Reflecting

When I was at school, instead of writing an essay, I would turn up with a cardboard TV that I made and you could change the different 'channels' (pieces of paper) with wooden twisting sticks which showed different facts, topics and themes of the assignment. For a bee assignment, I made a 3D hexagon out of paper with writing and pictures on each side.

From a young age, I have tried to think outside the box, and instead of succumbing to norms; questioned them. I think it is important to not just settle with ideas but be curious in a world where we have to just 'accept' so much. Accept that red means stop and green means go on traffic lights, accept that the sky is blue.

When people grow up, I think a lot of us dull the fantasy sides of ourselves. - Halt the imagining and wonder in all it glory. Some people feel as though growing up is inevitable and to do so they have to work a desk job they are not interested in, with a suit to pay the bills. Nevertheless there is so many more narratives for designers, poets and artists to tell, questions and answers to raise, many more inventions to seek.

Although I think that you should take time to question and solve, I also know that it is hard to go against the grain of thinking that 'things' are 'good enough'. But, I have found that it is much more rewarding to think towards the future with alternative realities and perspectives; with all the what if's and maybe's, than just going with the banal concepts of how we are living.

The inspiration that designers like Paula Scher – from Pentagram, give me is what makes me tick, and I think it is important to run with what gets you excited to wake up in the morning.

Her work creates iconic identities for brands, businesses and projects. As, if you see a poster for the Public Theatre NY, you instantly recognise it. Paula Scher came up with a typeface to represent America and bold, striking compositions and visuals that are individual to the theatre. I hope one day I’ll be able to create identities as strong as what she has done with my own twist of style and have such success in persuading people that my ideas are worth running with.

On my bedroom wall I have a poster of one of her many map paintings which I find freeing. I admire her paintings as I feel both Scher and I find value in using mediums manually; not just digitally. I also have her so called 'worst design,' the Boston record cover which I searched for hours looking for in record shops. - Though there were dozens of articles saying that it was 'dumb' I think it somewhat revolutionised views we have today.

I hope everyone finds courage to root for what matters to them and what values you obtain. In society we need to keep evaluating what works and what doesn't and think about how to make impactful change that’s needed - even though sometimes not wanted.

Through my career, I want to keep the fantasy in ideas, and enhance life’s beauty while creating impactful designs to benefit the future through experimentation.

#Des100

Netflix, “Paula Scher: Graphic Design.” Abstract: The Art of Design, season 1, episode 6, 10 Feb. 2017.

Netflix,https://www.netflix.com/watch/80093802?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C454eb7076d5c055f0802c409393e91ca6a9173df%3A53648ae677010e50eb6573990b0a2aad677cd729%2C%2C

Pentagram. (n.d.). Pentagram New York.https://www.pentagram.com