A Reason To Design

Joanne CatlowDesign Context

Although visual inspiration has been important within the understanding of my work I feel it is just as necessary to highlight the way my thought process has altered in discovering what graphic design is.

This book contains a collection of quotes, images and outlooks from designers and thinkers which have been turning points in the way I view graphic design. Ultimately I have found a reason to design.

‘Form ever follows function’

Louis Sullivan

The Consult

‘Without constantly scanning, scrutinizing and absorbing everything that goes on around us, we can’t hope to become successful and efficient graphic designers.’

Adrian Shaughnessy

SNASK -Sweden

Triboro Design

‘Everything about it was made to reveal rather than to hide the beautiful thing it was meant to contain.’

Beatrice Warde

Glasford and Walker

HEY Studio

‘Graphic design is not interesting.’

Craig Oldham

Left Loft

[A graphic designer should] ‘prefigure a better world where visual communication would enlighten rather than simply reproduce the prevailing tastes, attitudes and conditions.’

Jobling and Crawley

Due to working on ethical projects do you find there are limitations within the resolution, e.g. print production, quantity? Print production is certainly one of our biggest problems when producing cost effective solutions. We usually don’t have large budgets and we often want 100% recycled solutions which increases prices further. With regards to quantity, this is usually dictated by the client and isn’t affected much at all by our budget. It hasn’t been an issue for us so far. It’s very tough as we would love to use to most luxurious papers and processes however often these don’t comply with the UHC ethics; they are often wasteful and unnecessary. With time restrictions it is often hard to think of alternative solutions but wherever we get chance we like to use hand finishing or similar methods to increase a products worth.

As an ethical studio, do you find there is still a broad range of subjects to work on? Could you give examples of this range? I find working at UHC to be possibly one of the most interesting and educational places to work. The subject matter of our clients briefs are always varied and in the changing world the repeating subjects seldom remain exactly the same. Some examples of the subjects I have worked on personally include; activism, sustainable living, climate change, nuclear war, migration, extinct species, artist’s and designer’s websites, education and a variety of local business’s.

Do you often initiate projects as a studio or are you approached by charities or groups with a set brief? UHC Design haven’t initiated many of our own projects recently. We work closely with and are often commissioned by the art side of the company who are awarded grants based upon our own ideas. We have also been undertaking a number of unpaid briefs lately, we’ve rebranded and promoted the Liverpool Art Prize amongst others. We also help host and produce posters for a weekly movie night at Hotspur House for local creatives, friends and people we work with. As a design studio we are contacted by regular clients such as the Green Party, Greenpeace, Platform London etc with briefs which we undertake just like any studio. When we’ve finished our rebrand and are a bit more organised we plan to get back to initiating our own projects more often.

Do you find, due to the subject heavy focus, that it is easier or more difficult to be creative? Our subjects are almost always loaded with content, messages, issues that inspire us and spark some sort of creative focus. Other than that, we’re all very interested in design so we always have a stock of ideas and techniques that we’ve been waiting to use. Our clients come to us expecting a high standard of design. UHC have been around long enough to build up a bit of a reputation for what we do and we plan to constantly improve the quality of our work and continue to develop without alienating any of our smaller clients.

An interview with Jimmy Edmondson from The Ultimate Holding Company.

‘ENJOY!’

Fred Bates

No Days Off

There will always be more to see and learn and I will constantly change the way I see design as long as I keep an open mind. It is exciting to imagine what will inspire me next.

ThanksJoanne Catlow