The Working Title Project Written Study

Research Thesis

the

working Title project A collaborative project revolving around designers and their design process.

Rianne van de Rijt

Rianne van de Rijt © 2015

Major Design Research Project written study for ‘The Working Title Project’ University of Lincoln

Master of Arts in Graphic Design Module code:

GRA-9005M

Word count:

9.934

Student number: 11339365

Research Thesis

the

working Title project A collaborative project revolving around designers and their design process.

Rianne van de Rijt

Abstract

The creative design process possesses something mysterious.

Through brainstorming, hand-eye coordination and the use

of technology designers are equipped to respond to design

briefs and solve problems. Knowledge can be gained through

education, work experience, research through design practice and making mistakes. The creative process holds a different

meaning for all designers. They adapt their working method to their own individual preference, which makes each action

unique. There are however similarities and overlaps between some creative stages. This research is trying to find out what makes the design processes special and why designers feel

the urge to share their work. Designers use multiple formats to

spread their work, design books (‘New Graphic Design: The 100 Best Contemporary Graphic Designers’), monographs (‘Made

You Look’ from Stefan Sagmeister and ‘Make Your Own Luck’ by Kate Moross) and online portfolio sites (Behance). What is the

importance of sharing how a design is created? Is it of interest to the designer and their clients and target audiences?

‘The Working Title Project’ is a self produced publication about the working processes of several designers. It

brings insight into the creative process by exploring and

documenting their creative practice. The author also kept a

diary [The Diary] to record and reflect on the design process of creating this publication. Both books explore the creative thinking, processes and techniques that designers use.

Information from designers is gathered through extensive

interviews and collaboration. This research aims to give the book context within design industry, discussing elements of the design process from different perspectives and

relationships from designers, their clients and audiences.

Keywords:

Design process / creative thinking / graphic authorship / self-promotion / design practitioners / portfolio’s / collaboration

» 6 «

Contents

6

Introduction

Part 1: The Working Title Project Publication 10

Exploring the Industry Context

16

The Interesting Side of Collaboration

19

Responsibility of the Graphic Designer

21

Challenges in client and audience expectations

24

Designers, creativity and the creative process

24

The Creative Environment

Part 2: The Working Title Project Diary

8

30

32

Designers, Diaries, Monographs, Self-promotion

36

Self-initiated Projects & The Creative Process

39

Existing and new skills & Future Endeavours

& Industry Context

Conclusion

44 46

References

50

Figure List

54

Additional Bibliography

56

Appendix 1: Unstructured interview questions

60

Appendix 2: Structured interview questions

62

Appendix 3: List of possible participants

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Introduction

A designer’s design process is a curious thing, something that

starts with an idea. Each individual takes this idea into different directions and has different perspectives. Throughout the

development of a project the idea will evolve. ‘The Working Title Project’ has captured “the hard work, the grind, the

inertia, the momentum, the inspirations, the moments of clarity and creativity” of several postgraduate designers and their

projects to give a glimpse of what goes on behind the creation of a final design (Van de Rijt, 2015a, 6).

The first part of this thesis will discuss the subjects that

are related to the creation of the publication, for example, collaboration, content driven design and challenges in

client and audience expectations. Design is a big part of a

designer’s job, but not the only one. Presenting work to clients, communicating online, empathizing with audiences and convincing colleagues are also important roles.

The second part discusses how the diary presents and unravels the creative process and design thinking, to make the creative process clearer for designers and non-designers. Here topics like self-promotion and contextualizing work within the industry are discussed.

The conclusion considers answers found throughout the

chapters and aims to answer the main question: What is the

importance of sharing the design process or how a design is created? Should it be of interest to the designer and/or their clients and audiences?

» 8 «

The Working Title Project Diary

The Working Title Project Publication

About

The Working Title Project is about exploring and

documenting the creative process. It explores the creative thinking, processes and techniques that designers use in their design process to come to

their final ideas and designs, within a published book, through interviews and collaboration.

A second book, the diary explores and documents the design process of the creation of the publication, through personal notes, sketches and realisations from me as the designer.

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Part 1: The Working Title Project Publication

The project started from the personal urge to pursue a live graphic design brief. After careful consideration and past

collaborative experience, I settled with the design brief to

create a publication that follows the development of projects of peer designers.

The result is a book focusing on the creative process, whereas normally audiences only encounter the final form of a design.

This is to show that the creative process is not a mysterious

thing, showing what it really means to work as a designer. This

project gave me the opportunity to organize a project with a real purpose and gain experience in different design roles.

Through this process I learned about the relevance of the project within the existing industry, collaboration with

interviewees, environments that nurture design, which will be

discussed in this part of the study. The Working Title Project

publication is also a vehicle to create my own content, the diary

part. Topics such as design diaries, monographs and my existing

and expanding skill-set are discussed in part two of this study.

Keywords:

Live brief / collaboration / creative process / designers responsibility / client relationships / creative environments

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Exploring the Industry Context To determine the scope of ‘The Working Title Project’

publication within the design industry a comparison with

existing publications needs to be made. In the coming

paragraphs I will discuss examples that are closely related to the subject areas that occur within the publication.

There is an abundance of well-designed portfolios and

opportunities for designers to show off their work. Through (student) competitions designers are tested on their idea

generation and ability to respond to a brief set by a committee.

At the end of most competitions a well-designed annual book is published, containing all participant entries and finalists

and short-listed designers (FIGURE 1 & 2). It is supposed

to be a celebration of design. In my opinion it is more a

beauty pageant to generate internship candidates and work

opportunities, than a true celebration of the creative process.

Figure 1. D&AD Annual ‘13

Figure 2. YCN Annual 13/14

(D&AD, 2013).

(Hunting, 2013).

» 12 «

The most important thing to remember is that “creativity is not a competition”, it is an honour to win awards but it should not

be your ultimate goal (FIGURE 3). Winning an award shows that

you as a designer can adapt your creative process to a certain

standard. YCN for example clearly specifies, “the YCN Student

Awards uniquely shine an annual light on emerging creative excellence” (You Can Now, 2015). From this I conclude that

the awards focus on singling out students that are fit to work

within design agencies. The focus lies on ‘visibility’ and

‘employability’, and not on fulfilling a design brief through an Figure 3. Creativity is not a competition - Autumn Sky Hall (Creating Your Own Path, 2014).

autonomous design process.

D&AD made a recent shift with their Awards Annual, they are

now organized according to Pencil level, wood/graphite/yellow bronze/silver/gold, rather than by category. The annual of 2015

also included “10 feature-length case studies chosen on the

merit of their story rather than their level of success” (Design &

Art Direction, 2015). This shows that the emphasis is shifting from

success stories to realizing creative concepts. Different disciplines

are displayed side-by-side now that the book is organized on Pencil level, providing a more interdisciplinary angle.

The RSA Student Design Awards focus to “empower a

generation of savvy, employable designers who understand the potential of design to benefit society” (Royal Society of

Arts, 2015). The focus on ‘real world problems’ makes the

awards more centred towards an audience, than just showing

Figure 4. Judging criteria infographic (RSA Student Design Awards, 2015).

off work to appeal to a jury. Their briefs state how the award entry is judged, 20% of the project is judged on Design

Thinking, 15% on Research, 15% on Execution and 20% on

Magic (FIGURE 4). This is proof that the RSA Student Design

Awards pay a great deal of attention to the submissions creative process.

Instead of only showing the final design of a project ‘The

Working Title Project’ shows the whole design process

of featured designers. This resulted in a well-designed

publication that contains the full story of their work. This way it

could be used to present their work in progress in interviews, showing work that is normally not contained in a traditional

portfolio (FIGURE 5).

Figure 5. Sketching stage of Natalie Houtioudi. The Working Title Project pages 66-67 (Van de Rijt, 2015a).

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This & That Collective ‘The Magazine’ is a student led magazine. Its main selling point is branded

towards students, hence the cover design (FIGURE 6)

and it’s slogan: ‘The Student Art Magazine’. The

magazines format is a standard A5 size. Using

a standard size is unusual for a magazine about

the Arts. It is handy to carry around and read, but

since it is a highly visual magazine a bigger size would have complemented the designers work

and creativity more.

On a graphic design note, the way the content

is set could have benefited from a closer eye for

detail (FIGURE 7). Text runs too close to images and the use of more white space would have made

Figure 6. Cover image (This & That Collective The Magazine, 2014).

the layout look more sophisticated (McMahon,

2014, 25). Student’s names, courses, university and websites are set in a transparent white bar placed over the student’s work, which in some cases

makes the text illegible (McMahon, 2014, 14, 15).

For a magazine about and for designers this, in my

opinion, is unacceptable. Although the initiative and purpose of this magazine is very ambitious, the execution and result is mediocre. This is a

valuable example that if one person takes the

initiative, you have to realise that you cannot fulfil

all aspects of a project to it’s best potential. Help from others is always welcome, and one must be willing to direct work to other people.

In comparison, ‘The Working Title Project’ is

aimed towards a broader audience, than just

students, and has a longer-lasting impact than

a magazine. Books potentially have more pages and are not so much linked to a date.

Figure 7. Spread images (This & That Collective The Magazine, 2014).

The ‘This & That Magazine’ also consists of an online blog, which is a more suitable format for the content. The website and blog

support the constant flowing stream of graduating design

students, to provide them with a springboard into the industry (McMahon, 2015). This is in contrast to ‘The Great Discontent’

that transitioned from an online blog publishing interviews

online to a print magazine, mainly due to readers’ requests.

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‘The Great Discontent’ is a magazine that consists of long-form interviews and short features with

practitioners that create and push the boundaries

of their profession, for example in music,

photography, design and fashion (FIGURE 8).

“Focusing on beginnings, creativity, and risk, TGD provides a memorable

look into the lives of its subjects via long-form interviews, short features,

and film-based projects (Essmaker and Essmaker, 2015).”

Excerpts of all the interviews can be found online.

The aim of the stories is to encourage, inspire

and explore one’s own interest and overcome

fears to discover your true capabilities. ‘The Great

Discontent’ story began as a digital magazine,

publishing conversations and interviews online.

In 2014, after three years of publishing online and

gathering a worldwide reader base the web-only magazine transformed into an online and print

publication. The main reason was that there was still an on-going fascination with print, among

designers and readers alike. This reaffirmed my choice to create a book.

Figure 8. Cover and spread images of Issue 3 (The Great Discontent, 2015)

The main aim of ‘The Great Discontent’ brand stays the same: to spread high quality content that resonates with its audience, no matter the format. Their ‘original vision remains paramount: to

» 15 «

build a timeless archive of content that provides an unforgettable look into the lives of those who create, and to awaken readers

to possibility’ (Essmaker and Essmaker, 2015). The magazine

approaches interviews through a short introductions, then it

continues as a question/answer principle interspersed with quotes and images. The questions adapt according to the

previous answers given. This causes the writing style to be very

engaging, which is within the tone of voice of the magazine

and how it celebrates creativity, focussing on the practitioner

and their work. The magazine is able to focus on many different participants in each issue, however the print version of ‘The

Great Discontent only features eleven interviews (Essmaker,

2015), in comparison to the online website, which holds over 130

interviews. This affirms its focus on quality of the content, which is

also the main goal of ‘The Working Title Project’ publication.

I intended to focus on the quality of the creative process, rather than it’s quantity. The focus lies on empathizing the underlying

relationship between designers and their projects, the moments

of frustration, hate, anger, joy, pride and inspiration caught in

the narrative of their interview. Juxtaposing practitioners show the differences and similarities in multiple disciplines and

between individuals, this becomes apparent in the content of

‘The Working Title Project’ (Figure 9).

Keywords:

Design industry / student design awards / art magazines / content & quality driven / format / impact

» 16 «

Figure 9. The publication gives you the chance to view completely different design disciplines side by side (Van de Rijt, 2015a).

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The Interesting Side of Collaboration It was partly because of the collaboration with Danielle

Bastiaens and her project The Purdah Press that I became

interested in more projects revolving around collaboration (FIGURE 10).

It made me realise that through collaboration, and

combining skills, a project can take unexpected courses that can end up with great results. This realisation is validated by Illustrator and Graphic Designer Kate Moross, who states: “learning how to work with people is a crucial part of becoming a creative practitioner”

(Moross, 2014, 63).

Previously I have worked with the Sint Lucas student magazine

Zine and the Yearbook. Zine is an in-house magazine created Figure 10. The Purdah Press, pp.1, 10-11 (Bastiaens, 2015).

by / for students. Each edition was driven by a concept, and

features stories and work of students, important developments within the school and industry and interviews with students

and staff (Sint Lucas, 2015). Both Zine and the Yearbook were

large collaborative projects. It was after realizing I had previous

experience with a large collaboration that I was confident

enough to take on this project. Kate Moross shares some of her experience on collaboration:

“Sometimes you will have an idea that you don’t

think you can realize on your own, and this is when you need to collaborate with other people

to make it work… These days, I would rather hire people to take great pictures than hire myself

to take mediocre ones” (Moross, 2014, 67).

I realized that it is difficult to make a complete book on your

own, but this is something that I wanted to achieve. Working

together and allowing others to create the content of the book,

have made it possible to create a substantial book.

Through close interrogation I was able to unfold the designers’ unique work and thinking method. In general I experienced

the collaboration with people as pleasant yet daunting. The

project was so heavily dependent on the quality of work from

others, that the result of my own work was dependent on

them. Content “frames a project for the designer” and gives the designer work to design with (Shorr, 2011). That is why I

» 18 «

planned the interviews first, to create the content that I am

going to work with. After making the plan, and collaborating with the featured designers I communicated the results with them, following the steps in FIGURE 11. Each step is of equal

importance for the project, slight changes in the plan have

impacted on how you collaborate and communicate. Receiving

Figure 11. The process of gathering content (Vandelay Design, 2013).

mediocre answers within interviews was challenging to deal

with, especially since the creative process is such a major part

of the project. I had to deal with different levels of motivation

with featured designers. In face-to-face interviews I had more

influence in participants responses, and could direct people in the direction I would find interesting. When the deadline was approaching I, in some cases, did not have time to do

interviews. I just had to ‘stick to what I got’ and work around the content that I gathered (FIGURE 12).

Chauncey Wilson states some interesting thoughts about

conducting interviews. During my interviews I tried to adhere Figure 12. Realisation from ‘The Working Title Project’ Diary (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

to Wilson’s ten criteria for successful interviewers (Wilson,

2014, vii). As I am already a practicing designer, it was the

journalistic side of preparing for and conducting the interviews, that was an unknown practice to me. In the diploma level stage,

I created a system of conducting interviews and processing them, in the most logical sense that occurred to me. In the

back of my mind I would already start to design the interview

on the pages of the book. Through my communication I

aimed to make it as clear as possible what the purpose was

of the interview, and how the gathered content would be

used. I would steer the interview towards interesting angles

that participants told within the questions I asked, to dig a bit

deeper and get the most interesting content.

The first interview I conducted was with Autumn Anderson, product designer and founder of start-up company VuSu (FIGURE 13, nEXt PaGE).

The only thing I prepared was a list of

questions that I printed (Appendix 1). I used this more as a

checklist to see if I covered everything than actually writing the answers down. I noticed that people spoke fast and changed topic swiftly so my writing couldn’t keep up. It was useful

recording and replaying interviews. This method however

meant that I had to transcribe most of the recorded material to transform it into a text format. I found my first two interviews

lacked structure, which I amended in subsequent interviews.

The unstructured interviews were flexible and provided

interesting insights but it was time-consuming to process them.

» 19 «

For example, it took five hours to transcribe and edit a forty

five minute interview. Also the participants were not prepared for the questions that I asked (Wilson, 2014, 47-48).

I expanded on the list of questions I wanted to ask (Appendix

2). By emailing the participants the questions first they could fill them in beforehand. Then they would send me their filled

in questions and we would have a face-to-face interview about their answers. There I could expand on interesting topics and

get more interesting and varied answers. In the beginning I would ask open and more general questions like: ‘Why did

you choose this project?’ and ‘Where do you find inspiration?’

Towards the end of the interview as sort of a ‘cool-off’ period I

asked concluding questions, which were quite straightforward to answer (Wilson, 2014, 56). For example: ‘What are 5 books

/ journals that you recently read?’ ‘How will you develop

the project in the next stage?’ and ‘Do you have anything to add that might be interesting about your project? The

interviews changed from unstructured to semi-structured.

With predefined questions moving to open-ended exploration in the face-to-face interviews (Wilson, 2014, 24). A positive

thing was that it took considerably less time to plan, conduct

and edit interviews and I would still get the in-depth answers I

wanted. One disadvantage was that I was more dependent on the participant’s initiative to answer the questions in their own time and send them back to me via email.

I completed most interviews in the semi-structured manner, but when the deadline came near other designers showed

interest in participating. I solved the problem of having little time for face-to-face interviews with conducting email-only

interviews. An advantage of setting deadlines resulted in quick

responses from most people (FIGURE 14). Communicating

via online medium seemed to be difficult, because you are

dependent on the reply speed of others. Some participants rarely checked their mail or forget to respond. Online

interviews were the most concise and straightforward. The

participant would receive the questions, answer them and

email them back alongside with the images they wanted to see published. After a general editorial check the text would be

placed in the layout. The strength of this method was that I got

Figure 13. Autumn Anderson’s Spreads in ‘The Working Title Project’ pages 10-19 (Van de

quick answers and I could edit the content quickly. However

some answers would be short, generic and sounded unnatural.

Rijt, 2015a).

» 20 «

By comparing the first interview with the one of the last (FIGURE 13 & 15)

you can see that you get different content and results

through different forms of interviewing.

Responsibility of the Graphic Designer Figure 14. Realisation from ‘The Working Title Project’ Diary.

(Van de Rijt, 2015b)

Besides the various roles I took on for this project that of

graphic designer stayed one of the most important. The

project could rise or fall because of the design aspect. I had to distribute my time well and transform the content into a

well-designed appealing result that would do the content

justice. Aspects like format, typeface, size, layout, pace, grid

systems are chosen through my own experiences, knowledge, inspiration and research. It is through those aspects that my

graphic design voice emerges (FIGURE 16, nEXt PaGE).

Among being a graphic designer at heart my goal was to

learn other skills as well. For this project I have tried on many

different roles and responsibilities; for example, that of

editor in chief, managing director, photo editor, art director, interviewer, copy editor, outsourcing tasks, scouting for

copywriters, bookkeeper, planner initiating the whole project (Apfelbaum and Cezzar, 2014, 11). I am also partly working as

an ethnographer*. I formed the questions that are part of the

interviews, I have ‘defined and found the best types of people

to study’ and started conducting the research by defining and

limiting the area I will work in (AIGA, 2012, 25). I have designed

a specific system of asking questions. An ethnographer “uses a trained eye to probe, ask questions and observe small details

and nuances. I chose to study a select group of people, peer students from five different design disciplines (Appendix 3).

Through the process of gathering information I needed to Figure 15. Emma Clarke’s Spreads in ‘The Working Title Project’ pages 138-143 (Van de Rijt, 2015a).

translate large forms of content to a concise compelling story

narrative in a book format, telling the story of these designers instead of just naming facts (AIGA, 2012, 30).

By fulfilling this project I hope to intrigue, inspire

*Ethnography Definition: The scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits, and mutual differences (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015).

and engage people more with the design process.

I see it as one of my personal responsibilities to

make graphic design that holds some kind of

longevity. Ideally, this project holds great potential

to live on beyond my MA.

» 21 «

A collaborational project revolving around designers and their design process.

CONTENTS

Figure 16.

6

Foreword

8

Introduction

10

Various spreads

22

from ‘The Working

Dawn Frobisher

Project: The Working Title Project - Publication & Diary

Felicity Shum

Essay: The Logic of the Creative Process

project

First published 2015

Project: H93 Musuem Hotel Sarah Barrowcliff

Project: A Conscious Deconstruction

Images copyright of the respective designers unless otherwise

Lucia Lopez Garci-Crespo

stated. Every effort has been made to trace and contact the

Project: My Journey

copyright holders of the images reproduced in this book.

However, if informed, to correct any errors or omissions in

Alethea Sandercock

subsequent editions.

Project: Creating Ghibli Shiliu (Lewis) Fu

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including

Project: Animal Chair AJ Philp

Publication is part of the Masters of Arts Graphic Design

Project: Baby Boo Hood - Educational toy for babies

Edited by:

programme at the University of Lincoln.

Rianne van de Rijt

AUTUMN ANDERSON

Throughout this book we gain a glimpse of insight in how some designers reach a visual solutions and solves the

problems that arise within their projects. Uncovering the explorations, realizations and anticipations of various

design projects and designers within multiple disciplines.

Showing that there are certain stages and questions every designer goes through in their own way.

Surprisingly there are few male designers featured in this

length of the interview and how it was designed.

themselves or a select small group, like tutors through

assessment. In my opinion they hold much more value,

they show the development and journey the project, and designer, took. I set out to uncover the design process to

free to reach out, and contact them about their endeavors,

user testing groups’ experiences and

market. By designing products that can

my own. From having the condition I

be used by people with disablements

and without I hope to reduce prejudices

understand how difficult daily tasks can

communication about the conditions.

helpful during the whole process of design.

be however my user groups were greatly

around disability design and increase

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

“There weren’t any products throughout my design journey. The Chef’n out there that were useful, Potato Peeler was the first product I found functional and styled to fit that worked well for my friends and me. It me as a person. Just because looked fun, was affordable and enabled someone has a disability me to prepare food with dislocations whilst does not mean they don’t also being useful for want and need aesthetically More information about the Palm my flat mates. positive products.”

Peeler™ on: www.chefn.com Many objects and people have inspired me

Negative inspiration is something I

WHERE DO YOU WORK BEST?

have also embraced during this study.

I prefer to work in my home office as I can

Some ‘disability’ products are so badly

spread my work out and do experiments

designed it motivates me to change the

the time to fully develop three products,

market. Another inspiration for me has

whilst not having to travel far. Due to

and were expensive. Due to not using aids

a business. This journey has taught me many

disability products. The whole experience

university studio once a day so I plan my

packaging and branding to launch VuSu as new processes and methods from design

or helpful products I have unfortunately

challenges, which has motivated me to start

had great damage to my joints so when

daily journeys. Although I use the library

of shopping for them was depressing. VuSu

regularly for reading I prefer to take the

products will be sold online from the launch

The electric toothbrush is another inspiring

and discuss my work with other people.

of their work. I find that sometimes the actual process

an accessible, socially excepted item that

time in the workshops physically testing

VuSu as a viable business.

I got the opportunity to write my own

grow and evolve into something else that, I think, is the

has been a useful place to have tutorials When at the university I spend a lot of

object for me as a designer and user. It is

featured designers and a work-in-progress snap shot

Autumn’s desk in her office. All the test molds are stored away in boxes and piles throughout the little place.

my joints I am only able to walk into the

been my memory of originally trying to buy

So this is a true look into the design process of the

of design is more intriguing than the final piece. The

the interviews, images and explanation curated within 200

My main inspirations have been from my

unit costs and therefore make the range

books back home. The university studio

then to take and create into a book. This is the result of all pages worth of valuable insights in design processes.

certain people with mobility disablements.

more accessible to the potential user

through a modern, simple and fun website.

their projects and decisions, ways of working and reading lists, telling me the information about their work for me

testing, product marketing, the logistics of design and more. This study has given me

developed for mass production to reduce

on the market to help; they were designed for the elderly, were branded medically

because some projects were not finalized before this book

design, tailored for a presentation and curated for their

eyes. Now, I asked them to curate their design process to

design. I have explored manufacturing, user

Autumn: When I was diagnosed I was

shocked at the range of products available

If you would like to know more about a designer or a

project please refer to the directory later in this book. Feel

was finished.

fit in a few spreads, through text and images they explain

I have been exposed to many aspects of

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PROJECT?

need more or less explanation. The content drives the

reveal the ‘hidden’ thoughts and decisions in their projects.

A client, visitor or reader most of the time only sees a final

be positively branded. During this course

pure coincidence. You may also notice that some projects are substantially longer, this because every project has different characteristics and key elements, that might

everything related to their creative practice, their

for disabled and non-disabled people and

book. This I realized over the course of the project, but is

brainstorms, sketches, lists, drawings, tests, early renders and designs that normally would only be seen by

although is practical for most, is essential for

The VuSu product range has been

The VuSu Designed for you project “My masters in design has given started during Autumn’s product me the opportunity to fully design degree course when she was explore disability design and given an open brief to design. From user centred design.” being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) in her first year of her degree she tried to find suitable products that could aid with the brief I chose to design a range of home condition. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome ware products that would be practical for means that you are hyper flexible people with mobility disablements whilst in your joints the condition causes being positive items to own. damages by over stretching and dislocating joints. Ehlers-Danlos My Masters in Design has given me the Syndrome is part of a family of opportunity to fully explore disability design conditions that range in severity and user centred design. I have found that and are predominantly ‘invisible’. the products could be made to be useful

VUSU: Designed For You

RIANNE VAN DE RIJT

revolving around the creative design process. Throughout

Acknowledgments

Bukola Olabisi Bankole

photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical

the project I have been talking to designers, almost

Jim Shorthose

Directory

Natalie Houtoudi

© 2015 Rianne van de Rijt

interrogating them, about their projects. I asked for

Rianne van de Rijt

Project: Adaptable and Adjustable Bariatric Garments

Project: Sheffield Culture Route

methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

This book is the result of a substantial investigation

Project: Data Pattern Design

Project: Making

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

The Working Title Project is about exploring and documenting the creative process. Showing creative thinking, processes and techniques that designers use in their design process to come to their final ideas and designs. It is about documenting the design process of designers through interviews and collaboration.

Kamsin Mirchandani

Project: Middleport Farms - Stoke on Trent

working Title

40

Editor: Rianne van de Rijt

PROJECT:

Kat Downs

Project: Away With Words

Yiping (Helena) Yang

© 2015 Images to respective indiviual designers

Introduction

Project: Wearable Architecture

32

Design: Rianne van de Rijt

de Rijt, 2015a).

Project: Monika Emma Clarke

Yudan (Yuna) Ding

Project: The Design Student Abroad

the

The Working Title Project

Title Project’ (Van

Lucy Patterson

Autumn Anderson

Project: Vusu: Designed For You

unfinished work holds more potential and anticipation to

After a reflectional period I realised I that

materials and designs or in the enterprise

my designs were too personal and would

building completing extra workshops on

potentially be difficult for mass production.

design business.

This changed my process to user centred

WHAT STEPS DO YOU FOLLOW IN YOUR

design, where contact with others with

DESIGN PROCESS?

the condition and without has been

integral to the whole process. I started the

User centred design process has been

designs again from the users point of view,

a constant theme throughout the VuSu

collecting their opinions and experiences

project and has changed the way I work

to design for them.

as a designer. From my original brief

beauty of an unrefined design.

during my degree, I made myself the

During the project I have ran meetings and

user and tested products around my

focus groups where a selection of users

own capabilities. These tests involved

have tested the functionality, branding,

everyday movements within the home

functional forms using a 3D printer,

The Chef’n Potato Peeler (© Chef’n, Palm

for the Scrubbie, a hand-held

Peeler™) was a source of inspiration for

The development of the designs started as sketches, rough models and rapid prototypes. Once I had a range of

Sketching for me is the initial idea

generation, working and playing with

programs gives me more practical sense

whereas working through physical medias

and sketching is more creative and free.

within this project. Its purpose was to experiment with reusable packaging.

the material react with different chemicals?

As all the products are designed to solve

best in 3D, whether making rough models

the business industry and taught me many

the many new skills Autumn learned

important users are to the design process

Photo taken at a focus group meeting, to test the VuSu products.

and that they have many experiences that

can be influential to a design.

a daily task I had to go back to basics and

To conclude my project I organised a large

design the simplest method of holding,

ARE YOU COLLABORATING WITH

squeezing, pulling etc. These design

This meeting was very useful for me as

gaining feedback throughout the project.

succeeded and failed. The users surprised

During this project I knew I would need

my project and designs.

MA Graphic Design student’s client as

which has been inspiring and educational.

branding process. As I had only prototyped

contact base for testing my products and

Networking became hugely important

As well as being functional the range also

needed to be beautiful to the user group.

help from other students. I became the

throughout the project. From this course

Although I collected many opinions on

styling from my users I, as the designer had make them attractive the majority. It was

essential that the products communicated

packaging before I collaborated with

another Postgraduate Student, Lucia

My main collaboration has been with the

durability, elegance, usefulness and quality,

and conferences I was able to launch a

influenced by the branding of VuSu as this

conditions. This information became my

pulled them together.

Through sketching ideas for a logo I found out that I know too little

to form a design business. I continued with

Design and MA International Design

about branding to do it myself. This is why I got in-touch with MA Graphic

user centred design throughout the whole

Enterprise, to help me out.

process and saw the products as prototypes

design, Lucia being the creative and me

inspiration for the products and gave me

other subjects at the University I met a

testing materials. Through working with

professional injection moulder. This contact was very useful and became essential to

and what they needed and wanted.

my first batch of product.

contact with thousands of others with the

conditions, enabling me to ask them direct questions about my design choices and

Through my industry link I was able to

From using online support groups I was

enthusiasts. This group has taught me about

join HackSpace Lincoln, a social group

of professionals, entrepreneurs and

machinery and how to make stuff work!

able to go to a local meeting for people

Throughout the MA Design I have found

with the conditions. These meetings

Sketchbook with inspiration about useful functional existing products.

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“I have explored many new skills during this project, including silicone moulding, ceramic casting, digital fabric printing, sublimation, paper making and injection moulding. These new skills, although not perfected, have inspired me to explore further into industry processes.

the success of VuSu. This contact taught me

about the industry and also manufactured

Through using Social Media I have had

stay motivated.

until my users were satisfied.

a indispensable collaboration.

We worked together on the packaging

nationwide survey to people with the

an understanding of the lives of my users

I hit many design hurdles along my journey

and found that by working with others in the

design field I could bring all aspects together

Working at Hackspace learning how machinery works and how products are getting manufactured, resulted in

3D printed, scilicon moulded and cly prototypes and tests for the VuSu branding and product range.

from MA International Design Enterprise.

users themselves. Through going to events

whilst also being fun and accessible. The

aesthetics of the products were greatly

the designer as it showed me where I had

me at the meeting with their enthusiasm to

they re-designed my logo and started the

many other people in the subject area,

to form the products into a collection and

focus-testing group with a range of people.

became my focus groups and were a great

MORE INDIVIDUAL?

in the making of VuSu and motivated me

I have met, worked and collaborated with

OTHER PEOPLE OR IS THE PROJECT

aspects made the overall product simple to produce and use.

Initial sketches for the Tippie product.

A product that helps you drain pans.

WHAT NEW SKILLS DID YOU ACQUIRE WHILE DOING THIS PROJECT?

I have learned many new skills whilst also

understanding how naïve I was when I first

started this project. I now appreciate how

Is it easy to clean? Is it simple to put on and

or C.A.D visuals. I find that working in 3D

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DO YOU REFER BACK TO YOUR

I started with A3 prints initially, but when

RESEARCH?

PROJECT:

Half way into the major project I went back

I printed A2 prints I found it difficult to

The Design Student Abroad

control the pressure and therefore the inks

to my brief and found it very motivating.

that flow through the screen. To get clean

It has been useful to revisit my plans and

solid colours you need to put even pressure

clarify what I needed to pursue.

This whole project has been about research, using processes and others experiences

to design right. Material research has been

especially important to me, as I wanted to

explore their applications. Silicone moulding

YUDAN (YUNA) DING

was a challenge however by researching

different methods and mixes I could explore

“Here I am able to travel through Europe, you don’t get that opportunity when you live in China.”

throughout VuSu as there was so much to

Various test pieces of fabric which is digitally printed with the VuSu pattern, to be used as a packaging and branding solution for the Scrubbie.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED OVER

ALL OF THE PRODUCT DESIGN AND BUSINESS SIDE OF VUSU?

I have learned that although good product

design may be extremely difficult to

achieve, the journey is the most important.

I have explored many new skills during

I feel that the branding of VuSu still needs

this project, including silicone moulding,

more development, as there was confusion to

sublimation, papermaking and injection

design. The packaging concepts were made

perfected, have inspired me to explore

cleaning cloth or an accessory to the actual

ceramic casting, digital fabric printing,

moulding. These new skills, although not further into industry processes.

Through exploring different materials,

processes and people I have found that no matter what the end result knowledge is

the environmental aspect from the packaging

gathered and learned for the next product.

to have an after use, such as being used as a

designer cannot do all aspects of design

product. Due to this and the colours chosen

to bring a whole set of skills together.

most of the users thought the whole range

from the user testing meeting there are

option to make the branding based on two

before they are launched into market.

with eco-design.

provides me with lots of ideas.

WHERE DO YOU WORK BEST?

I spend my time between living in London and Lincoln. Sometimes I live in Lincoln

and sometimes I live in London. When I

am in London I often visit exhibitions such

“Screen printing was a precious experience and an interesting new way to develop illustrations.”

delicious chocolate and tea. I got the idea

WHAT STEPS DO YOU FOLLOW IN YOUR

why I collected the chocolate packaging.

I learned a great deal about screen-printing during those few weeks but I still lack some

my use of colour. I like to travel through

confidence with the process. This is mainly

favourite artists show their work, because

larger than A3 sized because of the scale.

Europe to visit locations where my

“Product design is trying to find the a balance between high quality, design, materials and manufacturing.”

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express app, and turn them into posters.

and up to 10 hours there each day!

Additionally, I went to Amsterdam to visit

with your hand digitally. I draw with the Sketchbook Express app. I don’t use a

Travel Diary Log I collect and develop my

to completely finish my work. In one week

the Van Gogh Museum which inspired

DRAWING / MAKING NOTES?

For sketching I use my iPad most of the

time, because it is a very easy way to draw

laptop, a tablet is easier to carry and I use

I’d typically spend four days in the workshop

went to Milan for three days to visit The Expo.

HOW DO YOU USE SKETCHBOOKS /

the workshop in order to make my first print and had to book 3 weeks in the workshop

travelling from place-to-place are where I

gain most of my inspiration. For example,

I have visited the Saatchi gallery, and also

The three products that will be the start

with 17 prints where only 7 prints came out

I learned how to screen print a few weeks

ago. During the first week, I spent 40 hours in

Yudan: Galleries and exhibitions as well as

of the VuSu product range.

mixed extra colours during the process to get the exact colour that I wanted. This is

a long process to go through. I ended up

study in the library where I reflect upon my

inspiration. When I return to Lincoln, I often

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

and business, but can network with others

This is hard to do on a bigger scale. I made all the colours for the prints. Sometimes I

mistakes and with others the separate layers were slightly misplaced. Those are things that are hard to control.

as the Tate Modern and Tate Britain for

visits to the galleries and exhibitions.

tones of colour to become less associated

still a few more developments to be done

China. I also find that visiting gallery shops

I have overall learned that a product

was environmentally conscious. There is the

Although the products got positive feedback

I don’t have that chance whilst living in

This project is a combination of illustration, product design and graphic design. Due to Yudan’s background in graphic design, Yudan chose to focus specifically on illustration that enabled her to take her work in new directions and approach graphic design with a different perspective. A diary is at the heart of Yudan’s project, which is used to record the transitions of a student in China to overseas life in the UK.

explore and now so much to prefect.

on the squeegee while screen-printing, you need to have power to get even results.

the way I wanted. Some prints had colour

the material. My research has been constant

“I have learned how people are different. I will never be able to design for everyone, but by designing for a particular user group the range will be useful and accessible for them.”

level as someone with the condition.

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transferrable skills.

Making your own seed-paper is one of

for the product to reduce costs? How can

I make the product durable with the least

remove? Is it affordable to manufacture?

12

Enterprise Course, which exposed me to

scourer to that shape to complete the task

disposable parts as possible? How does

ideas that may form into concepts. I work

feedback has been greatly useful to me

my MA Design I also completed the

wrap around your hand and still be

adjustable? How can it fit different shapes and sizes of hands? How can you attach a of washing up? Can I use standard parts

to check I am including what is needed.

as the designer and for me on a personal

great contacts within the university. During

during the first stages: How can something

mass manufacture.

further develop and make suitable for

11

These are some of the questions that arose

developed concepts I selected three to

I firstly write out lists of specifications

10

differed from those without the condition and so designed to suit all.

Autumn’s initial design work.

washing-up product.

9

aesthetics and packaging of VuSu. Their

washing up. I found that my movements

These are tests for prototyping

8

from squeezing bottles, turning taps and

because it is quite difficult to make a print

it to develop my initial sketches. In the

I travelled to Amsterdam and while I was there I met my landlady, she was really

inspiration. I sketch and make notes in it.

nice. The first day she treated me on very

Then I draw the sketches in the Sketchbook

and inspiration to make this illustration, that’s

DESIGN PROCESS?

When I am traveling I don’t take my iPad

so then I sketch by hand. And when I come

I make notes about my everyday life,

back I use my iPad to sketch and draw again.

gallery visits and travels in my Travel Diary Log. That is my main source of

inspiration. I take ideas and sketches out of that book, and draw them on my iPad

in the Sketchbook Express app and create a digital illustration of it. I draw digitally because it is easy to store my drawing,

change colour and brush sizes. The iPad is small to take with you, and not heavy as a laptop. The look of the illustration

almost looks like they are hand drawn with

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23

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25

“Here I am able to travel through Europe, you don’t get that opportunity when you live in China.”

markers, but they are actually digital.

The inspiration and research for my

drawings come from my Travel Diary Log. The style I use is bright colours, cut out letters, pieces of paper and drawing to

make collages. My collages and illustrations are inspired by my everyday life in the UK,

that is why I draw myself in my illustrations.

In France I ate this famous ice cream and

took a picture of it, as a reference. I created an illustration to capture the moment while I was traveling. The cherries are in the

illustration because cherry ice cream was

I noticed a lot of differences between the UK

their most famous flavour. In my illustration

and China, more things than just weather

I try to create little hints to link to the place

and transport. This also influences my work

of the illustration. One of my final prints is

for this project. In China I cook a traditional

not popular for young people. Karaoke is

is very different, so I created an illustration

meal for breakfast. But the English breakfast

the picnic illustration. In China picnicking is

about that difference. I cook food everyday

more popular for young people. I like to go

for myself, and go shopping. You even

to the park and sit at the river to picnic. The

see different vegetables here in the UK

prints and posters will be framed and the aim

Yudan’s workspace in her house. With

than in China. I started to like some British

is for them to become gallery shop products.

work on the wall as a mini exhibition.

This is one of the final prints that

traditional dishes like fish and chips. In my

Yudan made for her collection.

Travel Diary Log I collect various things form events that happen to me like holidays, places and restaurants that I visit. I take

pictures as a form of inspiration to create illustrations and patterns with.

UNO ART: Gallery products and prints of

Page photographed from Yudan’s

‘the design student abroad’ project.

logbook, showing her inspiration and design development.

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YIPING (HELENA) YANG PROJECT:

Data pattern design

Yiping’s project is about creating patterns from data. It is brings new methods and applications to Yipings work and it is a new unexplored path within Yiping’s practice to explore and develop new forms of design.

Yiping: This project took me into a new

These two patterns are based on cancer data.

path in my design practice. First I focussed on hand drawn decorative illustration,

Yiping’s previous patterns were hand drawn and had a decorative purpose.

because that is something I like doing.

Then because of this project I moved

This pattern is based on wind, the circles represent the

This cup is an initial idea for the application of the design,

strongness of the wind the further out of the centre the

towards data pattern design, because I

looking at data around weather.

idea. Now, I focus on data visualization

to show that it will have a decorative purpuse. But I want to go more into the direction of decorative fabrics.

and white so that I can easily scan them in and trace them over in Illustrator, which

and maybe even every minute so it is a big

infographic has, because an infographic is

At first, I was a bit hesitant to use extreme

floods. Focused on the treatment system of time and repetition.

In the final stage of my master degree,

by the data, but not directly visible in the

source of information. Weather is also fixed

makes digitizing the illustration a lot easier.

weather data because people that went

there to only convey information. I want to

I started to use extreme weather data,

patterns is mostly decorative meant to

it turned out that the data is easily accessed.

illustrations are easier to edit in size and

strong feeling about them. So I need to be

art, to create an emotional experience. The

hurricanes. The three patterns (on this

pattern anymore. The purpose of the data

Then scan them in to digitize them. Digital

on a location, on a certain date and time, and I use the Weather Underground website to

evoke emotion and recognition.

(Source www.wunderground.com)

First I used graphs and diagrams of obesity and cancer research to create patterns.

colour, this gives you more freedom to change things.

access up to date

data numbers, such

visualizations of the true data, which is

of ticking ‘YES / NO’ instructions. Choosing

their relatives feel uncomfortable seeing

Geometric data patterns will have a

changeable weather conditions result in the

example. Through the different answers

use this as a positive thing, if I apply this

I like the work of Casey Reas because his

I had the idea to develop the project further

different look and appeal than hand drawn

patterns with. In the design I use time order,

patterns, so their purpose can be different.

scale, colour, density and sometimes three dimensions instead of two. One pattern

Laser cutting patterns on wood to explore

reliable source to gather the data from,

hand drawn mark and shape represents a

something I will try as well, but right now I

the application of the patterns further is

is about rain and humidity, where each

it needs to be true, based on facts and

will focus on fabric.

different range of data. Inspiration for this

this was a big part of the research that I

First attempts of data visualization

conveyed. Sometimes I got stuck because

were with obesity data, based on the

the data that I needed was not accessible.

numbers of fat cells.

piece came from the patterns that raindrops

(Source www.reas.com)

design patterns and it gives and extra

for shapes and colour, sometimes I pick a

of ‘YES / NO’ patterns is an interpretation

at weather photo’s and type of weather,

images of weather disasters can evoke

are created by complicated software. He

actually experienced. For inspiration I look

organize the data in different time ranges

disasters as a source of inspiration. Visual strong feelings. The strong emotional

creates changeable patterns by using

a design like an infographic, that is why I

and create a design where every mark will

using extreme weather data and weather

work looks simple but

most of his pattern series

his understanding of coding and making

other places I have visited, from weather I

you get different kind of sequence patterns.

most interesting patterns.

The weather data is mainly from Lincoln and

and I don’t want to just copy it and create

‘yes’ creates a ‘/’ and ‘no’ will create ‘\’ for

to represent in the pattern. Days with

leave in water. Weather data is complicated

33

feeling will give a new dimension to the pattern and its application.

software. This is a different process to

“The purpose of this project is to design patterns that extreme weather data pattern to suitable evoke emotions and feelings products the money that is raised could be from non-emotional data and donated to help people that suffer from numbers.” this kind of pattern on products. I could

extreme weather conditions.

and turn it into a routine. These are the

struggles that these people deal with without

have. And from looking at trends and what is

then there is no acceptance and change

and fabric fairs, which are really important in

are fashionable and fit properly.

rather than positive process.

exhibitions to keep myself up-to-date.

and fashionable clothing. That is where my clothing for people with this condition that

“A change in your life can be good but if it doesn’t happen slowly it is hard to turn it into a routine.”

for their weight to stabilize so they can buy suitable clothing. There is no guarantee

they have difficulty reaching their sides and back. Dawn tested various

more choice and attention. Then my project

surgery, everyone’s body reacts differently

to these procedures. An intense surgery like

There are a lot of reasons that someone

time to adjust, so you need to give it that.

can be genetic as well. One of the big

this happens so rapidly that your body needs

is obese, its not just through fast food but

A change in your life can be good but if it

issues is the psychology behind it and I

doesn’t happen slowly it is hard to maintain

shifted more towards clothing and obesity.

believe that if somebody feels bad about

Bariatric: the branch of medicine that deals with the study and

portion of the small intestine so as

severe obesity.

Gastric sleeve surgery: A bariatric surgical treatment in which a large portion of the stomach is removed (2/3), leaving a 60–80-ml gastric tube. The greater curvature of

a small amount of time your body starts to

the stomach is removed during the procedure. The small residual

rapidly change. The loss of weight is really

stomach tube prevents overeating

rapid, so in terms of clothing what would you

by creating a feeling that the

wear, that is what I am looking into. As well

stomach is full after a small meal.

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out how to achieve something the clients

containing sketches, notes about assembling the garment, inspirational textures, fabric samples and photographs of sown garments.

to restrict food intake and reduce

times, you can’t eat and drink at the same

time and for the first few months your body can only take fluids. This also means that in

40

wants within the restrictions of their needs.

start of the acceptance of your own body.

Pages from Dawn’s sketchbook

caloric absorption in cases of

The stomach becomes very small, that means

39

preferred colours are mostly dark so that

the clothes don’t look too exposing. So for

Ultimately, I want them to take interest and

involves reducing the size of the

that you can only eat small portions at certain

digital printing.

because of their specific needs in terms of fastenings, fabrics and colours. The

At the moment I work with a group of obese people to look at what their needs are and

stomach and reconnecting the

sleeve surgery, they severely decrease the

of the solid shapes. The bright colours

suit the pattern and makes the bags look

fashionable. The fabrics were printed using

give me their thoughts, of me producing something slightly different than clothes from a magazine for example. And also

is a very sad thing.

smaller stomach to bypass the first

size of the stomach to trigger weight loss.

solutions with the data pattern printed on

it. The bags have a geometric feel because

There is still, for me, the issue to be able to

design what the client wants. The client will

are still a bit ashamed of their body, even if

they had a massive weight loss, which I think

me the design process becomes,to figure

really help give someone a boost and

surgery, like a stomach bypass or gastric

Here you see a few bags and packaging

and have today’s fabrics and patterns. So

size too big’ or ‘I wouldn’t want to wear tight clothes’ that accentuates any body shape.

become part of the design process.

a positive self-image, which can be the

Gastric stomach bypass: a surgical bypass operation that typically

When someone goes through weight loss

there is a need to keep up-to-date.

body should, in their eyes, look. Talking to

is not a good influence on trying to lose

that affects not only the body, but also

how that affects the person and looking at clothing for this group of people.

those who had had the surgery they were

saying things like: ‘I still only wear clothes a

yourself, and have a low self-esteem, then

weight. Well-cut and fitted clothing can

weight loss surgery. I am looking at how

“The patterns will be printed on fabric as their final purpose, because they are mostly decorative.”

The group of people I am looking at, like

everyone else still wants to be fashionable

so they can look at some of my designs.

psychological you don’t function and that

treatment of obesity.

as clinically obese and who might need

finding out what is out there. I have been to

up to their own expectation of how their

himself or herself then that’s not going

to help lose weight. If you feel bad about

Bariatric is a different name for obesity. It is a term used for those who are classed

available in fashion. I visit fashion trade shows

becomes harder and it becomes a battle

They still have those old habits. Inside they

that their body will stay slim only through a

fashionable solutions.

want to lose any weight, no matter what,

The issue is that some people never will live

So they end up with clothes that hang off

Bariatric people benefit from front

Inspiration comes from the conversations I

against your own body that does not

project comes in, I want to make accessible

they envision that through surgery they will though, but they don’t think it is worthy

fastenings in clothing, because

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?

With that acceptance comes the ability

to change. If you are constantly fighting

even worrying about nice fabric, colours

Most people suffering from obesity are

them and that don’t fit properly, waiting

products.

37

body shape and size.

buying clothes that are fit for them.

isn’t a lot of plus size fashion out there and

visualization as an art form.”

and the background (red), breaking up

the time flow. I turned the data patterns

looking at cheap clothing, initially, because

the final part I decided to focus on design

The red/blue pattern and green pattern on this page are also derived from data numbers that came from floods.

continuos pattern. With the green pattern I

In the blue and red pattern I used a

become slimmer. This process takes time

Dawn: Previously I have studied on a

into digitally printed fabrics and screen

In the blue pattern I mirrored the marks that represent the data, so that the marks seem to blend in the background. Creating a

destinction between the data shapes (blue) “Data art is data

as how could clothing become adaptable

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE PROJECT?

printed prints to turn them into fashionable

shapes represent the data.

a changable look. It looks like the pattern,

for people that go through rapid changes of

A work in progress project that, is still very much in development, revolves around developing and creating adjustable and adaptable wear for people with unique body shapes. Who would need special garments to fit their needs.

Specially considering fashion combined with a perfect fit.

in my opinion this is a group that needs

the same system of time order, scale, colour and density. In these three the main focus

was on time. The colour and direction of the

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DAWN FROBISHER

for plus size women. Mainly because there

page, and the next) are created by data from floods. Extreme data brings more

inspiration to me. They are designed with

and therefore the time, repeats itself.

numbers. The emotions are linked to the data, but the data is not strongly visible ability to convey emotions than that an

Fashion design Bachelor degree where on

from disaster like tsunamis, storms and

used the same method. The marks constitue

The purpose of this project has been to design patterns which evoke emotions

and feelings from non-emotional data and

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Adaptable and Adjustable Bariatric Garments

visual appeal of the design.

in the pattern. Visuals have a stronger

dimension to the final design. Reas series

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PROJECT:

visible and less distraction to the actual

The question is if someone who suffered

from a weather disaster, would he or she or

contrasting colour or more abstract shape

be quite difficult, choosing the right kind of data was also important. You need a

way so the information becomes less

and what the final design will look like.

are mostly decorative. I am still exploring

other forms of application for the patterns.

So I started to create a system around

the theme and weather data to generate

Working with only numbers turned out to

data can be designed in a more abstract

very careful with how I design the patterns

Data pattern about rain and humidity, each mark represents a different range of data.

their final purpose, because the patterns

humidity, wind and wind speed.

essentially only numbers.

make the hidden data visible through data

through an experience like that can have

The patterns will be printed on fabric as

as time, location, temperature, dew point,

This did not work well because of the

complexity and the graphs are already

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Data pattern derived from data from

I sketch on loose sheets of paper in black

Weather changes every day, every hour

as art, so the pattern is inspired and led

zones of a clock to show what time the wind was strong.

becomes only visual.

patterns around, that is when I started

more intricate patterns and patterns with meaning. This sounded as an interesting

stronger the wind. The data is then arranged in the time

represent a specific range and the data

I also wanted a theme for to create data

got the suggestion to use data to create

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Challenges in client and audience expectations The brief, clear communication, respect, empathy, discussion

and collaboration are important facets to every client / designer relationship. One important aspect to remember is:

“In the process of communication, the graphic

designer and the client together constitute the

transmitter. The message will be the result of their collaboration” (Backspace, 2009).

You are working towards the same goal, but it is not uncommon that the designer and client have different expectations, wishes

and personalities. Designers are looking for communication

solutions that fit the message and the audience. The client is more

concerned with finding a solution to the problem, in a competitive context (Backspace, 2009).

“Unlike the written word or a work of art, graphic design operates exclusively in the context in which it is seen, and mediates between the

wishes of the client and the expectations of the public” (Terragni et al., 2012, 4).

Within ‘The Working Title Project’ publication I viewed the

collaborating designers, the ‘content providers’, partly as

clients and audience. I tried my best to translate their projects into a narrative that presents itself in the best way on the

design of a page. Design students, university postgraduate courses and design enthusiasts of all disciplines are the

audience of the publication. I felt that I could not view myself as the client, because of the close proximity I had with the

project. The university would maybe end up using this book for promotion purposes, but they did not have a direct influence

in the appearance of the result. In that sense it was more a self-

directed project.

It is hard to find out clearly what is expected. I experienced this

when I was interviewing designers. Initially they were hesitant to

tell the story of their projects, because it is so personal and close to them. The design process is normally not widely discussed. I

Figure 17. Several spreads from the Feasibility Report (Van de Rijt, 2015c).

had to pitch my idea and convince them that I would make their

work stand out. I would bring the feasibility report of the project to

interviews for persuasive purposes (FIGURE 17). The interviewees

» 23 «

liked seeing a concrete designed example, having a visual image

of how their content could look was a positive trigger. There is something more final and ‘presentable’ about the work of the

designers once it is placed in the layout of a page.

Most designers provided me with much more content than I

expected. Initially I envisioned the book to be around 150-180 pages long, but since I took on a content-driven approach I

exceeded this page count. I view this as a positive because it

shows that the designers were enthusiastic about the project

and willing to share their creative process.

The project benefited from an open approach. I discussed layout options, art directed content with the participants

and ensured them that I wouldn’t publish anything that they

disagreed with. This statement from Adrian Shaughnessy holds close resemblance within my project:

“…We [graphic designers] need to explain every step we take; that we need to involve our clients [and

the people you collaborate with] at all stages of

the project; that we need to check and double-check all project details; and that we need to produce a rationale for our work that is comprehensible,

accurate and inspirational” (Shaughnessy, 2010, 92)

During projects designers need to convince their clients,

but also the people that they work with. The clearer you can

present the work the better and more convincing your solution will seem. Safeguarding the project plan to stay on track is

almost always important for the client. No matter how well

prepared or well-articulated one is, communication can be

misinterpreted. Vigilance and experience when dealing with

clients will help to safeguard the development of the project.

“Sometimes we [designers] will push too hard and come into conflict with our clients”

(Shaughnessy, 2010, 115).

Client and designer expectations don’t always match, so it is a

matter of balancing your needs and wants as a designer. Make your intentions clear from the start, and use tools that help

you such as presentations, mock-ups and dummy versions. By

printing the first draft of the interviews I was able to give the

designers a clear view of how their work looked on the page.

» 24 «

This was an excellent method to convince them of my capabilities.

Aim to keep a rationalized mind. Ask if it is reasonable what the client expects from you? Or would it need a bit more careful persuasion to convince them of your professional stance?

Sometimes explaining your rationale is enough for a client to

realize that what you are proposing is what the project needs, but they never considered it from their perspective.

“Designers often expect instant responses to their work when clients really need time to absorb and

reflect upon it” (Shaughnessy, 2010, 117).

Within ‘The Working Title Project’ I gave participants room to

give feedback on the design of their spreads, I asked what

they are expecting to get out from this project and how they

experienced the interview. I gave them ample the time to review their spreads and provide feedback.

Collaborating with designers meant that they would care about the design of their work. Therefore, I paid close attention to

their feedback deciding whether they were satisfied with the

design or not. Luckily I got a great amount of positive feedback (FIGURE 18).

I measured the success of my work according to

the comments I got via showing ‘The Working Title Project’

book to participants, peer designers and non-designers. I can

empathize with the statement of Stefan Sagmeister:

“My ultimate judgement of a project we’ve done is dependent on how it was received. I don’t

think that’s a bad stance to have as a designer…

We [designers] are in a very audience-related

profession” (Essmaker, 2015, 90).

The success of a project is often measured by how it’s received by the audience. The main purpose

I paid attention to is: What does the reader take

away from reading about designers and their

projects? I noticed that the book I have created

provides a complete and contemporary overview

of designers and their design practices. Valuable

information can be gained from individual design

approaches, processes and learning curves.

Figure 18. Page from ‘The Working Title Project Diary’, page 57 (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

» 25 «

Designers, creativity and the creative process The creative process for the publication took a different course than I normally take. The collaborative side of the project

made sure that I had to work with content that I received from

designers. Big question marks were raised how I could best

plan my design process, when I decided to let the content drive the design. I had to take some risk in trusting that the content

I would receive would be of high standard and suitable to

publish. Like Adrian Shaughnessy states, I also had to go out of my comfort zone of trying to control the creative process and

leave some elements open. Because of this element it took a lot

of ‘sweat and hard work’ to compile all content and form it into one coherent story.

“Creativity is about risk taking, it’s about the rejection of comfort, and it’s about sweat… the sweat of hard work” (Shaughnessy, 2010, 112).

Working with received content caused for some self-doubt, at first

I was not very confident if I was able to live up to the high standard that I set myself. I wondered if I could pull it off. During most

projects I encounter times of worrying. It keeps me motivated to

do my best, but you have to be aware not to take it too far.

“The creative condition is a near-permanent

state of self-scrutiny, self-discovery and selfdoubt” (Shaughnessy, 2010, 113).

The Creative Environment Your workplace has a great influence on your design work. For the modern graphic designer a studio is an essential part of

the profession. A studio provides for an optimal environment to gain specialist skills and enable collaboration and group

work, which became an obligatory part of the graphic design

profession (Brook and Shaughnessy, 2009, 13). Throughout the Masters course I realized the importance of our studio,

not only as a place to work in but also as a place to discuss ideas, have lectures and surround yourself with relevant

» 26 «

resources (Figure 19). I realize that in a professional studio

setting there would usually be more people involved, but that is not necessarily true completely.

Recently I came in contact with what I call a ‘one-man-show’

magazines like Offscreen and Uppercase (FIGURE 20 & 21). These magazines are run, produced and initiated by one person. Their

content is created around their passion and collaboration.

Uppercase magazine is an initiative of Janine Vangool, which started publishing in 2009. The magazine is dependent on

contributions from writers, photographers, illustrators and readers.

Justifying why the magazine is published in print; Janine states: “The physical format of Uppercase magazine is part of its appeal—it is something that you

hold, carry, collect and keep” (Vangool, 2015b).

Printed objects require a special attention to detail in their

considerations of paper stock, special print processes and Figure 19. Photo of our studio taken from a time lapse photo sequence (Van de Rijt, 2015)

formats. The experience of reading a book is more intimate and less fleeting than reading an online blog. What most design

books and magazines have in common is that they all value

informed, inspiring content. Within the publication I also needed

‘good content in order to be a good designer’ (Vangool, 2015b).

Offscreen magazine ironically gives a look into the life and

work of “people that use the internet to be creative and build

successful businesses” (Brach, 2015). It brands itself, as ‘A

Print Magazine about Pixel People’ with the goal of giving the

Figure 20. Cover Offscreen Magazine Issue 7 (Offscreen Magazine, 2015).

online matter a real face through print. It is in-fact a print-

only magazine that explores what happens behind the online

appearance of websites and businesses. Offscreen here shares it’s views with Uppercase magazine that:

“A physical product that can be touched,

collected, and read anywhere is a logical way to present this type of content” (Brach, 2015).

Offscreen besides that advocates ‘The Slow Web Movement’, the idea that not everything that is instant and fast is good

for us. Kai Brach started Offscreen in 2012, from the urge to

‘create something more tangible’ (Brach, 2015).

Figure 21. Cover Uppercase Magazine Issue 24 (Uppercase Magazine, 2015).

» 27 «

Doing this project has nurtured my curiosity with discovering how other designers work.

Through the interviews I wanted to find out

what environments designers like to work in.

For example Uppercase Magazine has its own

studio complete with archive and collection of

design samples that can lead to new theme’s and directions for future issues (Figure 22). According Figure 22. The Uppercase Studio (Uppercase, 2015b).

to Adrian Shaughnessy this “deep-running

fascination with how other designers organize their space and

run their work” is not uncommon (Brook and Shaughnessy,

2009, 15). Among the design industry “the ‘studio visit’ is an

established feature of design life, and most designers are happy to show a visiting designer their secret domains...” If this also

applies to participants of the project, I will have no trouble

getting the full picture of how their work is created.

‘The Working Title Project’ explores individual ways of working. The environment you work

in has a big impact on the designer’s creative

process and working methods. A product

designer thrives better in a workshop, compared to a graphic designer who could possibly work

everywhere where you can put your laptop (FIGURE 23 & 24).

Figure 23. Autumn Anderson’s [product designer] workplace at Hackspace (Van de Rijt, 2015a).

“The greatest advantage of ‘smallness’ is that… everyone gets to know what’s going on” (Brook and Shaughnessy, 2009, 16)

This statement applies to my approach for

completing this project. Being in charge of every

aspect can both be a positive and negative thing.

I am in charge of all aspects so in full control of

the direction the project is taking, but needing to

fit so many different roles can be an exhausting

and overwhelming part of independent study.

Figure 24. Sarah Barrowcliff’s [graphic designer] workplace at her home (Van de Rijt, 2015a).

An organised desk makes an organised mind. No matter how

clichéd that sounds it does apply to my work. This project took a

great amount of planning, and to be able to plan ahead I needed an organized mind. I had to look after the space I was working in,

or clutter and chaos could creep into the project (FIGURE 25).

» 28 «

“If we care about our work then we have to also care about the space our work

is done in” (Brook and

Shaughnessy, 2009, 17).

This reminds me of that the state of your physical environment has an

effect on your mental abilities to

cope with your work. I altered my

workspace to enhance creativity and

Figure 25. My own crowded desk space at home (Van de Rijt, 2015a).

idea generation. I installed a persnoal

version of the ‘analogue memory desk’, which consists of a paper

roll that works as a “tool to record all the small items you write

down once, but intend to forget tomorrow” (Camara, 2015). By

doing this the environment of my workspace will directly link in with the work that I create (FIGURE 26).

The disadvantage of this enhancement was that it is fixed in

one place. The paper roll installation was not a portable thing, instead I used to carry around two smaller paper rolls (FIGURE 27, nEXt PaGE).

The result was that at one point the paper roll

got so full of drawings that it was not easy to use anymore. I

tended to draw more on loose sheets of paper, which I found

easier to organize my mind with. Especially since I don’t always work at my desk [where the paper roll installation is]. I mainly

Figure 26. Paper roll installation and design experiment (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

used it as an archive for my thoughts, making lists, writing

down thoughts that caught my attention. Most time I forgot

the words I wrote down, because I did not look at it again, the

» 29 «

day after. These words would slip into the back of my mind and be resurrected when I would look at the paper roll again and

‘scroll’ through it. So one could say it acted as an ‘analogue short-memory desk’.

I am most productive behind my desk surrounded by all my

notes and books that are piling up next to me. For interviews I visited participants at their home or met them in the studio.

Figure 27. Mini paper roll version (Van de Rijt, 2015).

I really noticed how important your environment, desk in

specific, is when I moved to a new flat half way during the MA. My new room contained a much smaller desk than I was used to (FIGURE 28 old dEsk, & 25 nEW dEsk).

In this part of the thesis, literature

of the design process, design

industry, collaboration, responsibility,

client and designer relationships and creative environments has been reviewed in relationship

to ‘The Working Title Project’. The

publication formed a realistic design brief, to form a book that adds to the current debate within design

focussing on the creative process.

Figure 28. My desk pace in my old house (Van de Rijt, 2015).

The wide array of designers ensures that there is a broad

notion of the creative process. In general the creative process is defined as the steps that the designer goes through before

the project reaches its final design. Each individual discipline,

designer, studio, collective and agency has their own preferred way of working. Creative associations like the D&AD awards

focus on ideas and creative concepts, whereas RSA student

awards focus on finding new talent that can design to benefit society. Individuals can hone their own specialist creative

process, without having to consider a supervisor or studio

manager by setting-up their own studio and do freelance work.

For example, initiators of Uppercase magazine, Offscreen

magazine, the This & That collective and ‘The Working Title

Project’ all are set-up by one person. These initiatives bring in

a fresh balance between big advertising agencies and small studios. Because they seem to value the person that stands behind the work.

» 30 «

Client and designers are constantly exploring each others

expectations, changing opinions and stances to come closer to their mutual goal. The overarching theme is that every

practitioner adheres the value of the audience; achieving the

goal of reaching their intended audience using their creativity.

Every designer feels commitment and attachment to their

project, even if it is a love / hate relationship.

No two designers work the same, but motivation, commitment

and hard work is what brings all designers closer to their goal.

The ‘blood, sweat and tears’ is what makes a project interesting, the hard-work, the risk, and emotions that one goes through

during the project. Working together brings an even more

interesting layer of combined forces to a project. It can produce

more responsibility and challenges for you and your client, but it

sure will take you into new unexplored directions.

The creative environment doesn’t need to contain a desk and

laptop. The most creative environments might not even contain

any of those. Anywhere where one can take a pencil and a sketchbook has potential to be a creative environment.

Keywords:

Collaboration / interviews / responsibility / challenges / expectations / planning / deadlines / environments / workplaces / asking questions

» 31 «

Part 2: The Working Title Project Diary

The purpose of the design diary is that it contains personal and honest notes and thoughts surrounding the design process.

Readers can read, not only the actual publication, but also

have a look into what happened behind the design of the book.

How I experienced the collaboration, through narratives and

visuals. This way I explore what aspects of the design process I

enjoy the most or need to work on in my future career.

This part revolves around the visualization and presentation of my thoughts through a series of personal diaries (FIGURE 29).

This part covers topics including design diaries, monographs, the creation of the publication, my existing and expanding

skill-set and vision for the future.

Figure 29. Series of diaries and notebooks that are part of ‘The Working Title Project Diary’ (Van de Rijt, 2015).

KEYWORDS:

Diaries / monographs / self-promotion / personal content / self-initiated projects / new & old skills / future endeavours / purposes & benefits

» 33 «

Designers, Diaries, Monographs, Self-promotion & Industry Context Writing about, and displaying, your work to the public holds something endearing. Only the most well known designers seem to pull it off well enough to sustain their practice and

publish a monograph. Stefan Sagmeister being the most

prominent designer I know keeps a personal and business diary.

He expresses plenty ordeals of the design process and personal

mantras throughout the book. Reading about Sagmeister’s

Figure 30. Spread from Made You Look - Sagmeister (Hall, Sagmeister and Pearlman, 2001).

design successes and failures is refreshing, which gave me the inspiration to start a document about the design process of

‘The Working Title Project’ publication. This document became ‘The Diary’. I imagined that the document would contain

narrative of how I created the publication, including thinking

and design process on collaboration, design, procrastination

and productivity. Sagmeister enhanced his book with multiple

perspectives, in the form of personal comments and comments

of his clients and editor. For example Sagmeister shares his thoughts on starting this own studio:

“Quickly thought about what I actually want to do with the studio: design good CD covers, earn a

little money, do not grow and of course have much fun (Hall et al 2001, 114)”

Throughout the book Sagmeister’s quirks

become apparent. From his eccentric style of

writing to the illustration at the top right of the

page that along with other pages, create an

animated flip book, up to the apparent ease

that ideas are generated by Sagmeister and his

studio. Using objects that wander around the

studio in projects like this hairbrush, using it as a metaphor “that lost hair illustrates the agony of

the creative process” (Hall et al 2001, 187) can be

Figure 31. Spread from ‘The Working Title Project’ diary (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

called pretty creative (FIGURE 30). Sagmeister also

keeps a list of extraordinary pieces of design that ‘touched his

heart’. A piece of design has to give ‘new perspectives, trigger

memories, show passion and commitment’ (Hall, Sagmeister

and Pearlman, 2001, 276-279). The goal I had in mind for the

diary is that it would also follow my thoughts that lie outside

of my profession. Explain how I stay creative and balance work with play (FIGURE 31).

» 34 «

Making the diary was a personal quest to find balance in my

creative process and throughout the project. It arose from a desire to not only show the process of other designers, but

also show the design process of the book itself, generating my own content. This would give a complete vision of the

design process. The two documents would complement each

other. The diary is not a monograph to present my work, it is a specific document about “The Working Title Project’. It gives

insight on my methods, approaches and decisions. Related to

Kate Moross’ book, where she reveals parts of her DIY, design

it yourself, ethos (Moross, 2014, 9). Her tips are valuable for any

starting designer:

“...to pass on some of those lessons [that she learned herself] and help people understand

that my success hasn’t just happened overnight“

(Moross, 2014, 10).

Moross gives tips about art school, networking, freelancing,

Figure 32. Spreads and close up image from Make Your Own Luck (Moross, 2014).

collaboration and other related topics (FIGURE 32). Alongside that she explains how she grew throughout her career, and

moved from project to project. “Moross’ voice carries the

reader through the myriad projects that make up her vibrant

portfolio” (Formfiftyfive, 2014). The attitude of the book is

open and sparks your curiosity. The insights in subjects like copyright, money and selling designs elevates the purpose

of the book to become more than a mere design monograph, only showing off work. It gives readers guidelines to actually

‘do it yourself’. A major pitfall in writing about your own work is coming across as too “self-indulgent and self-absorbed” (Shaughnessy, 2010, 118).

I started looking for that extra edge or layer that would make the diary more valuable to read. I achieved this by literally

adding an extra layer in the form of yellow circles placed in the Figure 33. Spread from diary, pages 58-59 (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

layout, containing major realisations discovered during the

project (FIGURE 33). I wrote a traditional diary featuring each

day, to map out the process of the project in detail, adding in reviews and extra topics for variety. The diary became a

personal and professional journey, illustrations and quotes

transformed the text to a more informative piece of writing. The

document gives a clear view of the scope of a graphic design

project, where ‘tutorial recaps can be compared with subjective

client meetings and presentations are group feedback

sessions. The tutorial and interview recaps are accompanied

» 35 «

with illustrations. The illustrations summarize the main point

that I learned from speaking to that person. Aiming to visualise turning points in their project’s development (FIGURE 34).

The series of notebooks and diaries that I kept (FIGURE 29) are compiled within the final version of the diary. All the

documents combined form the complete journey of ‘The Working Title Project’ - the archive of the project.

The Phaidon Archive of graphic design is a well-designed

example of celebrating the history of graphic design, like ‘The Working Title Project’ diary celebrates the design process of the project (FIGURE 35). The Phaidon Archive, which is mainly

read by designers and design students, creates a source of

historical information and beautiful inspirational image gallery

of each project. Collecting beautiful work and prints is an

oddity that many designers fall for. That is probably why design Figure 35. The Phaidon archive of graphic design (Terragni et al., 2012).

monographs and The Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design are

doing so well, secretly designers are all curious about each

others work and the evolution of design, luckily I am not the

only one. My design quirk for example is collecting postcards.

The ‘good or bad’ graphic design savviness that can be

contained, onto two sides of a small A6 size, holds something endearing (FIGURE 36).

It is not even necessary to write your own monograph. There is

an urge within designers, writers and critics to review work of

past well-known designers, such as American graphic designer

and art director Paul Rand. Rand is considered ‘a pioneering figure in American graphic design’. Adopting a ‘problem

solving approach and philosophy of responsibility’ (Heller

et al, 1999, 7). There is a deep longing to try to understand

how graphic design developed as a discipline, industry and

individual. The main aim of most monographs is to answer:

What is it like to be a ‘pioneer in graphic design?’ Designers

are interested in the evolution of their trade, sharing work to

revel at each others achievements and learn from them. Work

Figure 36. The crazy card collection, ‘The Working Title Project’ diary page 60 (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

that holds importance never seems to get out dated and is

worth referring back to.

“The work of the heroic Paul Rand is an

extraordinary legacy for all who delight in

talented, emotional and intellectually driven

communications...“ (Heller et al, 1999, 9).

» 36 «

get on with it

g! n i t n i r p n e go scre

Figure 34. Recap illustration of Felicity’s Interview (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

» 37 «

The insights, thinking and reasoning that designers often provide in their monograph might resemble those within

your own work. I can relate to the statement of Paula Scher,

that “boredom is anger” (Scher, 2005, 258). Being bored with

a project, means you are not satisfied with the direction the project, your client or the research is going, and it results in hidden frustrations. I tried to adopt Scher’s advice to “write

Figure 37. Spread from ‘The Working Title Project’ diary page 66-67 (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

as it is meant to be read” (Scher, 2005). Since I am more of a

designer than a writer I had difficulty with directing the narrative.

That is why I adopted an honest writing approach, to me it

seemed like an ambitious approach to go with. This directed

the tone-of-voice of the diary. The diary resulted in a very text

heavy book, due to the traditional dairy writing style. Reflecting

on the process it would have benefited from more short text

paragraphs and more visual images. Due to the nature of the

diary and overwhelming content of the publication, I had to

leave out work that I had planned to include. For example the

gradient posters, which would result in a time line infographic of the development of the project (FIGURE 37).

Self-initiated Projects & The Creative Process Self-initiated briefs and self-promotion or as it is sometimes

called: graphic authorship, is currently a prominent element in the design field (Shaughnessy, 2010,117).

“If graphic design is to become a more valued profession, it needs designers who can think

and write, and generate their own ideas“

(Shaughnessy, 2010, 118).

I recognize this statement within my own work. It has been the

purpose of my Masters degree to discover how I value graphic

design. I asked myself questions like: What am I doing this project Figure 38. ‘The Working Title Project’ publication and diary (Van de Rijt, 2015).

for? I found answers in generating a brief where I simultaneously

collaborate, write and create my own content (FIGURE 38).

“Being a graphic designer does not mean that you are disconnected from what goes on around you. It is

possible to put your anger, frustrations emotions

into your work in quite a direct way.” (Barnbrook and Lasn, 2007)

» 38 «

I need space to work...

Design Dilemma’s

I can’t work this small without needing my glasses and extra magnifying set. My eye for detail is good...

But not this good...

... this is not it

Frustrations and anger are motivators to create better design

within my practice. When people took too long in responding

back to me I would chase them up. Within the design I would keep changing elements around until I was satisfied. Hidden

frustrations keep me on-edge and result in mini side project that boost my creativity. For example, the frustration I faced when I

moved into a new house with a much smaller desk (FIGURE 39).

Practitioners from other disciplines working with creativity

are also expanding their skill-set. Writer Jennifer Snyder

for example set up the ‘Creating Your Own Path’ initiative.

The idea originated from her interest: she calls herself

a ‘creative path enthusiast’. Through ‘Creating Your Own

Path’ she creates podcasts of her interviews with featured

creative practitioners in design, media, music and film (FIGURE 40) .

Her perspective on creative people is:

“I’ve found that we creatives often veer

off course, forge our own paths and don’t

Figure 39. Key chain featuring a diary realisation (Van de Rijt, 2015).

always fit a particular mold. We tend to

be a multifaceted bunch and this interview

series seeks to find common ground amongst us all. Prepare to be challenged, inspired and motivated” (Snyder, 2013).

Creative practitioners tend to go their own way, create their

own paths and finding and defining their own success. What I

admire about Snyder’s work is that she connects with creative people and aims to get to know them in person. She uses

this as a way to work less solitarily as a writer and “reach out to people I admire and ask them the questions I have about

their work.” Through this way of working she transitioned from

email interviews to publishing a podcast, as she found audio

was the best medium for her (Snyder, 2013). I directed my own

path into the field that interests me the most: collaboration

combined with books, layouts, images and text. I knew while

planning both parts of the project that it would be a challenge.

Completing any project successfully requires hard work and motivation. Like Thierry Somers states:

“Making a magazine [or book in this matter] on

your own is a labour of love that requires a lot

Figure 40. CYOP #35 - Interview with Joanna Waterfall (Creating Your Own Path, 2015).

of discipline, perseverance, and unconditional

devotion. It can be frustrating – and it can also be a lonely process” (Klanten et al., 2011, 132).

» 39 «

Figure 41. The Creative Process infographic (Visually, 2011).

I avoided the aspect of loneliness by working with others. The

reward of completing a book is enormous: the amount of

enthusiasm I encountered was so satisfying, it made me want to start a new collaborative project right away.

Before you get this far you have to manoeuvre yourself through the metaphorical roadmap of the creative journey (Figure

41).

It shows which routes you can take during the creative

process, but not all designers have a metaphorical ‘navigation system’. Creativity is not a linear process and the road to

creative brilliance has many different routes, stops, loops, and warning signs. Every designer starts with an idea, from there

it is one bumpy road. Take the “scenic route, maybe zooming

past laziness, stopping over in the details shop, then heading

down the gauntlet of editing, reconsidering, reworking,

revising, rewriting, and redoing, before eventually landing on the presentation stage” (Labarre, 2012). Your idea will only

survive the ‘express route’ if it is a damn good one, otherwise

you might face the danger of smashing into a brick wall. Most

dangerous is the route of self-doubt, a thing every designer has to learn to deal with. There is one important thing to

realise about self-doubt: your biggest roadblock is your own insecurity. Maybe this is why each design process is highly

personal and unique, because each designer faces different insecurities and setbacks.

» 40 «

This made me realise the wide variety in characteristics

between graphic designers. If you describe yourself as a

graphic designer, you’re still different than the next person

who calls himself a graphic designer. I wanted to present how

no two graphic designers are the same. I did this by creating

statements how one could describe oneself as a graphic

Figure 42. End pages showing diversity between graphic designers, of ‘The Working Title Project’ diary (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

designer, the design is featured on the end pages of the diary (Figure 42).

There is no right or wrong answer, it is about

‘how’ you describe yourself towards others that differentiates yourself from others.

Existing and new skills & Future Endeavours Embarking on this project gave me the chance to develop skills

in more areas than just graphic design. Kristy Cater, from studio

‘A Practice For Everyday Life’, explains how taking graphic

design as a part time job while still studying can have a positive effect on the development of your skills and design process: “… it was a great way to gain practical

experience of print and project management… it was about keeping a balance of both live and

personal work… to develop a process of working”

(Brook and Shaughnessy, 2009, 28).

This is something I also noticed in my freelance and course

work. When you work on freelance projects combined with

your study your process slowly changes to meet ‘client

standards’, this was how working on ‘The Purdah Press’ influenced my design process.

I learned to be more inventive creating a makeshift photo

Figure 43. Makeshift photo studio (Van de Rijt, 2015).

studio in the living room using daylight (figure 43). I have

grown to recognize when [self-initiated] projects are not

working. I am less afraid to discard it completely and start

over again. I mastered more skills in communicating with the

people I collaborate with, via on- and offline communication.

I know what it means to be a text editor and copywriter. I

realised I can take matters into my own hands when it comes to learning new skills.

» 41 «

“Today, the modern designer can be anything...

entrepreneurs... publishers, moviemakers, vendors

of designer artefacts, typefaces and apps.“

(Shaughnessy, 2010, 118).

I was still able to work on and develop my main interest which

is book design. I learned a lot about the rhythm and pace of the

pages of a book and how this influences its overall content. By

making a book I felt I have established my creative practice and

specialism in print design. A positive thing is that the publication will never be erased like an online blog, it is a real tactile object.

“Designing a book is a badge of honour, and

although it is usually poorly paid it is one of

the most satisfying things a designer can do.“

(Shaughnessy, 2009, 35).

Creating a book where everything is in harmony, images, text, format, tone-of-voice and it also delivers the information in a

satisfying manner was my aim. I chose the format because of my interest and the longevity it holds. Print is still an integral part of

what graphic design is (Smith and Cooke, 2015). Indirectly we are

also designers of experiences, in the form of a book.

Danielle Pender compares print with online format

and raises the question:

“What will remain of your blog in

thirty years? Digital archiving is yet to be fully addressed, and more young

people are choosing to create small-run publications and zines to communicate

ideas.“ (Smith and Cooke, 2015, 19).

However I did publish an online ISSUU version

so the publication can be accessed by online

readers throughout the world thus reaching a wider audience (Figure 44).

Figure 44. The ISSUU version of ‘The Working Title Project’ (Van de Rijt, 2015).

In an ideal work setting I would only like to use the web to

connect and collaborate with other people. A constant stream of online information can be overwhelming and has become omnipresent. A book is the perfect medium to give you a

break from that. I realise now, that digital techniques even have

enforced the value of printed magazines, books and art for now and in the future (Smith and Cooke, 2015, 18-21).

» 42 «

“...It is because of those who believed in a

world where silk screen could exist alongside

touchscreen... that we [are] keeping the

creative industries alive with just the right balance of analogue and digital, for now at

least“ (Smith and Cooke, 2015, 29)

The attempt to find a balance between digital and analogue ways of working is something I strive towards within my

practice. This way I personally stay the most creative, by paying

attention to my interests (FIGURE 45). Throughout this project I learned a lot about design, myself as a designer and how I cope with development and changes within a project by

constantly consciously reflecting on myself and my practice (Van de Rijt, 2015b, 76).

Figure 45. Balance work and labour with play. Spread from the diary (Van de Rijt, 2015b).

» 43 «

This part of the thesis reviewed literature relating to personal design monographs, graphic authorship and personal

design process that links in with the diary of ‘The Working

Title Project’. With the aim to provide a broader background

perspective of these subjects within the contemporary graphic

design field.

Self-publishing and graphic authorship have established a

platform where designers can freely share their practice and work with peer-designers. Designers and students alike are

able to quickly learn from the current design field through

reading monographs of key figures in design, which are highly informative with current knowledge.

Tone-of-voice in monographs often resemble the designer’s personal perspective and vision on their projects,

accompanied by writing of an editor. To be able to add to

the current debate a monograph has the most impact when

it is created by a designer with an established practice. ‘The

Working Title Project’ diary holds a different meaning because its content is linked to the publication instead of needing to

rely on a designer with an established practice.

The design industry keeps evolving, key figures in design keep rising and adopting new design processes and

publishing new monographs. These monographs sustain

the contemporary graphic design field with new knowledge.

Reading about designers situations provides young designers with a recognizable scope of experiences that they can face in the future.

Creative practitioners, like writer Jennifer Snyder, keep

looking for entrepreneurial ways to expand their profession,

directing it towards their own preferences instead of

adhering to a set industry standard. Balancing work and play to form an environment where one is able to provide a living

and do what one loves.

» 44 «

Education and design studios need to keep up to date with

current technologies and ‘trends’ in the creative process. The amount of books, monographs and contemporary online

platforms provide a wide variety to sustain this need. The need

of designers to collect work from peer-designers and surround themselves with beautiful design, is in fact a need to keep

sustaining creativity levels and up-dating their knowledge

in current design. No two designers are the same, they need

different forms of inspiration to ‘feed’ their practice with.

This might explain the massive amount of different books on

design, they all ‘feed’ a different interest. A book will sure be of interest to at least one designer within the huge design domain. Even if ‘The Working Title Project’ gives that one

designer a great amount of enjoyment and interesting new insights I have achieved a great goal.

Keywords:

Diaries / archives / background information / publicity / notoriety / development process / initiatives / individual journeys / interests & curiosities

» 45 «

Conclusion

This research thesis has investigated how the creative process is valued in the contemporary design industry, within books, magazines and individual practitioners. Comparing these findings with the major design research project, placing

‘The Working Title Project’ within the industry context. I have achieved turning my research and curiosity of the creative process into a valuable public source of information and

inspiration for others. Providing a handle to learn about the illusiveness of the creative process.

The view on the creative process has been influenced by major institutions, studios, design award shows, magazines and

design monographs. Where each individual values a different

aspect of the design process. Some focus the idea generation and final result, like the student award shows. Others pay

attention to creative development within a project and try to uncover that like the magazines: Uppercase, Offscreen and

The Great Discontent. An interesting viewpoint is: if everyone comes in contact with design, then everyone should have

the right to know the background story of how something is designed and with what intentions. That instantly raises the

question: Is it feasible to bring audiences of design work closer to the design process? And if yes, how should that be done?

Are audiences [other than peer-designers] even interested in

the background story of a design piece? These topics requires more in-depth research.

In attempt to answer the main question of this thesis: What is

the importance of sharing the design process or how a design is created? By sharing work designers keep evolving the graphic design industry, spreading major historical influences and

contemporary knowledge and views. This results in a domain that makes room for personal opinions and graphic authorship, which have been a big part of creating ‘The Working Title Project’. We

learn from the work of other designers, and key pioneers in the industry. Collecting work of other designers is therefore often

something designers do, satisfying a need to understand how

designers work. Monographs often explain the development of

an individual in the domain, with an emphasis on pioneering and outstanding work. Even sharing work with peer designers holds importance because the creative process ultimately is a highly

» 46 «

personal and unique asset that designer possess. Exploring work methods of peer-designers can result in new inspiration and directions for ones work.

Answering the second main question: Should sharing the

creative process be of interest to the designer and/or their clients and audiences? Designer and client share different interests surrounding the creative process, it is therefore

important to communicate both expectations. The creative

process is of most interest to the designer and client, because they follow the complete journey, start to finish. The designer

is the key figure in sharing the parts of the design process that seem relevant with clients and audiences.

The changes in technology will ensure that designers, studios and other creative initiatives keep reconsidering their design process to match new goals. The overwhelming use of

technology, however did not cause in a fatigue of print media

but seemed to have resurrected it. Print, magazines and books, are more valued today by designers and readers.

This study ensured that I realized the possibilities of being

the sole initiator of a project. It takes self-reflection to realise

your limitations and the limitations of your work. For example, the material discussed in this research will not be in depth

enough to give a complete picture of how designers and nondesigners view the design process [there are just too many

people], but hopefully will give it enough food for thought.

I faced obstacles, overcame them and the result gives the creative process an outlet to become more public. It is

unquestionable that in all its different uses, opinions and

definitions, the creative process remains the most important facet of the designer’s tool-kit and work method.

Keywords:

Contemporary design field / public / emphasize & share / creative development / graphic authorship / asking questions / raising questions / designer tool-kit

Âť 47 ÂŤ

References

Main sources

Van de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a) The Working Title Project

Publication: A collaborative project revolving around designers and their design process. Lincoln (UK).

Van de Rijt, R. (2015b) The Working Title Diary: A journey into

the design process of ‘The Working Title Project’ publication.

Lincoln (UK).

Books

Apfelbaum, S. and Cezzar, J. (2014). Designing the editorial experience - a primer for print, web, and mobile. USA: Rockport Publishers.

Barnbrook, J. and Lasn, K. (2007). Barnbrook Bible: The Graphic Design of Jonathan Barnbrook. Booth-Clibborn Editions.

Brook, T. and Shaughnessy, A. (2009). Studio culture. London: Unit Editions.

Hall, P., Sagmeister, S. and Pearlman, C. (2001). Made You Look - Sagmeister. New York: Booth-Clibborn Editions.

Heller, S., Rand, P. and Helfand, J. (1999). Paul Rand. London: Phaidon.

Klanten, R., Mollard, A., Hübner, M. and Commentz, S. (2011).

Behind the zines: self-publishing culture. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag.

Moross, K. (2014). Make your own luck. Prestel.

Shaughnessy, A. (2009). Graphic design: A user’s manual.

London, U.K.: Laurence King.

Shaughnessy, A. (2010). How to be a graphic designer, without losing your soul. 2nd ed. New York: Laurence King.

Smith, M. and Cooke, A. (2015). People of print. New York, New York: Thames & Hudson.

» 48 «

Terragni, E., Fitzpatrick, A., Roff, A. and Thackara, D. (2012). The Phaidon archive of graphic design. London: Phaidon Press.

Wilson, C. (2014). Interview Techniques for UX Practitioners - A

User-Centred Design Method. Waltham, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.

Journals / Magazines

Essmaker, T. (2015). The Great Discontent - The Possibility Issue, (3).

McMahon, H. (2014). This & That Collective The Magazine, (1).

Vangool, J. (2015a). Uppercase Magazine, (24).

Websites

AIGA, (2012). An ethnography primer. [online] AIGA | the

professional association for design. Available at: http://www. aiga.org/ethnography-primer/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

Backspace, (2009). The Social Role of the Graphic Designer Social Design Notes. [online] Available at: http://backspace.

com/notes/2009/09/the-social-role-of-the-graphic-designer. php [Accessed 23 Sep. 2015].

Brach, K. (2015). About — Offscreen Magazine. [online]

Offscreenmag.com. Available at: http://www.offscreenmag. com/about/ [Accessed 21 Sep. 2015].

Camara, K. (2015). ANALOG MEMORY DESK - Kirsten Camara. [online] Kcamara.com. Available at: http://kcamara.com/ ANALOG-MEMORY-DESK [Accessed 27 Jul. 2015].

Design & Art Direction, (2015). The D&AD Annual 2015.

[online] D&AD. Available at: http://www.dandad.org/en/dadannual-2015/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2015].

Essmaker, T. and Essmaker, R. (2015). The Great Discontent. [online] Thegreatdiscontent.com. Available at: https:// thegreatdiscontent.com [Accessed 18 Sep. 2015].

Formfiftyfive, (2014). Review: Kate Moross / Make Your Own

Luck | FormFiftyFive – Design inspiration from around the world.

» 49 «

[online] Available at: http://formfiftyfive.com/2014/07/reviewkate-moross-make-your-own-luck/ [Accessed 28 Sep. 2015].

Labarre, S. (2012). Infographic Of The Day: The Magic And

Madness Of The Creative Process. [online] Fast Co Design.

Available at: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665802/

infographic-of-the-day-the-magic-and-madness-of-thecreative-process [Accessed 16 Sep. 2015].

McMahon, H. (2015). This & That Collective. [online] Thisandthatcollective.co.uk. Available at: http://

thisandthatcollective.co.uk [Accessed 18 Sep. 2015].

Oxford Dictionaries, (2015). Ethnography - definition

of ethnography in English from the Oxford dictionary.

[online] Oxforddictionaries.com. Available at: http://www. oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ethnography [Accessed 23 Sep. 2015].

Rand, P. (2014). The 11 Types of Trendy Graphic Design Paul

Rand Hated | AIGA Eye on Design. [online] Eyeondesign.aiga.

org. Available at: https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/the-11-types-of-

trendy-graphic-design-paul-rand-hated/ [Accessed 25 Jul. 2015].

Royal Society of Arts, (2015). RSA Student Design Awards.

[online] RSA Student Design Awards. Available at: http://sda. thersa.org/en/page/about-en [Accessed 19 Sep. 2015].

Scher, P. (2005). Make it bigger. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Shorr, B. (2011). Content Strategy Within The Design Process –

Smashing Magazine. [online] Smashing Magazine. Available at:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/12/content-strategywithin-design-process/ [Accessed 30 Sep. 2015].

Sint Lucas, (2015). Lancering Zine editie januari 2015. [online] SintLucas. Available at: http://www.sintlucas.nl/actueel/

nieuws/2491/lancering-zine-editie-januari-2015.html [Accessed 20 Sep. 2015].

» 50 «

Snyder, J. (2013). CREATING YOUR OWN PATH. [online]

jenniferesnyder.com. Available at: http://www.jenniferesnyder. com/creatingyourownpath [Accessed 27 Sep. 2015].

Vangool, J. (2015b). About. [online] UPPERCASE. Available

at: http://uppercasemagazine.com/about/ [Accessed 21 Sep. 2015].

You Can Now, (2015). YCN | Awards | YCN Student Awards |

2014-15 YCN Student Awards | About the Programme. [online] YCN. Available at: http://www.ycn.org/awards/ycn-student-

awards/2014-15-ycn-student-awards/about-the-programme [Accessed 19 Sep. 2015].

» 51 «

Figure List

Figure 1. D&AD,

(2013). D&AD Annual ‘13. [image] Available

at: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/creative-business/ dad13-annual-showcases-best-advertising-work-from-pastyear/#1 [Accessed 27 Sep. 2015].

Firgure 2. Hunting,

A. (2013). YCN Annual 13/14. [image]

Available at: http://alexhunting.co.uk/YCN-Annual-13-14 [Accessed 27 Sep. 2015].

Figure 3.

Creating Your Own Path, (2014). Creativity is not a

competition - Autumn Sky Hall. [image] Available at: http://

www.jenniferesnyder.com/blog/2014/11/13/creating-your-ownpath-episode-17-autumn-sky-hall [Accessed 17 Sep. 2015].

Figure 4. RSA

Student Design Awards, (2015). Judging criteria

infographic. [image] Available at: http://sda.thersa.org/en/

challenge/rsa-student-design-awards-2016/phase/rsa-studentdesign-awards-2016/track/creative-conditions-en-1 [Accessed 27 Sep. 2015].

Figure 5. Van

de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a). Sketching stage of Natalie

Houtioudi. The Working Title Project pages 66-67. The Working Title Project Publication: A collaborative project revolving around designers and their design process.

Figure 6. This

& That Collective The Magazine, (2014). Cover

image. In: This & That Collective The Magazine (1) p. 1

Figure 7. This & That Collective The Magazine, (2014). Spread

images. In: This & That Collective The Magazine (1) p. 14-15, 24-25.

Figure 8. The

Great Discontent, (2015). Cover and Spread images

of Issue 3. [image] Available at: https://thegreatdiscontent.com/ magazine/issue-03 [Accessed 18 Sep. 2015].

Figure 9. Van

de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a). The publication gives you

the chance to view completely different design disciplines side by side. Spreads of Lucy Patterson (p. 136-137) and Bukola Bankole (p.80-81).

Figure 10. Bastiaens, D. (ed.) (2015). The Purdah Press, pp.1, 10-11.

» 52 «

Figure 11. Vandelay Design, (2013). The process of

gathering

content. [image] Available at: http://www.vandelaydesign.com/wpcontent/uploads/content-process.jpg [Accessed 30 Sep. 2015].

Figure 12. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b) Realisation from ‘The Working

Figure 13. Van

de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a). Autumn Anderson’s

Title Project’ Diary - page 59.

Spreads in ‘The Working Title Project’ pages 10-19.

Figure 14.

Van de Rijt, R. (2015b) Realisation from ‘The Working

Title Project’ Diary - page 56. The Working Title Diary: A

journey into the design process of ‘The Working Title Project’ publication. Lincoln (UK).

Figure 15.

Van de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a). Emma Clarke’s Spreads

Figure 16.

Van de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a). Various spreads from

in ‘The Working Title Project’ pages 138-143.

‘The Working Title Project’.

Figure 17. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015c). Several spreads from the

Feasibility Report. ‘The Working Title Project’ A feasibility study, diploma level work.

Figure 18. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b). Page from ‘The Working Title

Project Diary’, page 57.

Figure 19.

Van de Rijt, R. (2015). Photo of our studio taken from

a time lapse photo sequence [Photograph] (Taken from ‘The Working Title Project’ submission)

Figure 20. Offscreen Magazine, (2015). Cover Offscreen Magazine

Issue 7. [image] Available at: http://files.idnworld.com/imprints/ files/Offscreen-Issue7/600w.jpg [Accessed 28 Sep. 2015].

Figure 21.

Uppercase Magazine, (2015). Cover Uppercase

Magazine Issue 24. [image] Available at: http://www.

theworkroom.ca/store/images/product/u/uppercase-

magazine-:-issue-24-534px-534px.jpg [Accessed 28 Sep. 2015].

» 53 «

Figure 22.

Uppercase, (2015b). The Uppercase Studio.

[image] Available at: http://static1.squarespace.com/

static/4fd35f74e4b0ad380c071b90/t/4fefe5e324acf37cb3 7c05d2/1341121924126/_13party-04052012+%28202%29. jpg?format=500w [Accessed 21 Sep. 2015].

Figure 23.

Van de Rijt, R. (ed.) (2015a). Autumn Anderson’s

Figure 24.

Van de Rijt, R (ed.) (2015a). Sarah Barrowcliff’s

[product designer] workplace at Hackspace, p 15.

[graphic designer] workplace at her home, p 89.

Figure 25. Van

de Rijt, R (ed.) (2015a). My own crowded desk

Figure 26. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b). ‘The Working Title Project

Figure 27. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015). Mini paper roll version.

Figure 28. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015). My desk pace in my old house.

Figure 29. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015). Series of diaries and notebooks

space at home, p 164.

Diary’. Paper roll installation and design experiment, p 34-35.

[Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

[Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

that are part of ‘The Working Title Project Diary’ [Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

Figure 30. Hall,

P., Sagmeister, S. and Pearlman, C. (2001).

Spread from Made You Look - Sagmeister, p 186-187.

Figure 31.

Van de Rijt, R. (2015b). Spread from ‘The Working

Title Project’ diary, pages 12-13.

Figure 32. Moross,

K. (2014). Spreads and close up image from

Make Your Own Luck. [image] Available at: http://formfiftyfive. com/2014/07/review-kate-moross-make-your-own-luck/ [Accessed 28 Sep. 2015].

Figure 33. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b). Spread from the diary, pages

58-59. ‘The Working Title Project’.

Figure 34. Van de Rijt, R. (2015b). Recap illustration of Felicity’s

Interview. Page 39.

» 54 «

Figure 35. Terragni,

E., Fitzpatrick, A., Roff, A. and Thackara,

D. (2012). The Phaidon archive of graphic design. London:

Phaidon Press. [Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

Figure 36. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b). The crazy card collection,

Figure 37. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b). Spread from ‘The Working

Figure 38. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015).‘The Working Title Project’

‘The Working Title Project’ diary page 60.

Title Project’ diary page 66-67.

publication and diary. [Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

Figure 39.

Van de Rijt, R. (2015). Key chain featuring a diary

realisation.[Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

Figure 40. Creating Your Own Path, (2015). CYOP #35 - Interview

with Joanna Waterfall. [image] Available at: http://www.

jenniferesnyder.com/blog/?tag=Podcast [Accessed 27 Sep. 2015].

Figure 41. Visually,

(2011). The Creative Process Infographic.

[image] Available at: http://visual.ly/creative-process-0 [Accessed 16 Sep. 2015].

Figure 42. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015b). End pages showing diversity

Figure 43. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015). Makeshift photo studio, using

between graphic designers, of ‘The Working Title Project’ diary.

a piece of foam board and daylight. [Photograph] (Taken from private collection).

Figure 44. Van

de Rijt, R. (2015). The ISSUU version of ‘The

Working Title Project’. [image] Available at: http://issuu.com/ riannevanderijt [Accessed 4 Oct. 2015].

Figure 45.

Van de Rijt, R. (2015b). Balance work and labour with

play. Spread from the diary. Pages 64-65.

» 55 «

Additional Bibliography

Books

Aspelund, K. (2015). The Design Process. 3rd ed. Fairchild Books.

Brawne, M. (2003). Architectural thought: The design process

Some books / journals / videos / websites that provided interesting topics for further future reading. All are interesting to read/watch, but

and the expectant eye. Oxford: Architectural Press.

Brereton, R. (2009). Sketchbooks: The Hidden Art of Designers, Illustrators & Creatives. London: Laurence King.

you can’t include everything you find into a written study. This list also contains books that helped me develop this project and have influenced me throughout the whole of my Master of Arts.

De Soto, D. (2011). Know your onions. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers.

Fiell, C. and Fiell, P. (2013). New graphic design - The 100 best contemporary graphic designers. London: Goodman Fiell Carlton Publishing Group.

Heller, S. and Talarico, L. (2010). Graphic. Inside the

sketchbooks of the worlds great graphic designers. London: Thames & Hudson.

Korn, P. (2014). Why we make things and why it matters.

Mau, B., Testa, B. and Maclear, K. (2000). Life style. [London]: Phaidon.

Philippin, F. and Klosoglou, B. (2013). I used to be a design student. London: Laurence King Pub.

Poynor, R. (2008). Jan van Toorn, critical practice. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.

Roberts, L. and Wright, R. (2010). Design diaries. London: Laurence King.

Sagmeister, S., Heller, S., Nettle, D. and Spector, N. (2007).

Things I have learned in my life so far. New York: Abrams.

Someguy, (2007). 1000 journals project. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Stobart, J. (2011). Extraordinary sketchbooks. London: A. & C. Black.

» 56 «

Vago-Laurer, V. and Busse, P. (2003). Area: 100 graphic

designers, 10 curators, 10 design classics. London: Phaidon.

Video

BBC Documentary, (2013). Horizon: The Creative Brain How

Insights Works. [video] Available at: http://www.designlearning. us/the-design-learning-process [Accessed 24 Sep. 2015].

Journals / Magazines

Smith Journal, (2013). Smith Journal: Australian Magazine, (6).

Websites

Phillips, N. (2014). Blog. [online] Typograph.Her. Available at: http://www.typographher.com [Accessed 29 Sep. 2015].

Print All Over Me, (2015). PRINT ALL OVER ME. [online]

Available at: https://paom.com [Accessed 29 Sep. 2015].

Rand, Paul. ‘The 11 Types Of Trendy Graphic Design Paul Rand Hated | AIGA Eye On Design’. Eyeondesign.aiga.org. N.p., 2014. Web. 23 July 2015.

Vinh, K. (2015). Subtraction.com Design Tools Survey. [online] tools.subtraction.com. Available at: http://tools.subtraction. com [Accessed 3 Oct. 2015].

» 57 «

Appendix 1:

Unstructured interview questions.

First set of questions, generated for the first two face-to-face

interviews with Autumn Anderson and Yudan Ding. That I would manually fill in while interviewing. After this I generated a document that was easy to send and fill in via email.

Name:

THE WORKING TITLE PROJECT INTERVIEW NO. 1

Project Title:

Why did you choose this project?

Where do you find inspiration?

Where do you work best?

Studio / Library / Home ........% / ........% / ........%

Âť 58 ÂŤ

How do you use sketching / drawing / notes

Drawing / List making ..........% / ..........%

For this project did you do research first or drawing first?

How often do you use the studio? How many hours a week do you spend in the studio?

PHOTOGRAPH:

How often do you use the library?

What steps do you follow in your design process

Workspace Sketchbook Drawings Tools Methods Initial designs Finished designs Notes

Âť 59 ÂŤ

How often do you refer back to your research / audience?

Tell me how you went throught the stages of your project...

5 recently read books:

What is your favorite designer / quote?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Open-ended questions

» 61 «

Appendix 2:

Structured interview questions.

Questionnaire of first interview with participants. Send via email, filled in by the participant and discussed through a personal

conversation or via emails. Afterwards some questions/answers are edited or removed to be used in the book.

The Working Title Project Interview no. 1

Interview Questions

Name:

Project title:

Why did you choose this project?

Where do you find inspiration?

Where (in what place) do you work best? (please enclose some photos of your workplace)

What tools and techniques do you use to practice your practice?

Do you work in the MA studio?

What steps do you usually follow in your design process?

Is your design process more analogue or digital?

How do you use sketchbooks / drawing / making notes?

(please enclose a scan or photo of your sketch/notebook, if possible, or bring it to the interview so I could take photo’s of it)

Are you more of a list maker of do you draw more? Drawing / List making

When you started the project, did you first start out researching, drawing or brainstorming? In short how did you start?

Do you refer back to your research? If yes how often? / if not is your design process more based on your intuition?

Looking back on this stage, what went well in the project?

What elements went different than expected?

How will you develop the project in the next stage?

What is the purpose of the project? (for yourself or your audience)

» 62 «

What other activities / interest do you have outside the MA that are part of your practice?

Are you collaborating with other people on or is the project more individual?

What new skills did you acquire while doing this project? (screen printing)

What are 5 books / journals that you recently read?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What is your favourite designer / quote or style?

Do you have anything to add that might be interesting about your project?

* If the interview will be in person then bring as much work that you want to show me. I might want to photograph parts of it. It is all about design process so I would like to see sketchbooks scribbles and notes even workplaces / offices and tools that you use as well if possible. Any digital files and photo’s you could send me in advance or I’ll bring a usb to put them on.

** If the interview will be mostly through email, please send me as much written information, so I have a good base to write the narrative around because I will edit the interview questions and make a nice flowing story out of it. Send photo’s and digital files with some explanation so I know what it means.

*** Images should be high resolution – 300 dpi and in .jpg /.psd / .tff / .png – ready for print.

**** The interview will be published in a book. That I aim to launch at the final show this year. The deadline for receiving content is 28th of august. And you will get some time to check the design before it goes to print, but that will be a 24 hour window, if I don’t hear back from you I assume that the design and text is OK.

» 63 «

List of possible participants

Appendix 3:

List of possible participants to be interviewed for ‘The Working

Title Project’. Names highlighted in yellow are designers who are featured in the final publication.

Stud Campus Code

Session

Occur- Student ID Surname rence stUdEnts BY coURsE

Forenames

College: 1AA - College Of Arts

Inits

23/09/2015

Course: DESIGNMA - MA Design L

1FT

1

AND09200179

Anderson

Autumn

A

L

1FT

1

DIN15517483

Ding

Yudan

L

1PT

1

CAP13490822

Capp

Darren John

DJ

L

1PT

1

FRO11231785

Frobisher

Dawn

D

L

1PT

1

NEE11213924

Neenan

Colette

C

L

1PT

1

SHU13488381

Shum

Felicity

F

L

2PT

1

CLA10185646

Clarke

Emma Louise

EL

L

2PT

1

DOW09146093

Downs

Katherine Gina Elizabeth

Y

KGE

Course: GRADESMA - MA Graphic Design L

1FT

1

BAR09200343

Barrowcliff

Sarah

L

1FT

1

VAN11339365

Van De Rijt

Rianne A H M

L

1FT

1

YAN13471763

Yang

Yiping

S

RAHM Y

Course: INARDSMA - MA Interior Architecture and Design L

1FT

2

ALN12432224

ALNAJEM

MAJD

L

1FT

1

BAN12398034

Bankole

Olabisi Olubukola Ibidunni

M

L

1FT

1

FIE09193480

Field

Lewis

L

L

1FT

1

MIR13474455

Mirchandani

Kamsin

K

L

1FT

1

NAI12432863

NAIM

OSAMA

O

L

1FT

1

WAN13477866

Wang

Yuejiao

Y

OOI

Course: INTDESMA - MA International Design Enterprise L

1FT

1

FUS13466259

Fu

Shiliu

S

L

1FT

1

LIU15517467

Liu

Yangzi

Y

L

1FT

1

LOP13480797

Lopez Garci-Crespo

Lucia

L

L

1FT

1

PAT11214498

Patterson

Lucy

L

L

1FT

1

WOO06094921

Philp

AJ

A

L

1FT

1

YUE14480915

Yue

Kelai

K

N

Course: XMDXMDMA - MA Design for Exhibition & Museums L

1FT

1

HOU13481776

Houtioudi

Natalie

L

1FT

1

MAT13476735

Matthews

Dana Breanne

DB

L

1FT

1

MCC13488277

McCraw

Sarah Anne

SA

L

1FT

1

SAN13490816

Sandercock

Alethea

http://reporting.lincoln.ac.uk/ReportServer//Colleges/0067a_QLS_Students_By_Course

» 64 «

A

CONFIDEN

Unstructured interview (interview only)

Semi-structured interview (email questions + face-to-face interview) Structured interview (via email only)

dents By Course

s.

E

M

I

Sex

Birth Date

F

17/11/1992

HESA COMDATE

End Date

Stage

Date Stage Achieved

Qual.

Aim

Student Status

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

H

F

25/12/1990

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

01/10/2014

051

O

M

13/03/1974

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

H

F

24/09/1956

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRT

20/10/2014

051

H

F

02/09/1991

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

29/09/2014

051

H

F

07/05/1988

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

H

F

06/10/1990

30/09/2013

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

H

F

29/11/1984

30/09/2013

05/06/2015

ENRZ

06/10/2014

051

H

F

20/11/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

H

F

12/03/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

22/09/2014

051

E

F

27/03/1991

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

19/09/2014

051

O

F

06/08/1985

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

15/09/2014

051

O

F

03/12/1990

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

29/09/2014

051

O

M

15/12/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

22/09/2014

051

H

F

01/11/1990

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

12/09/2014

051

O

M

30/09/1983

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

15/09/2014

051

O

F

20/06/1991

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

O

M

27/08/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

19/09/2014

051

O

F

28/11/1990

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRT

01/11/2014

051

O

F

24/06/1989

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

18/09/2014

051

O

F

24/02/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

H

F

21/03/1962

24/09/2007

05/06/2015

ENRZ

11/03/2015

051

H

M

23/11/1988

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

26/09/2014

051

O

F

15/10/1991

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

17/09/2014

051

E

F

05/11/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

18/09/2014

051

O

F

30/03/1989

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

16/09/2014

051

O

F

17/12/1992

22/09/2014

05/06/2015

ENRZ

26/09/2014

051

H

NTIAL

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