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Booklet 2 Designer Stories

2 Booklet 2 How Designers Work

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PublisherIdeas on Design

AuthorEmma Rickards

Commissioning EditorKristin McCourtie

Production ManagerLeah Rachcoff

Production EditorSarah White

DesignCato Design Partners

Design AssistantsSarah AllenCassandra Downs

Copyright Information

©

IntroductionEmma Rickards

Communication DesignGemma O’Brien, Typography and IllustrationEamon Donnelly, IllustrationNeville Page, Character Design Chris Khalil, Digital and UXKen Carbone, Identity and Branding

Environmental DesignJeffery Copolov, Architecture & Interior DesignAmanda Henderson, Visual MerchandisingKongjian Yu, Urban & Landscape DesignStudio Roosegaarde (Lidi Brouwer), Interactive DesignAlison Page, Built Environment

Industrial DesignRichard Nylon, MillineryNicoloas Hogios, Automotive DesignCindy-Lee Davies, Lighting & HomewaresAgnete Enga, Industrial DesignLeah Heiss, Industrial & Product Design

Please note additional speaker stories (those greyed out) will be supplied over the coming weeks.

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Contents


Booklet 2 of How Designers Work presents an extraordinary selection of designer stories that explore the practices and processes of designers in industry. Through inspiring stories and extensive interviews, we’re introduced to designers from Australia, America, China and Europe, working in the fields of communication, environmental and industrial design.

The designers profiled in How Designers Work were interviewed via Skype, telephone or in person. They told stories of their process, their studio practices, and their relationships with clients, specialists, stakeholders, user groups and agents. We asked questions about materials, media and methods, copyright, ethical work practices, pitching and evaluating ideas. It’s the stuff that is often elusive, the behind-the-scenes caper that’s rarely discussed or understood by those outside the industry.

These designer stories have been made for design educators and their students as both a source of information and inspiration. Suggested tasks and questions for the classroom accompany each story, together with visual examples of each designer’s work. Booklet 1 of How Designers Work is presented as an accompaniment to Booklet 2, and provides material to support teachers in using the designer stories to address specific design curriculum content.

Emma RickardsAuthor of How Designers Work

Unless otherwise aknowledged, quotes from designers included in this resource have been taken from conversations and interviews conducted by Emma Rickards and Sarah White on behalf of the Design Foundation, or from the designer’s agIdeas International Design Forum presentation.

Introduction

Born in Britain, Neville moved with his family to the USA, graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1989. As a concept designer, illustrator and creature designer, Neville Page has contributed his skills to some of Hollywood’s top films, including ‘Star Trek’, ‘Avatar’ and ‘Prometheus’. He’s also a creative consultant to the toy and automotive industries, having designed for Mattel, BMW and Toyota.

Ken Carbone

Chris Khalil

Neville Page

Eamon Donnelly

Gemma O’Brien

Communication Design


The co-founder and Chief Creative Director of the Carbone Smolan Agency, Ken Carbone is among America’s most respected graphic designers. A board member of AIGA New York, Ken frequently speaks to audiences about the value of strategic design and communications. He is professor at the School of Visual Arts, New York, and a featured blogger for Fast Company, Co.Design and Huffington Post.

Having recently left his position as Director of User Experience and Design at News Limited, Chris Khalil now works in Melbourne as Head of Digital Customer Experience at ANZ Bank. Chris, who has been in the user experience (UX) design field for 16 years and holds a PhD in the subject, loves operating at the confluence of technology and humanity.

Melbourne-based illustrator Eamon Donnelly is an internationally acclaimed and award winning illustrator, designer, artist, photographer and Australian cultural archivist and historian. He is also the founder and director of ‘The Island Continent’ - an online archive for the Australian Image. Recently, he’s worked in film as props and set designer, and on personal projects exploring his love of Australian popular culture.

Unquestionably fanatical about her craft, Sydney-based typographer Gemma O’Brien works primarily with hand-drawn lettering, custom typography, illustration and motion graphics.Gemma caught the eye of the design world when, under the alias Mrs Eaves, she launched her blog ‘For the Love of Type’, which continues to showcase her interests and skills.

Communication Design: Typography/Illustration

Presented at agIdeas:

2013

Australia


Gemma O’Brien

Gemma O’Brien’s love of typography is infectious. When she speaks about letters, the passion bubbles over and words tumble out at break neck speed. She’s fascinated by type’s potential to evoke mood and emotion, and is always on the lookout for inspiring examples. “It’s pretty weird when you think about it,” she says, “that the tiniest little change in the shape can give a completely different meaning.”

Gemma’s obsession with type evolved during her time as a design student at Sydney’s College of Fine Art. Her tiny flat was devoured by experimental lettering projects crafted from dust, flower stems, food, or anything within reach. She took photographs of typographic examples in the street, and used her sketchbook to hone the art of hand lettering. In an effort to organise, record and share her passion, Gemma started a blog called ‘For The Love of Type’ under the pseudonym Mrs Eaves, and a loyal group of followers soon gathered.

The ball really started to roll when Gemma posted a video on YouTube of her 2nd year typography project called ‘Write Here, Write Now’ for which she covered her body in hand drawn type. The video went viral and caught the attention of Fontshop’s Marketing Officer Jurgen Siebert in Berlin, who wrote a disparaging article about the project and the mysterious Mrs Eaves.

A few months later Jurgen changed his tune, and instead invited Gemma to speak about Australian typography at TYPO Berlin 2009.

The gravity of such a request was not lost on Gemma: “If there’s such a thing as a big break in the typography world, this is it for me.”

At the tender age of twenty one and with the design world watching, Gemma’s career burst into bloom, and she hasn’t looked back since.

These days, as a freelance typographer, hand letterer and illustrator, Gemma works regularly with Art Directors from advertising agencies who will commission her to develop imagery or type for a campaign.

Woolworths, Canon, The New York Times, Monster Children and Peppermint magazine have embraced the handcrafted qualities of Gemma’s style, her aesthetic becoming increasingly popular amongst commercial clients who are looking to communicate feelings of warmth and authenticity.

As Gemma explains, her work and process are a celebration of the hand made, and of the maker rather than machine.

“One thing that ties my aesthetic together is the sense that everything’s created by hand, even if the final output is something digital or vectorised. I always start drawing with my pencil or brushes at the beginning, and I think that translates through to the final result as well.

So it tends to be quite organic and free. You can see the pressure or the speed at which it was created if it was created initially by hand.”

Gemma’s studio is in the attic of her home in Sydney’s Redfern, and it’s here that she lives and breathes the design process, and eats and sleeps with it too. The space is messily productive, and she loves the merge of design and daily life without the constraints of a 9 to 5 office job.

‘Write Here,

Write Now’

Lettering, 2008


‘You Make Me Sick’

Airplane Sick Bag, Hand

Lettering 2013

If inspiration strikes (or a deadline is near), she’ll work until the early hours of the morning. “I sleep in the corner of the attic, and crawl into bed! I like it. You’re immersed in it! It doesn’t feel like work.”

A light box sits on her desk, and the walls are covered with sheets of paper displaying countless hand drawn versions of the same idea, a phrase for example, tried and tested in varying arrangements, or embellished with a swirl of flourishes. The concept is usually fleshed out and refined before Gemma uses Illustrator to embark on the tedious process of vectorising the design. But even the digital artwork is left with reminders of the handmade, in terms of texture, shape or form. At times, Gemma will work on personal projects, exhibit in galleries, or deliver workshops and presentations about type, while seeking out new places, cultures and experiences to re-energise her ‘inspiration bank’.

Taking time out to explore ideas beyond commercial briefs is an important way for Gemma to keep motivated.

“The nature of the advertising industry is very full on, you are working with big budgets and everyone wants everything all at once so there are definitely moments when you feel that pressure. But in the downtimes, to have your own personal projects definitely helps.

It breaks it up and you can put these ideas that you’ve had in the back of your head into practice, and bring it to life in your own way rather than always working for someone else.”

The ‘Spew Bag Challenge’ is one such personal project that has gathered momentum, with Gemma using boring airplane travel time to adorn spew bags in typographic splendour using vomit-related puns.

The challenge has led to an exhibition of her spew bags called ‘You Make Me Sick’, and has inspired Qantas to launch the #qantasblankcanvas campaign which encourages travellers to get arty on napkins, spew bags and luggage tags.

Ideas for Gemma’s projects might stem from simple things such as the lyrics of a song, and are recorded in sketchbooks or on the closest scrap of paper.

“So much comes from the places where you are, and the people that you are around, especially when it is about language.”

Works in progress are shared on Instagram, a platform Gemma relishes as an opportunity to share her work and increase her profile:

“At the time when I started my blog, blogging was the thing to do and that was the starting point for me. But it has kind of dropped off now and has translated to Instagram.

Instagram is great because not only can you show work, but you can show behind the scenes of the creative process, and I think that’s important to new designers and to clients. It shows that you are committed to the process and the craft, and not only the end result. I think that social media has always been a very key part of getting my work out there and getting known and it is also a very low-fi way of doing it as well.”


“At the end of the day, you don’t necessarily need a flash website because your work speaks for itself and to have the platforms that exist that you can share it on, can really get you out there and attract some good clients.”

For a freelancer like Gemma, making connections is an essential part of keeping the workflow steady. Sometimes new briefs eventuate from her previous work in design studios, with former clients remembering her skills and seeking her out for new projects.

She’s also approached through both social and professional networks, while briefs from larger brands will often arrive through her agent The Jacky Winter Group, based in Melbourne. Founded in 2007 by Jeremy Wortsman, the agency supports illustrators in the management of commercial projects through facilitating partnerships, preparing contracts and overseeing the design process.

“They essentially cover all the production side” says Gemma, “from the scheduling to the budgets and the levels of feedback that are allowed from the client. They’re the business side and this allows me to do all the creative components. It takes a lot of the pressure off because the administration side can take up a lot of time.”

With the use of an online project management system called ‘Basecamp’, The Jacky Winter team help to manage communication between artist and client, and keep track of each stage of the design process. As Gemma explains “A project is set-up for a particular client and then all of the communication will go through Basecamp. So rather than getting a million emails, you’ll just have this one project.”

“The client will see the work as soon as you upload it, but it will be seen by the agency as well so everyone is in the loop. Once the creative process starts, it’s easier to talk directly to the client but if problems arise, it’s good to have the agency there as a buffer to talk things through and work it out.”

And the process in a nutshell? Gemma explains: “I’ll get the brief and from this I decide whether I want to do the job or not, and if I have time to fit it in my schedule. From there, the client provides visual references from my portfolio or existing work that they want it to look like. Then I’ll start by creating some initial sketches in pencil and once that is approved, it will move on to the final art stage. So there are lots of steps before the final artwork even begins.”

Working as a freelancer can present its challenges, with the inconsistent workflow, unsteady income and need for plenty of self-discipline just to name a few. But Gemma still finds that there’s plenty of responsibility to keep her motivated:

“Having an agency is pretty helpful because it’s not just me that I have to answer to. There’s also the client and that does help with the discipline component.

I think also having deadlines and knowing that clients are investing a lot of money into a project, you know that the work needs to be good and needs to be done on time. But it can get difficult and also unpredictable depending on what is happening in the market. There may be more or less work coming in and out. So there are ups and downs but it is still an enjoyable creative process.”

‘One Trick Pony’

Painting, Who Shot the

Serif, He Made She

Made 2012

‘Sydney Bicycle

Film Festival’

Poster (detail) 2011

‘Fitzroy’

Hand-painted Brush

Lettering, Kirin Cider

2013


While time management and self-motivation are essential for the freelancer, Gemma’s work as a typographer and hand letterer requires skillful technique and extensive knowledge about type anatomy and its history.

Her student years were spent researching typefaces and their origins, and developing an appreciation for how letters were formed. Time was spent in a letterpress studio, where the hands-on experience of setting metal type kick-started her current obsession.

“It was physical, it was real, it wasn’t inside the computer and it wasn’t about which font I choose, what size is it, what leading is it... it was real and it was a physical thing. I became so obsessed I had a ‘come as your favourite font party’ for my 21st!”

Gemma hasn’t always worked solo, with a few ‘real jobs in real companies’ along the way. Amongst these, she’s worked as an intern at Animal Logic, a large animation, visual effects and design studio where she art directed a new title sequence for Play School. Her role included the development of concepts and storyboards, and the management of specialists needed to bring the vision to life.

As Gemma explains, the work of an art director is different in many ways to that of a freelance typographer:

“Rather than doing hands on design from beginning to the end, you’re coming up with the vision and what it might look like. You look at references and come up with the concepts for a design and then you can utilise the skills of other people and direct them. You’ll instruct them to bring a vision to life.

So it is kind of like overseeing the creative, rather than making things yourself, although that can be part of it. In my current practice, I’ll be working with an art director from an agency and I’ll be working more as the crafts person, bringing their idea to life.”

Having settled in to freelance life, these days Gemma loves a combination of quick briefs with fast turnarounds, and more conceptual, in-depth projects. From a calligraphic brush treatment to the design of an entire alphabet, Gemma thrives on variety and opportunities to refine her craft.

She also dips her toe in the contemporary art world, with her first solo exhibition in 2013 featuring large-scale black lettering on the gallery’s pristine white walls.

Clearly Gemma is someone who makes things happen, whether Jurgen Siebertlikes them or not.

“You just have to work hard, really really hard and then good things will happen. There’s no secret, really.”

Think, Talk, Write and Make:About Gemma

13

Must be logged in to view this content.

Booklet 2 How Designers Work

online.agideas.net/webcast/gemma-obrien

Visit The Jacky Winter Group’s website, and have a look around. How does Gemma’s work compare to other Jacky Winter artists?

Pop over to the ‘About’ section, and read how relationships are managed between client, artist and agent.

jackywinter.com

Conduct a Pinterest search of Gemma’s work, or make a board of your personal favourites. Can you see and describe the distinctive qualities of Gemma’s typographic style? Refer to the design elements and principles in your response.

pinterest.com

View Gemma’s works from The Spewbag Challenge, and write about her use of the elements and principles.

spewbagchallenge.tumblr.com

Create an annotated collage of your favourite typographic works by Gemma.

Start a glossary of Gemma-related terms

What’s the difference between...a freelance illustrator and an art director?a hand letterer and typographer?commercial and personal projects?

Why do illustrators like Gemma have an agent? What do they do?

Why is Gemma’s hand lettering in highdemand with commercial clients?

Why and how does Gemma use social media as part of her professional practice?

How does Gemma develop design directions, and present these to commercial clients?

Key words in Gemma’s profile;what do they mean?

• Freelance• Agent• Commission• Commercial• Campaign• Vectorise• Flourish

See and hear more about Gemma’s work:

Kirin Cider – Gemma O’Brien. Gemma talks about her influences and craft.vimeo.com/79859440

TYPO Berlin 2015Skype Interview with Gemma O’Brienyoutube.com/watch?v=mUbB8w50PhY

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/gemma-obrien

http://jackywinter.com

http://pinterest.com

http://spewbagchallenge.tumblr.com

http://vimeo.com/79859440

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mUbB8w50PhY


As a child, Eamon Donnelly sought every opportunity to draw. His first stylistic influences were found in Mad Magazine, with issues collected from local op shops and garage sales.

“I studied the line work, the caricatures, the humour, the descriptive hand gestures, the way they rendered hair, the expressions through the eyes, Jack Davis, Mort Drucker, Dave Berg”.

Eamon’s teenage years were spent digesting manga and anime, before embarking on studies in Graphic Design at Melbourne’s RMIT. Here, he would illustrate projects whenever the chance arose, his passions expressed through drawing rather than type or page layout design.

Jobs in fashion followed graduation, where again, Eamon’s illustrative talents were put to good use designing T-shirts and campaigns for street wear labels.

“Then, in 2004” recalls Eamon, “I decided to take the plunge, and dive head first into the unknown pool of a freelance illustrator.”

Setting up a website was Eamon’s first step, an essential tool used to attract potential clients and promote his developing style. Time was spent establishing a personal ‘brand’, defined by Eamon’s intricate linework and saturated with his passion for Australian iconography particularly from the 1980’s.

Under the name of ‘Eamo’, personal folio pieces were made of nostalgic scenes and subjects - Aussie larrikins, beach culture, milk bars and Big M’s – with plenty of pop-culture references and a colour palette recalling his childhood years in Geelong.

A signature style evolved, merging a distinctly American technique with, as Eamon describes, “something that is uniquely Australian that I can call my own.”

In the hope of securing editorial work, Eamon spent countless hours devoted to self-promotion, sending postcards and a link to his website to magazine art directors and online creative portals such as Australian Infront and Design is Kinky. He also worked on projects for free, “with the notion that, although I could barely make rent, in the long run, the more people exposed to the work the better.”

In 2007, Eamo became the first artist signed to the newly formed Jacky Winter Group, a Melbourne-based illustration agency founded by Jeremy Wortsman where relationships between artists and clients are facilitated and managed for a fee (commission for editorial is around 25% of the artwork’s price).

During this time, Eamon’s first editorial commission was for Triple J’s magazine ‘jmag’, while the following year brought his first US commission, from ESPN magazine in New York. A year later, Eamon’s work was seen in Playboy magazine by New York agency Gerald & Cullen Rapp, who took on exclusive representation of Eamo in the American market.

With the assistance of either agent, Eamon would negotiate magazine commissions and manage the design process through email correspondence with clients. Alternatively, jobs through Jacky Winter were coordinated through Basecamp, an online management system used to control communication between the client, agent and artist.

Communication Design: Illustration Eamon Donnelly

Australia


2010

‘Lady Gaga’

Illustration, Billboard

Magazine US 2011


‘The Milk Bar

Book Project’

Photography, Publication

2014

Deadlines for editorial are tight, with little room for research or refinement:

“An Art Director from a mag will email a quick availability contact to either me or the respected agent”, explains Eamon.

“They send a quick outline of the story, the dimensions of the piece, deadline and page rate. Page rates are usually set in stone from the outset no matter the complexity or detail of an illustration. Page rates only vary on the size. Once I give the go-ahead to take on an assignment, the AD will shoot through a second email with the full text for the story and page layout.

Then the agent sends through the job sheet to both the client and myself, which outlines the brief, the price, the size, the issue and dates. An idea is brainstormed, I send that through to get approval, sketches are usually done two days from contact, then final art is due two days after that. So ideally it’s a five-day turnaround depending on workload and whether their pages are closing. With such tight deadlines for editorial, I try to keep my sketches as tight as possible. I’ve been lucky in that 99% of the time my initial sketch is approved to go to final art. With larger full pages, covers or spreads, there’s a quicker sketch initially to get the idea going, and deadlines usually allow more time for bigger pieces.

The final is approved, emailed through overnight, the agent sends off the invoice and it’s either 60 to 90, even as long as 120 days until a cheque or wire comes through.”

Such tight deadlines are incredibly taxing for an illustrator like Eamon, whose intricately detailed works take many, many hours to complete.

As Eamon explains, his hand drawn and digital processes are meticulous and intense:

“My tools are a 6H pencil, reflex printer paper, cheap black ink, beer bottle top for an inkwell, brush pen, vintage scanner, Mac, Photoshop, email and coffee, and Minties on the late nights. I ink over the sketches, scan into Photoshop, block colour the skin tones, then meticulously mask the linework and fill it in a complementary colour to suit – so purple line is always used with skin tone, brown lines for brown hair and so on. Pinks, yellow, sky blues, peach, magenta, pop pastel colours.

Then I add highlights – pink rosy cheeks and nose, and any extra distinct textures. Then, all the background elements are coloured as separate layers, dropped into the scene, and shifted around to suit the layout. I don’t draw anything digitally. A common misconception with my work is that the line work is done in Illustrator. My inks and sketches aren’t put together in a traditional way – I don’t illustrate everything on one page. I sketch all the different elements on bunches of A4 paper, scan them into Photoshop and colour.

It’s untraditional, but it’s the easiest way for me to work that I’ve come to at this point. It probably takes twice as long, especially when you’re inking bits that will most likely be covered up with something later. But I have the freedom to move things, delete unnecessary elements and resize the layout to suit the finished medium.”

The delivery of such elaborately crafted works within ever-tightening timelines presented its challenges for Eamon, with the pressure-filled process taking its toll and at times dissolving his enjoyment of drawing.


‘Red Hot Chili

Peppers -

I’m With You’

Illustration, Rolling Stone

USA 2006

During his presentation at the agIdeas International Design Forum in 2010, Eamon spoke about the frustrations of freelance life:

“There’ve been great moments, but also some down times. Some days I feel like chucking in the towel. Deadlines are too tight, clients aren’t paying on time, or not enough, dreaded BAS statements, late nights, lack of sleep, 24/7, working weekends, no social life and living week by week, struggling to put meat and three veg on the table, dealing with contracts and isolation.

You really have to have a hunger and a fire in your belly to illustrate full time. Sometimes I think it would be so much easier to get a day job again, but I’ve been through the tough times and have come out the other side.”

Adding to the pressures of freelance work were the effects of the global financial crisis, with many of Eamon’s regular clients ceasing production or moving their magazines online. Art directors lost their jobs and while the workload dropped away, deadlines became tighter and tighter. But then, amidst the hardships, Eamon’s dream job arrived, a portrait of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers for Rolling Stone USA.

After completing what he knew would be the highlight of his career, Eamon gave himself permission to take a well-earned break and recover from the intensities of his work. Four years on, he’s yet to complete another illustration.

“ I developed an intense process to work in, and got burnt out,” Eamon recently revealed.

“The deadlines and the expectations and the bigger the clients got... it just compounded and I needed to take a step back.”

Eamon’s step back has by no means heralded the end of a creative career, but rather the beginning of adventures into new disciplines and industries.

Recently, he has worked in film and television, creating graphics for Channel 9’s Fat Tony & Co. and the recent Australian release ‘The Mule’. Set in the ‘80’s in Melbourne’s western suburbs, the film required sets and props true to the era, so to avoid seeking clearances to use real-life brands, Eamon was employed to design fake posters, signage, packaging and logos in the decade’s iconic style.

“I slip family names in, like my middle name’s Roger and the cigarettes I designed were called ‘Roger’s Internationals’, little things like that. You’ve got to come up with all those names which aren’t real brands, and you have to Google them just in case there actually are ‘Roger’s Internationals’ cigarettes!”

Eamon’s love of Australian popular culture led to his launch of online archive ‘The Island Continent’, a place to display, celebrate and record historic imagery of Australian art and design, film & TV, architecture, fashion and nostalgia. To coincide with the archive’s launch, Eamon released his self-published book ‘Milkbar: Photographic Archive Vol 1’, a collection of personal photographs documenting the fading icon and its owners, interiors and facades.


Inundated with sales and enquiries, Eamon’s milkbar obsession has given shape to new projects, connections and travels, with a larger book currently in the works. “The photography’s been a really great thing because I get out in the world. I meet amazing people with this project, speaking to owners and interviewing their families. It’s been such a different process.”

Recently, The Island Continent and Eamon’s milkbar project attracted an invitation from Sydney’s Art & About festival, who were keen to feature Eamon’s image archive on 100 banners hung throughout the city. While use of the archive content would require time-consuming copyright clearances, Eamon’s milkbar photos responded perfectly to the festival’s ‘endangered’ theme and suited the project to a tee.

While in Sydney, Eamon spent time with the iconic Ken Done, whose vibrant designs defined the look of 1980’s Australia. Such highlights are one of the positives Eamon attributes to the freelance life:

“Ken was like the number one so I’ve ticked them all off now. So that’s probably the biggest highlight, meeting those people

on a peer level. Being your own boss is good, and being able to control your day is a bonus.You’ve got so much freedom. You’re not stuck at a desk every day and you’re not working for someone. It’s kind of exciting not knowing what you’re going to be doing each month or each week.

One week you could be working on an illustration, the next week you could be speaking at agIdeas and thinking what am I doing here?!”

With illustration taking a lengthy hiatus, Eamon’s plans for the future are unknown. It’s scary, he says, but he’s ok with that. Fashion, web and assorted design projects are keeping food on the table and the creative juices are flowing, but there’s very little drawing for now.

“I remember saying once, ‘I’ll do this for the rest of my life’. There were those 12 months when I said, ‘finally, I’m doing what I want to do.’ I imagined myself being like the guys in Gerald & Cullen Rapp. They still represent guys that have been working from Mad Magazine.

But then, it just changed. You have to constantly evolve.”

Teachers note:

Take care when asking

students to peruse

Eamon’s website,

as some of his work for

clients such as Playboy

or Rolling Stone may not

be suitable to view and

discuss in the secondary

school classroom.

Think, Talk, Write and Make:

21



What contributed to Eamon experiencing burnout at the height of success as an illustrator?

Visit Eamon’s Twitter account, and view some of his prop designs for Australian movie ‘The Mule’, set in the 1980’s in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Have a go at designing your own ‘80’s inspired food packaging, textiles or branding!

twitter.com/eamodonnelly

Visit Eamon’s online archive The Island Continent and browse its content. How might designers and specialists use a resource such as this?

islandcontinent.com.au

Eamon is currently obsessed with compiling a photographic record of Australian milk bars. Think about your own childhood rituals, streetscapes and favourite hangouts, and use these memories to inspire your next practical project.

Key words in Eamon’s profilewhat do they mean?

• Freelance• Agent• Iconography• Editorial• Clearance

In 2007, Eamon became the first artist signed to illustration agency The Jacky Winter Group. Visit the agency’s website and have a look around. Compare and contrast Eamon’s style to other illustrators represented. While you’re there, pop over to the ‘About’ section, and read how relationships are managed between client, artist and agent.

jackywinter.com

What is an art director, where do they work and why do they call on illustrators like Eamon?

How has Eamon used materials, media and methods, and design elements and principles to evolve his signature illustrative style?

Study examples of Eamon’s work that feature Australian iconography. How does he use particular design elements and principles to further accentuate his ‘Aussie’ aesthetic?

Why is self-promotion important for an illustrator like Eamon, and how has he gone about promoting his own work? Can you think of any other possible avenues?

eamondonnelly.com/australia-series/

What are the challenges faced by a freelancer?

And what are the perks?

online.agideas.net/webcast/eamo-donnelly

About Eamon

http://twitter.com/eamodonnelly

http://islandcontinent.com.au

http://jackywinter.com

http://eamondonnelly.com/australia-series/

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/eamo-donnelly


USA

Neville PageCommunication Design: Illustration/Concept Design

Neville Page is a modern day inventor. As a creature and concept designer for television and film, he works regularly on Hollywood sci-fi and fantasy movies including Star Trek, Avatar, Prometheus and TRON.

Characters such as the banshee, Polarilla and Engineer are the product of Neville’s extensive and fanatical research into anatomy and the natural world.

He’s obsessive about making the intangible believable, finds inspiration in the most gruesome of subjects, and is a passionately inquisitive lifelong learner. Neville champions the benefits of developing a rich mental library in order to be truly creative, and believes strongly in the power of drawing as a visual language. He shares his extensive experience through teaching at Hollywood’s Gnomon School of Visual Effects and at the Art Centre College of Design in downtown Los Angeles.

As a Creature Designer, Neville’s work is highly exploratory, and based on an iterative process of experimentation, testing and refinement. Requests from directors might be vague or specific, with many solutions evolving through ongoing dialogue and collaboration. Neville’s role in a film’s development might commence at any time, perhaps in the initial stages of pitching an idea, alongside the director for many months on end, or during the final stages of post-production.

“There are times when I’m approached before the film is even considered to be a film”, explains Neville. I sometimes come in to be a part of imagery that would support the logline (a one or two sentence description of what the movie is), the treatment (a short version of the idea for a whole film), and possibly a script.

This package is presented to a producer who might then say ‘We like it – we’re going to buy the idea for a period of time, and we’re going to develop it.’

Then the development process begins.

Alternatively, I might get hired at the very beginning of a production that has been green-lit – which means that the idea has been bought by a studio. They’re staffed up, they’ve got the money, they know the budget and the timeframe, and I get hired to execute. That’s usually done via a combination of the producer, a production designer and the director, who likes a certain style or how a person works.

Then there are times when I’m picked up to work on a film that has been in production for quite some time and is often troubled and the designs are being second-guessed. And sometimes I’m brought in because it’s a disaster – it’s a political situation where the studio wants something different to what the director has developed.

The studio asks me to come in to help guide the vision. That’s a sticky one, when the director doesn’t welcome your presence. So there are a lot of different scenarios. The best scenario is when the director specifically wants you. Then they either take you on, love your work and continue with you, or take you on and realise that there’s not a good fit, and try and evolve it somehow or let you go.”

Neville’s creatures are developed using a combination of traditional and digital processes. Drawing is considered his most important tool, and one that allows Neville to visually articulate, evolve and record ideas. Creature Design

Paramount Pictures,

Super 8, 2011


2013


Costume Design

Tron, Walt Disney

Pictures 2010

Costume Design

Tron, Walt Disney

Pictures 2010

Pencil sketches are frequently made to nut out anatomical details, then presented to a director for feedback. New shapes evolve from ‘super fast silhouettes’, a technique favoured by Neville in which sequences of simple, rapid black marker drawings inspire a creature’s overall form. The chosen silhouette is photocopied and enlarged, traced over and fleshed quickly into a pencil drawing, the creature’s form emerging with the addition of volume and details.

Digital sketching is also used to initiate creative directions. Creature designs for Super 8 were inspired by Rorschach’s famous ink blot test, with approximately one hundred symmetrical ink blot ‘notions’ developed by Neville using Photoshop software. These were presented to J.J Abrams and Stephen Spielberg for selection, before evolving the marks into characters using ZBrush, a digital modelling tool and firm favourite for the development of Neville’s creature designs.

Perhaps most surprising is Neville’s love of Photo Booth, a readily-available Mac computer application designed for taking photos, and offering a myriad of manipulative effects. Symmetry is once again explored, with found objects photographed then distorted using the mirroring function.

A piece of raw chicken, the head of a fish, or the back of Neville’s hand morphs into strange and complex forms perfect for development into creatures. Neville calls this technique ‘sketching with mirrors’ and favours its ability to produce unimaginable forms graced with the beauty of symmetry.

He then develops these images into digitally rendered concepts, ready to present for feedback.

On his work with Photo Booth, Neville reflects: “The work was being done for me, I was feeding the machine and allowing it to inform me of the potential, and then I was taking charge by embellishing what I was beginning to see in these organic moments. This process is quick, and it gives you shapes and ideas that you wouldn’t normally come up with on your own.”

Neville has used a myriad of digital tools and software during the process of creature design, including Solidworks, Maya, Alchemy, Rhino and Keyshot, but he speaks most passionately about ZBrush and its modelling capabilities. Whilst Neville is highly skilled in sculpting with clay – a method traditionally used to visualise a creature’s form – digital sculpting allows for faster and more frequent changes during a concept’s refinement.

“Clay is not as iterative or, ironically, as malleable as digital clay, because you can sit with the client and they can watch the process. Digital is five minutes compared to days for a clay sculpt. The other thing that’s most important from a creative standpoint is that any changes in clay can’t simply be undone. There’s that apprehension in really exploring design, whereas with digital, you can make copies and use layers.”

Despite the benefits of digital modelling, a tangible object is sometimes integral to the communication of an idea. Neville uses 3D printing or traditional sculpting to assist clients in understanding a creature’s look and feel. “There’s this tactility about a 3 dimensional object, printed or sculpted, and there’s no denying that it makes an impression, when you have an object. There are those people who don’t have the visual acuity of reading dimension on a flat plane. But it’s a very expensive bonus.”


While Neville has experienced roles in art and costume departments, and with visual effects (VFX) teams in post production design, his preferred method of working is alongside a movie’s director.

“For Avatar, it was James Cameron who hired me along with three other designers, and we worked at his house in Malibu for about 4 months in his kitchen (it’s very different to any of our kitchens, I assure you!). When working with Jim, it was definitely Jim’s movie, Jim’s ideas, and he told us what he needed and wanted, and I love that.

The production designer was always there taking notes, so that when Jim wasn’t around, they could continue to guide us. But any time that there was a meeting, Jim would make sure that we were there, and it was one-on-one contact with Jim. You’re working with the source, and the critiques they’re giving are direct and not diluted.

When I get a job, I ask if I can communicate directly with the director. That’s sometimes impossible, and it’s not always the most efficient way to go. I prefer it only because it seems to help everyone, and for the most part now, my resume and my price says that I’m the person you hire for a short period of time to get the job done at the beginning, middle or end.”

But Neville’s collaborative relationships don’t end there. Filmmaking is a huge affair, requiring ample hands on deck, loads of talent and varied specialist skills.

Neville’s ability to respond appropriately to a director’s requests and to sell his ideas are better served when calling on the skills and knowledge of others.

For Avatar, Neville worked alongside the Director of Photography in the development of digital images that imitate the film’s look and feel.

“The DP is in charge of making the film look the way it does – they’re the one that points the camera, and chooses the lens and lighting. I’ll ask, for example, how will the Banshee be lit? How will they be shot in this scene? Is it daylight or night time? Then I use my computer to render an image that mimics the specific lens choice, lighting scenario, everything ... so that when I show it to Jim, he’s not looking at a concept anymore, he’s looking at what it will be in the film.

That gives him the opportunity to know if this is the right thing or not.”

There are also times early in the design process when a moving image is needed to more convincingly communicate an idea. Neville has worked with fellow creature designer Alex Alvarez on the development of animation studies to test a new creature’s gait. This moving image of ‘Big Red’ was combined with an emotive soundtrack and presented to Star Trek director J.J Abrams for approval.

The process of bringing Neville’s creatures to life on screen is a costly and lengthy one. After the refinement of his concepts, Neville’s digital models and coloured renderings are given to digital visual effects company Weta Digital, which is where, according to Neville, the magic happens.

Costume Design

Tron, Walt Disney

Pictures 2010

Creature Design

Prometheus 2012

Costume Design

Prometheus 2012


“They have to make it move. It takes a tremendous amount of talent, people and dollars to make that happen. What I can do now (thanks to digital technologies) is supply a greater refined answer, but it takes a massive effort of other designers to turn it into something that’s living and breathing.”

While undoubtedly the maker of an abundant creature collection, the ownership of Neville’s designs lies elsewhere.

“They never belong to the artist. I’ve designed things for James Cameron and he owns them.

With Star Trek, I was designing for the director J.J. (Abrams), J.J.’s company is Bad Robot, Bad Robot is working in association with Paramount who owns the franchise with CBS. At the end of the day, CBS owns everything.”

The collaborative nature of Neville’s work and its context within the world of movies means that his designs are the product of a much larger process.

“While I may have been the only hand designing it, I could never say that itis entirely my idea.”

Creature Design

Green Lantern, Warner

Bros Pictures 2011


29



Watch and listen to Neville as he describes his use of 3D modelling software Zbrush to develop the space suit displayed on page 27. Compare the process and tools to traditional clay modelling techniques.

What are the advantages of digital sculpting for a designer like Neville?

youtube.com/watch?v=o-zBPpFQAvI

Join Neville as he browses through the sketchbook of close friend Scott Robertson, a concept artist and teacher of drawing and industrial design.

youtube.com/watch?v=Rfy60PHYuag

Key words from Neville’s profilewhat do they mean?

• Logline• Treatment• Green-lit• Iterative• VFX

See and hear more about Neville’s work:

Neville’s showreel:nevillepage.com/video.html

Neville speaks about why design matters in the field of character design.vimeo.com/78696105

At what stages of a movie’s development are Neville’s skills employed?

Describe Neville’s ideal relationship with his client.

What other specialists are involved in the development and production ofNeville’s creature designs?

Describe the various methods, media, materials and techniques Neville uses to research and generate ideas, and to develop creature concepts.

How does Neville use the design elements and principles to imbue his creatures with character and personality, and to respond appropriately to the brief?

If you have a Mac computer, explore the manipulative effects offered in Photo Booth, particularly the mirroring function. Photograph objects similar to those used by Neville, such as the back of your hand or pieces of food.

Evolve some of your own creature designs from Rorschach-inspired ink blots, using either digital or manual materials and methods.

Who owns Neville’s creature designs?

online.agideas.net/webcast/neville-page

About Neville

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o-zBPpFQAvI

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rfy60PHYuag

http://nevillepage.com/video.html


http://online.agideas.net/webcast/neville-page


Alison Page is a descendant of the Walbanga and Wadi Wadi people of the Yuin nation, and an award-winning designer who works across Architecture, Interior Design, Product Design and Public Art. She has worked with various Aboriginal communities to broker partnerships between manufacturers and artists, and deliver culturally appropriate design services and authentic Aboriginal products.

Studio Roosegaarde develop interactive designs and art installations that explore the connections between people, nature, technology and space. It functions as a ‘social design lab’, developing technologies and alliances wiht material manufacturers, engineers and foundations that enable the design of immersive, multi-sensory and sustainable projects. Lidi Brouwer is in charge of exhibitions and new project development at Studio Roosegaarde.

Kongjian Yu is president and principal designer at Turenscape in Beijing, an internationally awarded firm of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urbanism. Kongjian and his team specialise in the design of sustainable, holistic and harmonious environments, motivated by the alarming impacts of urban development on China’s natural resources.

As founder of Melbourne visual house Gloss Creative, Amanda Henderson is redefining the world of three-dimensional design by creating bold and contemporary environments for events, sets and window displays. Established in 2001, Gloss Creative has built a reputation for excellence and experimentation and worked alongside; Moët & Chandon, Myer, Sportsgirl, Mecca, National Australia Bank and the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

The Interior Design Director of leading architectural firm Bates Smart, Jeff Copolov is one of Australia’s most talented interior designers. He has a classically modern, timeless approach to design and a reputation for producing highly refined, carefully targeted and appropriately economic solutions. In 2013, Jeff won the Gold Medal at the interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Alison Page

Studio Roosegaarde (Lidi Brouwer)

Kongjian Yu

Amanda Henderson

Jeffery Copolov

Environmental Design


Environmental Design: Interior Design/Architecture Australia

Jeffery Copolov

As Interior Design Director at Bates Smart, Jeffery Copolov relishes a large-scale project. The firm offers services in architecture, interior and urban design, and as one of the world’s oldest architectural practices, is responsible for many of Victoria’s most recognisable and innovative structures.

With teams of approximately 120 in both Melbourne and Sydney, Bates Smart delivers projects across a broad range of sectors, including commercial, hospitality, health and science, residential and education. The practice champions the concept of ‘creative collaboration’ and encourages ongoing dialogue with clients throughout the life of each project.

Jeffery is a recent winner of the IDEA (Interior Design Excellence Awards) Gold Medal, and has worked at Bates Smart for most of his distinguished career. Here, his role incorporates both design and administration, and is broad and varied in nature.

“I am very hands on,” explains Jeffery. “There are certain projects where I am much more hands on, literally creating the design and setting the design direction, and then working very closely with our Directors whom are highly skilled interior designers. We might work together on a collective vision for a particular project, and I might stay with that project all the way through.

There are other projects where the Interior Design Associate Director might take the project and run with it. So it varies from project to project.

As a director my role also involves the strategic management of the practice – what projects do we go for, which areas of the practice do we want to concentrate on,

and where is the practice heading from a market and brand positioning point of view. What is the style of our practice and what is the work that we do?”

Included in Jeffery’s role is the management of teams where interior designers and architects work side by side.

“Because of the size of our practice, we have a dual delivery process with interiors. We have very senior interior designers whose strengths lie in pure design, and we have project delivery interior designers who are very seasoned with dealing with the process, procedure, documentation, coordination and delivery of the project from beginning to end. On some smaller projects, a shop fit-out or small restaurant, the one interior designer may handle it all.”

As Jeffery recalls, interior design was once considered in only the final stages of a building’s development, but is now embedded in all stages of design.

“30 years ago, when I first began at Bates Smart, interior designers were brought in at the tail end of a job to think about the finishes, whereas that now forms about 2% or 3% of the job. It’s about interior architecture and spatial planning, and therefore buildings, I believe, should be created from the inside out. It’s about building facilities for people to work in, and that suit their need and functionality. Therefore, our interior designers are on the job from day one performing as a tight team with our architects.” Jeffery’s involvement in initial client meetings is essential in developing an understanding of their needs, and “ending up on the same train together”:

‘Rockpool’

Interior Architecture,

Rockpool Bar & Grill

2007


2012


‘Crown

Metropol Pool’

Interior Architecture

Crown Group 2010

“A lot of time is spent at the front end understanding our clients, whether that be who they are, what they do, what is their brand and what are their aspirations. It’s not so much about what they’ve done in the past. A lot of the time it’s about assisting them and leading them into the future. What, for example, is the new hospital of tomorrow? Not yesterday, not the day before, not even the day when it’s finished. How do you make a building that enables an organisation to function at its optimum? And to understand that, you have to understand their business.”

A recent project of which Jeffery is particularly proud is the new Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, a massive endeavour by anyone’s measure and one that required collaborative partnerships of the grandest scale. Opened in 2011 in Parkville, the hospital is funded and operated as a public-private partnership (PPP), with various project teams working toward its delivery on behalf of the hospital and the Victorian Government’s Department of Health. Under such an arrangement, a private sector consortium takes responsibility for the hospital’s design, construction and maintenance, while the public sector continues to operate the hospital and deliver its services.

The process began when Bates Smart were called upon by multinational construction company Lend Lease together with a collection of major stakeholders to develop the architecture for a bid to deliver the project. A joint venture was established between Bates Smart and architects Billard Leece, while American design practice HKS was involved in reviewing concepts, providing technical advice and sharingtheir extensive experience in the design of paediatric facilities.

Other consortiums also prepared bids, each presenting a concept for the hospital’s design, together with costings, an operational methodology and information about the job’s commercial aspects.

Such a bid is self-funded and can take up to a year to prepare, with the process consisting of multiple presentations to various government and hospital advisors. These bids are judged by panels formed to assess the calibre and functionality of each concept and consist of a group of professionals including the Department of Health, Architects, financiers and lawyers, among many others, who assess the complex package of information in numerous ways to find the best overall offer for the project. Jeffery recalls feelings of both elation and dread on hearing that their bid was successful: “It was kind of mixed, because you think, oh my God, now we have to do this! You have to very rapidly mobilise and strategically put together the team.”

As part of the leadership group directing a team of forty interior designers and architects, Jeffery’s role involved developing a global strategic approach to the facility’s interior design, and managing a ‘multi-headed’ client of mind-boggling complexity:

“Lend Lease was our direct client, with indirect clients being the Government and Health Department. And within the Children’s Hospital there are multiple clients – nursing, anaesthetics and surgery, maintenance and administration etc often with their own views and conflicting ideas. We had dozens of individual user groups, each with their own committees, which we had to present to and get agreement from.


You go through an exhaustive briefing stage of about a year and a half, dealing with information, approvals and agreements. It’s a minefield of negotiation. We can’t have a fluid outcome because our things are built.

That door will be in that place, that operating theatre will be there, it’s an exhaustive process to go from a liquid brief that exists just in words and you have to translate that into a built environment. And you have to do that within budgets and time constraints, government regulations and building codes ... it’s highly, highly complicated. Sometimes, I think it’s a miracle that anything gets built!”

Also complex was the coordination of multiple sub-consultants encompassing graphic design, sculpture, way-finding, landscaping, lighting design and services engineers etc. Here, the architects assume the role of head aesthetic design consultants, working like the director of an epic production and driving the style and functionality of each visual component.

The design of the new Children’s Hospital draws heavily from its setting at the edge of Royal Park. New healthcare models recognise the power of nature to assist in the healing process, so after returning from overseas travels where exemplary hospital designs were studied, time was spent in the park considering ways to echo its qualities and ambiance. The resulting facility features an exterior enveloped in petal-like forms, the large glass panels providing shade and their gentle green tones changing to red to highlight the emergency section. The In-Patient Unit is placed away from traffic, its star shaped floor plan embedded in the park and making the most of peaceful views.

Inside, an expansive ‘main street’ heads north toward the park, flooding the interior with light. This central space is home to ‘The Creature’, a huge but friendly sculpture by Alexander Knox that invites play and interaction. Hanging above is ‘Sky Garden’, five mobiles of angels and leaf-like forms created by artist Jade Oakley. Dappled light falls from skylights across timber panelled walkways, weaving like tree branches through the building.

Custom-designed furniture is soft, rounded and friendly in form, and accompanied by custom-designed textiles and carpets. A multi-story aquarium sooths and distracts those waiting in emergency, while meerkats provided by Zoos Victoria entertain children and their families from their sunny enclosure in the outpatient area. Perhaps the most striking element of all is a wayfinding system devised with local design practice Buro North and featuring the work of Melbourne illustrator Jane Reiseger, whose whimsical and child-like images form visual navigation landmarks throughout the space.

A vertical world for the hospital was devised, with each floor allocated an aspect of the Victorian landscape. Corresponding animals inhabit richly coloured murals and adorn curtains, bedcovers, windows and lifts. Areas such as the Cockatoo Ward on the Treetops level, or the Butterfly ward in the Sky feature colour palettes derived from Jane’s images, and laid over a base of neutral tones.

With 4,700 rooms across 8 levels to be designed in less than two years,the new Royal Children’s Hospital undoubtedly presented its designers with an extraordinary challenge.

‘Royal Children’s

Hospital’

Exterior, Bates Smart

2011

‘Royal Children’s

Hospital’

Interior (Patient Room),

Bates Smart 2011


“The Royal Children’s Hospital would no doubt be one of the great projects I’ve had the pleasure of working on, in that it broke new ground in the way that hospitals deal with people. That hospital in particular is so close to the heart of so many Melbournians, Victorians and Australians, and so it was extremely meaningful1.”

But in the capable hands of professional teams led by directors like Jeffery, a facility has been delivered that responds sensitively to the needs of those within, by looking beyond its walls to mother nature.

As Jeffery proudly reflects:

References

1. Inside magazine,

2013, In conversation

with Jeffery Copolov,

YouTube 25 November,

www.youtube.com/

watch?v=Pl0f632yUGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl0f632yUGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl0f632yUGM


37



What’s the difference between commercial and residential architectural projects?

What’s the difference between an interior designer, and an interior design director?

Describe the role of the interior design team at Bates Smart, and their relationship with other specialists at the firm. How have the responsibilities of an interior designer changed from when Jeffery began in the industry?

Visit Bates Smart’s website, and peruse their range of hospitality projects. Consider how the interior design of selected projects responds to the purpose, audience and context of each space.

Describe some of the challenges Jeffery and his colleagues faced in the delivery of the new Royal Children’s Hospital.

How does the design of the new Royal Children’ Hospital reflect its location on the edge of Royal Park? How does it cater for the needs of its patients and staff?

What other specialists were involved in the delivery of the new Royal Children’s Hospital?

Read and hear from the team at multidisciplinary studio Buro North about their role in the development of signage for the new Royal Children’s Hospital.

buronorth.com/projects/project/royal-children-s-hospital

Describe the purpose and style of Jane Reiseger’s way-finding illustrations for the Royal Children’s Hospital, and how they respond to their context and audience. Listen to Jane talk about the project:

blogs.rch.org.au/news/2013/11/01/meet-the-illustrator-who-created-the-rch-wayfinding-artwork/

Key words in Jeffery’s profilewhat do they mean?

• Strategic management• Dual delivery• PPP (Public Private Partnership)• Stakeholder

See and hear more about Jeffery’s work:

batessmart.com/bates-smart/people/directors/jeffrey-copolov/

An introduction to Jeffery’s work as an interior designer, in celebration of his 2013 IDEA Gold Medal

youtube.com/watch?v=Pl0f632yUGM

online.agideas.net/webcast/jeffery-copolov

About Jeffery

http://buronorth.com/projects/project/royal-children-s-hospital

http://buronorth.com/projects/project/royal-children-s-hospital

http://blogs.rch.org.au/news/2013/11/01/meet-the-illustrator-who-created-the-rch-wayfinding-artwork/



http://batessmart.com/bates-smart/people/directors/jeffrey-copolov/

http://batessmart.com/bates-smart/people/directors/jeffrey-copolov/

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pl0f632yUGM

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/jeffery-copolov


Australia

Amanda HendersonEnvironmental Design: Visual Merchandising

Amanda Henderson’s address book must be bursting at the seams. Painters, florists, illustrators and builders, metal workers and macramé makers are just a small selection of specialists involved in her work as a visual merchandiser and event designer.

She’s Melbourne’s maker of dreamscapes, of temporary, transformative and superficial worlds charged with emotion and draped in visual splendour.

Whether re-creating the Palace of Versailles in a marquee, laser cutting 6000 flowers, making a moving staircase or a forest from brass, Amanda’s work with her team at Gloss Creative is best described by her own mantra of ‘Grand Simplicity’.

As Creative Director and founder of Gloss Creative, Amanda heads a small studio specialising in temporary event design, set design and retail installations. She and her core team of five designers work from a studio space at the rear of Amanda’s home, a surprising set-up considering the size of their clients and projects.

“One of our work experience people came and worked with us for a number of years,” recalls Amanda. “She said ‘I thought when I came to Gloss Creative there would be a boardroom and a bar!’ She saw it as some sort of massive machine.”

The team might swell to ten or so during busy times, while many more are called upon for a project’s installation, but the regular team is small and multi-skilled:

“We always do things that are physically big, so people tend to think that we are big as well. We’re a tiny business who knows how to work with big businesses, so we can chameleon into whatever we need to be.

It’s a state of mind of what you want to project and how you go about your work. We love punching above our weight!”

The Gloss Creative team deliver projects that vary in discipline and style, and are hands-on from the development of concepts through to installation and beyond. A Melbourne Cup Carnival marquee, for example, will be maintainedby Amanda’s teams throughout the event and returned after each day’s shenanigans to pristine condition.

Retail window concepts, runway shows, product launches and pop-up stores offer opportunities to work across disciplines in ways that are redefining the visual merchandiser’s role:

“The scope of Visual Merchandising has changed so much in recent years,” says Amanda. “It’s hard to name and its future is being created in real time.

Visual Merchandisers can now act as creative directors, designing, curating, and collaborating to create temporary, 3- dimensional installations by cross-fertilising and pulling ideas from architecture, interior design, digital design, sculpture and my personal favourite, theatre design.

We say we’re multidisciplinary gone mad.”

‘Colourbond Garden’

Installation, Melbourne

Cup, Bluescope Steel

2007


2010


‘Myer SS14

Fashion

Launch’

Installation,

Myer 2014

In recent years, Gloss Creative have worked increasingly with retail centres in the design of shopping centre experiences. Melbourne’s GPO, Myer and Emporium Melbourne have engaged Amanda’s team to develop in-store installations, interactive displays and vibrant hoardings in an effort to maximise visual impact and deliver truly memorable environments for customers to enjoy.

Christmas-themed trolleys wrapped in giant golden bows served sweet treats to shoppers, a bee-themed ‘Hive Tea’ featured delicacies from food retailers, and a dramatic temporary hoarding was covered in 10,000 shimmering scales.

Amanda relishes such collaborations with clients who provide just the right mix of direction and freedom. “For us, the right creative structure consists of client leaders who understand their brand personalities and creative strategy, and who are confident enough to see themselves as collaborators as well as clients.”

Gloss Creative’s ongoing partnership with Myer has been a particularly fruitful affair, with fashion catwalk runways and Melbourne Cup marquees developed alongside Myer’s in-house design team. Recent briefs have asked the team to respond to the store’s newly launched ‘Find Wonderful’ campaign, and to develop ‘experiences’ rather than simply environments or events.

And so, for Myer’s most recent Melbourne Cup marquee, a concept called ‘Edible Happiness’ was devised where a secret door inside the marquee would open at 3:30pm daily to reveal an enormous wall of lavish cakes and sweets. Another ‘discovery’ in the elegant space was a pop-up perfumery unveiled to visitors each day.

Marquees such as this are developed over a period of six months, with the Gloss Creative team devoting two months to the development of ideas, two months to costing the project, and two months set aside for production and construction.

Meetings with Myer occurred at least every two to three weeks.

“This year’s brief was Find Wonderful, Make Wonderful,” recalls Amanda. “There is always a top-line strategy that the company will have. A big business always has some kind of creative strategy or communication strategy so we love to work from that. I think it is really important if you’re a designer to work with that as your starting point, because all your creative threads need to come from that strategy. The environment or the materiality may change, but the messaging, style and tone needs to express the bigger picture.”

The design process at Gloss Creative begins with uninhibited brainstorming sessions, where ideas grow out of scribbles, discussions and dreams.

“We love freedom,” says Amanda. “My team probably get sick of me saying ‘Just design like you don’t have to pay for it or install it!’ Of course, that only works in the early stages of the design process.

Our approach is to create an experience that starts with one or two simple ideas – we then commit to them wholeheartedly. We evolve the ideas by pulling from a number of design platforms, making new creative links through experimentation, collaboration, and from techniques we’ve had success with before. We spend most of our time in the early development process getting the big idea working before we move on.


We get rid of as much left brain activity as we need to design freely. To help us do this, we lose the notion of metered time. We think it’s the most time efficient thing you can do.

If you lose metered time, you’ll allow yourself the freedom to dream before you design.

We dream, we talk, we read briefs, we scribble, we make things, we struggle and we get in a big mess, and then we leave it alone.

And then we come back the next day and something kicks in, and when we can see the possibilities, we move forward. We love that a small scribble can become such a big moment, and we love the process andthe fun along the way.”

Pitching concepts to clients is an important part of the process, and is seen by Amanda as an opportunity to foster fruitful partnerships with clients and share a collective vision for the project. Amongst the team at Gloss Creative are a Creative Concept Manager, Interior Architect and Graphic Designer, who, together with Amanda, use their specialist skills to develop evocative presentations:

“Our presentations are a combination of imagery, words, floor plans, sketches and ideas,” explains Amanda. “We never just send our presentations in. We always present them. When we’re presenting, it’s actually a conversation because we see our clients as collaborators. You can’t just email in, we’re pretty strict on that, otherwise people don’t give it the due process, the due diligence for consideration. We’re pretty strong on sitting, and especially in the early stages, talking about and brainstorming different scenarios. If the clients are collaborators then they need to be a part of it.”

With collaborations the key to delivering projects that dazzle, Amanda covets her enormous network of specialist artisans, trades, and production companies who respond with gusto to her unusual requests.

“Collaborations help sustain creative energy, and if the collaborative process is understood, its strength is unmatchable.”

She’s always on the lookout for someone with skills, and will engage their services in ways that suit the project’s timeline, budget and style. “If it’s someone who is very high profile they might be happy for usage fees of an illustration or a painting. Or if it’s someone who’s happy to come in and physically create something new for us, then we can commission them.”

As Amanda’s collaborators develop their own resources, technologies and skills,new and exciting possibilities for future projects are revealed. A metalworker’s recent purchase, for example, inspired the creation of large aluminium palm fronds suspended over a Myer runway show, each shape laser cut and folded with his new CNC digital folding machine.

The palms were made to sway with the help of Qmotion, a state of the art technology used to choreographmovement, and coordinated by specialists at StageOne Creative Services. With the simple addition of a fold, a popular medium and technique were re-energised and made to look super-futuristic.

It’s the right merge of material, media and method that produces the most impressive results, and the team at Gloss Creative love to experiment with fresh combinations.

‘L’esprit Des Miroirs’

Installation, Moët &

Chandon, Spring Racing

Carnival 2006


“At the moment our love for brass laser cutting is never ending. We just adore it. Our love for powder coated wire and steel has no bounds. It’s strong and you can hang stuff from it. When it’s coloured it’s so cool and it’s so now. And Alucobond – it’s strong, lightweight and not brittle. There’s materials and media, and then there is what you can do to the material as well.”

The temporary nature of Gloss Creative’s work informs many of their material choices, with installations needing to be strong but lightweight, transportable and easy to erect. Safety of course, is also considered, as are opportunities to recycle pieces from previous projects.

One example is the wooden shelves created for Emporium Melbourne’s installation ‘The Hive’ that were reborn as the centre’s Christmas advent calendar.

As Amanda says proudly, “Visual Merchandisers are the original recyclers.”

As the studio’s Creative Director, Amanda juggles a busy mix of management, design, hunting and discussing, and there’s no such thing as a regular day. She might speak at an event about her work and process, oversee the design of a giant inflatable fawn, or drive to Ballarat to dye a kilometer of silk for artist Bill Henson.

“It’s a mix of designing with our team, talking with clients, site visits, installations at night, driving to find things and more talking.”

But no matter the undertaking at Gloss Creative, Amanda’s focus is clearly defined: “For us, it’s grand simplicity. It’s in the ideas and the designs that are grand enough, delivered with a process and a visual simplicity that we find our own environmental euphoria.”

‘Find Wonderful’

Installation, Myer

Marquee, Spring Racing

Carnival 2014


45



What are some of Amanda’s roles and responsibilities as Creative Director and founder of Gloss Creative?

Why does Amanda describe the work of a visual merchandiser as ‘multidisciplinary gone mad’?

How has the visual merchandiser’s role changed in recent years?

Choose a selection of installations created by Amanda and her team at Gloss Creative. Describe the use of elements and principles, and how they complement the design’s purpose, context and audience.

Make some lists:

- The types of projects tackled by Amanda and her team- The varied specialists involved in the delivery of Amanda’s projects- Materials, media and methods used in the creation of installations

How does Amanda encourage her team to develop truly creative ideas?

Describe the practices and techniques used by Amanda and her team to pitch ideas to clients.

What factors influence Amanda’s choice of materials, media, methods, and design elements and principles?

Design your own:

- concept for a Myer marquee at the Melbourne Cup Carnival- festive-themed retail installation- runway show for your favourite brand

Find and document inspiring examples of visual merchandising in retail environments, and write about their visual impact. How do these displays add to the shopping experience?

Key words in Amanda’s profilewhat do they mean?

• Top-line strategy• Usage fees• Artisan• Hoarding• In-house design team

See and hear more about Amanda’s work:

The Gloss Creative Blog:thepleasureisallmine.com.au/blog

Hear Amanda speak about the Moet and Chandon Spring Racing Marquees as part of the Open House Melbourne Speaker Series.

vimeo.com/77370523

online.agideas.net/webcast/amanda-henderson

About Amanda

http://thepleasureisallmine.com.au/blog


http://online.agideas.net/webcast/amanda-henderson


Environmental Design: Built Environment/Sustainability China

Kongjian Yu

Kongjian Yu describes Landscape Architecture as an ‘Art of Survival’. As president and principal designer at Turenscape in Beijing, Kongjian and his team specialise in the design of sustainable, holistic and harmonious environments, motivated by the alarming impacts of urban development on China’s natural resources.

Kongjian likens the history of Chinese landscape design to the custom of foot binding, a practice that saw the feet of young Chinese girls painfully bound to prevent their growth. The custom persisted for more than one thousand years, and was considered a symbol of beauty and status. Kongjian recognises a similar aesthetic in the traditional gardens of the urban elite, their ornamental designs created only for visual pleasure and stripped of their function and productivity. Kongjian argues that contemporary urban landscapes should instead be modelled on low rather than high cultural ideals, with inspiration found in agriculture, irrigation and the land’s potential to produce rather than to consume energy and resources.

“Urban landscapes should be seen as a system and a provider of services,” says Kongjian. “Value should be placed on the regulation of storm water, supporting biodiversity and the provision of habitats. It should also have a cultural and spiritual meaning, and aesthetics of course – but this is different from ornamental beauty.”

While China houses 20% of the world’s population, only 8% of its land is suitable for farming. 99% of its buildings are energy inefficient, while flood, drought, drinking water shortages, pollution and habitat loss are some of the increasing challenges resulting from urban development.

In the face of such threats to survival, Kongjian calls for a revolution in our approach to design, one in which there is harmony between people and the land.

Turenscape specialises in the design of environmentally sustainable spaces, offering holistic services in Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Urban Planning and Environmental Design. It’s an enormous organisation, with 600 staff working across three floors of a building in Beijing, and divided into ten separate studios ranging in size from 30 to 100 designers.

As a multidisciplinary practice, Turenscape consists of professionals from a range of disciplines, including architects, landscape architects, urban planners and designers, civil and structural engineers, water management and sewage treatment specialists, ecologists, biologists, and environmental scientists.

At Turenscape, approximately 100 projects are tackled at one time, with Kongjian involved in almost all of these at various stages. This he considers an important part of his role, particularly as most projects are very large in scale and scope, some several square kilometres in size. Typically, Kongjian provides input during the commencement stage of a brief and during the review process, while overseeing the details of a design.

Kongjian is also a Doctor of Design, and is Dean and Professor at the College of Architecture and Landscape, in Beijing. He believes passionately in the power of education as a means to spread his message about sustainable design, and regularly lectures on the topic to city mayors in forum-style events.

‘Hallelujah

Concert Hall’

Landscape Architecture,

Zhangjiajie 2010


2014


‘Red Ribbon’

Concept Drafts/

Photography

Landscape Design,

Heibei Province 2007

In light of China’s serious environmental concerns, these mayors acknowledge the shortcomings of their unsustainable cities, and are increasingly attracted to Kongjian’s values and ideas.

“At Turenscape, we don’t have marketing systems, and we don’t need to ‘sell’ a product. Instead, I begin with education and earning the trust of my clients”.

Currently, Turenscape are working with 200 city mayors (that’s almost one third of cities in China) on the design of sustainable urban spaces that are not only beautiful, but functional too.

In order to measure the success of his projects, Kongjian considers a combination of categories encompassing aesthetic appeal, cultural and spiritual meaning, productivity and environmental impact.

“We value the land’s function as a remediator and regulator of the urban environment – water, temperature, air quality. Another quality for measuring the success of our designs is how much it supports life – people, birds, insects, animals... it must be life supporting. The final category is all about people – how they enjoy the space, and are inspired by it.”

Kongjian likes to ‘walk the talk’, with his own Beijing apartment an example of ‘low carbon’ sustainable infrastructure. Solar energy and storm water are collected on the roof, the water irrigating a balcony vegetable garden that produces 36 kgs of vegetables each year. This water is also channelled into a living wall of climbing greenery inside the home, cooling the interior and avoiding the need for air conditioning.

Kongjian’s ‘minimum intervention approach’ to landscape architecture is best seen in the design of The Red Ribbon, a 500 meter-long fiberglass form that weaves its way along the banks of Tanghe River in China’s Qinhuangdao City. Located on the city’s fringe, the demands of urban sprawl meant that the previously deserted, unkempt and inaccessible site needed to be made functional and inviting for the newly settled residents of the Hebei Province.

In order to preserve the site’s lush native vegetation and varied natural habitats, Kongjian designed a simple ‘red ribbon’ along the river’s edge, accompanied by a boardwalk and five cloud-shaped pavilions.

The ribbon acts as seating and is litfrom within, its surface adorned with holes for potted plants and its bright red colour contrasting dramatically with the surrounding natural landscape.

Small openings are built into the ribbon to act as animal crossings, its form meandering through groves, fields, and along the river’s edge, twisting gently with the terrain. Nearby flower gardens sit in the place of former rubbish dumps and deserted slums, adding further splashes of colour to the site.

Today, the Red Ribbon provides a popular gathering place for local residents, turning a formally unusable waterfront into an attractive place for recreation, whilst maintaining the site’s natural attributes and habitats. In recent years, additions to Tanghe River Park have been made by park managers, including a pedestrian bridge, additional lighting, music projected through speakers, a pedestrian road and rockery.


Kongjian describes the result as ‘kitschy’ and has attempted to maintain an element of control through ongoing dialogue with the local mayor:

“Quite a few of my projects have been treated like that. Design in China is not well respected. As a culture, we still don’t value quality design. Red Ribbon is typical in that my original design has been changed during the process of management.

In the beginning, my design was wild and messy nature, but in order for the city to attract people and tourism, they keep adding things. I’ve tried to stop that through communicating with the local mayor.

To some degree, he accepted my criticism and tried to stop the changes, but it is usually the local managers who add these things. They think that this will increase the value of the park.”

When Shenyang Architectural University moved from the heart of the city to a large suburban campus, Kongjian and his team at Turenscape were commissioned to design its new home.

The site was formally a rice field, with quality soil and an irrigation system still in place. Only a tiny budget was allocated for landscaping, and the timeline allowed just six months for design, development and construction.

The answer to such a brief lay in the land’s original purpose, and Kongjian turned once again to agriculture for inspiration.

A functional campus rice paddy was conceived, with walkways and small open platforms interspersed amongst crops surrounding the university. Instead of ornamental gardens, a productive landscape is offered as an example of sustainable practices, with students and staff immersed in farming processes and using the land as an opportunity for learning.

‘Golden Rice’ produced and harvested on campus has become a promotional tool, its widespread distribution raising awareness of China’s serious food production issues in response to urbanisation, while offering an inspiring and sustainable solution.

10 years on, the rice paddy continues to be an iconic feature of the campus, and, according to Kongjian, is functioning even better than when planted, with the system having matured and surrounding trees growing well.

‘Shenyang Jianzhu

University Rice Field’

Landscape Architecture,

2003



Why does Kongjian refer to landscape architecture as an ‘Art of Survival’?

What are some of the challenges Kongjian faces as a landscape architect in China?

Describe Kongjian’s preferred aesthetic for landscape design. What does he value, and what is his motivation?

Browse through the projects documented on Turenscape’s website, or conduct a Pinterest search for Kongjian Yu. What features can you see that are typical of Kongjian’s style?

turenscape.com/english

Design your own sustainable urban landscape, and write a rationale explaining your choice of plants, features, and design elements and principles.

Who are some of the specialists employed as part of the team at Turenscape?

How does Kongjian measure the success of his projects?

How is Kongjian’s own apartment an example of sustainable architecture? What ‘low carbon’ features could you add to your own home, or your dream home?

How is The Red Ribbon an example of Kongjian’s ‘minimum intervention approach’ to landscape architecture?

How has the integrity of the project been threatened since its completion?

What factors influenced the designof the campus rice paddy at the Shenyang Architectural University?

Can you find any Melbourne-based landscape designers? Is sustainability a priority in their practices?

Key words in Kongjian’s profilewhat do they mean?

• Urban elite• Ornamental• Biodiversity• Holistic• Multidisciplinary

See and hear more about Kongjian’s work:

Turenscape’s Website:turenscape.com/english

Kongjian talks about his development of Houtan Park in Shanghai, where polluted water is cleaned through a natural filtration system.

youtube.com/watch?v=l0cwFpHPT0Y

online.agideas.net/webcast/kongjian-yuMust be logged in to view this content.

About Kongjian

http://www.turenscape.com/english

http://www.turenscape.com/english

http://youtube.com/watch?v=l0cwFpHPT0Y

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/kongjian-yu


After designing sets and working as a lighting consultant, Cindy-Lee Davies launched Lightly in 2005 with a homewares range based on designs inspired by her grandmother’s lace doilies. Using laser cutting to reproduce the beauty and delicacy of the patterns, she gained instant recognition with her new decorative style, dubbed ‘nana technology’. Drawing on nostalgic references, she combines discarded and recycled objects with new materials and technologies.

Sydney-born Nicolas Hogios is Chief Designer at Toyota Motor Corp Australia, where he focuses on the development of models for the Asian and Australian car markets. He has played a key role in the styling of the Toyota Sportivo Coupe Concept, the Aurion and Asian Camry. As someone who ‘can’t imagine life without design’, Nicolas says it is the truly global nature of his work with Toyota that is so challenging and satisfying.

Recognised as one of Australia’s most talented milliners, Richard Nylon of Melbourne creates highly original couture headwear that has been described as ‘wearable art of innovative design and imagination’. Firmly established as a leader in his elite field, Richard teaches Millinery Design and Construction at RMIT University and is President of the Millinery Association of Australia.

Industrial Design

Cindy-Lee Davies

Nicolas Hogios

Richard Nylon

Leah Heiss is a Melbourne-based artist and designer who utilises advanced technologies and collaboration, working with experts from a diverse range of disciplines including nanotechnology, medicine, manufacturing and fashion design. Amongst her work is a range of diabetes jewellery that improves the lives of those living with the condition, and a neckpiece that removes arsenic from drinking water.

Agnete Enga is a Senior Service Designer at Making Waves in Olso, where she focuses on the improvement of digital services through a people-centred approach to design. Agnete was also a founding member of Femme Den, a branch of Smart Design based in New York who aim to ‘save good women from bad products’ and promote a deeper understanding of gender in product design.

Leah Heiss

Agnete Enga

Australia



2011

Richard Nylon is a milliner who makes hats from the strangest of things, and sometimes for the strangest of reasons. He once made a hat to promote wine in a can, and loves to shrink wrap feathers. He’s adorned a headpiece with crocodile teeth, fashioned a flower from wood, and cut the shape of a bird from a plastic bowl.

“What I love about my millinery,” says Richard, “is I get a chance to really experiment, and get my ideas out in the open.”

Richard produces hats and headpieces for a broad range of clients and demands. Whether an experimental work or a crowd-pleasing creation, his millinery is always imbued with a signature love of glamour, texture and detail. Creative and corporate projects include headwear for runway shows, exhibitions, photo shoots and advertising campaigns. He also produces couture and designer pieces for the bridal market, and is particularly in demand during Melbourne’s Spring racing season.

During the busiest months, two interns join Richard in his Fitzroy studio, while at other times, an assistant is employed three afternoons a week. An area for sales has been delegated in the studio space, and it’s here that Richard personally meets with clients for consultations and fittings. But mostly, Richard can be found working alone, enjoying the solitude and limited distractions.

On Sundays and Mondays, however, Richard works as a sales assistant in Myer’s designer women’s wear department. It’s a job that provides a financial boost, social interaction, and opportunities to learn more about what women wear and buy.

“If I don’t get out in the world, I’ll be a hermit,” says Richard. “I need an excuse to leave the studio because I can quite happily live here and just have my own hours. That’s part of the creating process, you know, being around the materials.

So it’s good to have another thing that you are forced to do.”

Millinery is a discipline that invites innovation, and Richard loves to explore the potential of an unusual material or method. His more adventurous creations evolve through a highly experimental and playful approach, as he tackles a new technique, process or product with gusto. Mesh is a favourite for Richard, who loves the way it captures light, and he has recently explored ways to work with woven stainless steel made for use in water filtration systems:

“I’ve been ringing people up and they think I’m really peculiar when I say I’m using it for hats! It’s beautiful and lightweight, and it’s literally knitted like you would knit a yarn. You can make it into things that would be very acceptable at a retail or wholesale level.”

Corporate commissions sometimes demand the use of unusual materials to promote a new product or event, or draw attention to a brand. Richard has even fashioned Tupperware into elegant headwear to launch the company’s Spring collections. Pleated plastic bowls were cut and twisted into playful swirls, while delicate birds were cut with scissors from bowls in vivid blue.

When presented with Richard’s concept for the piece, the team at Tupperware took a little convincing:

‘Zephyr Headpiece’

Millinery

Industrial Design: Millinery Richard Nylon


“I didn’t draw anything, I just had the idea in my head” Richard explains, of the design process for ‘Astrea’.

“I have this thing where I can turn designs over in my head and see them in three dimensions. I know it sounds peculiar. I can see how things will work in 3 dimensions, but it’s hard to get that on to a page. So I just get the materials, and I get the design head that I use, and just pin things on.”

Not all clients and their needs, however, invite such an organic developmental process. A race goer needs a couture hat, for example, that contributes to her entire ensemble, and is worthy of wearing at such a fashion-focussed event. The bride needs a headpiece to complement not only her dress and hair, but also the style, mood and location of her wedding day.

For clients such as these, Richard follows a more structured design process that begins with a one-on-one consultation in his Fitzroy studio. This important meeting reveals vital information used in the generation of ideas. Richard explains:

“You can tell from the first meeting, by looking at the way they dress, whether a client is conservative, extravagant, likes to be the centre of attention or if they’re more shy. It’s a bit like being a psychiatrist or psychologist. You’re thinking, ‘what will please this person?’ because you have to work with their requirements. It’s a cold reading in a way. So you ask a few questions, what are you wearing, what’s the occasion, which colours are you drawn to, what shapes do you like the most?”

“They said, ‘but where’s the product?’ I said, ‘It’s there! You’re launching spring, spring is about birds, it’s about swallows and movement and prettiness.’

They went away and thought about it and said, ‘well yes, that’s alright’.

When they saw the hat, they were so thrilled with it. They entered it into a competition called Transformations in Tupperware, and I was beaten by a woman who made a wedding dress out of milkshake containers! I remember thinking, I was robbed!!”

Other materials explored by Richard include sandpaper, wood laminate and gold foil, while feathers are a strong and enduring favourite. A recent commission by Rockhampton Art Gallery saw Richard fashion a headpiece from crocodile leather and teeth using a process that was intuitive rather than planned. With an open brief, Richard’s only constraints were foundin the material itself.

The crocodile’s back strap was chosen for its thick, textural and primitive qualities, then dyed, chopped, drilled, punctured with bleached crocodile teeth, and reconnected with golden pins. The resulting work entitled ‘Astrea’ is delicate in shape despite the toughness of the skin, while echoing the crocodile’s symmetrical form and tapered tail.

“I wanted the piece to look beautiful but quite fierce,” explains Richard, “a bit like the crocodile itself”.

Works such as this are the product of Richard’s material-driven approach to design, with drawings rarely the starting point for the development of ideas.

‘Astrea’

Crocodile Skin & Teeth

Rockhampton Art Gallery

2014


“A large percentage of my work now is finely beaded little pieces. Some people want more extravagant stuff, but it’s been good to know what people actually want. That leads you to a little bit of mass production, where you can actually invest in a style, and that style keeps selling.

One of the wonderful things about bridal is that every woman who walks into the boutique is a new customer, so you can show them a style that’s sold for years, and chances are they’ll like it again. It’s not like the vagaries of the fashion industry where every season something has to be new.”

Richard’s bridal creations are made in collaboration with long-time friend Gwendolynne Burkin, a Melbourne-based fashion designer whose bespoke bridal couture is romantic, timeless and feminine, but also modern and refined.

The pair met 20 years ago, with a shared love of dressing up prompting a partnership based on mutual admiration and a complementary aesthetic. In the early days, Richard’s extravagant hats would partner Gwendolynne’s ready-to-wear collections during catwalk shows. When Gwendolynne chose to specialise in made-to-measure bridal wear, Richard made headpieces and veils to match, and continues to offer this service to ‘Gwendolynne’ brides.

Their studios, in fact, sit side by side above the ‘Gwendolynne’ salon, amongst the colourful hustle and bustle of inner-city Fitzroy. But Richard’s collaborations reach further afield than the bridal world, and he’s always awaiting a new challenge.

“I have a range of things there in front of them to try on, so I can say ‘do you like the idea of this, or is it the colour of that one that you like more?’ I ask them to go and pick their outfit, and bring the garment in. We hold it up and have a look at the proportions. It’s a bit like flower arranging, it’s about colour and form and shape.”

Richard’s sales position at Myer provides invaluable opportunities to practice skills in listening, questioning and interpreting the needs of women, as he assists in the selection of garments to suit a style, body shape or occasion.

“When I’m working there, it’s about asking reflective questions: what’s the occasion, such as a son’s wedding, or a customer might ask for something with a sleeve, all that sort of stuff. Once you drill down and find out what they are really wanting, it makes it quite easy to select stuff for them. Just asking reflective questions and being able to read unspoken things as well makes it easier.”

After an initial client consultation, Richard develops a design sketch based on the ideas discussed, and sends this with a quote to the client for approval. A fitting is scheduled during the hat’s creation, with a final fitting arranged two weeks before the client’s event. Couture hats and headpieces require a minimum of three months for the design and construction process.

A large proportion of Richard’s work is created for the bridal market, with delicate veils and finely beaded headpieces custom-made for brides. Richard also offers a range of exclusive bridal designs featuring popular styles that have endured from season to season.

‘Lorraine Headpiece’

Millinery


Ideas were generated through relaxed but fruitful discussions and informal brainstorming sessions:

“Phillip is very open to suggestions from the people he collaborates with,” Richard explains. “He, Toni and I sat down and just chucked out ideas and we’d say, ‘Oh yes, that sounds good, let’s do that. That sounds fun’. It wasn’t presenting designs on paper and it wasn’t a big PowerPoint presentation. It was three people getting together who are of a similar mind set, with all these ideas evolving together, and then we would do a rehearsal and just work things out. I’d like to say it happened in an organic way, but it was all quite organised too.”

Headpieces were made to adorn the dancers and complement their bird-like movements, with feathered arrangements decorated with mirrors and magnifying lenses. These captured and reflected the light, suggesting the treasures of a bowerbird’s nest. Scenes were defined by changes in dress, with graphic black and white plumage followed by fluttering masks in vivid hues, then glorious tribal-inspired crests in rustic tones.

Richard’s efforts for ‘Aviary’ in collaboration with Toni Maticevski were recognised with a prestigious Helpmann Award for ‘Best Costume’ in 2012.

Clearly, the nature of Richard’s work is broad and ever changing, with some clients more adventurous than others and open to new ideas. Understanding current trends, and what people want to wear is a large part of his millinery practice, and essential in delivering pieces that really impress:

“I will work for anybody who has a creative idea. It’s basically people having the courage to actually ask me and trust what I can do.”

He’s recently worked with couture fashion designer Jason Grech on a selection of edgy headpieces for a runway show, but laments the limited opportunities for courageous or innovative styling amongst the local fashion scene.

“In Australia, there are only a certain number of people who do really spectacular catwalk shows. It’s mainly because of money, and mainly because nobody can criticise a catwalk show where the hair is parted straight down the middle and the makeup is minimal.

Nobody can criticise that. The worst they can say is it’s boring. But if you do a really styled and over the top show then people can find ways to criticise it. That’s why fashion editors wear black. It’s not a criticisable thing.”

The theatrical exuberance of Richard’s headwear is perfectly suited to the world of performance, where movement, sound and story add new dimensions to his sculptural creations. A sumptuous collection of bird-inspired headpieces were made for ‘Aviary: A Suite for the Bird’, a work by contemporary dance company BalletLab, and choreographed by its founder Phillip Adams.

Costumes were developed in collaboration with fashion designer Toni Maticevski, while working closely with Phillip to realise his vision.

‘Aviary Headpieces’

Millinery, BalletLab

Aviary: A Suite for the

Bird, 2011


“Like with anything, hat trends come and go. Sometimes the hats will be larger and sometimes smaller, and you have to do what people are wanting.

Of course, I do a few more experimental pieces that are a bit more adventurous. You’ll always have some people who want that too. But generally, you have to go where the fish are biting, I guess.

So that’s what I try and do.”


62



Visit Gwendolynne Burkin’s website, and consider how Richard’s bridal collections complement her style and audience.

gwendolynne.com.au

How does Richard’s collaboration with Toni Maticevski for BalletLab’s ‘Aviary’ compare to his work with Gwendolynne Burkin? How do the resulting costumes and headpieces reflect the theme of the work, and complement one another?

How does Richard’s sales position in the designer women’s wear department at Myer assist him in understanding his target audience? What other strategies does he use in order to determine the needs of his clients?

Compile an annotated collection of Richard’s hats and headpieces made from a broad collection of materials.

How is the bridal market different to the mainstream fashion industry?

Key words in Richard’s profilewhat do they mean?

• Couture• Bespoke• Corporate• Intuitive• Organic

In 2013, Richard’s ‘Green Universe’ collection was shown at Melbourne Spring Fashion week. View the creations and read about their inspiration, then write about how Richard has used materials, methods, and design elements and principles to interpret the cellular structures of flowers.

richardnylon.com/our-creations/green-universe

Browse through the gallery of hats and headpieces featured on Richard’s website. Choose two contrasting creations, and compare Richard’s use of design elements and principles such as colour, form, texture, pattern, balance and hierarchy.

richardnylon.com/millinery-8/gallery

Compare the purpose, context and audience of headwear created by Richard for brides, race goers and corporate clients.

How do these factors influence the design of each creation?

Drawing is rarely used as a starting point for the development of Richard’s creations. How does he prefer to generate and explore ideas?

How does Richard’s design process differ for the development of experimental headpieces to that explored for bridal or race wear?

online.agideas.net/webcast/richard-nylon

About Richard

http://gwendolynne.com.au

http://richardnylon.com/our-creations/green-universe

http://richardnylon.com/millinery-8/gallery

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/richard-nylon


Industrial Design: Automobile

Australia

Nicolas Hogios

Nicolas Hogios was six when he drew his first car, a simple but beautifully crafted sketch that heralded a life-long passion for automotive design.

In 1999, as a recent industrial design graduate, Nicolas won the inaugural Ford – Wheels magazine Young Designer of the Year award. Work in the industry ensued, firstly at Ford and now in the sought-after position of Chief Designer at Toyota Motor Corp Australia. Based in Port Melbourne, Nicolas works at Toyota’s Australian design studio, where he focuses on the development of models for the Australian and Asia Pacific car markets.

In his role as Chief Designer, Nicolas heads a small design studio of around 25 staff. His skill set involves the management of design projects, cost control, presenting concepts and negotiating design directions with varying specialist groups at Toyota, and anticipating future market trends in conceptual automotive design. Travel is frequent in an effort to understand other markets in which a car will be sold, and how future designs might reflect these alternative contexts.

Nicolas has also spent a couple of years living and working in Japan. “We work a lot in the Asia Pacific region so we have to see how people use their cars, what they do with them and how they drive them. A car that looks very normal here, actually looks quite premium in other markets.”

Security is tight at the studio, and strict measures are in place to fiercely protect concepts before their release. “Security is the lifeblood of what we do,” Nicolas explains.

“Being a long lead time type of activity, if something gets out early, then competitors have time to react. There’s protocols in place that our parent company in Japan expect us to maintain, and clearances are needed to get data from certain projects globally, and to control and manage that data; whether it be drawings, sketches, photographs or 3D data.”

With new cars taking years to develop, much of Nicolas’ focus is placed on protecting the integrity and spirit of an original concept as it moves through the design and production processes: “The more you protect your original theme, the more the original design intent will shine true and the more successful the end result. If it gets muddied through the process (which can be quite long) then it’s less likely to be a clear and concise design.”

Design briefs are issued from the office of Toyota’s Chief Engineer, and will determine the vehicle’s customer and the market in which it will be sold.

Input is sought from sales and marketing departments, product planning and engineering, while the non-adjustable physical constraints of the proposed car are identified. These constraints are called ‘hard points’, and Nicolas and his team will sometimes challenge and negotiate such restrictions during the early stages of a car’s evolution.

The development of ideas begins for Nicolas with a simple sheet of paper and pen. Days or weeks of thumbnail sketching focus on form and proportion, with the car’s silhouette established before developing its details.

‘Sportivo Coupe’

Concept Drawing Cross

Segment Design Study,

Toyota 2004


2011


‘Sportivo Coupe’

Industrial Design Cross

Segment Design Study,

Toyota 2004

While other designers might use digital software to explore initial concepts, Nicolas prefers to work manually on the creation ofa ‘tree of ideas’, merging successful portions of concepts and discarding areas that are not so successful.

Chosen concepts are then further refined, reviewed and evolved into digital 3D models, or modelled instead using clay to refine and resolve the car’s form. Nicolas works alongside skilled clay modellers who build over a foam structure with an oil-based styling clay, sculpting, scraping and moulding the form with a variety of specialist tools and machines.

A scale model might be created, or full size versions prepared on large modelling plates that ensure a level work surface. These steel platforms sit in the studio alongside the designer’s workspaces, with rotating turntables, the colour design office and digital modelling areas nearby.

Behind the studio are the non-clean areas: a metal shop, wood shop, a milling machine, and materials housed such as fibreglass, composites, and carbon fibre.

“The clay modellers, digital modellers and designers are always working together,” says Nicolas. “So our studio is designed around the fact that you keep the model as the master.”

Alternatively, digital 3D printing is sometimes used to ‘grow’ and test smaller portions of the car, while larger parts and full sized prototypes might be cut out of foam or clay using the milling machine. But Nicolas prefers to work manually, with a sketch and clay model, “literally raking it out”:

“The hand process I think will always be there. For me to touch and feel is so important. You can’t see things that you can actually feel, like whether there’s a high or low spot. I sit there sometimes on the hood or fender, looking into the distance and just feeling the surface with my hand. It looks quite strange but there’s a reason for that!”

Once the car’s form is resolved, the model is scanned into the digital environment, then further refined and prepared for production over various iterations. Along the way, digital renderings and animations are made in order to present concepts in virtual form to those in other parts of the world, or displayed in the studio on a 6 metre-wide screen.

Projections of the car design at full size help viewers to visualise the impact of its final form. These projections are also used as backdrops over which tape drawings are arranged and rearranged, as refinements are tested and fine-tuned.

A car’s development involves specialists and skills beyond those of just the styling designers, whose main focus lies on the car’s exterior. These include digital modellers, fabricators, studio engineers, and colour designers who prepare textiles, paint colours and interior finishes and trims. The process might take up to two years, and requires careful consideration of those ‘hard points’ established in the brief.

“It’s about creating the form that you want but within a technical package that is dictated. It’s not a one off. You have to make tens of thousands of these things, so it has to work inside a factory environment and quite often it has to work across multiple markets in different cultures.”


Whilst production models must be designed with such constraints in mind, concept cars provide Nicolas and his team with the freedom to design with far less restriction. These are created as one-off prototypes and displayed at motor shows to car enthusiasts and rival companies.

Concept cars are made to showcase and test new technologies or cutting-edge styles, to anticipate design trends, gauge customer reaction and promote a company’s readiness for the future. Nicolas relishes the open briefs offered by concept cars, and the opportunities to design unencumbered by production realities:

“It’s a totally different process and mind-set. Concept cars allow designers to be free, to really explore and come up with ideas. Production cars have a very clear technical brief, cost brief and market brief, and are normally a new model of an existing car. So you have a benchmark.

To design a concept car, we create what are called ‘blue sky designs’. They are non-production related, free-thinking processes used to stay sharp, creative and fresh. We might, for example, want to do a sports car for a particular event, a new age SUV or a city car, but it will just be a very general brief.”

Whilst innovative at the time of their release, a concept car’s features will often feed into the general marketplace, as technologies that enable seemingly futuristic details to be realised. Nicolas recalls working on the Sportivo Coupe, a concept car aimed at 14-18 year olds released in 2004 at the Melbourne Motor Show.

Ground breaking features included a GPS based friend-finder system, speed transponders, a licence key-card that unlocks power as the user gains driving experience, and a portable touch-screen device.

“We had this really cool idea – let’s cut a laptop in half, make it a touch screen and make it portable. About a year ago, the Coupe was in the back storeroom, and I walked past and thought, that’s an iPad!”

In many instances, a concept car won’t contain interior details or functioning parts, but the Sportivo Coupe was a fully functioning, driveable vehicle that cost over one million dollars to create. Today, such budgets are rare and less concept cars are made, but they remain a regular and important part of the output at Toyota.

While security is tight at Toyota’s studio during a car’s development, there is only so much that can be done to protect its design from imitation. Nicolas explains: “When concept cars come out, people see a certain design language and think, ‘Wow! That’s advanced. We should take a bit of that and do our own version,’ so there is a bit of cross-pollination. We’re all working against each other but also with each other.

There are design registrations, but they don’t stop people in certain countries taking the design and changing it a little bit and putting it out as their own. I think for Toyota, the brand D.N.A. goes so deep into the car itself, not just into the look of it but also the quality, the durability and the reliability. That’s what makes a Toyota what it is. And if you add style to it, it’s kind of unassailable really, because it had such a good brand reputation. It’s not so easy to copy that, and that is the competitive advantage.”

‘Aurion’

Concept Drawing, Theme

Sketch, Toyota 2006

‘Aurion Sportivo

Front’

Industrial Design, Toyota

2006


69



Nicolas works alongside various specialists, including those who focus on a car’s interior colours, finishes and trims. Watch and listen to another former agIdeas speaker, Kirsty Lindsay, as she describes her work as a colour and trim designer at Holden.

youtube.com/watch?v=lKr8O2wDF_U

Key words in Nicolas’ profilewhat do they mean?

• Hard points• Blue sky designs• Prototype• Milling machine• Fabricator• Market trends

See and hear about specialist automotive design techniques:

Watch how designers use a full sized tape drawing to explore the proportions of a car design.

youtube.com/watch?v=PuZJO2jGGe0

Watch how the clay modelling process is used to develop a car’s exterior form.

youtube.com/watch?v=VA56iyswi-Q

Clay modeller Damian Lottner describes his use of tools and materials during the development of a car’s design

youtube.com/watch?v=uAjFedlj2rE

Why is security so tight at the Toyota Australia’s design studio?

What specialists are involved in the design development of a car?

What are the specialist skills of a clay modeller, and what is their role in the development of a car’s design?

What are some constraints that Nicolas and his team must consider when developing a car’s design?

Why does Nicolas prefer manual rather than digital processes when developing the form and proportions of a car?

Why are concept cars made? And how is the design of a concept car different to that of a production car?

What do you think of the Sportivo Coupe, a concept car designed for 14-18 year olds? Do you think that it would appeal to its audience?

How might you go about designing a car for the same demographic, and what would it look like?

online.agideas.net/webcast/nicolas-hogios

About Nicolas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKr8O2wDF_U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuZJO2jGGe0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA56iyswi-Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAjFedlj2rE

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/nicolas-hogios

Australia



2012

It is now a decade since Cindy-Lee Davies founded Lightly, an ever-expanding range of lighting and homewares inspired by notions of longevity and nostalgia.

Lightly started in homage of Cindy-Lee’s grandmother Rosemary Estelle Lightly, and was launched in 2005 with a collection inspired by doilies and lace. Delicate bowls, plates and mirrors featured laser cutpatterns in glossy acrylic, and were named after Rosemary’s bridge playing friends, Lovey, Rosie, Tia and Sophia. A collection inspired by cross-stitch patterns followed shortly after, and a decorative signature aesthetic was born.

Dubbed “nanna technology” by Belle Magazine in 2005, Lightly’s collections gained attention for their interpretation of yesteryear crafts using modern and innovative technologies. It’s a style Cindy-Lee refers to as ‘newstalgia’ for its rebirth of a nostalgic person, moment or craft: “I try to design products to remind us of people that we have loved, and places that we have shared. In some way, you’re humanising the product which holds extreme memories and invokes an emotive response.”

Today, Lightly’s range features over one hundred products including kitchen and tableware, lighting, wall décor, accessories, and ceramics. Collections are sold to design stores both here and abroad, while commissions are realised for high-end establishments such as MOMA’s restaurant in New York, special events for clients including Crown Casino, and architectural projects for clients such as Bates Smart Architects.

From Lightly’s head office, showroom and warehouse in Melbourne’s inner city suburb of Collingwood, Cindy-Lee and her team sell to all three markets of wholesale, retail and trade. Products are sold to retailers of gallery shops and design stores, while customers can visit the showroom or Lightly’s online store. Lighting solutions are custom produced at the request of architects and interior designers, with commercial projects encompassing work for hotels, restaurants, bars and retail stores.

“We do a lot more lighting than we used to,” says Cindy-Lee. “My background is lighting, and I managed quite a few lighting places before I went out on my own. So I understand that market pretty well.”

The Lightly team is small, with a core staff of five based at the Collingwood studio. Daily tasks include making, finishing, wiring, sanding and assembling products in-house, as well as preparing invoices, shipping orders, planning collections, developing designs and overseeing social media.

Cindy-Lee’s husband Willie is a photo re-toucher who assists with preparing images for the Lightly catalogue. Contractors are employed when the need arises, including a lawyer and accountant, while web designers, photographers and stylists are employed on a freelance basis. Whilst Cindy-Lee designs the Lightly collections, she concedes that this is only a small part of her role as founder and director of the brand:

“Designing is a small part, maybe 20%. The rest is management, production, logistics, pricing, marketing, media, packaging, branding, conversation, story, there are lots of other elements and boxes to tick.”

Industrial Design: Product Design Cindy-Lee Davies

Rosie Bowl

Lace Bowl

2005


Chrysalis Butterfly

Water Cut China Plates

2008

More than half of the Lightly range is produced in Australia, with long-term relationships forged with factories, and other pieces made from scratch in the studio. But local manufacturing is expensive, and offerings such as materials, techniques and skills are often in limited supply. In many cases, even if manufacturing occurs in Australia, materials must be sourced from abroad.

For pieces in the Lightly collection produced offshore, Cindy-Lee chooses small makers in Asia, often selected during her travels to areas where a material might be crafted.

Choosing a mix of manufacturers from both here and overseas enables Cindy-Lee to offer an affordable product range.

“It comes down to price as well. Our products are affordable as far as a luxury product goes, and that’s really important. Otherwise, you’ll price yourself out of the market.”

Materials used for Lightly collections are also chosen for their sustainable qualities. Recycled cork, rubber, car tyres and discarded ceramics have all been transformed into new pieces that champion the benefits of upcycling. Such choices can be cost-effective too. In response to the global financial crisis, Cindy-Lee set herself a brief to find a locally sourced base product costing no more than one dollar.

Her response was the creation of wall mounted ceramic butterflies water cut from discarded plates and saucers. The project draws similarities between a butterfly’s metamorphosis and the transformation of crockery into something new, and is described by Cindy-Lee as

“tomorrow’s heirlooms from yesterday’s tales”.

“There’s a lot of time management and daily task lists so everyone is on the same page, staff management and training so everyone is doing what they need to do to get things done.”

For Cindy-Lee, the design process often begins with travel. Time away in other contexts provides inspiration, and opportunity to research and design. Choices regarding a material and its manufacture inform the process – what are its qualities? How will it be crafted? Where will it be sourced? Will it be manufactured locally or abroad? Recent Lightly collections have embraced a broader range, including copper, marble, brass and stone. New materials and methods require in-depth research to appreciate their potential, and new connections need to be made:

“A lot of design is material based,” explains Cindy-Lee. “As an industrial designer, different uses of a material resonate with me, and have ever since I started. That has been the innovation of what we do.”

“We were one of the first companies to laser cut and water cut, so I guess that’s a natural progression for me, to actually understand and research the material, and understand its limitation. We look for new factories that can, and are willing to, support what we are wanting to do. A lot of them aren’t in Australia, that’s why sometimes we go offshore.”

Sustainability and ethical work practices are integral to the Lightly brand, and a key motivator for Cindy-Lee. “Landfill doesn’t inspire me” she says, “and neither does producing thousands of items that go on sale the next month. As a business model we try to be as sustainable as possible and support locally made.”


Norma Vase

Ceramic Sculpture

2007

Launches might occur at trade shows, and are supported by press releases, catalogues, and a great suite of images in order to push the product into the marketplace. This year, Cindy-Lee has invested in beautifully styled shots to use across branding campaigns, social media platforms such as Instagram, and on the website.

While print media continue to request simple image cut-outs of products against neutral backdrops, evocative photographs of a product in context are designed to make social media users swoon, communicatinga style and story rather than simply a product’s colour and form.

Lightly’s products regularly feature in lifestyle magazines, and were recently featured in a room renovation on Channel 9 series ‘The Block’. Australian design blog ‘The Design Files’ have included several Lightly pieces in its annual Open House events, attended by thousands of die-hard design fans every year. These opportunities for promotion are priceless, and build interest and a strong reputation through endorsement and association.

“We’ve been blessed in the last 10 years that we’ve never had to pay for a single ounce of media,” Cindy-Lee explains. “I think that it’s just the old story, that good ideas should sell themselves and if they don’t, then you’re in the wrong business.”

On occasion, Cindy-Lee is asked to collaborate on the art direction of a magazine shoot. A recent Christmas-themed spread in Fete Magazine featured Lightly products in lusciously styled and festive shots alongside a short interview with Cindy-Lee about her plans for the holiday season.

The butterflies are sold throughout the world, with over 15,000 saucers and plates recycled since launching the collection in 2008. An early order from design store Anthropology USA required 5000 saucers, and was the cause of great angst for Cindy-Lee who had nightmares for months about op shops and garage sales. Eventually, with her crockery collection complete, Cindy-Lee headed to China where she worked alongside manufacturers to realise the challenge.

Now, almost 7 years on, the butterflies are still going strong, with many hundreds made per month. But is the world running out of vintage crockery, and does Cindy-Lee still scour the shops to keep up with demand?

“I have a couple of people whose business it is to scour op shops,” she explains. “They’ve got their own vintage stores and they go to a lot of house sales. But mostly they find them in op shops. You’d be surprised how many years later there’s the same thing still around.”

Product launches for the wholesale market are planned twice yearly, while lighting collections are launched up to four times a year. “With lighting we’re designing all the time,” says Cindy-Lee, “so we’re launching maybe four times a year. I’ve made up my own rules since the beginning, and I don’t really stick to industry. We’re not a fashion brand, it’s a lifestyle brand, and it’s a timeless design brand. So we work with a mentality of design, rather than a fast fashion mentality.”

Launches and design schedules are pre-planned, and dictated by events in the diary:

“Sometimes you’ll be looking towards an overseas show, which might be August or we might be doing the New York Fair or exhibition. We work towards the time frames that we decide earlier in the year.”


And small companies also do it. We’ve been through that legal process maybe four or five times.”

Having endured some expensive, emotional and exhausting legal battles, Cindy-Lee now prefers to invest her energy in keeping ahead of the pack.

“To be honest I can’t be bothered with the legality and the negativity of it anymore. I prefer just to invest my time in new ideas as a designer. We had a big copyright problem the year after I first launched Lightly. They ripped off the entire brand and collection.

After ten grand of legal fees, the product was taken off the market but I wasn’t compensated for it. Instead of taking it any further, I just booked a ticket to New York and thought, you know what? I’m just going to go to a design show and I’m going to get inspired and then I’m going to move on. And they’ve been trying to keep up ever since!”

“I enjoyed doing that,” says Cindy-Lee, “because that way you can tell your own story about what Christmas is to you, or where your whole inspiration lies for that collection for summer, which gives it a little more depth.”

When considering the skills of a successful creative business owner, Cindy-Lee doesn’t hesitate to identify the importance of understanding intellectual property. Since Lightly’s launch 10 years ago, Cindy-Lee has invested thousands of dollars into registering her lighting and homewares products. Her business name and logo are also registered trade marks.

She’s particularly vigilant when it comes to registering designs that are visually distinctive, inventive and new, but imitations of Lightly pieces continue to be spied at least twice a year.

“A lot of the time people tag us in on an Instagram image, or they will just email us and say, ‘I was in a market in WA and I saw the butterflies being produced’, and things like that. If a big company wants to copy it, they will copy it anyway and they will get away with it.


77



Why were Cindy-Lee’s early Lightly collections described as ‘nanna technology’ and ‘newstlagia’?

Describe how the Tia, Sophia, Lovey and Rosie ranges are characterised by an aesthetic from yesteryear.

The Lightly brand sells to three different markets: wholesale, retail and trade. So, what’s the difference?

Why does Cindy-Lee manufacture Lightly products both locally and overseas?

How does Cindy-Lee employ ethical and sustainable work practices?

How did Cindy-Lee choose to respond to the global financial crisis?

What specialists does Cindy-Lee call upon during the design, production and promotion of Lightly collections?

Designing is only a small part of Cindy-Lee’s role as founder and director of Lightly. What are her other roles and responsibilities?

How does Cindy-Lee protect her intellectual property?

Browse the News – Design section of the Lightly website. Here you’ll find a record of recent photo shoots, styling collaborations, magazine spreads and branding shots featuring the Lightly range.

Take note of how particular colours, textures, patterns and shapes have been grouped together; and how these evoke a mood, theme, context or story.

lightly.com.au/news/category/design

Cindy-Lee has invested in beautifully styled shots to use across branding campaigns. What is an interior stylist, and how are they different to an interior decorator?

Key words in Cindy-Lee’s profile what do they mean?

• Product launch• Press release• Social media platform• Print media• Trade show• Art direction• Lifestyle brand

online.agideas.net/webcast/cindy-lee-davies

About Cindy-Lee

http://www.lightly.com.au/news/category/design

http://online.agideas.net/webcast/cindy-lee-davies

www.ideasondesign.net

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