Puppy is designer’s favorite hobo

Heather Mangan

Heather Mangan

If Jim Taggart could draw anything it would be a hobo in a toga.

“I could easily see how that would be fun,” he says.

He says he’d like to make Will look like John Belushi from Animal House.

Taggart is a graphic designer for University Relations and one of his duties includes designing the Hobo Day posters, bumper stickers, buttons and, sometimes, t-shirts for one of SDSU’s biggest events.

He is not the original artist of Will and Lil. He says Will was drawn several decades ago and Lil was created a couple of years ago by a student. But he adjusts the characters to make them appropriate for each Hobo Days.

Taggart says he tries to design Will and Lil so they hold true to their originality.

Will is the hardest part of the design, Taggart says. He can only be drawn in profile view because that was the way he was originally drawn.

“I’ve tried to draw … a straight on version,” he says. “It just doesn’t look good. I start off thinking what I can do with him. Then I try to include Lil into it.”

One of Taggart’s favorite characters is the little dog that accompanies Will and Lil.

“I always try to include the little dog,” he says. “I think it is kind of cute. I have to admit, he’s my favorite part of it.”

#1.885746:3335452399.jpg:goodjimtaggart.jpg:Jim Taggart: