Emerge by caitlin thompson

CASEY KING ERIN ELLIS

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. - Alan Kay

THANK YOU To all the young designers and contributors to issue one, sometimes words of experience are worth more than those of advice.

CHAPTER ONE

I just do it. I’ve never understood people who have trouble organising themselves. If something needs to be done, do it. Obviously my main commitment is to Alt, so I’ll fulfil all my responsibilities there before I take off home to get on with my own projects.

ZOE IKIN

I don’t know if I can offer anything wise, other than to say, be sure that you wake up every morning enjoying what you do treat others and your design outcomes as how you would like to be treated. If you wake up from working and over-thinking the night before, a cup of green tea will do the trick in the morning.

REI KONZA

I go to talks and have met other designers through work and uni. Everyone is beneficial! To be honest, being on the web is probably one of the easiest ways to get out there and showcase your work. It’s so easily accessible.

CASEY KING

ZOE IKIN What attracted you to Graphic Design initially? Is the reality of being a graphic designer any different from what you ‘thought’ the job would be? Has your style and/or interests in the graphic design field changed as you’ve become more experienced?

ZOE IKIN | BORN: AUCKLAND | 25 YEARS OLD

I wanted to work in a creative field and studying Graphic Design was a sure way to actually get a job at the end of it. It’s pretty much as I thought it would be, although at first I was surprised by the administration stuff like recording your time spent on different clients down to the minute. Style and interests are always changing, and I think a good designer has to constantly be open to new ideas to stay inspired and deliver the best job possible.

I understand you were one of the editors of Studio magazine, layout, kerning, colour, paper stock, even the overall direction released in conjunction with the We Can Create design of the magazine, but that just made the final result all the conference. What did your role involve? sweeter. I would say I like working independently, except when it comes to Graphic Design – I think the combined result is Clem Devine, Sam Trustrum and I worked together on founding always much stronger than what any of us could do alone. In the magazine. After Prodesign folded, we saw a gap in the fact, there’s no doubt that the project (Studio) would not have design market and sought to fill it with something a bit different. happened if it hadn’t been for the collaborative effort. Studio profiles the spaces where creative people work, instead of the work that comes out of those spaces. Together, we What was the most valuable or exciting thing you learned wrote contributor briefs, managed the in-coming content, from being involved in the publication? designed the magazine, sought sponsorship, managed the That you have to chose your battles. production of the magazine and are in the process of making a distribution deal. Having now launched Issue One, we’ve had You seem to do a million and one things at once, from interest from people wanting to write for us, so there will be jewellery design to the studio newspaper, as well as holding down a studio job. What are the advantages and more contributors from now on. disadvantages of having this type of schedule; and do you What was it like working with Sam and Clem? What are the think the tight deadlines encourage you to work harder advantages and disadvantages of working collaboratively; under pressure? and do you prefer to work collaboratively or independently? You have just got to be organised. The more you have to fit in It was great. We were all good friends before the project and to your day, the more you get done. I’ve always had my own we are even closer now. We got to see each other’s strengths projects on the go, as well as working in a studio, and I think and particular interests in the process, and while we all sat I enjoy both because I do both. A variety of inspiration is around one computer to design Studio (for a few months of important so you keep your brain topped up and you don’t go weekends), we all took responsibility for getting our own little stale. There are weeks when a whole bunch of jewellery orders tasks done like liaising with printers and so on. It wasn’t all come in and I have late-night deadlines at work, so sometimes smooth sailing, there were plenty of robust debates around I forfeit a weekend or have a super late night, but generally >

it runs pretty smoothly. Multiple deadlines at once definitely kick you into gear. Every now and then I have to put the breaks on and turn down an opportunity to do something to keep my sanity, but not often. I hate doing that. In terms of priorities, how do you organise your time in order to accommodate your studio work for Alt? I just do it. I’ve never understood people who have trouble organising themselves. If something needs to be done, do it. Obviously my main commitment is to Alt, so I’ll fulfil all my responsibilities there before I take off home to get on with my own projects. In terms of style, grid and typography how much emphasis do you put on learning the fundamentals and traditionally “right” ways of designing first, as opposed to more experimental design? I don’t think you can sit down and learn it all so I’ve never attempted to do that. I do believe in right and wrong ways of doing things (and I absorb as much as I can from more experienced designers), but they may change for each specific job. A certain typeface may be totally inappropriate for one client but perfect for another. You just pick up on these subtleties as you gain experience. Within a studio, are their many restrictions on the way you design in terms of style? A studio ‘style’ is sometimes inevitable as you work closely with the same bunch of people day-in day-out, but I like to >

“We work long and hard, tucked away studios so in a small industry like ours, you’ve got to get out and turn up to these events if you want to stay connected”

think that any restrictions you face should be a result of the client, not the studio you work for. Some styles of design won’t suit some clients (a bank probably wont want a fluorescent pink logo, but a fashion designer might).

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There are a lot of mixed opinions in terms of design blogs. Do you often visit other designer/studio blogs, and what’s you opinion of them in general? You’ve got to keep abreast of what’s happening out there; as soon as you shut off you’ll run out of ideas/get bored/fall behind. You have an up-to-date website so how important is self-promotion and how does this benefit your work? With regard to studio work, it’s not so much self-promotion, but keeping a record of what you’ve done is worthwhile. You never know when someone will want to know what you’ve been up to (you, for example) and it’s easier to maintain than dig back through five years of work. However, with my jewellery I doubt I’d be making any sales without having an online presence. It’d be like having a shop hidden behind a brick wall.

Do you network with other young designers in Auckland or abroad? If so, how do you network and how are these contacts beneficial?

The launch issue of Studio Magazine was an awesome project. Issue two is in the pipeline already and there’s plenty more we can do with the format so ‘watch this There are lots of local design gatherings space’. where you bump into the same people, which is great. Design Assembly, We What does the future hold for you; Can Create, The 100 Days Project, what do you see yourself doing in the Creative Mornings (launched at the end next five years? of September) and so on. They all help I’m very lucky to be working in a great to bring people out of the woodwork. We work long and hard in tucked away studio with hugely inspiring designers, studios so in a small industry like ours, so I’m committed to putting my all into you’ve got to get out and turn up to these Alt Group, and learning as much as I can events if you want to stay connected. there over the years to come. This small effort can lead to project What advice would you give to a opportunities, new jobs, and just likesoon-to-be graduating Graphic Design minds to banter with. student? What opportunities do young designers Come and visit some studios in the have to showcase their work, particularly industry. Look at dinz.org.nz to see to other young designers?

a list of New Zealand designers, find out where they work and get in touch. You may need to just have a chat to a few and get some portfolio feedback, or offer some time for an internship What’s been your favourite project to period before anything concrete comes date? Is there any work you’ve done of it, but your willingness to work which you would like to explore further? hard and learn will be appreciated. I’ve been involved in all of the events mentioned above, so there’s a good few to start with. They won’t come knocking on your door but they are there.

REI KONZA BORN IN TOKYO, JAPAN 23 YEARS OLD

’m not exactly sure what attracted me to Graphic Design, but what I do know is that I was one of those neurotic children with the tidy desk, who was obsessed with making covers for schoolbooks. I would ask my parents to buy the clear Duraseal instead of the ones with pictures because I viewed the latter to be uninspiring. I would then spend hours piecing together images and type for my book covers. I think that this was a very early example of Graphic Design; I finally found an outlet that didn’t mind people who were pedantic and perfectionists. While at university, I spent my last year trying to decipher what was or is, my creative process. What I have come to realise is that the presence of a client, or another person in the equation, is hugely important to me; their happiness is paramount. Therefore, one of the things that attracted me to BRR was their service culture. I think it starts at the very beginning when they offer you a cup of tea. And coming from a Japanese family, that particular gesture said a lot to me. My perceptions of BRR’s strategic approach is that all of the thinking and effort placed into brand storytelling is to enable the client to have a competitive edge in the marketplace; essentially, the strategic approach is a way to aid and support them when thinking of the client’s longevity and the bigger picture. When this thinking filters into the design process, I feel like it supports and enables me to start the creative process on sound footing. I feel very blessed to be working in an environment where they are allowing me to grow. I’m starting to formulate a lot of my thoughts and realising what I value as a designer and what principles I feel I should uphold. In particular, what I have come to realise is that I prefer and value a certain aesthetic over others. When you ask about ‘limitations’, I think restrictions aren’t a bad thing necessarily; the more restrictive a situation, the more you are able to challenge yourself, and push yourself harder to attain that outcome you seek. Therefore, an important question for me is how am I able to retain my principles and beliefs as a designer when faced with commercial realities.

INSPIRATION

KENYA HARA (For his philosophical musings)

DIETER RAMS (For his principles and moral code to design)

NAOTO FUKASAWA (For bringing delight and humour to his often minimal designs)

MASSIMO VIGNELLI (For his uptight yet flexible use of typefaces)

LELLA VIGNELLI (For showing that in a partnership, although being an optimistic dreamer is great, there is a need for someone who is pragmatic and rational)

“I’M THE ENGINE AND LELLA IS THE BRAKES” (I think this is a lovely metaphor for a design partnership and collaboration)

In terms of personal projects, I do try and make time to create work outside of the working environment. Ideally, I would like to be able to engage in more projects and to collaborate with others. Design is an industry where it is your responsibility to keep up with it so I do practice, read and try to learn and broaden my thinking outside of working hours. It definitely helps to have a studio space of your own where you can talk with others who are in the creative field as well. However, during office or working hours, client work takes priority so I have a daily schedule that lists what I have to do for that day. After hours, it’s much the same. If there is freelance work due that comes before my selfinitiated projects. And somewhere in the mix, sleep happens. In terms of style, grid and typography, I would say that I do appreciate and value what many would view as the formal principles of design. Some people say that one is not able to experiment due to its rigidity but I think you can; you just need a flexible grid system. I aim for visually minimalistic, organised and systematic design, and to quote Yuriko Saito, I strive for my outcomes to be an “aesthetic manifestation of moral values”. As for design blogs, I personally enjoy them and I think it’s important to keep up with what other people are saying. However, I often read the ‘comments’ section at the end, as well-considered pieces often facilitate great debates.

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In going to art exhibitions, discussions and lectures, I have met other designers and creatives. These avenues are great for meeting new people and as with any meeting-situation, you then meet other people and contacts through them. However I am not too sure if there are many outlets for designers to showcase their work, unless they pro-actively organise an exhibition of some kind. I think it would be fantastic if there were more opportunities to do so, even if it was just to engage with other practicing designers. My favourite project to date was my final year project at university, purely from the point-of-view that I learnt so much through the process and it gave me a lot of clarity, which has really aided future creative projects. But one project that I am exploring further is the continuation of something I started for the 100 Days brief, which was to analyse what I spent on a daily basis. I have continued to retain monthly piles of receipts, which I am slowly scanning and will analyse further. But it’s pretty much self-torture; I’ve found out so many things about myself that I don’t like! As for the plan for the next five years – it’s changed; I now have a list of what I’d like to do before I turn 30. Initially, the list was for ‘before 25’, but I’ve realised that a year disappears too quickly these days. But at the heart of it, even if it sounds a tad corny, I want to be content and happy in whatever situation I’m in. I’m happy with the realisation that one’s whole life is research and I would like to keep growing as a person and as a designer, and learning from knowledgeable people along the way. To be honest, I don’t know if I can offer anything wise to a graduating Graphic Design student, other than to say be sure that you wake up every morning enjoying what you do and to treat others and your design outcomes in the same way you would like to be treated. And if you wake up from working and over-thinking the night before, a cup of green tea will do the trick in the morning.

“A client can give and then take away and EXPLODE your brain”

CASEY KING | BORN IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA NOW BASED IN AUCKLAND

| 27 YEARS OLD

CusTom

What attracted you to Graphic Design initially? I took graphics, design art and photography in school and design kind of worked with all those aspects I guess. My style has definitely changed as I have been at different jobs. It still gets me buzzed though and I don’t think I would want to be working in any other industry. What’s better – freelancing or working in a studio? I freelanced on the side outside of working hours for a while, just to get a little more differentiation in my work. I was working in a studio which was business to business, so the work was incredibly corporate but I just wanted to use some FAAAAANCY TYPE! I prefer being in a studio as I like the structure and the routine. If I was a fulltime freelancer I have a bad feeling I would have a lot of ‘breaks’ during the day. I am also not that amazing at selling and hustling (yet). What was the most valuable or exciting thing you learnt from being out in the industry? I’m still thinking about this one... the people you meet are sometimes the bloody best and I like mixing with other designers. You’re involved in quite a few self-initiated projects. Are these projects different? Personal projects are good but hard to keep up because I am the worst client I have ever had, ever. Doing your own projects are fun though; you can experiment because nobody can tell you what you can and can’t do. Plus, people respond well to passion in projects. How do you organise your time in order to accommodate your client work and personal design work? Client stuff always comes first. Because it paaaaaaaaays. But sometimes I save a really nice typeface for personal things so I never have to associate it with a client/a project/a something that is now a suppressed memory (things can go wrong you know). In terms of style, grid and typography, how much emphasis do you put on the fundamentals, as opposed to more experimental design? Oh God, I have no idea. I like to think I am ‘doing things correctly’ but you also learn that there isn’t one way of doing something or all your work is going to be carbon copies, in different styles. It’s always a little bit intuitive and I always have a style I prefer, but it usually doesn’t lend itself to individual projects/brands/clients. Is there a method you use as a starting point to approach all your projects? I do a lot of doodling which is mainly writing words down then never looking at them again. >

Then I roughly draw up grids, page layout, shapes and so on. This is really rough though; they always look a lot different when you start to work them on screen. I don’t think I have any kind of method. I do look at typefaces very early on because, in my opinion, it is usually the best part. Do you find working for clients very restrictive, or have you generally received work that encourages you to take creative freedom? A client can give and then take away. And explode your brain. The best clients are the ones who know that they are not designers, not even a leeettle bit; not even to make their logo a little bit bigger! Like I am not a doctor. I am not going to convince the doctor I have (insert disease) when he is all ‘dude it’s a cold’. Maybe not quite to that degree, but along those lines. It is best to establish a brief at the very beginning. You can then be quite analytical and work things back to it without stepping on toes or getting personal. Do you often visit other designer/studio blogs, and what’s you opinion of them in general? I prefer studio blogs, and a few good personal ones. There is just so much to actually see out there you could spend hours. I do spend hours. Too many hours! Then you get depressed because there are so many people doing so many amazing things.

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I am not good at this at all. Making a web portfolio was good to actually see what I had done and all the things that I hadn’t. It made me want to do a lot morrrrrrrrrrre. Do you network with other young designers? If so, how and are these contacts beneficial? I go to talks and have met other designers through work and uni. Everyone is beneficial! To be honest, being on the web is probably one of the easiest ways to get out there and showcase your work. It’s so easily accessible. What’s been your favourite project to date? I once worked on a 3D typeface (not digital 3D, real life 3D) which I thought would be so easy and WASN’T. It was tedious and infuriating, but kind of cool to think of type as actual objects. It was kooky looking though. What do you see yourself doing in the next five years? Being REALLY GOOD at designing? Reaching my bloody potential so I’m working on my thought processes. I just want to ‘nail’ some briefs; no big deal. What advice would you give to a soon-to-be graduating Graphic Design student? Find a nice studio. I have worked with the best people and it makes everything easy and amazing. If you suss a bad vibe, then don’t go near them. Design is about people.

SARGE’S PIES

SAM SARGENT

It’s all about bringing a quality New Zealand icon to a new generation of pie lovers, young and old, local or visitors. There are very few people who don’t appreciate a hot pie! The opening of Sarge’s Pies coincided with the start of the Rugby World Cup tournaments, and being situated in the hub of Party Central, the new venture hit the ground running. But this wasn’t a passing trend to create by a global pie company or a fashionable pop-up store riding on the popularity of the World Cup celebrations. Sarge’s Pies is a self-made success story from 22 year old entrepreneur Sam Sargent. Already an old hand in the business industry, coming from the family that began Angus Meats, Sam approaches the business with enthusiasm and a hands-on confidence that literally has pies walking out the door, or hatch so to speak. With help from friends at Saatchi & Saatchi he’s taken the story of his refurbished 1973 Airstream Overlander, imported from Arizona, and imbedded it into the culture of the New Zealand pie-loving tradition. The outcome; a steaming success of a company all out of the side of an old caravan and delicious hot pies at all hours!

CLICK CLICK

CHAPTER TWO “To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” Milton Glaser JANSON CHAU | MILES LANGLEY | JAMES K LOWE

FLASH

What attracted you to Graphic Design?

JANSON CHAU | BORN IN HONG KONG, NOW BASED IN AUCKLAND | 23 YEARS OLD

I thought I was better at things that were ‘creative’ but when the time came to pick something ‘creative’ to study, that also has a career at the end, the choices quickly narrowed. When I went to design school I didn’t really know what Graphic Design was. Afterwards I began to want to do it because it was interesting and I believed I was a little bit decent at it. Since then I’ve found a few more reasons to be attracted to it.

than taste. There has to be a better approach than banging type on a page and shifting it around hoping it’ll look right. Of course, if the situation calls for it you can go in and make it interesting or ‘experimental’, or ‘off grid’. I think both are important. I’m interested in a bunch of stuff that skew slightly more towards what you might call ‘experimental’. I like it because it seems more fun, seems more like play, more Graphic Design in a purer sense of the words. At the end of the day, all that’s really important is that it’s good.

Are there many style restrictions in a studio? Have Alt’s Is the reality of being a graphic designer different from philosophies influenced your work? your original perception? There are restrictions certainly, as in any other context, but ‘Yes’ and ‘no’. I didn’t really think a lot about what I thought I’ve never felt restricted by the studio. I think most of how being a graphic designer would be like. I was freelancing a particular ‘style’ gets applied, comes very much out of after I graduated and I considered I was doing Graphic conversations, borne out of the ideas associated with it. I’m Design, probably to the chagrin of actual freelancing sure my approach to design has changed as I’ve become graphic designers. The point I guess is that I’ve never more experienced and those changes would have been really thought of the whole thing as a ‘job’; doing Graphic brought about by both working within that environment Design at school, or alone, or in a studio, or as a job, it and also through a lot of conversations had around design seems like the same thing except with other people you and the way to go about it. Certain values become more tend to be better and in a job you might have to do it a bit important and others less so. quicker. So that’s the ‘no’. If you were really asking about things a bit closer to earth, then ‘yes’, of course. Nothing’s You’ve recently achieved Silver at the 2011 Best Awards really ever what you think it will be, down to the very last for the poster ‘Year of the Rabbit’. What was your role in the project and what did you learn from this kind of image you end up clear cutting. studio-initiated work? Has your style and/or interests in the Graphic Design That project came from Dean Poole, creative director of field changed as you’ve become more experienced? Alt, who basically wanted me to create a cool poster. It I’m not sure I’ve ever even done enough work to begin happened quickly which I think was part of the point. Over to have a style, but interests have changed. Or maybe about a weekend, it was drawn up and a bit of time spent it’s more accurate to say ‘expanded’. The more you find wondering how Chinese looks best next to English. That out, the more avenues or ways you get to interpret and was basically it. We set up a website and managed to get it manifest the things that you’re interested in. Experience printed and pasted around town. changes how you see certain things and you come across others things that you just didn’t know existed in the first What I learned is that a lot of neat stuff happens from talking place. It’s generally addictive; there’s an ever-increasing with a bunch of people and wondering ‘I think this would be a cool poster/book/project/anything’ and then just list of things that would be cool to do. deciding to do it. So that’s conversation and decision. Then, Working for Alt must have seemed like a pretty amazing generally, things can happen quite quickly. This kind of thing opportunity. Was it your first choice after uni or did you gives you opportunities to be much more experimental and go through other studios first? test things out that could later be incorporated into more I was fortunate to have interned there (with Alt) for a short conventional work. Also, it’s fun. That’s a pretty important time in my final year of school. After graduating I was still thing to be having at work. freelancing on my own, trying to figure out what I wanted Which do your prefer – collaborative work or working as to do, where I wanted to be. I didn’t have much of a plan an independent designer? but looking to join a studio wasn’t really on the cards; the thinking was that unless it was a place I wanted to be, I’d I like working with people. Other people have their own set stick to working alone. By chance I bumped into the guys of skills, knowledge, preferences, experiences and tacit from Alt again and we kept in touch so when the chance things – working collaboratively means you can produce work you would never have achieved by yourself. came up, I leapt at it. In terms of style, grid and typography how much Aside from the issue of quality, collaboration makes things emphasis do you put on learning the fundamentals and much more interesting, much more worthwhile. When traditionally “right” ways of designing first, as opposed I’m stuck at a particular point, it’s pretty hard to escape seeing it from a different perspective. Often after hours of to more experimental design? frustration I conclude that a simple conversation would I’d say learning the fundamentals is important. I’m not have solved everything. Graphic Design is very much about sure about traditionally ‘right’ ways of designing, but there communication and it seems to be one of the integral are certain things that are based on ideas more concrete elements of the process. At this stage, I’m also very much

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Appreciate all opportunities but value your skills enough to be waryâ&#x20AC;?

in the process of learning things and getting better at things, taking advantage of talking and working with people seems vitally important. Do you visit other designer/studio blogs, and what do you think of them? I think generally they’re quite good. It’s a nice showcase of what has been and what is being done. Although I like the ones where it’s really more like a blog, as opposed to portfolio. You don’t even necessarily need to show any work. Just thoughts to glean insights from. One of my favourites is blog.linedandunlined.com. I don’t know if you can blame blogs for encouraging creative work to follow trends, that’s an issue with the particular approach to work. What opportunities do young designers have to showcase their work? If you’re talking about established things then graduation exhibitions, Pecha Kucha, Creative Mornings? Otherwise, I guess you have to make your own opportunities to share your work amongst your peers. What’s been your favourite project to date, and is there any work you’ve done you that you would like to explore further? I don’t know if there have been clear favourites. I think there are bits I really enjoy or value in every project but that’s usually coupled with a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t like or thought could be done better. A project that was quite good was one I did early in my third year of design school. We had to make publications – zines – which I ended up skewing slightly. My tutor at that time did a bit of arranging with the visual arts department over the road and set me up with an art collective who were looking to do an art catalogue. I went around and researched and bought a bunch of catalogues and had this idea firm in my mind of what they were. Of course, when I met the artists my preconceptions didn’t really fit with their work. I got frustrated trying to force the content into the form and then through talking it out, realised that that was the wrong way to go about it. The thing in the end was nothing like what I thought it should be and that was great. A friend and I wrangled a gallery space and we threw/ launched a whole bunch of zines/publications the class did. So it’s a pretty mundane lesson at the end of the day but it sort of shifted things and must have meant something because to answer your second question, the work done there (books, catalogues, publishing, exhibitions, working with people etc.) carried on through to my grad project and all the way up to now. It’s grown and changed and bits have become clearer while others less so but it’s being explored further. Sometimes what you do in school ends up becoming what you’re interested in for quite a while. What advice would you give to a soon-to-be graduating Graphic Design student? That you should be sure, at this point in time anyway, that you want to be doing it. I think that’s really important. Keep up an inquiry; keep doing the other things you’re interested in, especially if you have nothing else going on or you’re somewhere where you don’t particularly want to be, but even if you are where you want to be. Appreciate all opportunities but value your skills enough to be wary when people offer you exposure as payment. And if you tell yourself you’re doing it for your portfolio, make sure it’s actually something you personally feel will really add value to your folio. Edit your portfolio. And also being a nice person helps.

You state that your work revolves around film, photography, interviews and style profiles, fashion and music. Would you still classify yourself as a Graphic Designer or do you feel you’ve specialised?

it. One week at Designworks turned into two weeks, then two days a week for the rest of the year. After graduation, I stayed in touch but pursued projects working for Federation and Parachute Music. After a year or two, I called up Designworks and started working there fulltime. We developed a lot of new products for DB Breweries in my time there and I was introduced to the innovation process; something I picked up here in London when I arrived. Creating campaigns for Sony Music based upon in-depth consumer insight was a brilliant introduction to innovation, strategic planning and the UK market. I continue to work for my clients across branding, new product/strategic development (innovation), film and photography.

I've never been comfortable describing myself as a Graphic Designer, even while majoring in it at art school. I've always felt ideas are what are important and whether you apply them through design, photography, fashion, film or writing, these are all skills that can be developed over time, if you apply yourself to practicing them. At the root of successfully conducting all creative disciplines, you need to see the world in your own way. The medium is simply bringing your unique vision to life. I've always just called myself a designer or simply How does working in the UK differ from Auckland? a creative. The primary difference is the specialisation. In New Zealand What influenced you to go down this path as opposed to we all develop diverse portfolios, but in London you need to be known for one thing. Hence, though I continue to work in print design? Were you always interested in it? many fields, I have to promote myself as a director. Luckily, my Photography was my first love, and it still is. There's something existing clients know I can design too. so wonderful about being able to frame the world as you see it and use it to tell stories. Film for me is just like photography, You’ve been involved in We Love Inc. What was your role and but you get to add dialogue, music and movement. Jean-Luc how did you find the experience? Godard once said: “Photography is truth. The cinema is truth Working with Joanna Alpe and her team is amazing; there is so twenty-four times per second.” much talent in We Love Inc that I feel privileged to be involved. After graduating in 2004, you did some studio work for I brought my experience in consumer insight and innovation Designworks before heading abroad to work in London. Why along with my digital design abilities. It was the time zones that lead me to step away from working so closely with them and did you choose this path? become an independent designer. Too many creative meetings In 2003, Geoff Sulvalco who was then creative director and at 1am kept destroying me the following day. partner at Designworks, gave a lecture. Everything he said excited me – the role of design and the way he saw it working Do you prefer working with other people or are you more of an just resonated. After the class, in the hallway outside, I independent designer? approached him for some work experience as our first term I continue to collaborate with We Love Inc on specific projects was coming to a close. I remember saying: “I don't mind if you while I love the freedom of being an independent creative. don't have any desks; I'll sit on the floor”. I spent my first day Everything I do requires collaboration to certain degrees. spray-gluing a presentation to foam-board till midnight. It was There are always other people better than me who I feel lucky an appropriate introduction to the working world, and I loved to work with.

What was the most valuable or exciting thing you learnt from being involved in a group like We Love Inc? Time-management, client-management, communication and new business. Being a creative professional requires those four traits. It's not enough just having ideas to make a selfemployed living. It taught me that hard work needs to be applied towards appropriate goals or you'll just kill yourself. You seem to accommodate quite a lot of personal work alongside work for clients; how important is this for you and how do you manage your time to accommodate it? We don't have a television in my flat where I live in Shoreditch, East London, which is basically in the creative heart of London. There's music, galleries and events right on my doorstep. My life is a series of creative events. I don't consider it to be something I â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; it's just something I am. If I'm not working on a client job I'll be working on a personal project; that's just my life. I just love making beautiful things. When working in a studio, are their many restrictions on your style? I enjoy working to a style; boundaries give me something to work with and push against. Luckily, I've always worked for clients where what's appropriate for the brand will ultimately dictate the style.

There are a lot of mixed opinions about design blogs. Do There are so many projects; it's just too hard to choose. But you often visit other peoples/studio blogs and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you I love directing at the moment. Having a camera gets you places you wouldn't go otherwise and you get to meet people opinion of them, in general? you might not otherwise meet. A camera is a backstage pass; I love Google Reader. I generally visit in the mornings to get sometimes literally. I honestly couldn't say what I will be my inspiration going. I don't follow design blogs; it's mostly doing in the next five years, but it will be something creative, fashion, music, strategy and some great blogs who aggregate somewhere in the world. interesting new and creative projects. If I'm looking for specific What advice would you give to a soon-to-be graduating inspiration I'll go to ffffound, Behance, Buamai, Dropular, Graphic Design student? Vimeo or the like. Get as much real world experience as possible while you're Do you network and is it beneficial? still studying. As a student, I pursued placements from year I don't specifically keep in touch with others from my year at two onwards. Not only does it teach you professional skills you school, but I've gathered so many talented friends over the can't learn in art school and allow you to work with experienced years who I do catch up with from time-to-time when they visit designers, it also starts developing your networks. There's no London. There's an amazing design community in New Zealand reason you can't graduate and have your perfect job waiting, but it's up to you to take the initiative and to put in the time that regularly blows me away with their work. and effort while you're still studying. And, use inspiration but Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been your favourite project to date and are there any don't slavishly copy. No-one else sees the world exactly as you you would like to explore further? do, so be true to yourself and you'll create original work.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Revealing from the darkness, eyes rest upon these solemn figures all stuck in waiting. Waiting for someone, something, a response... Unexpectedly, a strange feeling of comfort is invoked within solidarity. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a relationship with the in-between the setting and situation is all in the midst of the greater picture. A snippet of what is to come, and what happened before you arrived. The in between is the promise of something better, or dread of something worse. It is a dark truth, and an unforgiving happiness. It is the situation where you find yourself acting for the future, even if it hurts you now.â&#x20AC;?

“I ACTUALLY ENDED UP FAINTING AND KNOCKING OUT MY TEETH AFTER SLEEPLESS NIGHTS ”

James K Lowe mainly practices within the realm of photography, captivating moody images and translating his genuine interest in the interaction between people and the world around us. He effectively captivates audiences with his raw, real-life images and relies on the support of his family and friends to inspire and assist him in bringing his ideas to life. He also works as a Designer for Qubic, a retail fashion store in Newmarket, which effectively caters to his interests in fashion, people and contemporary design culture, whilst bringing in a steady income. The best piece of advice (in retrospect) that I think we received as students was when one of our lecturers said only around two or three of us would end up practicing art once we graduated. At the time it was a big shock. It also made you work harder for it and really question what you want to end up doing. Elam is also a very fine arts-orientated school so I’m sure this ratio differs quite considerably in other art and design institutes. The other thing that I wish I had told myself during my study was: “No, you don’t need to spend so much money on art supplies; save it all for the end of year”. I’m sure I spent more money on work than on my university fees in the end. You really need to try and explore everything; you just never know. I didn’t pick up a camera until my second year of Elam. Now it is all I do! In my experience I found nothing matters until your final year exhibition. You’d be surprised who sees your work. After leaving university, I initially began working for a photography studio. It offered the security of a paying job and I went into it basically to further my education in the areas you only learn through real-life experience. It taught me a lot about lighting and commercial photography. Money became more important, which is why I started at Qubic. They took me on part-time just selling on the floor, and this lead to a full-time design role, which is lovely. I’m not a designer; I just have the ability to use Illustrator and Indesign. I tend to see myself as a person who can use a camera and think of things others won’t. In saying that, I am a bit weary of doing commercial work especially if I think it will resemble my own art practice too much. But with photography, or any other form of art and design, it’s often difficult to separate one from the other, or I’ve yet to find out how to do it. I rarely

do anything commercial; I just want to take my own photos. The only catch is that I don’t make money off them yet (but, of course, it’s not about making money – not yet anyway). It's hard to have a favourite project because everyone has different values but I really enjoyed working on "Don't Cry, Death Defy!" It was a self-portrait project involving myself in a home made Evil Kinevil costume, self-built custom bicycles (for 10 year olds) "Rolling Thunder", reinforced broom sticks "Broom of Doom" and plank inventions "Plank of Death". It was in the midst of a very large and tedious installation project I was working on, “My Ptolemaic Mind”, which involved carefully hand-building miniature suburban houses. I actually ended up fainting and knocking out my teeth after sleepless nights working on getting it finished. That all added to the Evil Kinevil persona I had inadvertently taken on. The project was firstly film, and secondly photographic, but I think I was the only one who took the film seriously and the photographs have seen a lot of exposure for what it was. I hope I can revisit the film one day, but until then it'll stay as it is. I still see a lot of Elam students, mostly because of the way the university plan is laid out. It’s run much like college in that you see everyone every day, and naturally you all become friends. In saying that very few of us work within the industry. I tend to sit on the border, since I work mostly in fashion having a job at Qubic and get to know people through that. Plus, my sister is in the realm. We’re lucky in Auckland, there are events and talks that happen within the industry, but they are not so well-publicised. Things like We Create, Semipermanent and the DINZ artist talks. There are a few also for photographers – Photoforum and AIPA both put on events. Recently, I talked at Pecha Kucha (artist talks), which I didn’t know that much about until recently. A lot of the knowledge about these events is through word-of-mouth, being a part of an established network already or making a conscious effort to find out about them. In terms of photography, there are a couple groups that you can join. I used to volunteer at Artspace and other artist-run spaces as well, which is inevitably going to expose you to people and things that are going on. These things don’t generally come looking for you, you have to go searching for your own interests.

Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information. - Man Ray

CHAPTER THREE Dimensions: a mode of linear extension of which there are three in space and two on a flat surface, which corresponds to one of a set of coordinates specifying the position of a point. TIM GOMEZ | ANZAC TASKER

ne of the aspects that separates freelance from a studio job is the lack of senior direction. Freelance tolerates an element of freedom – in essence you become your own creative director, as well as the designer who has to implement the end result. In terms of a mentor, I turn to my peers. A few months ago, I read Milton Glaser’s 10 Things I Have Learned and that has really helped too. There’s a lot of truth in what he has to say, which I’m slowly starting to learn, and I guess because I don’t have anyone with me who has had experience and can ‘mentor’ me, this seems to suffice quite well. In a sense, freelance drives you to source your direction from other sources and reading is one of the most valuable tools a designer can have; it’s within anyone’s reach. There was no one turning point, when a light came on and I suddenly knew I wanted to be a Graphic Designer. I didn’t really know what to do after high school. I thought about fine arts, but the Elam School of Fine Arts was a bit intimidating. I did know, however, that I needed to start something. Graphic Design seemed like a way to do some creative work where I got paid. I didn’t know what it was/is but looking back, that didn’t matter. University pretty much painted the picture of what a Graphic Designer’s role was – a mix of fear and excitement coupled with some procrastination. Of course, it’s a lot deeper than that and, when you are dealing with clients and deadlines, the pressure is real. One of the biggest eye-openers, and most frustrating elements of the job when moving into the industry, is the way the clients don’t pay on time. I guess if you move straight into a studio, you don’t encounter this aspect of the job and even now I’m still trying to get my head around it. I wouldn’t say my style or interests have changed since I started working in the industry. Working with real-life clients doesn’t really change your style, but it definitely gives it an element of clarification. Besides your style is constantly changing; the more you discover about yourself and the more you experience, inevitably shapes your design. You develop a better understanding of what you >

T I M G O MEZ

This typographic piece was simply trying to map out the frequency of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice against volume. It was a piece centred around the idea of creating a typographic terrain that could aid people when reading a text. The depth of the contour within the shape was volume and the height to which the contours reached was the frequency. This was one of the experiments created to attempt to represent the intonations of speech, to see if people would be able to reinterpret this representations so speech > sculptural type > speech. Initially, people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really get that, but upon talking to them about it there were quite a few funny reinterpretations. Clearly it needed some work.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Graphic design: a mix of fear and excitement, coupled with some procrastination... pretty much paints the pictureâ&#x20AC;?

want to do, how you like to do things and what you need to learn. I think a lot of it could come down to confidence. It’s just growing and learning and finding out what you don’t know, and then having the innate curiosity to find out.

want from you; it makes the process a lot more fun as well. I divide my time between spending whole days on one project and then alternating with different projects. I need to work in solid blocks, and not do the same thing two days in a row. It means you can keep a fresh approach. The main I didn’t choose a freelance career initially. After university, I motivation for getting it done is not letting people down; worked for six months but decided that particular place and that’s the worst feeling. design wasn’t for me. I think it’s got to be mutual between yourself and your employer; you are not just working for Working independently, I definitely miss the peer them in the design industry, you are working with them. I contribution. For a while I was working by myself in the started doing my own thing because no studio that I could studio, which was quite lonely. I got to points where I see was really doing the sort of design that I felt like I could stopped knowing if the work was good because there contribute to. You’re not going to be able to produce work wasn’t another voice that would see the work from a you’re proud of if there’s a conflict in aesthetics or opinions, different angle. Email helped and peers were quite open and as designers we put too much of ourselves into our about sharing their opinions when asked. Luckily, one of my work to not be 100 percent satisfied with the results. The friends from architecture recently moved into the studio big thing is that I’m not sure what I want to do so freelance full – time. It makes a lot of difference just having someone is a pretty effective way of finding this out. Besides, it’s fun. else to talk to during the day. Keeps you sane. Currently, I’m doing a bit of everything – web, print and clothing design. Discovering all the limitations of the web In terms of my design, I like clean type and grids, although is doing my head in; not being able to kern and set live text admittedly I’m still learning how to do these things ‘properly’. Books have helped. If you want to do something properly is quite a nightmare. badly enough you’ll find a way to learn about it. I can’t say The most important lesson you learn from freelancing is to I’ve meet many new designers through my job; I don’t have be nice; it goes a long way. That might sound ridiculously the constant interaction with other creatives and designers simple but your clients are your job in the end and as a you would find in a large studio. I would like to though. freelancer there’s no accounts personnel to do the faceto-face talking. It comes down to you to sell your work. I My favourite work at the moment would be a recent think freelancing has been a good option. It enables me to project. I was asked to design the uniforms for a cafe. The do design that I like and I enjoy the client interaction that staff moved around between three different areas so in you wouldn’t normally get in a studio. Help would be nice essence the design needed to be versatile to reflect this. It’s these challenges, which make a job satisfying and the sometimes and the irregular pay cheques can be hard. end result so much better. I ended up doing some typeI’ve been lucky that my clients are with me because of the based designs using a play-on-words. They’re currently type of design I do. So, in effect, I end up combining my being made and I can’t wait to see them. In terms of the own interests with paying client work without having to future, nothing is set in stone. My philosophy is to just keep make a definite distinction between client and personal having a good time. My advice to a student who is about to self-initiated projects. I’m really grateful for this side join the workforce, is don’t worry about not knowing what of freelancing. It makes for better work when the client to do, not many people do. Just make sure you’re enjoying appreciates what you do and you understand what they whatever you are doing. Read, whenever you can; it helps.

Anzac Tasker is a Auckland born and bred Graphic Designer working for Designworks, Britomart. He’s a strong believer in unravelling the original from your own inspiration and ideas. In opposition to the growing trend of design blogs and social media, he highly doubts the beneficial nature of referencing other design or turning to what’s been done before for research. He says that his own work stems from his own experience. Knowledge and research of the subject he’s working on. “In this way, regardless of how similar the end result is to another deign, at least it has been born from an original idea.”

“ There is no way you can say you’ve experienced these works until you’ve stood in front of them”

“No pictures can fully replicate the experience of physically standing in front of a massive installation” You really have to tackle each design differently to honour the individual nature of what you are trying to achieve within the project. In saying that there are some common tried-and-true methods which I find really useful to get the grounding for each project. Once you have an overall idea of what you’re trying to create, then you basically deconstruct this idea to its most basic ingredients or elements and this becomes the ‘design palette’. This is all the reference you need to produce something that portrays the real essence of the brand or project you are trying to create. Of course, I have a real appreciation for contemporary trends and the part pop culture plays in design. However, in the end, this shouldn’t dictate the direction the work goes; but an awareness is definitely essential.

would be difficult to tire of working in a studio environment like this. Each project extends your knowledge base and every different collaboration exposes you to different ways of working.

Working in a collaborative way dramatically increases the pace in which you move through ideas and extends the contribution of knowledge. I can appreciate the benefits of group work, but this developed before I started working at Designworks. During my third year of university, some of the other students and I approached our lecturers about the possibility of completing our project as a collaborative piece of work. We were each required to thoroughly document our work process and our individual contribution to the project, but even then we could see the increased Your first job in a studio has a huge influence over the energy that came from working in a team environment. extension of your career. There is no use working somewhere where there is no opportunity for personal growth, but the Networking is something that almost seems to happen of working environment of your first studio definitely shapes its own accord in Auckland. The design community is small elements of your working style. For example, Designworks enough that it’s almost unavoidable. You get to hear about is a thoroughly integrated studio, with a great working who’s doing what through the grapevine and conversations environment that nurtures growth and individuality. tend to travel through the various studios. There isn’t so Work is delegated to the most appropriate designer for much as a dedicated young designers network but there’s the particular brief and in this way, it encourages you enough knowledge about one another for a certain level of to personalise your style and develop particular strong friendly rivalry to exist. I personally keep in touch with most points. The creative director (Jeff Wong) hand picks people of the kids I went to school with who went on to work in to work on each project and every project is different so it the creative industry and this may be due to AUT being a >

good grounding for community networking. During university there was certainly a creative culture between the Graphic Design students and it created a healthy buzz to work in. I’ve never been a big fan of online social networking; instead of connecting people, it feels like it puts up barriers between them. It takes you away from that personal contact and is more of an anti-social act. It means you don’t have to put in that physical effort to go and meet with the people you are trying to create the network with and adds an element of superficiality to the relationship. My fourth year honours project was definitely a good reflection of the area I like to work within. It was a study of the contrast between craft versus technology and how the two very different approaches to creating co-exist. I used typography to take the project into the Graphic realm and converted 2D type into a 3D sculptural representation. The shadows and physical objects within the installation became a visual metaphor for tangible media versus digital. I wanted to express my frustrations with the limitations that digitalgenerated work puts on your design thinking. When you’re making something physically with your hands the limitations literally become what you make them and there’s something really appealing about this. I continued experimenting with this after joining Designworks. I created a 3D typographic installation of the word ‘IDEAS’ which pretty much reflects my approach to design. I love hands on work; physically getting in there and making something that puts you back in contact with your work. This is a really essential part of my work. It is probably one of the reasons why I’m not a big fan of digitally documenting my work and keeping an online portfolio. I prefer my work to be seen in the same way that I like to approach the creation of it. No pictures can fully replicate the experience of physically standing in front of a massive installation where you can take in first-hand every element, from colour to size and texture. The hardest thing to adjust to when you leave university and start your first job is the pace. There are different turnaround times on deadlines but you rarely get extensions and you don’t get to pick and choose which you give higher priority to; every job represents a client and there’s no losing interest halfway through and chopping and changing your ideas. Clients are the second major wake-up call! It’s your job to learn to work with them because in the end, they are the ones paying your bills – there’s no more writing your own briefs. Nine to five is also a shock. I can easily see myself working at Designworks for the next five years or so, because the studio brings in such a wide range of work that is interesting and challenging. But I would like to go abroad, maybe to Australia, at some stage and get some experience working offshore.

rin Ellis, 28, is making her very individual mark in the competitive US design industry. Working with design, illustration and hand-lettering, she's transformed her enthusiasm for art and design into a career. Born in New Jersey, she grew-up in the country and her work reflects a natural free-flowing style which becomes completely unique and fresh in her new setting of San Francisco. Erin's commitment and vigour for design has led to a constant flow of work across a broad spectrum of canvases from murals to t-shirts and CD covers. Viewing her work gives some insight into the adventurous and edgy personality of an up-and-coming designer abroad.

Dreamweaver, was included in the general education requirements. I feel like art schools today are better preparing ‘creatives’ for the fast-moving technological world. Aside from my one typography class, I didn’t use the computer in school for any illustration projects except preparing files to screenprint. Kind of shocking for a designer! Hand-drawn typography is definitely my passion and I probably would have fallen into it, regardless of what classes I’d taken. As it was, I didn’t get into it until my last semester as an undergraduate and regretfully, I only took one typography class. The MICA Graphic Design program is well-respected and I wish I had pushed myself to get more into it, even minored in Graphic Design. But working on computers didn’t appeal to me. I’ve always loved drawing and making everything by hand. After school, I taught myself how to use the computer as a tool, scanning and piecing together drawings and getting my head around colour and texture swatches. My work in my last semester was greatly influenced by the typography class and my professor, Jennifer Cole Phillips, who told me I had a natural instinct for design. She and the illustration department chair, Whitney Sherman, encouraged me to experiment with drawing letters. Whitney lent me the book Atkinson Sign Painting, which is long out of print but a real gem if you can find one. That was a huge inspiration and sparked my passion for hand-drawn typography. Because I was in a more illustration-orientated degree, the lecturers spoke as if freelance was the career path we were being prepared for and most working illustrators that we studied, or who came to lecture, were freelancing. I remember thinking that success would mean getting enough freelance jobs to be able to quit any part-

time, income-supplementing job. I’m still working on that! But the more experience I have in the industry, the more I’ve begun seriously to consider a job in a design studio. The illustration teachers always advised us to stay away from a ‘style’. My work was all over the place in school; the only indication that one person had created it was the conceptual approach I took and the playful feel of it all. But as far as style goes, it was all different. Looking back, I guess this was one of the really valuable lessons our lecturers gave us. My creative network now mostly revolves around a few close friends from school and a few I’ve met since. It really does make a difference who you network with during your time studying because, after all those years of study together, they will be the people who are most familiar with your style. I have a small collaborative project with my friend Christiane. She has lived all over the world since we graduated, and with our different geographical locations, we can make connections far and wide. We make a stellar team and hope to market ourselves as a company over the next few years. Having her support and advice has been invaluable and when you work independently, it’s these connections that keep you sane and enthusiastic. It’s like working together in a little Skype studio. My favorite project is usually the most recent! In this case that is true. I worked with my aforementioned friend Christiane on a map of cultural curiosities for a space centre here in California. We got to take a lot of seemingly dry rocket science-y information and find a quirky and cute way to portray it all. Which is what we are best at, I think, making people chuckle when they least expect it. Our correspondence was entirely over Skype, which was challenging, but also a great exercise in communication.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like in this business everyone sticks together, especially with typography. It is a small, niche, nerdy but creative worldâ&#x20AC;?

“procrasti-research”

My design mentor would have to be good friend and creative partner Christiane Holzheid, a media designer currently based in Berlin. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well. I’ve had a few mentors over the years – Daniel Krall & Whitney Sherman, both illustrators based in Baltimore, were professors at MICA and were very influential to me. Also, I currently share a studio space with writer and type designer Stephen Coles, who I met at Type Camp this past summer. He’s always good for an encouraging word. The decision to go freelance, as opposed to a studio job, was almost inevitable for me. After university, I didn’t feel I had the skills to get a job in a design studio and besides, we were prepared primarily for freelance careers. But honestly, I don’t think we were prepared enough for anything. Finishing school was a huge shock. I still think art school is more for an experience – a place to learn to nourish and listen to your creativity and to feel like you have a place in the field, rather than to actually prepare you for the professional world. But I do think my opinion is influenced by the fact that I majored in illustration and also the curriculum at the Maryland Institute College of Art

(MICA). I was also afraid that working for a studio would mean no time for personal projects. However, I’ve been reconsidering that idea lately. I love working alone in my studio, but having support from others is invaluable and a network of ‘creatives’ to work alongside really fuels me. I don’t know if being a freelancer necessarily equals more freedom. I am free to manage my time as I like, but it’s important to balance fun and leisure too, and sometimes it’s hard to step away from a project and call it a day. Or to get into the workflow on any given day. Personal projects for me happen mostly in between bigger projects – If my head is totally stuck in something, I’ll work on something for a friend or myself, as a kind of relief. A lot of the things I’ve made quickly like this have turned into some of my favourite work. Maybe because it’s easier to be spontaneous. But I think as far as a difference between the two, there is a certain sensibility and mood that translates through in everything I make, regardless of the purpose. I was in school from 2001 to 2005, which was perhaps the beginning of teaching ‘creatives’ computer skills. Computer classes were not part of the standard curriculum and only one class, which focused on Photoshop, Illustrator and >

that leads on to the role technology plays in communication and networking. Design blogs are overwhelming for sure, and I am not currently in the habit of keeping up with more than one or two. That said, I do check other creatives’ personal sites often. Looking at other people’s work is essential to me for inspiration. There is so much talent out there! I think it’s important to know what’s going on in the field that you are also contributing to. I feel like in this business everyone sticks together, especially with typography. It is a small, niche, nerdy but creative world, that we are all proud to be part of. As long as you get out there and chat with people, things will happen. In terms of networking abroad and staying on top of what’s going on, technology definitely plays a major role. Twitter is really useful for finding out about events, trends, articles and so on. I use mine only for design-related purposes, to follow designer friends and ‘design celebrities’. You have to be careful though because it can quickly become a distraction in ‘procrasti-research’. I’m not a member of any organised design groups or organisations at the moment. I would like to join AIGA when I get a bit more established. I recently got a studio space with a professor from Type Camp, Stephen Coles, and we’re hoping to expand and make a little typography network here in San Francisco. So far, Jessica Hische and Erik Marinovich from Friends of Type are thinking of joining us. It could be the start of something amazing! There are some fundamentals that would make joining a network or group feasible. Firstly, it would have to be affordable. Young designers who need to network often don’t have the funds to attend conferences and workshops, so this would be a good alternative. But it wouldn’t take much convincing otherwise – most designers love to talk and learn from one another. It would be like a continuation of the academic network. Very appealing! I can’t look too far into the future in terms of planning for it. Hopefully, it holds something so unexpected and exciting that I cannot predict it at the moment! Ideally, more freelance work, repeat work for companies I respect and admire, maybe an in-house position at a publishing company or design firm, hopefully some travels, maybe a move, becoming connected with and learning from other creatives. I think lots of learning is something to count on for sure. It’s really valuable for young students to do internships while still in school. The experience builds confidence in your work so the professional world is less intimidating. I waited till after school to intern and working without pay gets old fast. Use all the resources that are available to you in school, connect with your professors, and they will connect you. People in this field really stick together and a network is invaluable. Success is at least 75 percent dependent on who you know. You can be the most talented individual but if you don’t get out and meet people, and share your work, it will never happen. They won’t come banging at your studio door like the Publishers Clearinghouse! Oh, and don’t forget the saying on that poster: Work hard and be nice to people.

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