Issues and Practices
“ History is good but you can’t live it off”
I sent out a questionnaire out to Manchester and London based design agencies based on the issue of an interesting article I came across on the D&AD website called Everyone starts somewhere. This is a collection of old work produced by big names in the Graphic Design industry including degree work. http://www.dandad.org/everyone_starts_exhibition/
I wanted to know how important the degree work I am doing now is, and if old work and student work comes in handy when you become more mature and develop as a designer. I set out finding these answers by conducting a questionnaire. I did contact designers that appeared in this article such as Mark Farrow and Peter Saville although as I expected and understand they were too busy to respond.
The first issue I tackled was would you recommend Students keeping a record of all previous work they have produced?
The response I got was yes. Mainly for an employers benefit as they can see your progress but many people replied saying its fun to look back. For a portfolio though keep it updated. Rob Taylor from like a river gave me an interesting answer, “It’s a bit like holiday snaps isn’t it. Here’s one of me on a rock. On a rock with ice cream, on a rock with blue sky, on a rock with blue sky and a seagull. That would be a dull album of that holiday would it? At the Zoo. At the Disco. At the Police Station. Now that would be better, bringing back all those memories! History is good but you can’t live off it. You have to keep renewing history.”
The second issue I looked at was have you ever personally refereed back to previous work when finding it hard to come up with ideas? I wanted to tackle this issue to se how important it is to keep research and development work on projects previously done in college.
I got a mixed response to this, I found it is always good to go back if you have lost the point your trying to convey but mostly the response I got was what has happened in the past has happened. Dave Sedgwick said“ looking over old material can restrict creative flow and new ideas” and Ed Williams said. “We find it better to look at other designers solutions as this may take you in a fresh direction and inspire.”
From this question I wanted to know if books were a better source of research then rather than your old work.
I got yes and no response for both books and old work. The main point was to get fresh stimulus not retrospective and look for new connections ones that have not been made before. Books and research are important to always have around you although if you get a brief that is like previous work you have done before the advise was to then revise your ideas generation stage as this will trigger new ideas.
Michael Smith from Cog design said, “ It is all important, as in every other influence you can expose yourself to. Don’t just self reference or look at the industry be a sponge and look for everything (visual, audio, interlectual, comedic, stupid, multisensory, all of it).”
The final issue I touched on was how important blogs and journals are to record previous and current work. The main feedback was to definably keep a record of your work as it shows designers and potential employers what you can do and the paths you go down to reach this. Although how you chose to record this is personal. Sketchbooks were the most common answer although maybe this is due to the age and changes in technology. Simon from someone in London gave an interesting reply,” I think there's been some confusion in the design industry that Artists refer to sketches, so designers should too. Artists sketch in the field so they can take it to the studio and expand upon it.”
I did get some bad response to blogs as it pits your work out there, which can easily be stolen or copied.
I have taken from this that books and new research is always best otherwise referring back to your old work takes you back to that train of though and blocks new idea generation. Other than that it is all personal and depends on your way of working. Different things can influence people and there own way of recording this process and storing it helps different designers in different ways.
