PPP3: Lord Whitney

Lord Whitney

Today me Lizzi and Mike went to visit Lord Whitney. Lord Whitney have a lot of people contacting them enquiring about studio visits etc so they decided to put on an event where a select group of those who have contacted them could come for a visit with tea, coffee and biscuits, pretty much perfection.

Their studio is beautiful it is a massive rustic space in the roof of a warehouse. It embodies such character it really is an amazing space and is decorated to perfection. They are in the process of doing it up further and building an indoor treehouse which will be incredible. I find this sort of space really inspiring and would love to be able to find a space like this for our studio endeavours for Say My Name.

Talk:

Lord Whitney only started working together during the last week of uni, but enjoyed it so much that they decided to continue working with one and other once graduated. They began by just creating things in their bedrooms and houses building a portfolio together as a duo. They worked in jobs such as waitressing etc to fund themselves whilst trying to build what would become the studio Lord Whitney. Which what I am planning to do with Say My Name.  It was really inspirational to hear that you can build up what seems like a dream and make a studio if you have the right drive and passion which I feel myself Mike and Lizzi have.

Lord Whitney advised that when you are starting up you should 'sideways market' which is where you just say yes to everything and don't label yourself so if someone asks do you do illustration say yes, if someone asks if you do film say yes etc think about the consequences later an figure out how to do the things you've just said you do. I think this is a really great way to generate a client base and will definitely take it forward.

They advised that you should try and attempt to find a studio space or atleast somewhere to work occasionally as working from your bedroom is not healthy. They found their space through being nosey and looking around the building when they got the opportunity and they discovered a disused space and contacted the landlord saying they wanted it, the land lord gave them the space for free whilst they did it up and then a very low rent after that as it was just a space he was going to have sit there. I really like this approach as I think there are so many beautiful spaces in leeds that are not used but could be turned into something amazing, but I always thought the rent would be to big but to hear that it was cheap as chips was really great! they advised that people look up and look for rental signs , go for drives, poke around, ask around , be nosey. This is something me Mike and Lizzi will definitely do once we are handed in.

Advise:

- Believe in what you do with passion
- Momentum - KEEP GOING
- Events - go to social networking events and creative events
- Don't do this for the money there is more to life then money
- CRACK ON
- use initiative
- get an accountant
- skill swap
- work hard
- Go to workshops

We spoke to Rebeca of Lord Whitney after and she was very encouraging about Say My Name and gave us some great advise. She was really pleased that we are passionate about staying in Leeds as  that is something they spoke a lot about. We all feel more fired up and ready to try our hardest to make Say My Name. We are going to really focus on it once we are handed in and I am very exciting for what it may bring.

PPP3: Brian studio

Today Lizzi and myself went to ilkley to visit a studio. As Say My Name we have been in touch with tutor Brian who reached out to us to let us know about a studio that is available in ilkley so me and Lizzi went to check It out.

The studio it's self was very nice it was bare and very basic but it would be a perfect blank canvas. There would be ample amount of space for us and it was. I've and bright PLUS when the screen gets too much there is the beautiful ilkley moor just outside. We spoke with Brian about setting up a buisness and he have us some really good tips and information about setting up as in the buisness side and also tips like where to get furniture for really cheap (Bradford college auction off / sell college furniture for super cheap) we had a look around Brian's studio on the next which was good to see and get any idea about things like I space. 

Everything seeme more or less perfect an we were all  very excited .. Then we worked out prices which would work out as roughly 70-80 pounds a month each which is too much money for us. As I am not aware of how much office spaces are in leeds I had a look and I am pretty sure we will be able to find something cheaper even though the likely one was really nice we want to start things off as cheap as possible 

PPP3: I like Birds & Bielke + Yang

Correspondance:

Below is the responses that we have received from contacting studios as a studio seeking advise about the early days of setting up. The response has been really encouraging. I Like birds is a studio that I have a lot of respect for, they have a very creative way of approaching briefs and this in turn creates unique and exciting outcomes. Bielke + Yang are a studio that create amazing work that is aesthetically and conceptually very good. It was very exciting to hear back from them and they gave us some solid advise that we can put into practice. Bielke + Yang will be a great studio to stay in touch with and build a relationship as they reach out to freelance designers which could potentially be a chance to work as studio with them which would be great for our early days.

From I like birds

Hi Lizzi, Mike and Suzanne,

yes of course - if you have specific questions just let us know and send them over.

We will try to answer them. I think this is better then writing a text in generel.

Or what do you think would work out for you the best?

Greetings from Hamburg,

André

 

From Bielke+Yang

Hi guys,

exciting! I would loove to help, but right now it's just to damn busy for us to do any Skype-meetings etc. I'm really sorry, but you'll understand when you have you own studio up and running — just to many e-mails and to much things to do :-) But yea, some thoughts:

· Follow gut feeling on clients and projects. It works everytime. If something doesn't feel right it usually isn't.

· Have contracts and written agreements.

· Plan each project thouroughly, with a progress plan everyone (studio+client) have to commit to.

· If you treat people well and do great work you will automatically get more work from former clients/networks.

We both worked three-four years in bigger studios before setting up our own, which we are very glad for. We learned a lot and use eveything every day in our own studio. 

Really sorry for not being able to chat more, but if you have any more questions just write back and we'll answer if we have the time.

What's your studio name?

—

Have a great weekend,

Christian (and Martin)

PPP3: Say My Name - contacting studios

We have decided that it would be a good idea for us to start contacting studios that we respect or feel we have a certain synergy with. When looking over lists of studio that we admire we noted that most of them are abroad, so a studio visit is out of the question, and so an email engaging and seeking advise seemed like the next best thing. Below is an example of the type of email that we will send out to studio and finger crossed we will get some replies.

Andre, Susanne.

As a result of coming to the end of our studies with little desire to work for a larger design studio or agency, we three soon-to-be graduates are looking for some help and advice in setting up for ourselves. We understand that this is a competitive market so we don't take the following for granted, nor do we ask it with little respect for your business.

Quite the contrary, it is because of the reputation of I Like Birds that we would like to ask if it is possible to have a chat with you about how you got to your feet, who was there to help with all the legal and business side of things and if there is any roads that we should avoid walking down in our first year. 

Starting out for yourself is a daunting, exciting and nervous time for anyone, it is because of all these things that we are excited to get the ball rolling and meet people who found themselves in a similar situation. Can you help us?

Thank you,

Have a great week,

Lizzi, Mike and Suzanne.

Leeds, U.K.

PPP3 : Laurie millotte

Laurie Millotte

Laurie Millotte is a designer based in Canada. Laurie first contacted me over Linkdin she sent a really friendly message which I saw as a great opportunity to form a connection with a professional designer.

So that I could engage in a conversation I decided to use my  dissertation as a subject to talk about. I am getting really interesting feedback from designers I have contacted thus far and it is really benefiting both my dissertation, my practice as a designer and also my confidence in learning that contacting designers isn't as daunting as I thought and they are just humans and will either reply or not reply.

Below is the conversation we engaged in. Laurie pointed me in the direction of her side project Flights of insight which coincidentally is based on similar subjects that I have asked her about and have based my dissertation on. The flights of insight website has really helped the progress of my dissertation as it has pointed me in new directions and showcased some new exciting things to research into to do with insight and creativity. For reasons like this it is so beneficial to engage with people as they will more or less all the time know something you don't know that could help you out. 

This is the response I got from Laurie to do with the questions asked. It is really useful and once again great to learn the opinions of a professional designer. From contacting designers it is showing me that creativity is what underpins the industry of graphic design which is good to know.

Hi Suzanne,

I'm back in the saddle!
So glad you like my project Flights-of-Insight. I have more developments coming up with that project as well.

Ok, so back to answering your questions:

- Is the process of creating an idea mechanical or is it more of a moment of inspiration what is your process for approaching a brief?

>>> to me it is more about connecting the dots. I have a very good memory and I just "absorb" a lot of various inspirations day after day, noting the "wow" moments, or the improvements I would have done, seeing how one thing reminds me of another.
When then it comes to creating a new concept, I have this reference bank that supports me in creating and designing new things yet untapped.


- Do you think creativity is important within Graphic Design are there any specific areas of design where creativity is most necessary?

>>> I think creativity is primordial, and not just in Graphic Design. More and more, it is what differences is us from computers. Life should be taken creatively, and if your job is to create brands, than even more so. What I love the most is burst of creativity in areas of life people never thought of looking before (Method Cleaning products is an example, a fun and storytelling wine label is another ;)

- If you hit a a wall on a project do you have a specific method for untangling the problem and furthering your ideas, do you have any unusual methods of stimulating creativity, do you see any benefits in learning some? 

>>> I always have a big notepad next to me. I write down ideas, scratch those which don't work, I make a lot of arrows and circles... No more seriously, I usually do two things: spread out/untangle the problem on paper and browse some bookmarked inspiration websites (not looking at the competition per say, that would be defeating the purpose, but watching how other people creatively proposed their own solutions to existing problems).
I also allow myself to sleep on it. Quite literally, if I can, I let it sit in the back of my mind for a couple of days to go back at it with fresh eyes. I usually then produce in 2 hours better work than if I would have tolled 16!


- Does the design of your studio space influence the way you work?

>>> The space I work in is very basic. The main factor is that it's an open space concept, with high-ceiling. You can breathe and not feel cramped in front of your computer. I share a desk with my senior designer, and the owner of the company with the junior designer. No one is behind closed doors and everyone is aware of what's going on. It makes it easy for the team to be up to date on any given project and submit ideas.

I hope these answers help you!
Let me know if you want me to clarify on some points or if you have any other questions.

Best,
Laurie

PPP3 : I LIKE BIRDS conversation

I LIKE BIRDS

I like birds are a really exciting independent studio based in Hanburg. I have followed there work for quite some time as the stuff they do is very unique, concept driven and doesn't follow trends. It is very creative which makes the work they do stand out and appear as very unique. They work across a mixed media, they do not pigeon hole themselves and just work in one particular way which means their work is always evolving and always very fresh and exciting.

I contacted I like birds asking the same set of questions I am putting to other designers as i am getting a good response from them and it is on subjects and topics that are of great interest to me. Once again I did not expect a studio that I admire to reply but they did and I feel it is a great privilege  that any designer takes the time out of there day to respond to me so I am once more very grateful to the kind people out there!

1) Is the process of creating an idea mechanical or is it more of a moment of inspiration what is your process for approaching a brief? It´s a good combination of both. Some parts need thinking to the point, others happen subconsciously. The idea should be connected to the brief and forms the outcome. It is generally a lot about thinking and communication. 

2) Do you think creativity is important within Graphic Design are there any specific areas of design where creativity is most necessary?

It´s depending on the client, the solution and the job. New, clever, unusual and surprising solutions are (mostly) never wrong.

3) If you hit a a wall on a project do you have a specific method for untangling the problem and furthering your ideas?

For us it works out best keeping the assignment in mind and just follow our everyday life routine/activities. Exchanging our thoughts during meetings from time to time helps us getting deeper into the subject. After a while this process generates the ideas automatically. Writing down our thoughts also helps us a lot. We like to carry a notebook with us. Switching of on the weekends became an important part too - breathing fresh air is clearing our minds.

4) Do you have any unusual methods of stimulating creativity, do you see any benefits in learning some?

Methods for creative thinking never really worked out for us. We are rather inspired by art but not so much by »contemporary« sources like blogs on the Internet - we don´t really like sitting in front of the computer all day. In fact, it’s very rare that we read such things, in contrast to books and specific newspapers. In addition to that, we visit museums, and there are lots of stimuli in everyday life. Things that happen on accident and sudden coincidences.

5) Does the design of your studio space influence the way you work?

No. It doesn´t matter.

PPP3 : Catalogue

Catalogue:

I decided to outreach to catalogue to gain an insight into their opinions on things to do with creativity,  design process and graphic design in general. I have been friends with Ollie for some time now but we rarely discuss things to do with graphic design even though I really respect and admire the work that Ollie and Tom do, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to get some of his opinions.

As I know Ollie and Tom it was more of a friendly email rather than a professional one that I have been sending out to other designers, this is not how I would email a new acquaintance. 

The response was great and I really appreciate Ollie taking the time out to email back. I feel I am learning more and more about the workings of creativity within graphic design each time I get a response. 

Hey, not worries palz, short but sweet answers:

1. Our thought process when approaching a brief is more methodical than mechanical. We receive the brief, talk it over and start generating ideas. Once we've visualised a few we cut them down to a few we really like, polish them and send them to the client. 

2. We do think creativity is important within Graphic Design, even the most commercial brief can benefit from a little creativity. We would never pin point ourselves as being "creatives", but subconsciously good designers are creative people and it is important to try and inject that into all your work. 

3. If we ever hit a wall, the best way we deal with it is to do something else. We then come back to it with a fresh head the next day. We don't practice any unusual methods, we just don't push it too hard. If you can't get anymore ideas out the chances are you don't want to, so a break is necessary. 

4. We try and have a neat, tidy, minimal space. It certainly helps being in a nice environment, but you could say that about any job. We tend to have a lot of nice books around and good music on, but the only way it would ever influence us is because it's a nice, relaxing and open.

They ok? Sorry if they're shit. 

Best,

Ollie

PPP3 : DR.ME Correspondance

Dr.Me

I decided to contact Dr.Me regarding my COP3 and for PPP3 as they have just put on the exhibition of the flags for us and I feel this would be a great opportunity to thank them for holding an exhibition for us and also a great opportunity to engage in a conversation with a studio that I have respected and followed for a significant time.

I really enjoyed Dr.Me's talk that they gave us a few weeks back as it was a great insight into how they run their studio and their way of working, but i wanted to learn more about how they function and generate ideas as a process and also how they view graphic design and creativity and if they fit together. Their work is always very inspirational in the way that it doesnt conform to your stereotypical graphic design mould, but I think that is what makes them stand out.  There is always a lot of energy and power in their work and it comes across as very visually strong.

Hey Suzanne,

Thanks for reaching out, this served as a nice break from some work we're doing :&), glad you enjoyed the workshop, we had such a great time with you all!

Is the process of creating an idea mechanical or is it more of a moment of inspiration what is your process for approaching a brief?

It kind of depends on the brief, normally we try and come up with as many ideas as possible, play around with them and they normally narrow themselves down quite naturally. It sometimes helps to send them off to the client as they will have opinions on which path to take and it helps them to feel a bit more involved, that's not for everyone, some people hate clients getting involved but we like to work closely with the people we work for.
Do you think creativity is important within Graphic Design are there any specific areas of design where creativity is most necessary?
A monkey can be taught to use creative suite, your mind is the post powerful and unique gift you can ever bring to a piece of work regardless of what area of Design you're working in.

If you hit a a wall on a project do you have a specific method for untangling the problem and furthering your ideas, do you have any unusual methods of stimulating creativity, do you see any benefits in learning some? 

ABL - Always Be Learning.

Just keep reading, watching, tasting, looking, picking things up, stealing things, all of the time. If you have an opportunity to learn something new then take it, you never know when it could come in useful. Find a book tonight (not a design book), go and read it over Christmas and tell me that in someway it doesn't effect your work. Books unlock the imagination. Aside from this, try taking your mind off the problem if you're really stuck, running is good for that, sweat the problem out.

Does the design of your studio space influence the way you work?

I'd say so yes, it's funny, we moved from our old studio to the one we're in now over the summer and promised ourselves a new layout to freshen it up. After a day of arguing, moving things around we settled on an incredibly functional, balanced layout that we all felt comfortable with. Had we re-created our original studio layout? Of course we fucking had. That aside though, being tidy (not that we are particularly) really helps with creativity, you'll be surprised how taking 5 minutes at the end of the day to tidy your studio will effect you in the morning. Look into feng shui, some of it goes a bit over the edge but we agree with the whole not having your back to the door, ain't nothing more distracting than that feeling that you're going to get stabbed.

Have a nice day,

Eddy

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 

DR.ME
Design.Illustration.Art.Layout.Makers.

Studio

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A:   Studio 104
      1st Floor,
      Islington Mill Studios
      James Street
      Salford
      Greater Manchester
      M3 5HW
    
E:  info@dr-me.com

T:  +44 (0) 7578568061

This response from Dr,Me has been very useful for both PPP and COP it is once again really lovely that designers that I respect and admire have taken the time out of their day to reply to me. From this discussion I feel I have gained a greater insight into the inner workings of professional graphic designers. And once more it has shown me how great and passionate this industry I am entering can be.

PPP3 : Alex Witjas - conversation

Alex Witjas

Alex Witjas is designer who I have a lot of respect and admiration for so I decided to contact her as part of my COP3 and for PPP3. Alex Wijas work is visually very exciting, she does a lot of work for fashion promotion which is something I am interested in and editorial work which I am also interested in. Her work is very contemporary and really speaks to the desired audience. I contacted her regarding the topic of creativity and innovation, as I thought by using my dissertation topic I could engage in a conversation rather than just emailing to be a pain.

Hi Suzanne,

It's nice to hear from you. Thank you so much for reaching out! You're doing great work over there at Leeds, very nice stuff.

Hope these answers are helpful.

Is the process of creating an idea mechanical or is it more of a moment of inspiration what is your process for approaching a brief?

I find that it's a mixture of both. A lot of times an idea can just come so easily and organically upon first hearing a project request. This can be amazing when the idea is right, but a lot of times it can be the wrong direction and then it's hard to shake that initial idea. I find it's very helpful to always try and rationalize the idea, figure out the root of what it needs to communicate. Most all of the work I do is strongly visual and tactile and there is no need for a clear cut message, like in the advertising world, but it really helps to elevate your work if you can take the time to think it through conceptually rather than acting initially on an aesthetic direction....

Do you think creativity is important within Graphic Design are there any specific areas of design where creativity is most necessary?

It absolutely is. But truthfully, it isn't necessary. Graphic design at it's essence is technical, if you know how to use the programs you can be a graphic designer. When creativity is introduced, that is when you get books, or invites, or posters, or magazines that start to feel like art objects in their own right, and not just vehicles of communication.

If you hit a a wall on a project do you have a specific method for untangling the problem and furthering your ideas, do you have any unusual methods of stimulating creativity, do you see any benefits in learning some? 

Talking it through is the best stimulation I've found. I've been lucky enough to work with a lot of people I respect and who are amazing designers. Being able to have a conversation with them about the project, and my concerns or issues, is always helpful in sparking new paths of thinking. Sometimes it's really necessary to get out of your own head in order to work out a solution to a problem.

Does the design of your studio space influence the way you work?

Definitely. The current studio I work at (Li, Inc.) has completely transformed the way I work, my aesthetic, and my process. I've learned so much and continue to learn here everyday which is an amazing thing.

Evaluation:

This response I got from Alex was really enlightening, it was a great feeling engaging in a conversation with a designer that I have looked upon for a long time, I did not expect to get a response and it was very promising to hear back from her. The conversation we had was very useful for my COP3 and also for PPP as I am very interested in the topic of innovation and how individual approach design and where they value creativity within graphic design as it is something which I feel is very important. Getting a response from Alex witjas has spurred me on to contact more designers as it has been so beneficial.


Plan:

Contact more designers

PPP3 : Jack Grafton - correspondence

Jack Grafton is a recently graduated friend of mine from foundation. He graduated last summer from Edinburgh school of art and has since been interning like a mad person and achieving some great placement opportunities which have lead him onto a job as a graphic designer at burberry. I have decided to reach out to him to find out his opinions on graphic design from the point of view of a recent graduate who has been at many studios this year and so will have encounted many different experiences of graphic design. As we are friends the tone of the email is slightly different compared to the emails I have exchanged with, with professionals who I do not know :

Hey Suzy Moooooore!

My pleasure – sorry, this are going to be shity…

I think that it's a combination of the two, I have almost like a checklist of things I do when approaching a brief, brainstorming and building up a library of relevant inspiration and research. I guess you kind of hope inspiration strikes at some point along the journey.

Creativity is important in that its the backbone of all design. I think an individual who works in the creative field who isn't creative, in some sense of the word, will struggle to make anything of value. I think that everybody is creative in some way.

If I hit a wall with a project or direction, I always try to over compensate by doing a million variations, sometimes it works and others it doesn't. The best thing for me to do is to seek the opinion of someone who has nothing to do with the project, often they say something which you can use as a trigger or notice things you hadn't seen before.

I like to have a very clear space when I start and finish working, I reckon the space actually influences you more than you'd think. Architecture, music, company, books and other ephemera must surely have a bearing on creativity and productivity.

Let me know if you need any more or to elaborate man!

BIG LOVE

SUNDAYYYY

X

Jack Grafton

–

+44 7541 304130

http://jackgrafton.co.uk

PPP3 : DR.ME Flag exhibition

Flag Exhibition :

Dr.Me kindly set up an exhibition for our flags to be hung that we made in their workshop. This was a really great opportunity to exhibit some of the work we have done and was very kind of dr.me to set up. It was nice to see everyones work up as a collective and a great social get together for the course with a nice turn out. It was great to get to know Eddie a bit more and gain some more advise about life after college about how to set up which is pretty much work hard and be passionate.

Above is mine and gretas flag which was developed by playing a game of finishing each others sentences which we named 'thats what she said' as it is a well know joke which will get people attention even though we have used the phrase in a different context. The phrase we got from finishing each other sentance was ' The pillow is very big and it will explode' which will illustrated through making a pillow explode. I really enjoyed this live brief  and the fact that it actually become something and was seen in situ. It was also really great to see where Dr.Me work and get a feel for islington mill which seems like a very social creative hub of studios.

PPP3: Design Manchester

Design Manchester


Design Manchester is a design event that has taken over manchester's town hall with a wide range of events from talks to exhibitions. I decided to go to the talks for one day as i thought they would be very beneficial for both my own practice and also for my dissertation to hear designers talk through what they do.

The day event was centred around the theme of longevity, touching on topics of design that has staying power, creating relationships which last and work which is simply timeless. Each guest speaker was asked to talk about themselves to this theme.

Andrew Shoben

The first guest speaker was Andrew Shoben from grey world. Greyworld is a studio which focuses on doing work for public spaces, making interactive location installations which people are invited to interact with, it is public art for the real world, which is accessible for all. Andrew talked about looking for urban spaces to create moment of creativity that can be shared in the public space. The work that they create is very interactive which Shoben claimed leads to fantasy play, the audience does not expect the environment that they live in to have anything different in but then there is an element of surprise when something different is there, especially something that allows you to question what is real and what is not. The last messages Andrew left us with were,
- have a very direct message, cause and effect.
- Without audience there is nothing at all
- clever names = alienation
- staying power = routine , clever
- Simplicity can work better than complex
- approach things differently



The Clockwork forest (2011) from greyworld on Vimeo.

The above is a really interesting project that andrew showed us where they transformed ordinary trees into objects of a fairy tale. If you turn the key on the tree it plays music. Taking an ordinary object that we are used to seeing such as a tree and adding a new purpose to it is a really interesting concept and a good way to break down barriers and connections in the brain as this is questioning the norm and attaching new meanings to a tree.

Kate Moross

Kate morose runs Studio Moross based in London. She describes herself as a jack of all trades and says its not what you say you do, it's what you do, which is a very proactive way of thinking which i think is beneficial. Kate spoke about how you cad no anything you want to, it's about being active. You have to appreciate things and understand them so that you can communicate. Kate Moross spoke of her passion of wanting to make music look good, she see's working with band and musicians as more of a collaboration and likes it when the artist is heavily involved. She also spoke about not getting to hung up on vinyl as there are other exciting ways of promoting music, such a promo cd's , radio, shops, labels, tapes, just treat them all like they are vinyls. Moross says that it is important to build a relationship with the band or artist as it is very important to gain the trust of them. Another topic that was covered was about music videos, she stated that you should make music videos that connect to the sound of the music at the same time as expressing the sound of the music.

Kate Moross gave some really inspirational advise about what happens after college, she said make your own luck, as that is what she has done.
- Have no fear, except that you may fail
- FAIL its good to learn from. learn how to do things  
- learn how to do everything, use youtube teach yourself. 
- don't listen to old rules, learn them then break them. 
- improvise 
- Be open communicate with clients 
- connect with people
- be confident
- over deliver and on time DON't BE LAZY

Colophon Foundry 

Colophon Foundry is a design studio that was set up in 2008. They are a hard working type foundry who create typefaces, in a very long and drawn out way, everything is done by hand, it is for them a labor of love. They are a small studio as they are just a duo, but they collaborate and expand when needed depending on the jobs they have on. They gave the advise that
- you should design for your self / clients / briefs not for trends,
- make things physical not just files.
- interested in putting ideas out there they are keen on acting like a platform, so people can trade with them say a magazine could use  one of their typefaces if they agree to advertise them / they are excited by what the magazine is about.

Mark Farrow

For Mark Farrow music came first, it was his passion, but he couldn't sing, so he turned to design. He was interested in doing his own thing. He spoke about his journey as a designer and the stages things happened in his career which was interring to hear about how he has withheld a long and successful career in design. He advised that the perfect amount of people in a studio is 3, more than that it becomes too much pressure and not the right environment. Farrow also advised that you should have a driving ambition if you want to succeed, you need to work hard on every project.

The Q&A

At the end of the day their was a Q&A session and the following is some of the points that I picked up from it.

- Labels don't matter any more, you don't have to be labled 'a graphic designer'
- Context is funamental to ignore the space is to ignore the audience, who respond to context.
- Drive is more important than money
- Invest time into something you believe in
- Work while learning.
- Don't design with a finish in mind or with one idea, allow things to develop
- open mind use different ways of achieving things
- Measure if a project is 'working' not by how it looks but by how the audience respond to it
- question the brief

Evaluation:

This event has been really useful to go to as it has been a great opportunity to gain an insight into the opinions of successful designers who have made their way in the design world and create their own studios which is something that I find very interesting and useful as i am interested in either working for a smaller independent studio or ideally i would like to set up my own and this event was very encouraging that it can be done through hard work and passion which I have both of. The advise given was very useful especially coming from professionals so I have highlighted it throughout so that i can easily refer to it.