RESEARCH
Sketchbook research, analysis and idea's for Week 8.
What would you like to be doing in your work that you are not currently doing?
My current design situation resonates with Simon Manchipp, Sam Winston and Tom Finn. Both designers can't imagine doing anything other than what they are currently doing because they love it so much. Manchipp is still at Someone twenty years later because he doesn't want to be anywhere else. Clients continued demands provide the diversity, work variety and perpetual need for a different mindset and thinking that both stimulate and challenge him. I have always judged in-house designers as not having the talent or ambition to be content working on the same brand day in and day out.
The self-proclaimed artist and maker Winston finds engagement and fascination in influencing the values of culture and society through design (Finding the Gaps 1, 2020).
Tom Finn of Regular Practice is doing what he loves, because in his words, 'he made it happen' (Finding the Gaps 1, 2020). This feels true of most successful designers. Over the years I have as Brian Eno suggested, taken maximum advantage of my unique skill sets to create a niche for myself (Eno, 2017) in the market that allows me to design in the area or medium I love.
How vital are side projects?
If you are an employee, then side projects are a great creative outlet and can provide relief and take the pressure off work by engaging in something you are passionate about and bring in additional income early on in your career as mentioned by Julian House of Regular Practice (Finding the Gaps 1, 2020). I started my business and bought my first apartment off the back of three years of freelancing after work.
Simon Manchipp wisely makes us aware of the time constraints and pressures that come with owning your own design business or agency, managing staff, clients and work that doesn't allow the time for side projects. Interest, stimulation and excitement are also generated from your business which doesn't leave motivation to search for it else-where. Every day I have focused my energy and expertise solely on my business it has thrived, and I have felt for-filled.
Simon Manchipp, Kristoffer Soelling, Sarah Boris, Julian House and Adrian Talbot echo the same reasoning with regards to side projects. For those who do have time, they provide a sense of authorship that define you as a designer. From beginning to end, there is no compromise, client interjection; no-one can tell you what to do, or how to do it, you have ownership and can be self-indulgent and true to yourself in what you create and put out into the world (Finding the Gaps 2, 2020).
Creative aids.
Brian Eno's 115 deck of cards known as Oblique Strategies is a method of promoting creativity by challenging constraints intended to help break the creative block, routine, encourage lateral thinking or to rethink part of a project (Eno, 2017). It's designed to spark creative connections unobtainable through regular modes of work.
What would your closest friend do? Work at a different speed. Honour they error as a hidden intention. Ask your body. Try faking it (Marshall, 2018)! I prefer bouncing ideas off of an art director I work within a close collaboration.
Fig. 1: Open Culture, 2018.
The importance of vulnerability.
I have to admit that before delving into this, I had associated vulnerability with weakness. I saw it as something to be disguised as insecurities were hidden. Emma Seppala's, 2014 Harvard Business Review debunks this myth by educating us on the inspiration and authenticity of vulnerable leaders. They build trust and connections while inspiring an increase in work performance (The School Of Life, 2017). 'Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it dares us to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. It is not a weakness; it's our most significant measure of courage'(Fahkry, 2018). I would caution understanding when to utilize being vulnerability. Vulnerability aids in cementing client and employee relationships, but when it comes to presentations and deadlines, confidence and assertiveness may help you sell a concept more effectively.
Fig. 2: The School Of Life, 2017.
ANALYSIS
I wanted to start my analysis with a pivotal perception shared by the likes of Manchipp, Winston and Finn. I love every aspect of my packaging design career and company and wouldn't change a single life choice or direction that has led me to where I am today. I believe Finn and I have journeyed down the same path in immense job satisfaction because 'we made it happen' (Finding the Gaps 1, 2020).
Although I specialized in packaging design at college and for the first three years there-after, I began my company as a broad-based graphic designer. As the market became saturated with cookie-cutter designers and unrealistic, competitive costings, I took a strategic shift back towards packaging design. As Brian Eno advised, I capitalized on my niche skills (Eno, 2017) and unique talents, creating a unique and profitable market position.
Packaging Design is immensely more complex and technical than other design disciplines. It requires vast knowledge and understanding of design, brand structure, print, production, packaging legislation, substrates and materials, finished art and an understanding of retail shelves. I could, as a single entity designer, offer that of an agency team at competitive pricing.
I lack knowledge and skills in all digital mediums, including social media, interactive design and websites. Where I would benefit from a broader understanding of this category, I have no desire to delve into it and would prefer to focus my energies on what I am good at and enjoy. Julian House attributed his success to not trying to be everything to everyone, but instead directing your skills towards your passions (Case Study, 2020).
I disagree with Brian Eno's Creative Potential in that I don't believe great ideas are generated solely by communities and collective intelligence (Eno, 2017). My methodology lends more to that of Sam Winston in that I am more effective and productive when working in isolation (Case Study, 2020). I do collaborate, when necessary with an illustrator, finished artist, copywriter, 3D renderer, web-designer and art director, but this is to capitalize on their skills and save me time in execution. I have of late, found it beneficial to bounce ideas around with an art director friend of mine as it speeds up the conceptual process. On the whole, though I am more comfortable with isolation.
Manchipp made mention of side projects and freelancing as a means to bring in additional income and develop new skills (Finding the Gaps 2, 2020). I began freelancing in my second year of design. It provided me with the funds I needed to buy my first apartment. It taught me the need for time management, speed, craft, client service skills, print set up and production while giving me the confidence needed to start my own company three years later.
I currently share the same sentiments as Manchipp in that running a company just doesn't leave time for anything else. The variety and challenge that comes from designing a diverse range of products provide the compelling, strategic stimulation that I would otherwise be seeking from side projects (Finding the Gaps 2, 2020). A few years into my business, complacency had set in, and I began different courses and ventures from sewing, teaching dance and photography to a company that exported hides. When I refocused that energy solely on my packaging company, the profits increased, work poured in, new and exciting projects arose, and I felt newly invigorated and satisfied. I realized I couldn't split my focus and instead find the most joy in having one very successful venture than many mediocre ones.
I am driven and aspirational with a goal-orientated life plan I have religiously stuck to since I was young. Buy a house at twenty-four, set up a company at twenty-six, grow profits and reputation by thirty. My Master's degree is the only venture still to be conquered and mainly because it wasn't an available option in South Africa when I first started studying. It began motivated by ego, but the intellectual stimulation and fascination I have found through the resources and writing have provided the engagement I didn't know I was looking for. I do not want life and work to be complacent and comfortable as I thrive on challenge and achievement.
During lockdown and before I considered my masters, I began writing a book on packaging design called 'packaging matters.' The resource Keep Going resonates here in that the more I delved into the research and writing the longer and more complicated things became. The knowledge expanded my skill sets and aided my company, but I am going to pace myself and just keep going until one day it is finished (School of Life, 2015). I take assurance from Sarah Boris and who can sit for years with a project before it is completed (Finding the Gap 2, 2020).
I am a perfectionist, which is a poor master, but a good slave (Boyes, 2020). The downside is that I do waste time and money on relatively unimportant decisions and designs, and I can get excessively annoyed with myself over small mistakes, which is draining. It is a trait I have had to learn to balance over the years as the benefits are a highly competitive nature and enhanced creativity through stubbornness, attention to details and meticulous craft. My reputation in packaging design is a result of this.
Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity, and the price one pays to imagine the future. It is acute in highly creative people because they tend to have an overly active mind. Perfectionism, time constraints, self-imposed high standards, drive, expectations and fear of failure are all contributing factors that can be managed by taking a breath and creating a lifestyle that supports calm and relaxation (Crowell, 2020). Early on in my career, this was debilitating and inhibited my creativity (Boyes, 2020). Managing this has been instrumental in how I have structured my business and ways of working.
Fig. x: Help Guide, 2020.
I have a beautifully designed, classical packaging studio shop-fitted into my Victorian house looking out onto a lush and tranquil garden. I travel yearly in search of visual inspiration which I fill my shelves with, adding colour and inspiration to my office space. I work in isolation and collaborate via online platforms which allows for a calm working environment. I am fortunate enough at this point in my career to have built up the financial security to pick and choose those projects and clients that benefit me, which aligns with Brian Eno's views that earning an income gest in the way of creativity (Eno, 2018).
Fig. x: Smith, 2020.
I find the conceptual part of a project the most stressful. Unlike Brian Eno, who advocates his oblique strategies and collaboration to solve a problem (Eno, 2018), I prefer giving myself time to let the idea unfold by itself. I allocate two weeks to a month for intense conceptual work. I don't hurry the process and instead contemplate different ideas and approaches in my head while walking in a forest, sitting in traffic, looking at retail shelves and immersing myself in vastly different visual research and reference. The concepts just seem to flow seamlessly from there, and once execution starts; it builds momentum effortlessly through from design, print setup, production to the finished product.
Brian Eno said we are all born unequal; it is our unique gifts and talents that set us apart from everyone else (Eno, 2017). I believe I have built my business around my skills, strengths and passions so that the elements I am lacking are of little consequence. I don't discount the need to evolve, educate and grow, but I believe that is already an intrinsic part of my character and work ethic.
WORKSHOP CHALLENGE
Mind the Gap – What skills do you have? What skills do you need?
Sketchbook research for workshop challenge - Week 8.
SKILLS
Packaging Design
Brand Structure Planning On Mass
Production
In-depth Packaging Legislation Knowledge
In-depth Print Production Knowledge
Finished Art/ Print Set-Up
Retouching
Creating Theatre and Impact on Shelf
Branding & Identity
Client Service
Public Speaking & Presenting
Craft
Moderate Skills in Illustration & Photography
Time-management
Business & Finance
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE I NEED AND WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP
Front Creation
3D Rendering and Modeling
An Understanding of Digital Mediums (Social Media, Websites, Interactive-Design)
Highly Skilled Finished Art Set-Up
Conceptual Focus Over and Above Craft
Mind the Gap Scale Illustration
I found a scale that represents the skills I have and need to develop most accurately. As mentioned in my analysis and further reflected in this illustration, I have directed and shaped my design career into exactly what I want and what has brings me happiness, stimulation and challenge. The skills I currently possess are more than adequate to help me thrive in my speciality, which is why the scale leans so strongly in my favour. I can still develop skills, but they are not detrimental to my progress. The building blocks of skills are represented through iconic bricks; the hollowed-out versions are those skills that still need to be developed. My joy and job satisfaction are shown through the use of a sunny, vibrant colour palette of oranges and yellows, combined with green for wealth, drive and success. The overall composition reflects my positioning clearly and in a cheerfully.
REFLECTION
My first reflection on career advice came from What Colour is Your Parachute, recommending that I follow my passions. I don't think life is that insular or I would currently be miserable and working as a Fine Artist. Purpose was missing from the equasion, it gives you the grit to succeed (Stillman, 2019).
I found validation more than learning in this week's resources and tasks. I share views similar to Manchipp, Winston and Tabolt, that we are doing exactly what we want to be doing and blissfully happy, challenged and stimulated by our career choice and positioning. The advice, recommendations and resources this week feel like lessons I have already worked through in my career, but I took comfort in the shared experience.
I haven't sat idly buy waiting for life to unfold, but instead have used my unique skills and talents to create a successful niche for myself in today's competitive design market. I can see avenues for marginal improvement, but on the whole, I have crafted a business based on my talents, strengths and passion. Even my flaws, be it anxiety or perfectionism have become obstacles I overcame, that shaped my career in the process.
Perhaps that is the key to success is finding something you are highly skilled at and passionate about, so the hard work and diligence comes effortlessly.
Reference: Brian Eno (2017, April 5). How to Beat Creative Block. Available at Brian Eno: How To Beat Creative Block - BBC Click (Links to an external site.)
Reference: Brian Eno (2017, April 5). On Creative Potential. Available at Brian Eno On Creative Potential (Links to an external site.)
Reference: The School of Life (2017, September 21). The Importance of Vulnerability. Available at The Importance of Vulnerability (Links to an external site.)
Reference: The School of Life (2015, March 23). Keep Going. Available at Keep Going (Links to an external site.)
Reference: Brian Eno. Oblique Strategies (lasted, 2018), [Accessed January 16 2019] Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies (Links to an external site.)
Reference: 2020. Finding the Gaps 1, Module GDE710 Contemporary Practice.
Reference: 2020. Finding the Gaps 2, Module GDE710 Contemporary Practice.
Reference: 2020. Case Study, Sam Winston, Module GDE710 Contemporary Practice.
Reference: Marshall, C., 2018. Behold The Original Deck Of Oblique Strategies Cards, Handwritten By Brian Eno Himself. [online] Open Culture. Available at: <http://www.openculture.com/2018/12/behold-original-deck-oblique-strategies-cards-handwritten-brian-eno.html> [Accessed November 9 2020].
Reference Crowell, J., 2020. Anxiety And Creativity: Another View Of Anxiety | Solara Mental Health. [online] Solara Mental Health. Available at: <https://solaramentalhealth.com/anxiety-and-creativity/> [Accessed November 9 2020].
Reference: Fahkry, T., 2018. How To Embrace Vulnerability As Your Greatest Strength. [online] Medium. Available at: <https://medium.com/the-mission/how-to-embrace-vulnerability-as-your-greatest-strength-d2ac2b80ba52> [Accessed November 9 2020].
Reference: Boyes, A., 2020. The Upside Of Perfectionism? Creativity. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: <https://hbr.org/2020/05/the-upside-of-perfectionism-creativity> [Accessed 11 November 2020].
Reference: Stillman, J., 2019. Substituting 'Follow Your Passion' With 'Find Your Purpose' Might Just Be The Key To Career Happiness. [online] Business Insider. Available at: <https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-research-substitute-passion-purpose-career-happiness-2019-11?IR=T> [Accessed 12 November 2020].
Figure x: Open Culture, 2018. Behold The Original Deck Of Oblique Strategies Cards, Handwritten By Brian Eno Himself. [image] Available at:
Figure x: The School Of Life, 2017. The Importance Of Vulnerability. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJsJ96yyVk8> [Accessed 9 November 2020].
Figure x: Smith, R., 2020. Creating a Storm Office Shoot. [image].
Figure x: Help Guide, 2020. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). [image] Available at: <https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad.htm> [Accessed 13 November 2020].