To begin with, I listed my five favourite countries:
Tokyo
Holland
U.S (Eastern states)
Hungary
Australia
What drew me to these countries in no particular order, was the culture behind them that drives innovation. Australia, for example, has a brilliant architectural eye that in my opinion makes it one of the most well-designed countries in the world, specific to cities. Tokyo is fascinating in the way it is built with the highest levels of efficiency in mind. Architecture is a big influence on the work I create, so listing my reasons for this helped me gauge what I enjoy in the design world that isn't directly related to Graphic Design.
I created a list of traits that I felt I possessed most strongly as a designer to pinpoint the exact service I provide as a designer, and what sets me apart from the rest of the designers in the industry.
What kind of designer am I?
- Functional
- Passionate
- Adaptive
- Motivated
- Abstract
- Personable
- Reliable
- Collaborative
- Introspective
- Open-minded
The most individual elements of this list were Adaptability, functionality and introspection. These three traits would be the foundation for my branding and what I stand for.
To compound these traits and countries that I would use as inspiration, I listed 3 designers that shared an ethos with me, or were similar stylistically. Not only to research my competition, but to research what they have done to become successful in the realm of design.
Samuel Burgess-Johnson
Samuel is a tremendous inspiration in the work I produce. The abstract elements of his work coming together to create a clear concept is something that needs to be extremely planned and every design decision has to be informed. Samuel's website is simply a collection of his work presented in an easy to read format. The use of typography creates a frame of which his work is the centrepiece.
There is smart use of white space throughout the website, and the use of a hover command in the bottom left of the page to buy art prints isn't invasive but gives the user an incentive to spend money on the work they like.
Samuel also uses both Facebook and Instagram to keep his fans updated on his work. This keeps his audience engaged as opposed to a website where there isn't any way to notify fans of new work being produced. Samuel doesn't have any prominent self-branding, he instead uses his website as a whole to convey himself stylistically and you can tell his minimal aesthetic is present in all the work he creates. This is effective because you concentrate on his work rather than the design identity he has created for himself, and it lets his work speak for itself rather than having to entice people with a crafted identity. However, I don't think this would work as well for graphic design, as crafting an effective identity shows that you can correctly identify the needs of every kind of client, with yourself often being the hardest client you'll work with as a designer as you don't get to look at a brief from the outside, only inward.
Studio Koto
Studio Koto is a studio started by ex-members of a large branding agency, AKQA. I first came across this studio through my dissertation interview at Facebook, as the person I interviewed had strong ties to this studio since he also came from AKQA. I have since spoken with their creative director and have secured a placement with them, all through the use of word of mouth and LinkedIn.
Koto, albeit small, is an influential studio already working with the likes of airbnb on a number of new projects, including the Open design festival and their 'Trips' project.
Koto have a distinct style of playful yet professional design. It emanates friendliness which is exactly what the brands they work with look for. Koto fits a niche of being a small studio that has the experience of a large one. Their website is a clear extension of who they want to convey themselves as, and they are extremely successful at meeting this criteria.
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