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Smay Visions' roots can be traced back to the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, circa 1986. During their Tyler tenure, students Phil Yarnall and Stan Stanski traveled to Rome, formed two bands (The Slim Guys and the Leisuremen), and more importantly, came up with the idea of starting their own design firm. Upon graduating, the duo migrated to New York, where Stan worked for a small design firm, Doubleday Books and Guitar For The Practicing Musician magazine, while Phil settled in at PolyGram Records.

Says Yarnall, "We both worked fairly diligently for three and a half years until, fed up with workin for The Man, we made SMAY VISION happen. Driven by vintage girly magazines, found items from 2nd Avenue, and the 4 food groups, we took on pretty much anything that came our way."

Seven years later, Yarnall and Stanski are hot property, having done work for MTV, several advertising agencies, a few book publishers, independent filmmakers, The New York Underground Film Festival and a handful of magazines. They've also done packaging for Warner Bros. Records, Universal, MCA, EMI, Elektra, Polygram and Sony Music for artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Velvet Underground, Connie Francis and countless others.

Not bad for 2 renegade Amish boys.

Accomplishments theyre most proud of:
Over the course of the past several years, John's photos have graced the pages of magazines such as Newsweek, Glue and Creem. In addition to doing work for companies such as Levis, Pepsi and Harrah's Casinos, John has shot album covers for bands like Porno For Pyros, Motley Crue, Stone Temple Pilots, Monster Magnet and God Lives Underwater. John also helmed the Stone Temple Pilots video for "Big Bang Baby."

First paying job:
"The "Fishboy" book release party invitation, done on a little laserjet printer on vellum."

Is there a common thread to their design work?
"We try to create work that suits the project, but occasionally you'll see food finding its way into our work (primarily red meat), as well as images "borrowed" from ancient girly magazines. We try to continually evolve our work and not take things TOO seriously, as humor is a big part of our style."

How they describe their style:
"Faux-Byzantine-neo-classical Impressionism, circa the mid-15th century just kidding. Our "style" is actually pure Smay."

Tools of the trade:
"A couple of computers, Xerox machine, some pens, bottle of ink and coffee."

What they do to keep their ideas fresh:
"We store all our ideas in a dark, cool, dry place. Actually, travel is essential to keeping up with the Joneses. Collecting type and graphics from around the world is great way to reinvent yourself when things start to get a little stale."

Favorite album covers of all time:
Stan picks Kiss "Destroyer." Phils down with Isaac Hayes "Black Moses" (complete with the full-on cross-shaped fold out. Says Phil, "Try that with a CD cover!"

What they do when theyre not working:
"Stan enjoys playing with little trucks with his 14-month-old son, Jason. Phil does little paintings on those chunks of cardboard that they use to separate the layers of take-out chinese food."

What's next for them?
"Our big one in the wings is going to be a Jimi Hendrix box set due out later this year. We've got some great stuff to work with and it should be pretty cool."

The most satisfying part of their job:
"Having our own shop is great, since we no longer work for The Man. We can pursue whatever kind of work we want, and if the client is a pain in the ass, we don't take any more jobs from them. Also, the freedom to take vacations as needed without having to get approval from human resources is a big plus."

Top photo is of Velvet Underground box set