Design Zine

issue one

issue one

high local

high local issue one

chris Chris - after watching your presentation (Sex, Drugs and Helvetica) you talked briefly about what it felt like to have your big concept rejected by the Jezebels. What advice or tips can you offer to help students overcome that feeling of rejection – to reset, recover and get back to it?

People love to talk about designers and creatives taking rejection personally, and say that it ‘shouldn‘t be about them‘ and it should be about the work. I struggle

with that. I agree that almost all design work should be about the client and the problem at hand but I also think it’s completely normal to take criticism and rejection personally. In any job. If you care about your work and put your heart and head into it, then, of course, it hurts to have it rejected. It would be weird if it didn’t feel that way.

The way back from rejection is summed up perfectly by Bob Gill who said there is always another idea. There is always another way in. You just have to dust yourself off and dive back in.

With a labour of love like the Jezebels project – how do you work out a reasonable payment schedule? After watching the presentation (Sex, Drugs and Helvetica), students wanted to know if you were paid for all the time you spent doing the (rejected) concept work? Did you receive payment for the entire project based on a flat fee?

Or were you able to bill based on the actual time spent on the project?

With a job like it’s really just about working to a budget, as opposed to working on hourly rates. Bands have no money.

doyle What we do with every Jezabels record is figure out what the band can spend on creative and we all agree to it and just work on it until it’s done. It’s a fixed flat fee. That process was unusual in that we usually get to a solution quicker with the band but on that one, we went through a lot of rejected concepts.

It’s never high paying work.

We do it because we are passionate about it, the band and management are good friends of ours and it’s fun.

On presentations and presenting: You seem really calm and personable when presenting. Did you ever get stage fright when presenting your work to colleagues, Art Directors or clients? How do you overcome the butterflies?

How do you get the tone right (casual versus formal)? (Are you ever not informal and casual when you talk to clients?)

I am lucky. I am one of those odd people who quite enjoy being up in front of people.

My parents were always very

encouraging of it and I have always enjoyed it. I think there’s an art to presenting to clients and crowds though. It takes a lot of practice and it helps to watch someone do it. In my first job I watched my bosses present a lot and I learnt how to present an idea so the client felt involved and excited. I still get nervous. If I didn’t it would be weird. Presentations are all about prep though. You have to know what you are saying and why. I generally present the same way to every audience. Boards or students, my experience is everyone wants to feel excited about the work and have fun. You have to be respectful of who you are speaking to but I am certain my natural state is how I present best, so I try not to deviate from that too much.

How has your creative process evolved or changed since studying and moving into the ‘real world’ of commercial design? You mentioned a hate for mood boards – that you felt it was like trying on random clothing with your

Be curious, be humble, be hungry.

That’s the key to it all.

eyes closed. Any tips for students to improve their creative process to become more efficient?

It hasn’t changed too much.

I don’t think I ever really had one at university though. I didn’t think enough about what I was doing. I wasted a lot of that time. My process hasn’t changed much in the last ten years. We figure out what we are saying first, which means a lot of writing, talking and drawing, then we figure out what it looks like. That does mean online research and Pinterest boards but it’s very loose. We never have specific mood boards for projects. We try as hard as we can to make new things. It’s hard though.

Do you ever stop thinking about your current project?

Should we all be laying awake at night thinking about our design work or is it important to switch off? (How?) Yes and no. There is always a part of my head that is thinking about work. I have to be. Answers can present themselves at odd times. I don’t think anyone should have full-blown anxiety about their work though, but I think some anxiousness or edginess is needed. It shows that you care. I am always uneasy about whatever we have on until we have an answer. I have always been like that. If I ever stop feeling that way I need to stop working. Having said all that it is important to switch off, yes. I find it hard though. I love what I do, so it almost always occupies my thoughts.

Do you ever have days when you feel (creatively) brain dead? How do you shake it?

Yes. Often. I am not sure there is a way to overcome it. Some days things just don’t form in the head or on the page.

Provided there’s no imminent deadline, just start again tomorrow.

Top three things we should be looking at, watching or listening to? Or three things that are currently inspiring you.

I am not a podcast guy so it’s all music to me. The new National record, the new Julien Baker record and the new Jeffrey Martin

record. I am also constantly inspired by studios around the world doing great work. Instagram is the most amazing feed of design work.

It’s overwhelming at times.

There’s a lot of crap on there too but some incredible work delivered daily to your palm.

You have mentioned you disagree with unpaid internships, but that seems to be such a norm in the design industry for students looking for their first break.

Any advice or thoughts on this issue?

My thoughts are simple.

Studios, pay your interns.

If you can’t afford to, don’t offer internships. Students, as attractive as the studio might be, try to avoid unpaid internships. It’s a terrible way to start your career.

What short advice can you offer about the role of social media and selfpromotion? (and how best to use it without spending our entire lives on it).

Has Twitter or Instagram generated any project work for you?

I think designers have to be on those platforms.

Absolutely. It’s free, easy and can open doors. I have built many relationships via social media. You don’t need to worry about posting all the time but Twitter and Instagram are the best way to be aware of what is happening in design, both the work and the conversations.

It doesn’t have to run your life but it needs to be part of it.

Where and how do you drum up your next client or project? Is it always about networking? Any tips for students that might want to try their hand at freelancing?

We have been very fortunate in that the majority of our business has been the result of word of mouth and return business. New business is hard. It’s a challenge for all small, new studios, freelancers included. I am not sure what the secret is but I know you have to network. You need a site that is easy to access and understand. A folio clients can assess and an attitude and work ethic that makes people come back.

Is print dead? (Where is graphic design heading?)

No. It’s not what it was, of course. But it’s far from dead.

Instead of being the medium, it’s one of many. It’s exciting.

What do you consider was your first ‘big break’ for your career?

I don’t think it’s happened yet.

The first great opportunity I had was in my second job though. Great bosses, great culture, great briefs.

What’s your advice for young graduates hunting for their first break or first paid job?

Be curious, be humble, be hungry. That’s the key to it all.

You don’t need to worry about posting all the time but Twitter and Instagram are the best way to be aware of what is happening in design, both the work and the conversations. It doesn’t have to run your life but it needs to be part of it.

indoor plants/ gardens When you breathe, your body takes in oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This opposite pattern of gas use makes plants and people natural partners.

Adding plants to interior spaces can increase oxygen levels.

At night, photosynthesis ceases, and plants typically respire like humans, absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. A few plants – orchids, succulents and epiphytic bromeliads – do just the opposite, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Place these plants in bedrooms to refresh air during the night.

Adding plants to hospital rooms speeds recovery rates of surgical patients, according to researchers at Kansas State University. Compared to patients in rooms without plants, patients in rooms with plants request less pain medication, have lower heart rates and blood pressure, experience less fatigue and anxiety, and are released from the hospital sooner.

The Dutch Product Board for Horticulture commissioned a workplace study that discovered that adding plants to office settings decreases fatigue, colds, headaches, coughs, sore throats and flu-like

Motherin-law's Tongue

duotones

The name and technique comes from printing presses. Duotone prints are made in two shades of the same color or with black and one tint. The process uses two color plates made with the screen set at different angles.

the use of two colours

Another major trend of the avant-garde graphic design is creating duotone compositions. Being consisted of basically two bright colors, there is not a chance that this kind of design will go unnoticed. Indeed, it requires some advanced design skills but the results are absolutely mind-blowing.

The two colors combined may be contrasting for a even more impactful composition but simply combing two bright colors of your choice will work out just as well. Once mainly a staple in the print industry, duotone is now widely used everywhere. The great thing is that it can be created using any colors. It can be subtle or radiant, delicate or shouting, depending on the colors used. This versatility makes duotone suitable for a wide range of design applications.

When used in a conservative design environment, a duotone can create a classic and timeless look, great for traditional brands that want to invoke stability and longevity in their campaigns. An ever-popular choice, sepia, is an example that is frequently used in the print industry.

lewis Our longest-standing client is Unilever, who we’ve been working with for over 13 years. During that time we’ve handled packaging design projects through to the creative strategy and roll-out of seasonal advertising and marketing campaigns. Their work can been project-byproject when we’re one of many agencies that they’re using at the time, as well as periods of years where we’ve handled all the requirements of their Food Solutions marketing department as their sole supplier.

Do you ever have days when you feel (creatively) brain dead? How do you shake it?

We trust that they won’t get bored with our work, because every solution is custom and relevant to the brief and the client’s needs at the time. In terms of personnel in a large multi-national company, the people we’re dealing with is an ever-evolving team which always means the relationship fresh and keeps us on our toes as we always have to prove our worth to ensure the

projects keep coming.

We’ve had our current branding for 10 years and had a short-term identity prior to that for 3 years. However, a fun-fact is that for the first 7 years of our existence, we were called Eye Scream before we got to a stage where we were dealing with a more sophisticated clientbase and we matured as a business, and at that point, we rebranded to Percept.

You have mentioned you disagree with unpaid internships, but that seems

jenkins Be open minded, efficient, professional and aim for the top of the industry. Have the client’s best business interests in mind by putting yourself in their customers shoes. It’s always about a great idea, executed well. to be such a norm in the design industry for students looking for their first break.

Any advice or thoughts on this issue?

There are difficulties with all projects for any client because people are human.

The key is in the nature of the relationship. An honest, open and respectful understanding of each other’s business and expertise will always yield a positive result from a difficult situation when both parties listen to each other to achieve the common goal.

What do you consider was your first ‘big break’ for your career?

Individuals on both the agency and client side should leave their personal likes and dislikes aside and approach every project with empathy for the target audience and the purpose of the brief.

The client isn’t always right, nor is the designer. Healthy discussions are crucial in getting to the best end result.

What’s your advice for young graduates hunting for their first break or first paid job?

Yes, we’ve had 4 St.George graduates and find them to be of a very high quality.

When we’re looking to hire Junior Designers, of course

we look for a good portfolio which demonstrates variety of style and execution, but most importantly, we look for attitude, work-ethic, design-thinking and a great personality!

Is print dead? (Where is graphic design heading?)

Be open minded, efficient, professional and aim for the top of the industry. Have the client’s best business interests in mind by putting yourself in their customers shoes. It’s always about a great idea, executed well.

Psych

Victor Moscoso

Moscoso was a formally trained graphic designer who borrowed from comic books, Victorian images and pop art. He used the concept of vibrating colors to create the ‘psychedelic’ effect in many of his pieces.

Psychedelic art is any art or visual displays inspired by psychedelic experiences and hallucinations known to follow the ingestion of psychoactive drugs such as LSD and psilocybin. The word “psychedelic” (coined by British psychologist Humphry Osmond) means “mind manifesting”.

By that definition, all artistic efforts to depict the inner world of the psyche may be considered “psychedelic”.

In common parlance “psychedelic art” refers above all to the art movement of

the late 1960s counterculture.

Psychedelic visual arts were a counterpart to psychedelic rock music.

Concert posters, album covers, liquid light shows, liquid light art, murals, comic books, underground newspapers and more reflected not only the kaleidoscopically swirling colour patterns of LSD hallucinations, but also revolutionary political, social Victor Moscoso (born Galicia in 1936) is a SpanishAmerican artist best Wknofor producing psychedelic rock posters, advertisements, and

underground comix in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s.

Moscoso was a formally trained graphic designer who borrowed from comic books, Victorian images, Art Nouveau, and pop art.

He used the concept of vibrating colors to create the ‘psychedelic’ effect in many of his pieces. The vibration is achieved by taking colors from the opposite end of the color wheel, each one having equal value (dark to light) and intensity (brightness).

hedelic

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