked for the CCAD Student Agency, which hires students to design projects for CCAD and outside clients, since March 2016. He likes the city so much that he’s thinking of staying and finding a job here. “Mostly, I like how Columbus surprises me,” he said. Gems such as the Book Loft in German Village or Yellow Brick Pizza in Olde Towne East are sprinkled throughout Columbus, Schaaf said. “You have to go looking for them.”
In his artwork for CbusNEXT, he incorporated what he feels are some of Columbus’ best attributes, including the Scioto Mile and the foodandbeer culture.
“What will the North Market, what will takeout look like in the future?” he wondered.
Schaaf’s interest in art started with a crush on a girl in the sixth grade. Schaaf started making art to impress the girl, but he soon realized he actually enjoyed it. He hopes to work in a design or animation studio. Always an optimist, Schaaf has high hopes for the future of Columbus.
“I think Columbus is going to be very creative. I think these innovators that are here will lift this city up,” he said. “I also think it’s going to be very green.”
See more of Schaaf’s work at scottgschaaf. com.