Questions

After identifying the several creatives to interview, these are the questions.

Theseus Chan of WORKWERK

1. Is there a link between your interests in music and skating that translates into the type of work you create? Is this representative of your punk attitude or is there a larger aim of trying to break trends and to push the definition of graphic design today?
2. How open are Singaporean clients open to unconventional design approaches considering the limited exposure the country is to design? (unless of course that this isn’t the case). Does creating design that speaks for itself not require clients to adapt to its style?
3. Are there any other designers you could recommend that I could look into or perhaps designers you admire?
4. With much of your work being influenced by your instinct and feelings. Do clients approach WORK WERK expecting to receive a “Theseus Chan” solution?
5. How do you keep on top of the briefs whilst often being overseas?
6. With the rising exposure for the arts in Singapore, do you think there will be a design look in much the same way as certain looks being categorised as Swiss Design, Italian design or Japanese design? Are there parts of the Singapore culture that translates into the local design habits?
7. What was the best piece of advice you received? 
8. How do you stay above and out of the trends? 
9. What was your design journey up until WORKWERK?
10. How much of your artistic freedom do you imbed in the design whilst still adhering to the requirements of the brief?
11. With WERK magazine being so conceptual in its content and production, who is its target audience?
12. Each issues concept and production changes drastically with each issue, is this a deliberate action on your part? Did you want to create something that had this visually eclectic feel? Or did you think that magazines should change itself at each available opportunity?
13. What was the reception towards the first issue of WERK magazine?
14. What would you recommend to a young designer?
15. What is the necessary condition to practice design?
16. What drew you to creating design through emotion rather than pragmatism?
17. Do you think emotion in design creates more innovative solutions?

These range of questions are far too much however, the questions in black are the shortlisted range that will get asked. These were the more interesting and obscure questions that will hopefully generate interest from Chan and receive an equally interesting answer. 

Hamish Muir and Paul McNeil of MuirMcNeil

1. Are there any aspects of the design processes used pre computer that would be valuable today?
2. Is there a certain quality of the analog design that cannot be replicated using computer?
3. What attracted Wim Crouwel to working with 8vo considering the swiss punk aesthetic of the work?
4. Are there any practices, process or principles shared during the time at 8vo that has been taken into MuirNcNeil? Are these evident in the branding for TypeCon 2016?
5. Does the unconventional designs of your typefaces limit its application? What dictates the extent of the pictorial representation in your type design?
6. What are the challenges in creating a bespoke typeface? 
7. Is there a reason English is the only language to have such a varied range of typefaces to use from?
8. What overarching aims do you adhere to whilst creating unconventional type designs?
9. To what extent does the typeface’s design maintain the recognisability of a letterform? Were there any cases where the overall art direction of a typeface did not translate well to certain letterforms during the design process?
10. What were you trying to achieve with your swiss punk design style of 8vo? Was it an attempt to challenge people’s readability of type? Was it designed to communicate a certain attitude?
11. Why are posters such an important tool for graphic design?
12. After being in the industry for so long, has the way people viewed design changed?
13. What would you recommend to a young designer?
14. Without considering technology, what do you think are the main differences between the design from the past and the current one?
15. What is the necessary condition to practice design?
16. What difference did you find designing in the UK and America?
17. Are there still schools and orientations in design?

For Hamish Muir and Peter McNeil, the questions are about Muir's work during 8vo and the experimental type designs of MuirMcNeil where Peter McNeil is the type designer. The questions are aimed to understand why experimental designers push the boundaries and how they understand the limits of their experimentation.

Julien Boudet fashion photographer 

1. How do you manage to develop your film whilst being constantly on the move?
2. What camera are you currently using?
3. Do you think there's a contrast in taking film photographs against the fast paced fashion world? Are you trying to slow it down and focus on the details?
4. Does fashion get represented better through film?
5. Is there a reason why your photos have a certain look?
6. What was your most memorable fashion show?
7. Who’s your favourite architect?
8. Can there be a relationship between fashion and architecture?
9. What do you look for in outfits and decide its worth an exposure?
10. With you being exposed to much of the fashion world, what trend has surprised you the most?
11. Do you see a future for gender neutral fashion?

Apart from the rest, Julian Boudet is constantly on the move photographing the fast paced fashion world. Sending a personal letter may result in a prolonged response which he may not have time for. For Boudet, an email would be more appropriate. The questions are also less 'heavy' and easier to answer.

Bureau Mirko Borsche 

1. How do you justify to your clients to adopt unconventional design approaches? For example the branding done for Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
2. With your typographic solutions being so unorthodox and varied, are there any overall aims you adhere to when designing them?
3. What inspirations does the studio look at to constantly evolve and vary each typographic solution?
4. Can this new visual language of graphic design you and other studios are championing become ubiquitous? Or is the style more appropriate for selected application? 
5. Do clients approach the studio expecting to receive a uniquely "Bureau Mirko Borsche" solution?
6. Is it an advantage that your studio works across different areas of design? Does this help in keeping the creative ideas fresh?
7. Why do large commercial companies such as Nike approach relatively independent studios like Bureau Borsche? Is there a certain quality smaller studios posses over the larger, more commercial ones?
8. How do you maintain the balance between creativity and profitability?
9. When it comes to studio culture, how do you provide an environment and create the conditions under which creativity will flourish?
10. Are there still schools and orientations in design?

Bureau Mirko Borsche are a studio I found out through my research conducted in CoP on 'ugly design'. They apply a predominantly unconventional typographic approach to their solutions which are often literal interpretations of the brief. These questions are aimed to get a better understanding of their approach and whether this form of design can become more ubiquitous.  

Zak Group

1. What is your process in developing an exhibition design? Should there be a connection between the identity and the nature of the work on show?
2. In Muller-Brockmann’s ‘Grid systems’, Brockmann illustrates how the grid can be transferred into 3D space. Was there a grid system used in designing the Taipei Biennale’s exhibition space given the ordered and structured layout of the artwork? 
3. Despite most of your projects resulting in printed outcomes, in your applicants you require a graphic designer with a large experience in web design, is this indicative of the new requirements by clients today? Is the studio exploring more digital solutions?
4. Is there a reason why your clients are predominantly art galleries and museums? Do you think there is a certain design attitude that lends itself for institutes like these?
5. Having developed identities for a wide range of galleries and museums, are there any similar qualities they want to communicate?
6. What was the relationship between the studio and Radim Peško during the rebranding for Paco Rabanne? Do you collaborate often with typographers?
7. Was there a difference in working with a fashion brand as opposed to your usual clientele?
8. Can the principles and techniques used in graphic design be applied to fashion in the same way Paco Rabanne was an architect-trained fashion designer?
9. What are your views on ‘trendy’ graphic design? 
10. What is the necessary condition to practice design?

The choice to interview Zak Group Office came from my interest in their re-branding of fashion label Paco Rabanne. Their solution demonstrated a subtlety in design that comes together to create a more comprehensive brand guideline that updates the look of the label. 

Italian design

Inspired to read more on Italian design after going through several interviews on http://www.designculture.it 

The excellent use of Bodoni on the website reflects the classic, timeless and elegant qualities of Italian design.The books narrative is similar to that of Kenya Hara's White, illustrating the link between Italian culture and Italian design.
It begs the question if design can be represented without any geographic association. The ideal view is that design should not be representative of a certain country as it should be entirely objective.
However humans are naturally subjective and therefore the culture and nurture we experience will subconsciously influence our ideologies and therefore approach to design.

I've also noticed whilst reading more on design is that it is often categorised to being either pre war or post war. The aftermath of the wars heavily impacted the way we lived and subsequently changed our perceptions on design, solving the problems created from the wars damage on society. 

Gio Ponti Superleggera Chair

For example in the 1950s, design saw a heavy interest in mass production because of the need to quickly rebuild what was destroyed. Thus the design that followed this resulted in lightweight, mobile, versatile furniture and objects that could fit in the small apartments built overnight

Josef Müller Blockmann's Grid Systems in Graphic Design

Prior to reading, the grid was a tool to help shape and organise editorial content on a page. Muller-Brockmanns explanation of grid systems in graphic design demonstrate how important grids are in graphic design and how creative the designer can use one. The grid can be used extensively throughout a design project both in 2D and 3D, offering various and engaging layout to present information for the viewer.

What is encouraging is that Brockmann creates these layouts using very simple grid formats such as 2x4 and 4x8. The difficulty is using the most appropriate grid layout for the content and page size. An effective grid system is aesthetically pleasing because it forms a good relationship between the type and image. The balance of both elements help guide the reader along the page and presents the content in the most efficient way possible for clear communication.

His various illustrations of the grid has also inspired personal sketches of composition ideas for briefs. Doing every design process on the computer can be restricting. Pen and paper is quicker and easier to translate thoughts into reality.

Brockmanns thorough understanding of the grid system means that there is a lot more to consider than just the number of rows and columns. The grid must be proportional to the page and content, and must be placed in such a way that allows for a easy and engaging reading experience. This is shown through his margin ratio's that a grid should have e.g. 1:1.5:2:3. Brockmann states that margins of the same width will never result in an interesting page design as they always create a impression of indecision and dullness. Not only that but the lines of text that have proportional leading to the grid ensures high readability and legibility which results in an aesthetically pleasing reading experience.

Brockmann also explains how photography is rarely considered to the grid its placed on. "The photographer rarely knows that his photograph is going to be incorporated into a design, or if he does, how it will be done." Therefore only when the designer and photographer work together in close collaboration will be possible for him to conceive his photograph in terms of the grid the designer developed. When this is achieved, harmony between type and image is created and ensure a complete use of the grid.

The most surprising application of the grid is through 3D space e.g. planning an exhibition space. "Systematic organisation of the plan and elevations enable the best possible use to be made of the exhibition area for the presentation of the products or the theme." The use of a grid in 3D space ensure that the design focuses the attention of the viewer more sharply on the themes presented. The viewer is not wearied unnecessarily by formal accessories of a purely decorative nature. The communication of the visual message then is paramount.

Through Brockmanns explanations of the grid, it highlights how much the designer is required to understand in order to create effective pieces of design. The modern day three-dimensional designer today becomes a designer, architect, typographer, graphic designer, photographer, film expert, colour psychologist and general adviser. By representing these qualities, the designer can design every element of the brief's solution. Some of these aspects are already being done on the course.

As a whole, Josef Müller Blockmann's Grid Systems in Graphic Design dismantles the common misconception that the grid is a restrictive tool for creativity. I aim to take inspiration from Brockmann to help better design my solutions.

8vo, On the outside

Having gained interest in the work by 8vo, I sought to read up more on the studio's design attitude.

8vo On the Outside provides an insight into the design processes behind 8vo's seminal work. Rarely does a book on design showcase the workings leading up to the final pieces. Through this way , readers gain a better understanding of why 8vo did what they did an offers a new perspective on graphic design thinking. Showcasing the production process however, is entirely appropriate to 8vo. The driving force behind their design is all about the process and their work is reflective of that. In a short passage by Friedrich Friedl, he succinctly illustrates the recognisable traits of 8vo's work, "The sophisticated grid of the basic layout, the sans serif typeface diversified through the combined use of different point sizes, abstract graphic visualisations, subtle and never superficial nuances of colour." 

What was interesting was how 8vo described their form of design. 'Visual engineering' was the phrase that more accurately described their approach and attitudes towards design. They felt during the 1980s that English designers were becoming more about the image rather than the work. Everything had gained the 'designer' tag. 8vo felt that design had been hijacked to create souvenirs for 'design tourists'. To disassociate themselves 8vo described their work not as graphic design but as visual engineering. The term echoed their work approach, the processes in development stages, their design attitude, integrity and seriousness of the work. 

Engineering as construction and of process (for example, working with an understanding of print, of treating the proofing process the way an engineer might use prototyping). 

They did not want to do anything related to trendy or fashionable design. 

8vo also commented how the budget of a project can determine the level of design they put in. When approached to design the catalogue and related print graphics for 'Design in The Public Service, the Dutch PTT 1920-1990' the limited budget restricted the studio. The lower costs meant the studio could not reach Octavo level of production. The restricted budget also meant they had to choose a printer who could maximise their costs, and for this case it was Dutch press Drukkerij Rosebeek. The point is that they had contacts of printers. Having them helped in maximising the briefs production. This is beneficial is better understanding the financial side of design and what can help studios in the industry. As a result, the limited budget became the driving force behind its design. The briefs aim was about getting the most out of the print budget. 

This project also made 8vo realise that it is better to work with a tight restriction. If only certain choices are available within the system, one can focus on making he right decisions within a narrowed mindset rather than exploring endless variations of layout and composition in the hope that something will eventually 'work'. 

Looking through numerous examples of their work in the book has also given me better understanding of their design attitude. The unconventional layout, block colour and boxed type is reflective of their production process. The act of layering paper on top of each layer as designers used to do, in mock ups before the computer age. Therefore the process has entirely influenced their 'style' of design, which explains why they call their designs an 'approach' rather than a style. Their approach was about an attitude to visual and informational structures and to modulating communication in forms appropriate to a particular set of requirements, based on the brief and it's context. Always on a thorough analysis of the information to be communicated and the intended audience, working from the inside out, building designs that work, instead of plucking them out of thin air. "We wanted the viewer to look at a piece of our work and see how it had been put together: to be to reverse engineer it and get back to the constituent parts; understand the structure of the communication and to see the thinking behind it." 

Presentation practice

Listening to and giving a short practice presentation leading up to the actual one helped give an idea on what to improve for the actual PPP presentation. Personally, the goal for the final presentation is to communicate my ideas fluently and comfortably as well as to engage the audience.

What was good about my presentation was mainly the fast flick through of each image. A very visual presentation usually results in an enjoyable presentation to sit through. The images help shift the focus on the presentation rather than onto me. Not spending too much time on each image as well creates pace which prevents the audience from getting bored. One aspect that was unique to my presentation was having the title of the movie only appear on the last slide. By doing so, the audience are more likely to pay attention throughout the presentation to find out what is it I am presenting about. What was the most helpful aspect of the presentation however was that the movie was one I was comfortable in talking about. Knowing the presentation's subject thoroughly or personally prevents less hesitation in communicating and makes the presentation easier to do.
A problem that still persisted is the time keeping and knowing how much depth to go into. The duration of the presentation should dictate the amount of subject detail. Too much and the presentation can feel stagnant after a while and too little can make it feel undeveloped.

Listening to other presentations, these are the qualities I picked up on.

• Body language impacts the tone of voice of the presentation. The audience will naturally associate the body language of the presenter to how they view the presentation. An uninterested  body language results in the audience becoming uninterested with the presentation. 
• Having notes helps keep you on track with the points and prevents blanking out. The notes should not be a script. 
• Speaking about a topic the audience can relate to is a good approach as the audience will naturally be interested in the presentation. This will also help keep their engagement.
• How the images are shown also have an impact on the presentation. They should be presented in such a way that makes the images look more entertaining than the speaker, rather than simply full bleed on the screen. 

Overall the presentation was a good practice that helps me understand what it takes to deliver an engaging presentation.