Making contact

I emailed Ady Bibby who is one of the creative directors from True North design agency in Manchester. I asked him six questions that would help me with my journal and my designs in general. I interviewed Bibby over the telephone on the 25^th November 08.

 These are the questions I asked:

1. Can you give me a definition of what ideas means to you?
2. Why do you think ideas are important in design?
3. Do you have a process in coming up with ideas?
4. What do you think of design with out ideas?
5. How would you define aesthetics?
6. How do you over come mental blocks?

 Bibby gave me some really interesting answers that have help me understand why ideas are important in design. These are his answers:

1. Everything is an idea whether it is good, bad or indifferent. In stretching the definition it is a relevant clever way of communicating a message and answering a clients brief in one single way.
2. Designs can be ideas based or red-hot surface graphics and the thin line between these two blurs. Red-hot surface graphics are mainly style or trend based and these come and go and do not stick around. When a design has a clever idea it helps to communicate to the viewer and it is one way of making your work stand out and stick around which means it can work again and again.
3. No and most design agencies are the same. All designers soak up reference from all around them using their brain like a sponge. Some people lock themselves away, listen to music or brainstorm in a group. It is each to their own.
4. Design without ideas is surface graphics. Some of it is really stunning but I am an ideas based person so I like to have an idea within my work.
5. Aesthetics to me is the look, feel and the style of the design. It is back to how pleasing it is to the eye, how it engages to you and how it feels to you. If something is printed on good quality paper then you are more likely to keep it because it feels nice to hold.
6. Take a break from the project, get out of the studio, go for a walk, to a museum, turn the brief on its head and attack it from a different angle.

Wednesday 11 March 2009