Here are some of the responses I've got back from contemporary design practitioners and studios I've reached out too. In regards to collaboration, influence, their own interpretation of their 'local' style and generally their location, design practice and opinion of globalisation vs design style.
I sent out these questions a few weeks ago now so as my project develops these questions might not be as relevant anymore but I'm confident they'll definitely still be useful.
I need to focus down and nail a strong question to ask and a strong concept for the physical project to be in synthesis so today I'm going to focus on these answers and see if it opens up any lines of enquiry and current issues I identify with. Basically just nail down what I want to say, why and how. It will make it a lot easier moving forward.
* identities of answers have been kept confidential for ethical reasons as I haven't yet gained their permission to share the data
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2. Where are you based at this moment?
3. If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
4. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
Difficult to say whether one or the other influences me more but definitely before going online I try to get down on paper my initial reaction to a brief and/or talk through it and bounce ideas off of peers.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
For me, Latin America is where it's all at. I remember noticing a really small article about the studio, Anagrama, in IdN Magazine years ago now, but the project they were featuring really struck a chord with me. Straight away I found out where they were based and a bit of digging around that led me to a few other amazing studios in Mexico and wider Latin America such as Face, Manifiesto Futura, Savvy and Campo. Their work is slick, clean and refined like many studios but there's subtle hints that show through which I feel allude to their geographic location whether it be a colour palette or materials etc. Elsewhere I really like the work of Triboro and Manual in The States and Maud in Australia.
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
So far only within the UK.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
I can't say as my location being Leeds that it has a certain design style but one kind of good thing about the city having a less developed design scene is that we're not being affected or swayed by a particular 'scene' or 'style' that you find in Manchester and London for example. Possibly you could say our work at Passport has a certain 'Britishness' to it in the sense that our style has naturally fell into something essentially classic but contemporary? I'd like to think we don't really design to trends but try to create something that will remain appropriate for a good period of time.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
As I said before I'm not really following the design scene. Goda Budvytyte (Brussels), Julie Peeters (Antwerp), Atlas Studio (Zurich) Laurenz Brunner and Julia Born (Berlin), to name a few.
After my studies in Zurich I have been working with the Zurich-base studio Elektrosmog for three years. This year I have started to collaborate with Corina Neuenschwander, who's currently based in Amsterdam. I've also collaborated with Goda Budvytyte, based in Brussels.
Content is often handled carefully and clearly structured. Not so radical, but rather serious and solid.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
Instead of regional design styles I would rather speak of design school styles. And since some of the most "visible" schools such as the Rietveld Academy or the Werkplaats Typografie are so international, a certain attitude in designing spreads around the globe. However, despite the impact of the internet and the ongoing globalisation, designing is still depending on a lot of hard facts: How much time and money can you afford to work on something? What's the budget to produce something? What's the local context you're working in?
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Thank you so much for your time and support, I'll be sure to update you with the result of this research if you wish to see how I get on. Much appreciated.
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Where are you based at this moment?
Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to collaborate with other designers overseas. I have collaborated with designers locally
That's perhaps the toughest question to answer as I feel Vancouver is often a mix of different cultures. I would say the majority of design in Vancouver appears more marketing driven, meaning its more about doing the design so that things sell. This might include large headlines, clean but somewhat more conservative approaches. With that said, I think Vancouver design is quickly growing and changing. More and more, we see work that is being influenced from different areas of the world, showing up in Vancouver. This is refreshing and exciting to be a part of. Yet it somewhat goes back to your discovery that design is becoming quite a globalized thing where country or culture differentiations are becoming less a factor.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
I think thats an interesting observation. I would imagine it be somewhat like fusion food today, individuals like myself are inspired and informed by both a Canadian/Western background, as well as an Asian/Eastern background. I can't deny those two cultures that make up who I am and hence, my design would perhaps come out as a mix of the two. I think we see more and more of that out there. However, with that said, I do believe there are very strong aspects or stylistics of design in the world that originate from a specific country. You mentioned Swiss design, and perhaps German, and Japanese design. I think if an individual greatly admires that type of work, they would want to continue the legacy of that style.
* * *
Thank you so much for your time and support, I'll be sure to update you with the result of this research if you wish to see how I get on. Much appreciated.
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Where are you based at this moment?
Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
Due to the fact that my career as a designer has been quite short, I haven't had the chance to work with/for any external studio yet. I have been lucky to work for Clase bcn and Summa, both from Spain.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
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2. Where are you based at this moment?
3. If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
4. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
2. Where are you based at this moment?
3. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
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England, United Kingdom.
2. Where are you based at this moment?
Manchester and London, England.
3. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
I've always been a bit of a history buff, and not particularly interested in chasing the latest thing—wether it be a technology, or style, or approach. The thing about my heroes—the old guard—were that, yes they had an approach, but it was to see the design process as an intellectual one, a thinking process where the graphic and visual aspects came after a rigorous examination and analysis of the problem at hand. I also had/have a fondness for the States, and this way of thinking did have a large impact over there as it fell from the advertising model. Robert Brownjohn, Alan Fletcher, Milton Glaser, Ivan Chermayeff, Tom Giesmar, John Gorham, John McConnell, Ken Garland, Massimo Vignelli, Tibor Kalman, Minale Tattersfield, Aziz Cami, Derek Birdsall, Paul Rand, Saul Bass. These guys were my heroes, and their process means everything is my inspiration… without putting such a toe-curlingly cliché answer to it.
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs
I couldn't tell you to be honest. I don't really care much for design blogs, pin interest, and all that shit. It's just an endless stream of 'wallpaper' to me. I don't care much for design as a source of inspiration either. I get more insight and inspiration from every other field and industry than I do our own as ultimately they tend to be the ones in which the problem I'm tasked to solve resides. I never shut myself off to things, but I feel the design industry could quite easily disappear and become stale very quickly should everyone look to what everyone else is doing for inspiration. And Art is much more interesting if you need visual stimulation.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
At present… hmm. I like the work of BERG, Kessels Kramer, Zakk Group, Chip Kidd, Stefan's stuff… but my favourite company doing design work in recent years would be the publishing company McSweeney's.
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
They are the right person for the right job as far as I see my collaborations. And I collaborate nationally and internationally and not always in my own language.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
Not really. I don't think there's a locality to the work I do, or necessarily in the UK. There's a UK approach, and you can see it differently to US design, but it's hard to differentiate regionally within the UK. But a lot of the way you identify work comes down to the fundamental part of Graphic Design, and that's the content. Different countries and nations and cultures have different vernaculars and symbols and semiotics, and so they're often the trick in identifying the nationality of a piece.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
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1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Dublin, Ireland. I lived there for my whole life until recently.
2. Where are you based at this moment?
I am currently based London UK, working in Two Times Elliott. I started in this studio in September 2013.
3. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
In college I had a basic understanding of graphic design, with no particular influence, except from influences from my art education. A lot of these shared similar qualities with graphic design, Bridget Reilly and Agnes Martin are painter who has big impact on my approach. When I stated studying graphic design about 3 years ago, a tutor introduced me to the work of Wim Crouwel and Josef Muller-Brockman. This was a moment for me. I didn't know this kind of design existed. I became fascinated with the swiss style. It like something that was missing in my life, and i'm glad I found it. This lead to me researching multiple designers that embraced the swiss style. I was allured by the simplicity, typographic treatment and use of photography to communicate a message.
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs
It's a bit of both. In the Studio 2XElliott. We always discuss ideas, and development in our work. We are upfront and honest, and design a lot of work to get to a good point. This approach is great, we can bounce of each other to produce better work. We I'm design on my own, the like of Pinterest, Tumblr, Designspiration, Blogs are fantastic, we have an vast array our sources at our finger tip. I believe we are very fortunate to have this amount of sources available to us. But this bring up another question in a way. Can this amount of access to content hinder our creativity?
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
I have so many, these are my favourites right now.
Empatia Studio - http://www.helloempatia.com/
Anagrama - http://www.anagrama.com
Berger & Fohr - http://bergerfohr.com
Perky Bros - http://www.perkybros.com
Hey Studio - http://heystudio.es
Yes Studio - http://www.yesstudio.co.uk
Sawdust - http://madebysawdust.co.uk
Freytag Anderson - http://www.
Mash Creative - http://www.mashcreative.co.
Farrow - http://www.farrowdesign.com
Neubau - http://neubauberlin.com/
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
A lot of my work has been local. but
- I have worked with a Japanesse T-Shirt company, http://www.graniph.
- A film production company in Los Angles.
- Collaborated on exhibitions in Brazil and Barcelona.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
At the moment i'm focused on the London style. This is something we have adopted in 2XElliott. But we try to push it in order to create somewhat unusual designs solutions. It has quiet a distinctive refined look. We always strive to be contemporary, and not have the normal approach. This allows us to be experimental, and is very satisfying as a creative.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
I sent out these questions a few weeks ago now so as my project develops these questions might not be as relevant anymore but I'm confident they'll definitely still be useful.
I need to focus down and nail a strong question to ask and a strong concept for the physical project to be in synthesis so today I'm going to focus on these answers and see if it opens up any lines of enquiry and current issues I identify with. Basically just nail down what I want to say, why and how. It will make it a lot easier moving forward.
* identities of answers have been kept confidential for ethical reasons as I haven't yet gained their permission to share the data
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1. Which country did you grow up?
UK
2. Where are you based at this moment?
Leeds, UK
3. If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
A Level Graphic Art, Fine Art at Huddersfield New College, 2006—2007.
Foundation in Art & Design at Leeds College of Art, 2008.
BA Hons. Graphic Design at Leeds College of Art, 2009—2012.
4. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
I don't think I was inspired by something in particular that led me to focus on graphic design. To be honest I don't think I really realised what exactly graphic design was until the end of high school?! Up until that point I had liked doing a bit of painting, a bit of drawing, photography had always interested me, as had architecture and interiors. Then I must have somehow suddenly realised that graphic design existed and it turned out to be where my skill set sort of fitted best. I wasn't really aware of many designers at the time either but I'd say one piece of design I've always admired since coming into contact with it is the Mexico '68 Olympics identity.
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
Difficult to say whether one or the other influences me more but definitely before going online I try to get down on paper my initial reaction to a brief and/or talk through it and bounce ideas off of peers.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
For me, Latin America is where it's all at. I remember noticing a really small article about the studio, Anagrama, in IdN Magazine years ago now, but the project they were featuring really struck a chord with me. Straight away I found out where they were based and a bit of digging around that led me to a few other amazing studios in Mexico and wider Latin America such as Face, Manifiesto Futura, Savvy and Campo. Their work is slick, clean and refined like many studios but there's subtle hints that show through which I feel allude to their geographic location whether it be a colour palette or materials etc. Elsewhere I really like the work of Triboro and Manual in The States and Maud in Australia.
*IdN Magazine may be good for you to analyse as they feature particular countries and/or cities in each issue?
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
So far only within the UK.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
I can't say as my location being Leeds that it has a certain design style but one kind of good thing about the city having a less developed design scene is that we're not being affected or swayed by a particular 'scene' or 'style' that you find in Manchester and London for example. Possibly you could say our work at Passport has a certain 'Britishness' to it in the sense that our style has naturally fell into something essentially classic but contemporary? I'd like to think we don't really design to trends but try to create something that will remain appropriate for a good period of time.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
I'd hope we don't lose distinct styles linked to geography as this is something I personally really appreciate. I think with the internet, easier communication and collaboration etc then there'll definitely be more cases of different styles being absorbed anywhere and everywhere around the world, but ultimately I think there's certain things you would only pick up through actually being in and experiencing a certain city/country – small, insignificant stuff that you don't necessarily think about about at the time.
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Hi Abbas
Thanks for your email. Your suggestion hat I create a kind of "contemporary vision of the fundamentals of Swiss modernism" made me smile. (Am I?) It's an interesting question though wether and how regional styles such as the "Swiss style" can remain in a strongly globalized world, and if yes, what exactly is seen as typically "Swiss" from the outside. Maybe it's interesting to compare designers that have been working abroad for a longer time to those who staid in Switzerland. I did both, so I kind of got an outside vew on the Swiss scene, which was quite healthy, I think. But still, my "style" seems to be quite Swiss – whatever that means. I'm sure it's not only about formal aspects, but a question of how much time you can invest in an assignment, how well organized it is (which sometimes results in an overly neat and safe design solution).
Hereby my answers:
Which country did you grow up?
Switzerland
Where are you based at this moment?
Where are you based at this moment?
Zurich, Switzerland
If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
2000–2005 Zurich University of Arts (Visual Communication) and 2009–11 at Werkplaats Typografie, Arnhem, The Netherlands
When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
I wouldn't use the word "heros". (My main motivation to become a graphic designer was to contribute to the visual appearance of public space. While studying though I developped a strong interest in editorial and book design, and just recently began to design posters, too.) And actually, I was never researching about the Swiss design history and the "heros" of Swiss modernism like Richard Paul-Lohse and Josef Müller-Brockmann. During my studies in Zurich I was (and still am) very impressed by the work of Cornel Windlin and Lex Trüb for Schauspielhaus. It seemed very free and undogmatic to me, drawing a lot of inspiration from everyday culture and so called "bad" taste. At the same time, you could tell from the design that they didn't see themselves as "service"-providers, but were very much involved in the production and editing of content.
Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
I don't follow blogs or the work of other graphic designers very actively. Instead of doing a lot of research, I analyse the content I'm working with and then try to get a distance and free my mind for new ideas by looking at totally different stuff. For instance, I'm very interested in contemporary art, its methods and concepts. And I'm a fan of so-called "amateur" design, even though I don't think you can see that in the way I design. When I work on a project in collaboration with someone else, I try to develop ideas back and fourth, making notes and scribbles and brainstorm together, try things out and discuss them. Often, I'm not really interested in "solutions" for a problem but something that highlights the characteristics of a certain content. For instance by choosing a form that isn't maybe the most consumer friendly, but adds an interesting perspective to the way information is perceived.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
As I said before I'm not really following the design scene. Goda Budvytyte (Brussels), Julie Peeters (Antwerp), Atlas Studio (Zurich) Laurenz Brunner and Julia Born (Berlin), to name a few.
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
After my studies in Zurich I have been working with the Zurich-base studio Elektrosmog for three years. This year I have started to collaborate with Corina Neuenschwander, who's currently based in Amsterdam. I've also collaborated with Goda Budvytyte, based in Brussels.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
Content is often handled carefully and clearly structured. Not so radical, but rather serious and solid.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
Instead of regional design styles I would rather speak of design school styles. And since some of the most "visible" schools such as the Rietveld Academy or the Werkplaats Typografie are so international, a certain attitude in designing spreads around the globe. However, despite the impact of the internet and the ongoing globalisation, designing is still depending on a lot of hard facts: How much time and money can you afford to work on something? What's the budget to produce something? What's the local context you're working in?
* * *
Thank you so much for your time and support, I'll be sure to update you with the result of this research if you wish to see how I get on. Much appreciated.
Good luck with your thesis and best wishes from Zurich.
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Which country did you grow up?
I was born in Vancouver BC, Canada, although for a brief few years of my childhood, my family moved back to Macau for a few years. After those short few years, my family moved back to Vancouver.
Where are you based at this moment?
Right now, I am still located in Vancouver BC.
If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
I went to Emily Carr University of Art + Design here in Vancouver.
When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
I think I've always had an interest in customizing or personalizing things.
I was first inspired by the older graphic designers like Otl Aicher, Karel Martens, Josef Brockmann and the like.
At the same time, quite naturally, I was taking inspirations from the studios and designers locally in Vancouver. Studios like Burnkit, and Rethink.
Yet near the end of my design education, I was really influenced by the design in Asia, mainly coming from Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
You could say part of my own ethnic background plays into it, but my the design approach from these places were both inspiring and felt natural to me.
Studios include Kamimura Typografie Gestalten (Japan), Anonymous (Singapore), Blow (Hong Kong).
The aspect I appreciate most about their design approach is the way in which the message is communicated. Contrary to using design to shout or grab your attention, the design is honest, calm and clear and sincere. I think these are the main attributes that often become misunderstood or unnoticed in minimalistic design. With that, I truly believe the design you create in some ways has to reflect your personality while expressing the personality of your client. I'm not the most extrovert type of person, but I like to be honest and I find myself more passive than aggressive. Hence, this design approach feels most natural to me.
Of course, this is my opinion, and why I appreciate about minimalistic design from Asia. Im sure others have their perspectives on design as well.
Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
Thats a really cool question. I think when I started getting into design, much of my inspiration came from the things around me; often things i see and subconsciously are engrained in my head. For example, something like a clothing brand tag from a shirt I just bought might resonate with me and later somehow influence my work.
When I was at Emily Carr, it was a great environment to be in a very creative community where we see each others work and are challenged to improve and grow from seeing the work your peers produce and vice versa.
Yet nowadays, with so many great visual design resources available online, its so easy to be inspired by the work presented. The danger that I've experienced is that this places design to exist inside a vacuum where designers try to draw inspiration from design. It may work for a while, but I began to realize, my creativity began to be sucked dry and so enough, nothing seems to be new. So I am also trying to find my alternative routes for inspiration again outside of design and to find interest in how two different spheres could influence each other.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
I might have noted it earlier, but I'm a huge fan of Kamimura Typografie Gestalten at the moment who are based in Japan (http://typgestalt.com/).
Another designer I really like is Wang Zhi Hong (Taiwan—http://wangzhihong.
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to collaborate with other designers overseas. I have collaborated with designers locally
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
That's perhaps the toughest question to answer as I feel Vancouver is often a mix of different cultures. I would say the majority of design in Vancouver appears more marketing driven, meaning its more about doing the design so that things sell. This might include large headlines, clean but somewhat more conservative approaches. With that said, I think Vancouver design is quickly growing and changing. More and more, we see work that is being influenced from different areas of the world, showing up in Vancouver. This is refreshing and exciting to be a part of. Yet it somewhat goes back to your discovery that design is becoming quite a globalized thing where country or culture differentiations are becoming less a factor.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
I think thats an interesting observation. I would imagine it be somewhat like fusion food today, individuals like myself are inspired and informed by both a Canadian/Western background, as well as an Asian/Eastern background. I can't deny those two cultures that make up who I am and hence, my design would perhaps come out as a mix of the two. I think we see more and more of that out there. However, with that said, I do believe there are very strong aspects or stylistics of design in the world that originate from a specific country. You mentioned Swiss design, and perhaps German, and Japanese design. I think if an individual greatly admires that type of work, they would want to continue the legacy of that style.
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Thank you so much for your time and support, I'll be sure to update you with the result of this research if you wish to see how I get on. Much appreciated.
You're most welcomed, and thanks for considering my opinion. All the best with the project and would definitely like to see the outcome!
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I really find your project to be so interesting and I think it is such a useful study to focus on whether it makes sense or not to speak about design from certain places nowadays.
Which country did you grow up?
I was born in Barcelona, Spain and I grew up there.
Where are you based at this moment?
I am currently staying in London for a few months and, after that, I'll be traveling around the caribbean. However, Barcelona will be always my home where I'll base one day.
If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
I graduated in 2012 from Communication and Graphic Design in Elisava (UPF), Barcelona. I've also learnt a lot working in studios such as Artis, Clasebcn and Summa.
When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
I don't really remember being inspired for the first time at any specific moment. I started to pay attention to graphic matters when I was a teenager. After that, in my first two years at Elisava, I got really interested in Swiss Graphic Design studios and designers from that country. Not specific designers but the main way of designing there. I was also inspired by Dutch, German and British designers.
Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
Of course, the environment I spend time in and my colleagues are a big source of inspiration and creativity. Sharing ideas, discussing them, taking decisions and finding solutions with them is always positive when talking about process. I try not to contaminate myself with blogs when I am in the designing process. That does not mean that I don't take some previous time checking out the work made by designers that I may admire. Blogs and websites can be helpful at the right time. But I'd say inspiration and creativity comes to you when you are working, immersed in the project.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
There are a lot of designers and studios that I admire at the moment. Most of them are from Switzerland, Germany, Holland, UK, Italy and Spain.
I would like to mention three studios from Switzerland: Baenziger-Hug, Kasper-Florio and Bureau Collective, whose work has been so inspiring and has really influenced me. There are lots of studios around the world which I could mention: Spin and Maddison Graphic from UK, Think Work Observe from Italy, Lesley Moore from the Netherlands, Bizzari-Rodriguez from France, Folch Studio and Solofficial from Spain, etc.
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
Due to the fact that my career as a designer has been quite short, I haven't had the chance to work with/for any external studio yet. I have been lucky to work for Clase bcn and Summa, both from Spain.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
Nowadays it is difficult to relate design styles to certain places. The internet makes it possible for anyone from any part of the world to be influenced by foreign designers.
Despite that, it is also interesting how, apart from this international mix design, designers tend to be influenced by the culture and environment from their own countries.
However, in Barcelona, we tend to be more defined by our character and our culture in general.
It is such a relaxed city, less restrained or formal than other cities from Switzerland or Holland.
That is noticeable in the composition of textes as much as in the treatment of images, just like in their use they are put to.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalisation?
I think that designers will always be influenced by the character, climate, way of thinking and behaving of the place they live in or belong to.
Despite that, thanks to globalization, borders in design have practically disappeared. It is obvious that, nowadays. you can mistake a designer from Barcelona for another one from Holland or one from France for another one from Germany.
Nevertheless, designers will always be strongly influenced by the graphic ways of countries, which they might not be from, it they have studied, worked or collaborated with studios from there.
Therefore, I am quite sure that in the future local design styles may disappear, making room for what we can perceive nowadays, in many cases, as an international style, known and carried out by many in a similar way.
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Hello Abbas,
Below are my answers to your questions. Best of luck with your thesis!
1. Which country did you grow up?
United States
2. Where are you based at this moment?
New York City
3. If you have received any kind of formal education in art & design, when and where was this?
I received my MFA in graphic design at the Yale School of Art in 2013.
4. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
Michael Bierut for his bold, simple, and smart approach to design, and for his ability to communicate design ideas, process, and strategy to any audience. Michael Rock's method for creating visual affect, incorporating precedence, and framing a completely different field (e.g. fashion) through the lens of design. Irma Boom for prioritizing the physicality of book design. Saul Bass for transforming title sequence design, where the introductory frames set the tone and provide a meta-narrative on the feature film.
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
I receive inspiration from observing my surroundings, which includes everything from walking around the city to visiting an exhibition. While I follow contemporary designers online, I still find significantly more inspiration from books and research in other fields, including literature, film, photography, architecture, and art history.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
Project Projects, New York City
2x4, New York City
Hort, Germany
Peter Mendelsund, New York City
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
I have only collaborated with designers when we are living in the same city.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
I don't think you can easily define New York City design, given the wide range of design practices here.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalization?
I don't think design will be recognizable according to country or region, but instead, we will categorize according to specific styles and trends.
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1. Where did you grow up?
Manchester, UK
2. Where are you based at this moment?
Manchester, UK
3. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
Stefan Sagmeister I found out about at school when i told my art teacher I was 'into graphics', He told me about Stefan Sagmeister. He really brought me into the world of design as this was kind of work was somehting i've never even seen before. It's funny because after all 'contemporary' artist and designers i've loved and grown out of over the years, Sagmeister is still the one that work will never get old or boring for me and after learning more about conceptual design, I now understand why this is.
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs.
I'd probably say a bit of both. Everyone gets influenced by work around them whether thats on blogs or your peers, you can't really deny that. It's just what happens. I'd like to say i don't get influenced too much about everything going on around me these days. I mean first and half of second year i was tanning the 'Northern European' design styles and without really understanding it all lacks a bit of substance. I like to think nowadays I come up with a solid concept that can be influenced by design styles old and new, but at the end of the day, is it's own piece of work, for it's own client.
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
Uniform in Liverpool. Just been interning there and learnt a lot about everything. Face Design Studio - Mexico Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv - New York Sagmeister - New York
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
i've collaberated with a bit of both . a lot of students of my course, so all these are UK based. I've also collaberated with a couple of studios based in the UK. Manchester and Liverpool (Local) I've collaberated with a photographer based in Tel Aviv and a few designers based all around the world. Denmark, Slovenia. India even. I've done work for a lot of magazines based in Hong Kong too bizarrely.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
Well after just completing a very 'British' based peice of design for a 'British Film Festival'. I'd probably have to say its the way you communicate which makes at least my graphic design British. For this particular project, I wanted to use a very british tone of voice and achieved this through type and image. I think the style would probably change if you was creating design for different parts of the world. Or at least it should. I think it should reflect the audience, and therfore the country in some way.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalization?
I think regional styles are a lot less common these days than maybe they used to be for sure, but I think its down to the designer if they want to be true to their roots or go off and get influenced by whatever style of design. I also dont think that a designer should be limited to a certain style for a region to be perfectly honest. I think that the design should be different for every client and that maybe the clients region should reflect more in the design that your own maybe?
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1. Where did you grow up?
2. Where are you based at this moment?
3. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
They are the right person for the right job as far as I see my collaborations. And I collaborate nationally and internationally and not always in my own language.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
Not really. I don't think there's a locality to the work I do, or necessarily in the UK. There's a UK approach, and you can see it differently to US design, but it's hard to differentiate regionally within the UK. But a lot of the way you identify work comes down to the fundamental part of Graphic Design, and that's the content. Different countries and nations and cultures have different vernaculars and symbols and semiotics, and so they're often the trick in identifying the nationality of a piece.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalization?
I'm afraid to say that I don't think that Graphic Design has ever truly had a regional style or flavour, and certainly to to the same extent in which food has. Food is generally cultural and mainly stems from the local produce, which of course can only grow there and there alone (stemming back hundreds and hundreds of years here) but Graphic Design doesn't depend on a similar resource. or tools. The content changes, as aforementioned, but this is as close as you get with the analogy as the tools are far more general and accessible—much like painting, sculpture, etc. etc. Take the International Swiss Style for example, I'm not so sure that being Swiss has a fundamental bearing on that movement. There are factors and utilise, undoubtedly, but it's more to the fact that the type foundries were based there and naturally the typefaces spread quickly locally due to proximity. Couple that with some great designers (of all nationalities by the way) close by who were hiding from or taking refuge from Germany after / during the Second World War, and of course something will emerge. But look at the Bauhaus. Look at Post-modernism. etc.
I'm afraid to say that I don't think that Graphic Design has ever truly had a regional style or flavour, and certainly to to the same extent in which food has. Food is generally cultural and mainly stems from the local produce, which of course can only grow there and there alone (stemming back hundreds and hundreds of years here) but Graphic Design doesn't depend on a similar resource. or tools. The content changes, as aforementioned, but this is as close as you get with the analogy as the tools are far more general and accessible—much like painting, sculpture, etc. etc. Take the International Swiss Style for example, I'm not so sure that being Swiss has a fundamental bearing on that movement. There are factors and utilise, undoubtedly, but it's more to the fact that the type foundries were based there and naturally the typefaces spread quickly locally due to proximity. Couple that with some great designers (of all nationalities by the way) close by who were hiding from or taking refuge from Germany after / during the Second World War, and of course something will emerge. But look at the Bauhaus. Look at Post-modernism. etc.
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1. Where did you grow up?
2. Where are you based at this moment?
3. When you were first truly inspired to produce great graphic design who were your main heroes and inspirations, and if so what did you appreciate about them?
5. Would you say most of your inspiration and creativity in tackling a problem comes from your peers and environment you spend the most time in, or does it come from external sources such as the internet, Pinterest and blogs
6. Who are some of your favourite designers and/or studios at the moment, and where are they based?
I have so many, these are my favourites right now.
Empatia Studio - http://www.helloempatia.com/
Anagrama - http://www.anagrama.com
Berger & Fohr - http://bergerfohr.com
Perky Bros - http://www.perkybros.com
Hey Studio - http://heystudio.es
Yes Studio - http://www.yesstudio.co.uk
Sawdust - http://madebysawdust.co.uk
Freytag Anderson - http://www.
Mash Creative - http://www.mashcreative.co.
Farrow - http://www.farrowdesign.com
Neubau - http://neubauberlin.com/
7. If you have collaborated with other designers and studios on briefs - are they often local or overseas? If overseas, what kind of countries do these include?
A lot of my work has been local. but
- I have worked with a Japanesse T-Shirt company, http://www.graniph.
- A film production company in Los Angles.
- Collaborated on exhibitions in Brazil and Barcelona.
8. Could you describe your 'local' design style and visual language, which you feel is recognisable to the world and makes it different from design from another part of the world?
At the moment i'm focused on the London style. This is something we have adopted in 2XElliott. But we try to push it in order to create somewhat unusual designs solutions. It has quiet a distinctive refined look. We always strive to be contemporary, and not have the normal approach. This allows us to be experimental, and is very satisfying as a creative.
9. Final one! Using the example of food, Indian food, is nothing like Italian food - it's a regional style of cooking and unique process individual to the area of India - although in todays global culture we're perhaps more exposed to Indian food more than ever. In this same respect, regional graphic design from around the world is much more exposed to the rest of the world than ever before - we can easily collaborate across the world. The world of graphic design is perhaps less isolated than it was 50 years ago.
Do you feel in the future, distinct and recognisable graphic design styles according to regions will remain in the face of globalization?
This is tough to say. Even with our connected world, we still come from different backgrounds, so this quality should still transcend into designs created. It think it would be quiet sad to see this aspect diluted, but i have a feeling it won't happen a huge amount. Hopefully.
This is tough to say. Even with our connected world, we still come from different backgrounds, so this quality should still transcend into designs created. It think it would be quiet sad to see this aspect diluted, but i have a feeling it won't happen a huge amount. Hopefully.
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All these results have been super interesting and definitely opened my eyes up to just how far designers collaborate nowdays with ease, but also at the same time that even though the technology to collaborate and inspire is at hand - the designers still have a sort of code of ethics whereby they may not collaborate with people overseas or only do idea generation through peers and not the internet.
Most answers touched on the fact that regional design styles are definitely becoming less profound than they used to be, but perhaps this isn't a bad thing? If designers are less burdeneed and restricted by a certain school of thought then perhaps they're not just chasing more objectivity and efficiency?
The words "international style" were mentioned a lot and it brings me back to the international style which as a result of publications like Neue Grafik turned the Swiss style into International Style. So many of designers influences are Swiss, so the influence is still there but it's almost led to an International Style again but through technology and ease of use when it comes to viewing work. It's almost as if globalisation has in turn led to an international school of thought, whereby designers align themselves with certain styles or trends rather than countries and identities.
Similar to the International Style of the 50's but the process to create an international style has been different. Also from my own experience, as much as technology helps me as a designer, internet and globalisation also overwhelms and overloads me as a designer and the objective and minimal aesthetic intentions of the Swiss style have made me fascinated with it - as perhaps so many other designers are now. Almost a rejection of technology and clutter.
Definitely helped a lot.
