Founded and run by Steve Price, Plan-B Studio is a design consultancy specialising in design and art direction spanning an array of media for the fashion, music, PR, film, corporate, NGO and mobile communications sectors as well as design strategy and planning. We caught up with Steve this month to uncover a little more about his career and recent projects.

Notes on Design: Can you give us a brief insight into who you are and what you do? How did your career start?

Steve: Even though (after twelve years) I think they understand what it is I do I am very lucky that I have a very supportive family first and foremost. I also have to credit the beginning of my career to my art teacher. I was fifteen when she pulled me in to her store room to give me a bollocking. Told me that if I actually applied myself I could make something of this. I often think about her and that moment, it was pivotal in my life.

Ever since that day I have applied myself 100%. How my career has gone since then is like everyone elses – like a roller coaster with highs and lows. Working for yourself is incredibly stressful, tiring, stressful (did I already say that?) but more importantly rewarding and it offers me the flexibility I need in my life.

Notes on Design: How and why did you choose a career in graphic design?

Steve: I chose graphic design whilst on my foundation course at Maidstone Art School. I barely knew what it was, but it seemed the most logical path for me. I was (still am) crap at practical building or spatial design; interiors, products, etc.

I found I really jelled with the approach of graphic design, and the commercial element made sense to me; I could see the value of good design. Read the rest of this entry »

After spending 7 years living, studying and working in Tokyo, Japan, Graphic Designer Trevor Embury set up his design company aftermodern.lab in Toronto, Canada in 2009. He has been working in design for 10 years both as a creative director and lecturer. His enthusiasm and knowledge for design, architecture and photography comes from his extensive world travels and cultural exchanges. He has exhibited his work in Canada, Japan and the U.S.A. He is a graduate from the University of Calgary, a member of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada and an Alumni of Sessions College for Professional Design. We are really pleased to announce Trevor is joining the Notes on Design writing team this month, so we thought we would uncover a little more about his journey to introduce you to him!

Notes on Design: Hi Trevor, and welcome to NoD! Can you tell us a little about yourself, what you do and how your career in design began?

Trevor: Put simply, I’m a Canadian graphic designer based out of Toronto. I grew up in Southern Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, went to the University of Calgary to study Environmental Science and oddly found photography. I later went on to do a Fine Arts minor in photography. I think it was my academic understanding of the physical world that drew me closer to try to capture the beauty of the natural landscape on film. Subsequently, I studied Art & Design at Sessions College for Professional Design. After graduating. I moved to Tokyo, Japan and found work in both fields (science and design).

Notes on Design: Can you tell us about working in Japan?

Trevor: Japan was amazing. I lived in Tokyo for 7 years and truly did as much as I could. I had studied some Japanese photographers notably, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Daido Moriyama, Kenro Izu and Nobuyoshi Araki. I wanted to experience Japanese culture, language, life and mostly the landscape. I was very fortunate to be able to work there in an environment where I was required to use both of my academic disciplines. I worked on projects with The International Standards Organization, Mitsubishi, Dai Nippon Printing and Keio University. Read the rest of this entry »

When it came to deciding what he wanted to be when he grew up, Clinton Stringer had two choices in mind: Contemporary Dancer or Graphic Designer. The dice were cast and he was accepted to study dance at P.A.R.T.S. (Belgium) under the director Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker – also the choreographer of the internationally-acclaimed company Rosas. After school, Clinton worked as a dancer for Rosas for 9 years and then decided to find out what the other path had in store for him. He has spent the last three years studying Graphic Design at Kunsthogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel, in Belgium and is about to start a 3 month internship with De Designpolitie in Amsterdam. His work is strongly concept-based with a passion for the handmade. We caught up with Clinton this week to find out more about his academic experiences.

Notes on Design: Can you tell us a little about yourself, and your academic and professional journey to date?

Clinton: After a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in English Literature, Theatre Studies and Journalism) in South Africa, I was a little lost as to which direction I wanted to take. I had enjoyed both my contemporary dance classes in Theatre Studies and the layout course as part of my Journalism course, but neither qualified me to start as a professional. A few months later I was given an amazing opportunity: a scholarship to study in Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s newly established contemporary dance school in Brussels – P.A.R.T.S. I packed everything into an enormous suitcase and left for my big career… as a dancer! Ten years later, after joining Rosas, de Keermaeker’s company, and performing all over the world, my creative needs longed for new challenges and other outlets. I quit the company to begin my second big career… as a graphic designer!

When deciding where to study, I looked to Britain and Belgium. In Britain I would be able to speak my mother-tongue and get a good education. In Belgium, I would have to study in Dutch (my second language is Afrikaans – the baby sister of Dutch), but I could earn money using my dance contacts and still get a good education. The clincher was that the Belgian education was exactly 10% of the cost of its British counterpart – €500 as opposed to €5000 per year. A no-brainer. Read the rest of this entry »

Born in the rural town of Frome in the West Country of England, Charlotte Knibbs is a freelance graphic designer. Upon graduating with a First Class Honours degree from Portsmouth University, Charlotte started to work with Aardman Animations designing the product and packaging range to accompany the release of Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death. Charlotte is now undertaking a Masters in Graphic Design at London College of Communication. Notes on Design spoke to Charlotte this week to find out about her academic journey.

Notes on Design: Can you tell us a little about your academic and professional journey to date?

Charlotte: I studied a BTEC in Graphic Design but found the west country far too sleepy and craved something different… but at the time, I wasn’t sure what. I moved south to Portsmouth Uni to do my BA in Communication Design. Bachelors degrees are certainly different for everyone, but for me I found the new found freedom quite addictive, and quite honestly I slacked off playing World of Warcraft until the sun came up. Eventually, by the end of first year something clicked and the real possibility of being kicked out of uni scared me into pulling my socks up, and subsequently I graduated with a First Class in 2007.

I was lucky enough to start freelancing during my second year at University, and got my first major job with the brilliant Aardman Animations upon graduating. I’ve been freelancing for Aardman for 2 and a half years this month and it’s a perfect job for me, as a freelancer. On top of my freelance work I’m also studying my Masters at London College of Communication (LCC), which I’m due to finish towards to the end of the year. Read the rest of this entry »

Graphic Design graduate Gareth Dunt has studied art and design for most of his academic life. Three years ago he moved to Wales to study an honours degree in Graphic Communication at the Cardiff School of Art and Design. Gareth is also the founder of design blog Black Maths and since graduating this summer has moved to London to work for design consultancy Elmwood. As part of our Graduate Season, Notes on Design spoke to Gareth this month to uncover more about his academic experience and plans for his future career.

Notes on Design: When did you first realise you wanted to be a part of the creative industry?

Gareth: I think it was when I realised that you can make an equally respectable career from art and design, as you can with anything else they teach you at school. Until this point I was under the misguided impression that art and design was something you do in your spare time, a release from the day job if you will. How wrong I was.

Notes on Design: What is it about design that motivates and excites you?

Gareth: It’s how good design can make people feel. How they interact with it, and how it interacts with them. It’s relationships I’m fascinated with. Whether it be a book, chair, brand identity or installation we can’t help but be affected by the messages it gives out. Read the rest of this entry »

Greening the Beige (GtB) is an eco-minded arts collective and not-for-profit community network based in Beijing. The organisation acts as a public platform to promote environmental awareness through the arts, frequently collaborating with other organisations and artists dedicated to sustainable development. After signing up to the 10:10 campaign, GtB is now focusing on their annual event – 10/10/10 – which will take place later on in the year. We sat down with founder, Carissa Welton, to unearth more.

Where are you originally from, and what brought you to Beijing?

Carissa: I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the top 10 greenest places to live in the USA. I then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1999, and received a BA from San Francisco State University in 2003. Whilst I was there, I focused my thesis on the contemporary cultural representation of Xi’an through the Tang Dynasty and studied Chinese for 2 semesters. Eventually, in the summer of 2002, I found myself in China taking a boat tour up the Yangtze River to see the Three Gorges Dam.

Can you give us a brief insight into Greening the Beige (GtB) and what you do?

Carissa: I founded Greening the Beige in 2007. The focus is to promote environmental awareness through art, cultural, and communal activities – in other words, an eco-minded artist collective. I run the show as the director, and the platform operates 100% on volunteerism. Read the rest of this entry »

“Smart and Mini Architecture for Local communities and Low income,” or SMALL Architecture, was founded by architect, Li Ye, and is the Beijing chapter of Architecture for Humanity. Barely a year old, SMALL have undertaken a number of socially-led projects to offer design as a service to the often forgotten local Chinese communities. We met with Li Ye this month to discover more about the organization and working as an NGO in China.

Notes on Design: Can you tell us about SMALL Architecture. When was it founded and why?

Li Ye: SMALL was formally founded in July 2009. We provide an architectural service to those who require non-commercial work, and our clients are usually local communities who do not have much money (i.e. low income). In this context, we consider design as a social service.

The concept for SMALL was actually formulated in the summer of 2008 when I was ready to graduate from Tsinghua University’s School of Architecture. Most of my classmates chose paths like real estate or architectural firms for quick money or fame, but I felt I wanted to do something different. I took a break between university and “starting a career”, and tried to do something non-profit; I wanted to see what I would learn this way.

Fortunately, I found my partner, Xiao Zhen, who works in real estate. Also in our team are Hao Xue (law background), Rong Xiao and Huang Zheng (architecture) and Zara Arshad (design). We are currently focusing on small projects to fulfill SMALL’s vision.

Tulou Housing project, Fujian province.

Notes on Design: What is your relationship to Architecture for Humanity (AfH)?

Li Ye: SMALL was registered as AfH’s financially independent Beijing chapter. Chinese regulation, however, enforces very strict control over border cash flow. If you operate as a branch of a foreign firm or NGO, you cannot accept local donations or investment. This severely limits our work, so we decided to run the financial aspect of our organization independently. Our aim, however, definitely remains the same as AfH – bringing design services to communities in need. Read the rest of this entry »

London based Illustrator and Creative Facilitator Emily Wilkinson, works with visual concepts, language and narrative to provide an empathy with information through an interdisciplinary practice, within which she places an emphasis on catalyzing creativity and education for positive change. With an MA in Design Futures from Goldsmiths and previous experience working as a designer at Futerra Sustainability Communications, Emily is currently working as an Associate of Reos Partners. We spoke to Emily this month to uncover more about her everyday motivations, creative practice and responses to designing futures.

Notes on Design: Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

Emily: I’m currently working as an Illustrator and Facilitator, although within those areas of interest I also design, art-direct, design, write and research. I originally trained and worked as a graphic designer which was a valuable starting point, but I wanted to be more interdisciplinary and work face-to-face with people rather than be stuck behind a screen. Studying again last year helped me to define what I’m really passionate about; the way that we are all creative and how everyday creativity in education and society ultimately makes for a better world. My first love was illustration and image-making, which combined with new interests in writing and facilitation continues to shape my practice.

Notes on Design: How did your career start?

Emily: I originally trained as a Graphic Designer at Cardiff School of Art and Design. Following that I worked in a Welsh studio as a junior designer. Following that I made the move to London, to work as a designer for sustainability communications agency Futerra. Designing for Futerra was a great learning experience; I loved working in sustainability and worked with some very inspiring and energetic people. Read the rest of this entry »

With a uniquely playful and colourful approach to both two and three dimensional work, London based Illustrator and Set Maker Hattie Newman has spent her first two graduate years working for an array of high profile clients, including; AMV BBDO, Cadbury, Sony, Fedrigoni UK, Grafik Magazine, The Guardian, Macmillan Publishers, Make A Wish Foundation, Royal Mail and Universal Records. Notes on Design caught up with Hattie this month for a quick glimpse into her world.

Notes on Design: Can you give us a brief insight into who you are and what you do?

Hattie: I am an illustrator and set maker working in London. My background includes a first class degree in Illustration from UWE, Bristol and a breadth of projects for a range of clients. Combining my two and three dimensional imaginations, I enjoy making work inspired by all things charming and strange.

Notes on Design: So, how did your career start?

Hattie: I am originally from the quiet countryside of West Devon, but I studied my degree in Illustration at Bristol UWE. Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier this month Notes on Design made a studio visit to UK based graphic designer – Lucy Brown. I was welcomed just in time for a quaint essential 4pm cup of tea and chat. Lucy Brown studio is situated in the leafy rural setting of North West England and within this studio snapshot Lucy talks about her studio build, inspirations and passion for the country life.

Notes on Design: Lucy, please enlighten us a little about where your studio is located, and how it came to fruition?

Lucy: The studio is in Cheshire surrounded by fields and cows. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place to work. I renovated the building, with help from family and friends, between November ’09 and March of this year. Much blood, sweat, paint and tears went into it, all hours of the day and night, and in the middle of winter it was testing on the finger tips at times! It was originally a stable building, then an office, and now a typographic curiosity shop of sorts.

The studio came into being over 5 years of experiences that taught me to know myself and how I work. It takes time to learn who you are, and time to build the courage to accept it in this industry. I studied graphic design/typography over 4 years at the London College of Communication. In first year, I thought I knew everything. In second year, I realised I didn’t but didn’t understand how I would ever get to a point where I did. In third year, I realised I knew nothing and wanting to learn just a portion of what would be a lifetime of learning. Read the rest of this entry »