Design City: Talent Spotlight

My name is Jack Crossing and I’m 21 years old. I’ve just graduated from Bath Spa University and am currently freelancing and looking for a full time job at the same time. I enjoy all elements of design, especially the typographic ones. Can’t stop working, am always working on something! I enjoy working!

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Design City: Talent Spotlight in London
Interview with Kate Wilson

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TAXI >> How would you describe the design scene in London?

Kate Wilson>>It’s vary varied but at same time incredibly inspiring. There’s everything from classic art in museums to upcoming artists in small galleries. Not only the museums and galleries offer inspiration but so do people on the streets, shops and local events. It’s a bit of a boiling pot of different scenes!

TAXI >>What do you feel is lacking in London's design industry and how do you think you can contribute to the industry, society and economy as a creative individual?

Kate Wilson>>I’d love to see more fostering of new talent...although there are some great exhibitions (like Free Range for new graduates) I’d like to see more sponsorship of talent from all areas of design rather than solely product design and fashion. I hope to bring a sense of fun and a sort of handmade personal feel to the industry. Sometimes design can be a little impersonal and I want someone to feel like they’ve received a really personal gift in buying one of my products.

TAXI >>You transform everyday objects, people and nature into the most charmingly sweet illustrations! For this what tools do you work with, and how do you instil “life” into your illustrations?

Kate Wilson>>I live by my fineliners! As far as tools go I keep it relatively simple...finelines, inks and watercolours and my trusty mac. I’m so inspired by little details that people pass by so I attempt to bring in as many of these into my work as possible.

TAXI >>Is there something that you have not yet been able to capture in this definitive style of yours?

Kate Wilson>>I’d love to work a bit more on human characters as well as my little birds...sometimes I find it hard to convey the same sort of quirks in humans as the little birds!

TAXI >>What do you think is the future of design, let's say in 2020? And how do you think designers will be working then?

Kate Wilson>>I think technology is inevitably going to play a part in future designers work....but I’d love to see a return to the handmade quality in peoples work. With the growing trend in websites like Etsy and Dawanda I think there’s a huge market for design as a gift and a sort of community in this sector. Having said that, in terms of my work I’d love to apply new technology to it, for example using laser cutters to produce 3d illustrations...bringing doodles to life!

I'm a 23 year old London based designer with a passion for doodling. I graduated a year ago from the University of the Arts London with a 1st class degree in BA Illustration. Intrigued by little details that people often pass by, my work always reflects what is inspiring me at that moment. It can be anything from nature, to fashion to found items on the street. My work has always been detailed and on a rather small scale, which people have often commented on as I am am pretty small myself! My most recent work has been illustrations for Marie Claire magazine and a look book for fashion boutique Matches and I'm in the process of developing my "Little Birds" into a wider range of products.

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Design City: Talent Spotlight in London
Interview with Luke Twyman

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TAXI >> How would you describe the design scene in London?

Luke Twyman>>There’s a huge number of creative individuals, which can make it very hard to be seen and heard, and from the perspective of employers/clients, I gather it can be an eternal effort to separate the wheat from the chaff. However it also means that there is an incredible amount of talent out there. There are a lot of opportunities to study and get involved with fun projects, giving individuals the freedom to really self-develop and work on their own ideas. It’s an enjoyable place to work and mix with other like-minded creative types.

TAXI >>What do you feel is lacking in London's design industry and how do you think you can contribute to the industry, society and economy as a creative individual?

Luke Twyman>>I feel the industry can be very shy of veering away from trend and fashion, there’s often a strong need to tap into youth culture and it can mean that some designs age very quickly. While style in some cases is a necessity – certainly in the creative areas I tend to work in, lately I’ve been trying to focus a lot more on design that functions well, still has some soul to it, but hopefully is less likely to date so quickly.

TAXI >>A student of music technology, including creative programming that was self-taught, you have since built up a portfolio of website designs for Mt., Joe Maxwell and Neverest Songs; photo illustration for OFFF Digital Festival's catalogue, and art direction for Motive Sounds. After stepping into the industry, what are the best lessons you have soaked up so far and in what direction are you moving towards for the near future?

Luke Twyman>>With little prior training, my step into the industry was quite naïve and impatient. I find now that I’m still learning a lot of simple design lessons that others in my position most likely picked up at uni. I have learned to take on good criticism, and use it to strengthen work – and of course, it’s good to be a little self-critical and not get too proud. Also, sometimes ideas will just come to you, and other times they simply won't! And that’s something I’ve learned to accept, and that all designers have the same issue. On a purely business level, I’ve learned that as your own company, word-of-mouth is your strongest means of self-promotion. It’s far easier to gain new clients by doing a decent job with existing ones. As for the near future, I’d like to work on some larger, more varied projects. I don’t want to spread myself too thin, but it would be nice to do some more work that isn’t purely web-based.

TAXI >>Your passion originated in handmade creations, which you still find time to indulge in. Robot, a 7cm tall card-model gift, will be featured in a book “Just For You”, published by Index Book. As a designer of both traditional & digital media, which format is a better flex for your creative muscles?

Luke Twyman>>Each format comes with its own challenges and rewards. I think while I love the feeling of creating digital environments, I’ll always be won over by tangible, tactile creations. Some of my favourite work is where I get to combine digital media with some hand-crafted elements. The website for Mt. was largely created from hand drawn illustrations and animation, I certainly plan to use more handmade work with digital media in the future.

TAXI >>What do you think is the future of design on the web, let's say in 2020? And how do you think designers of interactive media will be working then?

Luke Twyman>>While advances in software and how we view the web are inevitable, I think that recently there have been a lot of gadgets and hardware which in ten years time may well have found their way into what we see as the standard home computer set-up. I’m certainly interested to see how we start interacting with, not just the web, but computers and other technology in general. Aside from that, I think already some designers are getting very clever about how they integrate content from other big websites, software, and other internet users into their own web designs. This kind of thing for me gives the web an extra dimension and I’d like to see more of it.

I've had a long running passion for handmade creations, always able to keep myself entertained with paper, pens and scissors. I originally got into creative programming, through developing homemade video games as a passtime. Later as part of my degree I attended crash courses on html and flash basics, and quickly found I was able to combine my creative programming skills with graphic creations and put them to good use. Since then I've mainly been working on freelance projects - primarily web design, but turning my hand at most things clients have requested. In between I also do contractual work with agencies, usually doing flash design. I still like to work on personal design and illustration projects where I can.

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Design City: Talent Spotlight in London
Interview with Toby Triumph

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TAXI >> How would you describe the design scene in London?

Toby Triumph>>Just looking around London as a city it is clear that it’s a melting pot of people, cultures, stories and ideas. Different worlds and attitudes all thrown together to create a vibrant and multi cultural society. Its design world is a reflection of this. It represents the lives of millions of different people living worlds apart in the same city. However, this makes it sounds pretty faceless and anonymous, when in fact it seems to encourage individuality and free expression. Small independent magazines like ‘Ambit’ encourage new talent to be individual and daring, while large international publications like The Guardian are always searching for new pools of creativity to use and promote.

Sitting in the pub on a Friday night with friends who are graphic designers, artists, actors, fashion designers, musicians and models it is clear that a whole art scene exists, where creativity and expression are essential to people’s lives in London. A world exists where different fields of art meet, cross over and inspire on a regular basis. It is far from the life of an under-nourished, pale skinned, lonely illustrator I had thought I would become when I was younger. It is a buzzing, growing, living city that cannot fail to inspire.

TAXI >>What do you feel is lacking in London’s design industry and how do you think you can contribute to the industry, society and economy as a creative individual?

Toby Triumph>>There is a large hole in the design scene that I think can only be filled by more and more Toby Triumph work, a hole so delicate and precious that any other work would spoil the scene entirely. On a serious note, I think that living in London has become so expensive that young designers find it hard to balance a job that will pay the bills and find time to be as expressive, creative and adventurous as they would like.

In my ideal London Art would become a way of life, not just a brief creative release wedged between office hours but an integral part of a designer’s existence. In this way design would become a vehicle to inspire the direction of our everyday lives, and ultimately to provoke change. Maybe this is a naïve, idealistic way to think but alas I am young and foolish.

TAXI >>You passionately pursue success in your field. On the other hand, however, what do you hope your works will achieve with its audience and appreciators?

Toby Triumph>>I suppose I simply want to create a sense of escapism, a small world away from the reality and pressures of society, a world of childish dreaming and simplicity, a safe haven and retreat for the audience to feel part of. I love the fact that people can get lost in an image and feel absorbed within it, I want people to feel like they are momentarily escaping when looking at my work. If the audience look at my work and suddenly believe in cross eyed poet foxes, flying marshmallow cars and morris dancing bears then I will feel utterly proud and satisfied.

TAXI >>You are currently working with traditional tools for your illustrations. Will you be moving towards digital media? What are the differences between the mediums that you can use to your advantage?

Toby Triumph>>I firmly believe that skilled, traditional techniques should remain a key part of illustration and design, I grew up drawing everything I could with a blunt 2B pencil, and I feel that this nurtured hand rendered technique should be the main focus of my work. However, I try to integrate these skills with as much digital media as possible, as I believe that people shouldn’t reject change and technological advances, instead they should embrace and exploit these wonderful changes in any way they can.

The important thing is using these changes in digital media to your advantage while retaining your style and character in your work. If for instance I produce a digitally heavy piece of work, I will try to follow this up with a much more stripped down project, that relies more on hand rendered techniques. Balance is so important, if the design world begins to move too much towards one side of this technology I think the scene would suffer.

TAXI >>What do you think is the future of design, lets say in 2020? And how do you think designers will be working then?

Toby Triumph>>The world has become such a small place, with communication like the internet connecting people all over the world, people no longer need to be in the same room, city or country as their closest friends or working partners, instead working relationships can be successful from other sides of the world. Many people see this in a negative light, saying that too much communication dilutes the pool and strength of designers, as different work is so readily available, but I think this is an amazing development. The idea that a boy from a sleepy Northern town in England can grow up being hugely influenced by China or India as a result of the internet is amazing and surely only a positive thing.

I would like to see these kind of inter-cultural inspirations flourish and grow so that design changes in different and unexpected ways. Cultural hybrids will be created, which will make design and illustration move forward even more and become even more exciting.

I am Toby Triumph.

I am a 22 year old newly graduated illustrator from the North of England, currently based in North London.

I live, sleep, eat and breathe illustration, if I’m not drawing I’m probably sharpening my pencil.

I am inspired by strange looking people, music, men with moustaches, celebrities and dancing animals.

I have no major ambitions apart from huge success as an illustrator, artist, musician, dancer, poet, author, actor and explorer.

By 2009 I would like to have a moustache, like my heroes.

I am excited about the future.

I am Toby Triumph.

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TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN CITY publishes the essential photography subjects of a city. As they say, architecture landmarks denote the progressing development of a city. Design in each and every city speaks in different languages and dances to different cultures. A lot of cities are growing in the design realm but no one would know about this development but the travelers and the locals themselves. Only. The exciting quirks and electrifying eccentricity of Everyday Product, Design Schools, Designers, Resources, Hotels/Buildings, Design Studios/Personalities, Local Galleries, Museums, etc, are found in both secret and obvious places of the city.

We miss out on these simple things during travel or simply during our busy lifestyle in our own city. So the next time you travel, think of TRAVEL ALBUM: DESIGN CITY.

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