From: gav@jam-factory.com
Subject: Re: Hey
Date: 2 June 2010 08:12:54 BST
To: hello@robcopestudio.com
Hey there Rob,
Sorry about the delay in replying my friend, I've been a bit behind on the ol' emails!
Thank you very very much for the super kind words, that's very nice of you to say :)
I can indeed answer your questions mate, i'd be honoured!
in a few words could you give an outline of who you are and what you do?
My name is Gavin Strange and I'm a 27-year-old man-child originally from Leicester and now living in beautiful Bristol here in the South West. By day i work as Senior Designer for the Digital department of the illustrious Aardman Animations and by night I go under the alias of JamFactory, working on plethora of projects!
How did you start out as a designer / illustrator, what difficulty's did you have starting out and what would you suggest to an developing designer trying to get a foot into the industry?
I studied Graphic Design at a college in Leicester before earning a junior position at a local agency (I didnt fancy going to uni) - I got taught the ways of the web there, becoming a web designer and learning an awful lot! After 4 years I left to persue a career in freelance web / graphic design, moving to Bristol in the process! 3 years of freelance went very quickly until one day a magical email entitled "hello from Aardman" dropped in my inbox, and the rest is history!
Id say the difficulties are getting your work out there, but now with the internet, aslong as you've got a solid & confident grasp over your online representation, everyone has as much muscle as everyone else, which I love. It's much fairer now, so i would really advise making the most of the 'net and getting your work out there! Use things like Flickr, twitter, facebook etc to your advantage!
You've got a sick range of work high profile work, but what advice would you give some one to help them brake into the design market and get there work out there?
I guess using the above advice really, getting stuck into social media and using those tools to get your work seen! I made sure I always had an updated website and flickr, and was always sure to get my web address out there wherever I could, even the simplest things like a nice email signature, it'll get people clicking that link!
Making friends too, thats always a good one - I always make sure to email and compliment people whenever I see great work, that's a great way of complimenting your peers and also making friends, you never know where things may lead!
Basically, don't be shy, show your beautiful work to the world!
Your design and artwork are used across a range of different formats, but which format do you most enjoy working with and why? do you think it is a good idea for up and coming illustrators to widen the range and versatility and work in these different formats?
Oh man yeah totally, diversity within formats and medium, i think, is crucial. Just knowledge of other methods & techniques can only strengthen you and make you a better creative. Even if you stick to just one style or medium, dont be scared to have a play with the unknown!
having a style and producing the quantity of work you have, how do you keep new designs fresh and different to your other projects?
Ermmm, hard work haha! it comes and goes really - like at the moment, I am feeling absolutely burnt out! At work I'm working on a tight-deadline project which required 4 completely different styles of website designing, which has meant I'm burnt out on projects in my own time.
I guess it comes with wanting to change up styles and experiment with things I don't know how to do. With every project I want to try something new and go in a different direction if I can, but sometimes i'm happy with designing in a familiar style, like smooth crisp vectors for example. It really depends on the project!
Is there a specific context you prefer designing within e.g skate products, fashion, homewear etc?
Nah not really, i try to keep it as open as possible really, Being open minded about inspirations and influences can only help to stumble across something new i think! I like to take on each project with fresh eyes, to create something right for the brief!
What percentage of your work is made up of your self directed design work, against the client lead briefs?
Well my Aardman job is 9.30 - 6pm and I come home, eat, do house things then do my own thing from about 8pm - 11pm so just a small percentage really, which is a shame as it's hard to fit everything I want to do in my own personal time but it's a battle I have to face!
is there specific things that clients like about your work and just ask you to do something similar to piece in your portfolio?
There isn't really, well there used to be, but now my 'official' work is at Aardman, which is based on the strength of the studio as a whole, rather than my own personal work, that sort of stuff doesn't come up anymore and the stuff in my own time, is really self-initiated projects as I dont like to do freelance work for other clients in my own time (really can't dedicate enough of myself!)
if you could apply your designs to anything what would it be? and what design would you make for it?
It'd have to be a shoe! A Vans shoe i think, i do like my sneakers and a shoe would be the ultimate! I'd keep it a lowkey affair, black with a little hint of colour with some nice embossed graphic or textured identity somewhere i think! Could go to town on the innersole though!
Fingers crossed one day I could do that!
any final words?
Save often, cry less.
thanks alot for your time.
I hope these answers are all ok dude, sorry they've taken so flippin' long!!
~ Gav
Gavin Strange
JamFactory
E-mail interview with tado
hi rob!
hope this email finds you well and calm! hows the build up to the show going? we hope its all running smoothly!
no probs at all about the questions - we'll try and be interesting with our answers :D:D
we're looking forward to seeing all the work in the final show - good luck with everything!!
m and k
in a few words could you give an outline of who you are and what you do?
We are Mike and Katie and we set up our illustration company TADO in 2003. We mostly do illustration work but work across a very wide range of projects with an equally wide range of clients!
How did you start out as a designer / illustrator, what difficulty's did you have starting out and what would you suggest to an developing designer trying to get a foot into the industry?
We decided to set up straight from uni without any experience at all. this was probably very foolish but it meant we had to learn quickly and learn the hard way. we spent a lot of time doing research and promotion work as well as lots of free jobs for friends, magazines and design sites. at this point it was a lot of hard work - both of us were working part time jobs and keeping motivated was quite hard sometimes.
we would say the biggest piece of advice we could give anyone is to research, research and research again about where to target your work and who you should be showing it to.
You've got a sick range of work high profile work, but what advice would you give some one to help them brake into the design market and get there work out there?
as above really - decide where you think you want or can see your work working and target the people who need to see it - whether it be magazine editors, creative directors or directors. make sure you always send a personal email and be prepared for lots of being ignored! however it only takes one of them to see your stuff and like it to get the ball rolling! keep on pushing your stuff and promoting yourself. it'll take a while but hard work always pays off eventually.
Your design and artwork are used across a range of different formats, but which format do you most enjoy working with and why? do you think it is a good idea for up and coming illustrators to widen the range and versatility and work in these different formats?
we dont really have a particular favourite format - we enjoy all of our projects for different reasons! we think its a great thing to do as many things as possible - we'd certainly get bored very quickly if we kept doping the same stuff all the time. these days its an important skill to be able to apply your look over pretty much anything, whether its a tv ad, a product or a website.
having a style and producing the quantity of work you have, how do you keep new designs fresh and different to your other projects?
we have no idea really! we just keep drawing what we want to! its good for us to have each other as we can always compare stuff and get feedback from each other - being able to do that is very important, whether its from a friend or colleague.
Is there a specific context you prefer designing within e.g skate products, fashion, wall murals etc?
nope!
What percentage of your work is made up of your self directed design work, against the client lead briefs?
these days we'd say maybe 15% is self-directed. we always try to do 1 art show per year which is when we get to go mental and do our own thing!
is there specific things that clients like about your work and just ask you to do something similar to piece in your portfolio?
yeah, you always get clients that will want you to do exactly the same thing but slightly different! sometimes its quite hard not to get pigeon-holed into doing the same things.
if you could apply your designs to anything what would it be? and what design would you make for it?
(in words or drawing accepted!)
we'd love to design a huge blimp airship!! in the shape of a panda! :D:D
hope this email finds you well and calm! hows the build up to the show going? we hope its all running smoothly!
no probs at all about the questions - we'll try and be interesting with our answers :D:D
we're looking forward to seeing all the work in the final show - good luck with everything!!
m and k
in a few words could you give an outline of who you are and what you do?
We are Mike and Katie and we set up our illustration company TADO in 2003. We mostly do illustration work but work across a very wide range of projects with an equally wide range of clients!
How did you start out as a designer / illustrator, what difficulty's did you have starting out and what would you suggest to an developing designer trying to get a foot into the industry?
We decided to set up straight from uni without any experience at all. this was probably very foolish but it meant we had to learn quickly and learn the hard way. we spent a lot of time doing research and promotion work as well as lots of free jobs for friends, magazines and design sites. at this point it was a lot of hard work - both of us were working part time jobs and keeping motivated was quite hard sometimes.
we would say the biggest piece of advice we could give anyone is to research, research and research again about where to target your work and who you should be showing it to.
You've got a sick range of work high profile work, but what advice would you give some one to help them brake into the design market and get there work out there?
as above really - decide where you think you want or can see your work working and target the people who need to see it - whether it be magazine editors, creative directors or directors. make sure you always send a personal email and be prepared for lots of being ignored! however it only takes one of them to see your stuff and like it to get the ball rolling! keep on pushing your stuff and promoting yourself. it'll take a while but hard work always pays off eventually.
Your design and artwork are used across a range of different formats, but which format do you most enjoy working with and why? do you think it is a good idea for up and coming illustrators to widen the range and versatility and work in these different formats?
we dont really have a particular favourite format - we enjoy all of our projects for different reasons! we think its a great thing to do as many things as possible - we'd certainly get bored very quickly if we kept doping the same stuff all the time. these days its an important skill to be able to apply your look over pretty much anything, whether its a tv ad, a product or a website.
having a style and producing the quantity of work you have, how do you keep new designs fresh and different to your other projects?
we have no idea really! we just keep drawing what we want to! its good for us to have each other as we can always compare stuff and get feedback from each other - being able to do that is very important, whether its from a friend or colleague.
Is there a specific context you prefer designing within e.g skate products, fashion, wall murals etc?
nope!
What percentage of your work is made up of your self directed design work, against the client lead briefs?
these days we'd say maybe 15% is self-directed. we always try to do 1 art show per year which is when we get to go mental and do our own thing!
is there specific things that clients like about your work and just ask you to do something similar to piece in your portfolio?
yeah, you always get clients that will want you to do exactly the same thing but slightly different! sometimes its quite hard not to get pigeon-holed into doing the same things.
if you could apply your designs to anything what would it be? and what design would you make for it?
(in words or drawing accepted!)
we'd love to design a huge blimp airship!! in the shape of a panda! :D:D
another product
the application of illustration keeps on going and i keep finding more and more stuff that designers have applied their illustrations to. i think there is a huge potential with all these designs and their could be a potential link between the shapes of these products and the illustrated colouring books i have been looking at.
burgerman - colouring book.
another potential design could be a colouring book containing the interviews with pages that have sections for the user to colour in.
Burgerman
These are some cool wallpapers designed by burgerman, the prints are just in black and white leaving the customising to the person who buys the paper, this could be a potential application for my research, line drawings that the user colours in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
