LOOK BEYOND THE OBVIOUS

Interview with me by Charlie Behrens 23-05-2011
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C: You took the ABC diploma in Graphic Design last year. How does the FdA feel in comparison?
Å: I feel it's quite different because during the ABC course we were in almost every day. We'd sit in class working, having the tutors constantly walking around helping us. I liked that because I was new to the subject so that helped me a lot. On the FdA we come in just a couple of hours a week, show our work and get brief feedback, before working on our own again. This means it's a lot more up to us to be able to work independently. I like both ways and if feels like we have moved up a level this year.

C: What do you feel you have learnt in the last year? Can you sum up what you know now that you didn't know at the beginning of the course?
Å: It's quite hard to be specific. I can't say I've learnt that much technical stuff - except letterpress - which I had never done before. Of course I have become better at some technical bits, since I've been working in the programs for another year now. Doing this course and seeing all the different pieces of work that surrounds me has imp

roved my "eye" for what "good graphic design" is. What I feel I have improved the most though, is being able to present and talk about my work in front of other people. We have been doing that constantly this year: presenting our ideas to the teachers and other students but also pitching our ideas like we did on the Wallpaper* project to their Art Director. I just feel more confident talking about my work, even though it is in English.

C: So in that way more professional communication?
Å: Yes, definitely, and that will help me a lot later on when I work with this sort of stuff.

C: Tell me about the GDF project.
Å: In the beginning I thought the GDF project was quite stressful because I thought we had to do more work than we needed in the end. I wasn't used to "just" presenting our ideas, or to pitch them with a pdf. I was used to having ideas, developing them, and then printing and presenting one of them. I feel it was interesting and good for me to learn about ideas generation - rather than just having one idea that I like and developing that - only to sometimes have problems with it. It was good for me to learn about these steps and thinking about the client, message and target audience instead of just the design and outcome. Having said that, I'm not really into advertising so I cant say it was the most fun project of the year.

C: Do you feel like your capacity for ideas generation and your ability to come up with ideas has become quicker now compared to when you first did it with the GDF project?
Å: It depends on what project really. For an example, on the Wallpaper* project we had to try and come up with ideas on how they could market themselves in ways they haven't done already, which was quite hard because they've done so much. You can get stuck in the clichés. So that took time, but I guess with all new projects, if you haven't done anything similar before it will take time. If I were to go back to the GDF now, or just have the same target audience or message as I've had before I would definitely do it quicker. It's just a matter of experience - if you've done research for something similar before you're bound to do it quicker.

C: How have you found the experience of blogging like we have done during this year?
Å: In the beginning I thought it was quite easy and fun. I was just continuing to do my blog that I started 8 months before, changin

g it from being private as it was to more uni-related posts. Later on, maybe during the second term I was really into the ISTD and Wallpaper* projects and spent a lot of time on them, so the blog became something I had to do and something I was constantly feeling bad about not doing enough. To be honest, maybe I should have started a new blog only for the course and people involved in the projects and used it more as a diary of my work process, instead of how it's been, with me being too precious about putting up stuff I'm not really proud of.

C: Have you had a lot of freelance work during the course?

Å: Yes I have, actually - mainly lot of family and friends related stuff though. I did a logotype for one of my mums nursery schools, which they've used on jackets and trousers. I've done an 80 page book for my brother, an artist, with his work as content which will be printed any day now. I've also done two websites. One of them went live just the other day, while the other one will be up pretty soon. They're both for a friend who wanted one for his art and one for his production company. They both included branding as well. I did a poster for a music event taking place in Stockholm. I've also done a CD cover for some friends' rock band.

C: How does it feel doing that the same time as your uni work? Do you find yourself prioritising the freelance work?
Å: Yes I do. Although I feel like I've done well at uni as well so I've been able to do both. The freelance work feels very important in the way that it will stand out in my portfolio. With the uni work, a lot of other students will have similar stuff to me. Of course, with the freelance work you want to do it well because a client is involved who will use the work in reality - and is perhaps paying for it.

C: What do you like most about LCC?
Å: I like just being in the college and seeing all the students, who are all very creative. It's a very good environment that I get a lot of inspiration from. There's always some sort of exhibition going on to look at.

C: Tell me about the work based learning projects.

Å: I did ISTD, a typography based one, and Wallpaper*. I liked them both very much. They were very different from each other. The ISTD one was nice to actually produce an outcome, and just being really into layout only using type. The Wallpaper* one was more about pitching or selling your idea. I think I liked that one mostly because I'm a big fan of the magazine and it was exciting to meet the art director, work with him, get his feedback and also see their office.

C: Darren Raven's beard vs. Paul Bailey's hair. Discuss.
Å: Haha! Paul has got a similar haircut to me - at least he used to, so I sort of have to go for that don't I? But Darren looks good in his beard! I haven't seen him without it though? Maybe he's got a picture of that on his Facebook? I'll definitely have to look into that.

C: Do you know what field you would like to specialise within after next year?
Å: I'm still going to say editorial design. It's something about how to combine text and images that attracts me, and the feeling of something printed. I studied media and communication before and did a magazine for my FMP on the ABC course. This year, my ISTD project was quite magazine-layout inspired, and I chose the Wallpaper* one as well. Now we're doing a book, which I mostly enjoy doing the layout for. So at the moment it feels like I'm moving towards that. But who knows? At the end of my career I will want to have tried many different fields.

C: I like that you're not into advertising - so many people are! Who and what has influenced you during this year?
Å: I can't really say one person. Like I said before I get a lot of inspiration coming to LCC and doing this course, you sort of have to look at stuff and do research on contemporary design. Just being in London and meeting all these different people is very inspiring too. I get a lot of inspiration from looking at other people's work on the net. A lot of my friends put links on their Facebook with things they find interesting. So, very geeky but, everything I guess.

C: How is the book project going?
Å: Haha! Well, I might have been a bit late starting this whole project. Having too much fun, enjoying London in other ways then "through the eyes of a designer". But I think I'm doing ok. I sort of trust myself that I will come up with something ok in the end. 2 weeks to go. Yeah!