I kick started my second year by going to OFFSET Sheffield. This was a wonderful experience yet tiring at times, the two designers that really stood out were Ian Anderson from the Designers Republic and Ben Bos from the illustrious Dutch studio - Total Design.
Ian was really outspoken about what he thought design should be and should do, all his work seemed to have a political agenda and wasn't shy or quite, but really tried to shout what he wanted to say. He spoke about when designing if designers follow trends that the work ages really quickly.
Ben Bos apart from being the slowest talking human on the planet was really interesting, the modernist themes displayed within his practice and how they applied to branding, he explained that when he began working for Randstad they only had a few stores but through the power of design became one of the largest company in its field.
This insight into Ben Bos' slow talking came into use when me and Ed went to the Impact 1 and 2 talk at the MagCulture shop in London. A talk held by Adrian Shaughnessy and Jeremy Leslie. We spoke to the head of Spin studio Tony Brook about the slow talking Ben Bos and I asked him about a book by UnitEditions that I was hoping to get from father christmas. Going to this talk proved really useful as I was able to interview Jeremy Leslie for my creative report.
As you can see the interview was very extensive but has been a real eye opener in my practice. Editorial design is an area of graphics that I feel my skills are much more akin to. There is a magic to print that sometimes I find hard to see replicated in digital media.
Talking to Jeremy I asked about how the mainstream and independent magazines and if he knows anyone that is becoming the mainstream. But he explained that its not all about that, some people have an ambition to make money and be successful in that way, but some people their success comes from making something beautiful and thats a different success.
Coming back to editorial design the project that I would say is my most successful to date is the Orkney Alphabet publication. I really pushed myself in this and wanted to create something to be really proud of.
Moving forward I would love to get the chance to do work for the creative industries like - exhibition branding, leaflet/poster flier design. These are things that I have always loved to collect and enjoy. Seeing how the art in someways has influenced the design. There is more of a freedom in this kind of work that really interests me. These fields often have limited budgets but I have learnt that a smaller budget doesn't mean its less important or should be less expressive.
A project that I have been really enjoying recently is the collaborative work in responsive. This has given me a chance to do something different like painting and animation. But the thing that I have really enjoyed that has surprised me is the project management side. Like 'commissioning' work of an illustrator, asking an animator what they think is best and making sure things are running smooth. For example we had recently been painting frames and I was the one mixing the paint, making sure everyone had clean brushes this kind of thing. I think it is hard to let project just happen and see what comes out at the end but we have been really good at that in the collaborative work.
Moving forward... I still don't feel I have found my 'voice' as a designer but I do feel like I am getting there. I am desperate to do an internship as I want to know what it really takes to be a designer. I have been reading 'studio culture' about the inner workings of design studios and a smaller sized studio's really attract me as I like to talk to people and have convocations, The work of Unit editions has become a real inspiration in my practice and if ever I could do an internship there that would be amazing. Or even with Jeremy at Magculture. Magazine design is something that I have never thought of as something that I would like to do. Both my mum and dad have worked in magazines but it never really crossed my mind. I really am a fan of Apartamento magazine and their honesty and the fact they don't try to hard. I would love to work there if possible but who knows.
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