Interviews 

Isobel and Helen - 

• The little marge project - this led to a project 
• Jon wood and Paul harrison - film inspiration - performance and build up to end result/simple graphic design approach to work
• Like the 'everyday' aspect to their projects
• Pro Green and Moncler project - how air can escape from different areas - recorded - Craig Green x Moncler new project (Skepta project) - contacted him as personal work had a correlation to the work they were creating at moncler 
• Worked through companies originally, then moved to form own company. Isobel more computer based, and Helen physical 3d based. 
• Little projects built up, led to bigger projects (working outside of regular hours) 
• Work formed naturally through university - similar thought process
• Kinetics - feels they connect better with he audience 
• every job is so different from last - new kinetics 
• didn't go straight into free lancing, built up a portfolio before + gained some clients until they were secure enough to leave 
• Most project are three months ahead of general release 
• Found something from playing with it in the studio - documented it (filming) - find the right person. You need this kinda work in the background to keep you occupied and to keep you thinking in a broader way. 

Charlie Sheppard 

• Theatrical/bold approach to approach to projects 
• Could re-style the intro to the film (20th Century Fox) 
• Whats your inspiration behind this project - Inspiration - ItsNiceThat shaped work style - internet focussed. Built up a range of different ideas from practitioners work on there - new ever evolving work. Getting out and about - exhibitions + film + sport + painting - always look for inspiration 
• How has your style changed since uni? - University work inspiration = structural set design + sport design + colour board design playful work not being on computers too much - After Uni less focussed on sport now focussed on playful colourful design making people happy 
• Working on a 'boring' project - Try focus on what you like and implement this into work. You've got to find elements of the work which you enjoy and hone in on that in the project. Its all about your attitude towards the project 
• Max Siedentopf - playful fun work - designed his own tattoo - design own - send to ItsNiceThat 

Dan Etok 

• Film being more an artistic medium - doesn't fall into easily - feels he's forcing himself to be manipulated by the medium - different with a book or video of dance - you can have your own interpretation 
• Warhol film - his approach challenged the norms - often single tapes - he would often let the subjects improvise/role with the film to give a natural end product - often we look for a highlight or crescendo, whereas this film could be compared to sitting in front of a fire.
• Don't worry about the audience - think about yourself (still an audience of 1) - to detach yourself from the omnipresent idea of an 'audience'. 
• Dan's approach to screening - when would you start the screening? - upon waking up or sleeping? do people watch as a group/with a partner/ by yourself? 

Ethan Earle

• What did you take from your degree forward into work? What part of the course taught you the most?  

COP (the contextual side) was really important to me I think, within one of my final projects I looked at Béton Brut Typographie  and looked at the similarities between modernist architecture and Graphic Design. This really challenged me to think about the use of materials in my work. I work a lot on the computer as I design typefaces but in this project my final outcome was letters from my typeface cast into concrete. This made me consider a digital type as part of a project which can be developed into physical versions, rather than just a digital file existing in the cloud.

Gaining a greater understanding of Leeds and it design scene will be key in my develoment as a designer, to create work which has an impact on the culture(s) around me.

• Why didn’t you go freelance? 

I’d always enjoyed working as part of a team. It’s brilliant being able to work with other creative practitioners who are driven and on top of their game. It’s also good being around people when working in the fast moving creative industries with lots of late nights and tight deadlines, some people I work with have been in the industry a really long time and it helps you learn how to handle the pressure, deal with clients and develop your own work. I don’t think I’d learn as much if I was working as a solo designer. 

• What is your creative process? How do you come up with ideas? 

Constantly being aware of the world around you is really important. I’m always taking photos on my phone of things I like, colours, type, patterns anything that catches my eye. Then being open to everything, I think it’s really important to look at areas outside of graphic design, film, music, politics etc. When I get a new project It’s important to really break down what I’m trying to communicate, one I understand that then I begin the process of making loads of versions of designs to show to the client.

Taking inspiration from everything around me is key. Especially exploring more of leeds and understanding cultural landscape is going to be key in developing a wider understanding of the design scene of the city. 

• Who and what are your biggest influences? Are there any that aren’t graphic design best? 

Yes! I really love architecture, it’s a huge influence on my work, Le Corbusier especially. Architecture, like graphic design is about working with tight restrictions and rules. It’s really interesting to see how an idea which crosses into both areas, like a modular system, manifests in a totally different way.

Don't just focus on graphic design, broaden my research into other creative fields to gain experience/research which is unique and takes my work to different avenues. 

• What impact did space odyssey have on your work? 

Firstly it’s just a great film! I think the star gate sequence is definitely the most influential scene. I think the simplicity of the production methods and the confidence in extending the scene are two really good take-aways from the film. You don’t have to do a project where everything is super high end and polished. If the idea is good you can make a really strong project just from simple materials.

Having confidence in my ideas and how it communicate the idea/theme in a way which is true to how I interpret is the most important part of my creative process. I must take this attitude towards all of my projects if I want to create a portfolio which I want to take forward into the professional world. (obvisouly consider clients thoughts in future. can't be too stubborn) 

• How is working for a studio? How has it impacted the work you create?  

I think working with other people from different disciplines has really helped developed my practice as a designer and creative. When you work with people from photography, advertising and branding backgrounds you really get a sense of different creatives processes and ways of generating ideas.

i've really enjoyed working in a group to create this project. There is more freedom to bounce ideas of one another to create an end product which feels as though it is more complete and that every consideration has been thought about. Further work in groups has let me develop mu skills in pushng an idea forward, adn working around other peoples considerations towards the project.

• What attracted you to working at build? 

I think that they moved their studio to the north is really exciting. There’s lots of talk that Leeds will follow Manchester in becoming a new design capital and I wanted to be a part of that. 

• What stage of the process are you most involved in at build? 

I’m involved in all areas of the project, which I love. There’s a relatively small team compared to some studio so I get to speak to clients, work up designs, discuss feedback, art direct photo shoots, produce final out comes, source materials etc. I think that’s really important as it forces you to hone your skills in a variety of different areas rather than staying stagnant.

Involving my interests and passions into my work is key in keeping my work fun and diverse. Look to gain skills in other fields of practice (photography, drawing) 

• What do you think you will do in the future? What’s your forward plan?

At the moment I’m really happy where I am, I feel I’m learning loads of new skills every day and making an impact in the city and a burgeoning design scene. Maybe senior designer / creative in a few years time. Who knows! 

Ali Hanson 

• What film would you recommend and why?

We live in public. For me, it’s a really interesting insight into the way someone approached the internet in it’s formative years and thought about how it could be used creatively. As visual communication students I feel it’s important to be approaching all emerging technologies in this way in order to find innovative ways to communicate ideas and stories.

• What's does your job as an art director consist of?

I lead the creative team at It’s Nice That across everything we do as a brand and media platform. From designing magazines, commissioning and art directing creative collaborators like photographers, filmmakers or illustrators and devising ideas and creative outcomes for how to work with our brand partners on commercial projects.

• What made you become an art director rather than a graphic designer?

For me ideas and working collaboratively with a wide breadth of other creative disciplines is as exciting as designing, so I love being able to do both in one role.

• Are you happy being the Art Director or do you want to go further, if so, what’s the next step?

I am very happy being an art director. My role has also started to encompass forward planning and strategy for It’s Nice That too, which I enjoy.

• Is there certain things you look for in the designs you use for printed pages?

It’s Nice That has an editorial tone and style that is critical to convey in how we design the magazine. Accessibility, playfulness and being able to champion great creative work should feel evident in how we design pages, so that’s what we try to do.

• Who and what are your main influences?

It can be anything and everything, it changes weekly and monthly and rarely relates to art direction specifically. I have just returned from Helsinki so the work of Alvar Aalto is a big inspiration at present

• Is there any part of your university/educational career that made you want to become an art director?

I actually loved product design and working with materials originally, and this is still something I love to do within my role as an art director. For example, things like paper are very important to me. But I guess it was understanding the role of being a communicator whilst studying my art foundation that steered me towards graphic design and art direction.

• What would you recommend to us (as students) in terms of things to focus on that would help us in the future?

I guess it’s key to understand your area of interest within your discipline and try to master that particular craft. 

• What has been one of your favourite projects to work on and why?

Working on magazines like Printed Pages is always a highlight for me, I couldn’t pick one in particular. I also worked on this project at It’s Nice That a couple of years ago in partnership with The Conran Shop, which celebrated the world of industry buzzwords. It was called A Load of Jargon. I also designed a watch with Timex last year that I am super proud of.

• Do you have any personal projects and if so, what type of projects are they and are they available to the public?

Recently I have done a fair amount of work with a record label called Sugarhouse Records, which was setup in part by the Turner Prize winning collective Assemble. I am proud of some of the work we have done together, which you can see here. I am also working on a series of artworks at the moment, which should be out in the world next year.