THE LUXURY OF PROTEST

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PROTEIN 2011 PROFILE

GRAFIK MAGAZINE 2011 FEATURE PROFILE

DE:BUG MAGAZINE 2010 INTERVIEW :

Q. HOW DOES A BACKGROUND IN QUANTITATIVE GENETICS SHAPE YOUR ETHOS, THAT PROTEST IS A LUXURY? WHY DO YOU DO, WHAT YOU DO?

A. THE LUXURY OF PROTEST IS A QUESTION AS MUCH AS IT IS A STATEMENT. DO WESTERN LIBERAL DEMOCRACIES TOLERATE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL DISSENT? DO CITIZENS OF THESE DEMOCRACIES WITH THE SUPPOSED LUXURY OF FREE SPEECH HAVE A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PROMOTE IDEAS OF FREEDOM AND EQUALITY? IF THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS IS YES, WHY DO SO FEW PEOPLE EXPRESSLY EXHIBIT SUCH BEHAVIOUR? MY INTENTION WITH THE DESIGN PRACTICE THE LUXURY OF PROTEST, WAS TO CREATE A PLATFORM WHERE THESE ISSUES ARE RAISED AND PRESENTED WITHIN A FORUM OF CRITICAL DESIGN.

I SAW WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF THE WEB IN GENERAL AND DESIGN BLOGS IN PARTICULAR, AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISSEMINATE DESIGN THAT WAS SOCIALLY-RELEVANT AND CONCEPTUALLY PROVOCATIVE. IN THE NOT SO DISTANT PAST, CREATIVES HAD TO STRUGGLE IN ORDER TO FIND A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE TO WHOM THEY COULD PRESENT THEIR WORK. TODAY IT IS SO EASY TO CONNECT WITH A MASS AUDIENCE – ONE SIMPLY NEEDS TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

MY SCIENCE BACKGROUND LENDS A CERTAIN OBJECTIVITY AND OBSERVATIONAL QUALITY TO THE ISSUES I RAISE IN MY WORK. I’M MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN SHOWING THAN CONVINCING. BUT NATURALLY, THE SUBJECT MATTER I CHOOSE FOR MY DATA VISUALISATION PROJECTS LENDS A CERTAIN ADVOCACY QUALITY THAT RESULTS IN A NON-NEUTRAL AND PERSUASIVE TONE. THIS IS THE INHERENT STATEMENT QUALITY OF MY WORK – THE DATA IS NEUTRAL AND BENIGN, BUT THE CONCLUSIONS THAT CAN BE DRAWN FROM DATA ARE RARELY NEUTRAL AND OFTEN POLITICALLY DANGEROUS.

Q. A LOT OF YOUR PROJECTS ARISE FROM YOUR OWN IMPULSE AND MOTIVATION. WHERE AND HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR TOPICS AND THEMES? WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

A. OUTSIDE OF FOCUSSED VISUAL DESIGN WORK, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MY DAY IS SPENT READING THE NEWS. ON AN AVERAGE DAY I READ 15-20 DIFFERENT NEWS SOURCES. WHEN I FIRST BECAME INTERESTED IN WORLD POLITICS AS A TEENAGER, THE FOCUS WAS TO UNDERSTAND THE SPECIFIC ISSUES THEMSELVES – WHICH CAN BE EXCEEDINGLY COMPLEX. BUT AS TIME WENT ON AND I FELT I HAD A DECENT GRASP ON WHAT WAS BEING REPORTED, I BECAME MORE AND MORE INTERESTED ON HOW THOSE ISSUES WERE REPORTED. I BECAME CONSCIOUS OF JOURNALISM – THE DESIGN OF THE NEWS. TODAY MOST OF MY TIME IS SPENT JUST SKIMMING NEWS STORIES AND ON CERTAIN DAYS, JUST READING HEADLINES TO GAUGE DIFFERENCES IN REPORTING STYLE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, DIFFERENCES IN NATIONALIST PERSPECTIVE. ONLINE NEWS SITES ALLOW ONE TO UNDERSTAND VARIATIONS IN JOURNALISTIC REPORTING OF A SINGLE NEWS EVENT – YOU QUICKLY GET “FEEL” FOR THE MECHANISM OF REPORTING IN ADDITION TO THE CONTENT OF THE AFFAIR ITSELF.

WORLD AFFAIRS INFLUENCE MY DATA VISUALISATION PROJECTS DIRECTLY, BUT THE REAL MOTIVATION THAT FEEDS MY PROJECTS IS THIS NUANCED ISSUE OF HOW “FACTS” ARE PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC. THE PRESENT MOVES TOWARD EMOTIONAL PUNDITRY REPORTING IN THE US AND IT’S POLAR-OPPOSITE “FACTS-FOCUSSED” APPROACH IN EUROPE IS VERY FASCINATING AND MARKS A CRITICAL CHANGE IN THE MANNER IN WHICH THE PUBLIC IS EXPOSED TO CURRENT AFFAIRS. IT IS THIS SAME DICHOTOMY OF APPROACH THAT IS IMBUED IN MY DATA VISUALISATIONS – BUT IN THE CASE OF MY WORK, THE BALANCE OF APPROACH IS MUCH MORE DELICATE AND CAREFULLY MANICURED SO AS TO AVOID TIPPING IN ANY ONE DIRECTION.

Q. YOU SAY "I’M MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN SHOWING THAN CONVINCING." DOES THIS MEAN YOUR APPROACH TO INFORMATION DESIGN REQUIRES DECODING BY THE AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND? IS THIS THE USER EXPERIENCE IN CRITICAL DESIGN?

A. EXACTLY – THIS IS THE USER EXPERIENCE COMPONENT TO MY DESIGN. I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER PRODUCED A PIECE THAT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD IN A MATTER OF MOMENTS. INSTEAD, I HAVE BEEN CONSCIOUS OF THE MANNER IN WHICH A VIEWER TAKES IN INFORMATION TO DIRECT THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE WORK TO PROVIDE THEM WITH A CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED DISCOVERY EXPERIENCE. PART OF THIS COMES FORM MY SCIENCE BACKGROUND WHERE EXPOSURE TO INFORMATION AND IT’S INTERPRETATION IS SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES EFFORT, AS THE ISSUES BEING DEALT WITH ARE TOO COMPLEX TO ENCAPSULATE IN A SIMPLE TO INTERPRET GRAPH. THIS IS THE NORM IN THE SCIENCES, BUT IS FREQUENTLY ANATHEMA IN VISUAL CULTURE. THE PREDOMINANCE OF ADVERTISING CULTURE AND ADVERTISING PHILOSOPHY IN WESTERN SOCIETY HAS CREATED A SITUATION OF INSTANTANEOUS CONNECTION AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. THIS IS FINE, AND OFTEN NECESSARY FOR MOST TYPES OF COMMUNICATION, BUT DOES NOT WORK FOR THE MORE COMPLEX AND NUANCED ISSUES OF SOCIAL- AND GEO-POLITICS. SIMPLISTIC AND DIRECTED COMMUNICATION IS ALSO A DANGEROUS APPROACH IN THIS REALM AS IT MEANS THAT THE DATA IS OFTEN USED IN A FORCEFUL, ADVOCACY-LIKE MANNER THAT COMPROMISES COMPLEXITY AND PRESENTS ONLY ONE SIDE OF AN ISSUE.

THE BALANCE BETWEEN LETTING THE DATA SPEAK FOR ITSELF FROM A OBJECTIVE SCIENCE POINT OF VIEW AND DIRECTING THE USER EXPERIENCE FROM A DESIGNER’S POINT OF VIEW IS A VERY DELICATE LINE TO FOLLOW. PRESENTING RAW DATA UNDER THE AUSPICES THAT DATA SHOULD SPEAK FOR ITSELF IS LAZY AND PHILOSOPHICALLY FLAWED AS EVEN IN THE SCIENCES ALL DATA IS PROCESSED TO UNDERSTAND THE NUANCES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THINGS. SIMILARLY, THE CONDITION-DEPENDENT NATURE OF ALL DATA MAKES DOGMATIC STATEMENTS DERIVED FROM ANALYSES, UNTRUTHFUL. THIS IS THE BATTLE THAT CONSTANTLY PLAYS OUT IN MY MIND.

IT’S OFTEN SAID THAT IF ONE IS CRAFTY, DATA CAN BE MADE TO SAY ANYTHING. THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY UNTRUE. IF ONE IS TRULY HONEST AND TRANSPARENT IN THE ANALYSIS OF DATA SETS, AND IF THE DATA SHOWS A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP, THERE IS RARELY LEEWAY WITH REGARD TO THE NATURE OF THE CONCLUSIONS THAT CAN BE DERIVED. AN APPLE IS STILL AN APPLE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES IT IS PARTITIONED.

Q. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE CRITICAL DESIGN?

A. THAT WHICH MAKES ONE QUESTION THE NATURE OF ACCEPTED NORMS. SO MUCH OF THE PERCEPTION OF OUR LIVES IS BASED ON COLLECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE. A GREAT DEAL OF THIS UNDERSTANDING CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS TRUE, BUT A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF IT IS SIMPLY A GENERAL AGREEMENT OF TRUTH – WHICH IS OFTEN BELIEF BASED ON WHAT WE AS A SOCIETY DEEM TO BE MOST PSYCHOLOGICALLY COMFORTABLE. CRITICAL DESIGN PRESENTS A NEW WAY OF SEEING : BOTH THAT WHICH IS FUTURISTIC AND NOT YET EXPERIENCED, BUT MOST POWERFULLY THAT WHICH IS SO FAMILIAR OF AN EXPERIENCE AS TO BE ACCEPTED AS TRUTH. THIS IS THE SERVICE THAT CRITICAL DESIGN PLAYS IN SOCIETY – IT IS THE AGENT PROVOCATEUR OF THE DESIGN WORLD.

Q. DO YOU BELIEVE DESIGN THINKING NEEDS A REDESIGN? DO YOU SEE THE NEED FOR A NEW ROLE OF THE DESIGNER AS SOMEBODY WHO IS ASKING AND DEFINING QUESTIONS INSTEAD GIVING ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS?

A. ABSOLUTELY! THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING MOMENTUM IN THE LAST 10-15 YEARS WITHIN COMMUNICATION DESIGN FOR A MORE PROMINENT ROLE FOR DESIGNER AS AUTHOR. A NUMBER OF ASTUTE DESIGNERS HAVE SEEN THE POTENTIAL THAT THE FIELD PRESENTS WITH REGARD TO DISSEMINATING “SELF-INITIATED” WORK – A TERM THAT I LOATH AS IT INDICATES THE IMMATURITY OF THE APPROACH, BUT ONE THAT ACCURATELY DESCRIBES THE WORK AS A COUNTER-POINT TO COMMERCIAL ENDEAVORS. THIS APPROACH OFTEN ENCAPSULATES CRITICAL DESIGN, BUT IS CERTAINLY NOT ALWAYS THE CASE AS YOU SEE A LOT OF DESIGN EPHEMERA BEING PRODUCED AND SOLD BY DESIGNERS.

FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE, AND PERHAPS THIS IS A REFLECTION OF THE POLITICALLY ORIENTED WORK THAT I DO, I’M MOST INTERESTED IN DESIGNERS WHO PRODUCE DESIGN THAT ASKS POIGNANT QUESTIONS BUT ONE THAT STILL OCCUPIES A CERTAIN TRADITIONAL SOCIAL GROUNDING. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF CRITICAL DESIGN PROJECTS ARE DESIGNED FOR THE MUSEUM – THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE OF OBJECTS. NO CRITICISM HERE, BUT I FIND THE VENUE OF A MUSEUM MUCH TOO FINITE FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO RESONATE WITH THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. ISN’T IT MUCH MORE INTERESTING TO SEE THOSE DESIGN PIECES IN A HOME? – WHERE CONVERSATIONS CAN MORE FREELY OCCUR THAT ILLICIT DIFFICULT ANSWERS? THE MOST EFFECTIVE CHANGE OCCURS WHEN OPERATING WITHIN TRADITIONAL SOCIETAL STRUCTURES.

CRITICAL DESIGN IS A RELATIVELY YOUNG FIELD AND ONE BY VIRTUE OF EXISTING DURING THIS TIME OF ECONOMIC UPHEAVAL, OPERATING AT A TIME WHEN MANY PEOPLE ARE QUESTIONING NORMS OF SOCIAL BEING. THIS IS A VERY EXCITING CONFLAGRATION OF EVENTS THAT PRESENTS THE DESIGNER WITH AN ENORMOUSLY FORTUITOUS CIRCUMSTANCE WITHIN WHICH TO EXPRESS CHALLENGING CONCEPTS. COUPLED WITH THE LIMIT-LESS POTENTIAL OF A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE AFFORDED TO US WITH THE ELECTRONIC INTERCONNECTIVITY OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, CREATIVES CAN POSITION THEMSELVES IN THE EYE OF THE PROVERBIAL STORM.

Q. WHAT KIND OF PROJECT YOU WOULD LOVE TO DO – WHAT'S THE CHALLENGE YOU ARE DREAMING OF AS A DESIGNER? WHAT ROLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY THERE?

A. I’VE OFTEN THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EXCITING TO LEAD A DESIGN TEAM IN AN ACADEMIC SETTING THAT IS AKIN TO A COMMERCIAL DESIGN PRACTICE BUT ONE THAT PRODUCES A SERIES OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS THAT CHALLENGE PEOPLE TO CONFRONT AND RESPOND TO TABOO SUBJECTS. I’VE HAD IN MY MIND A LARGE SCALE VISUALISATION PROJECT TO CHALLENGE THE PUBLIC TO QUESTION WHETHER COMMON SENSE REALLY ONLY MEANS COMMUNAL SENSE – THAT “REALITY” OR WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE “TRUE” IS REALLY ONLY THAT WHICH WE HAVE COLLECTIVELY DECIDED TO AGREE IS TRUE. THERE IS QUITE A LOT OF DATA ON THIS SUBJECT AS HISTORY IS LITTERED WITH THE CORPSES OF DISUSED COMMON SENSE ARTIFACTS (IE. THE EARTH IS FLAT). SO TOO, THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE IS LITTERED WITH THEORIES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN FALSE WHEN NEW KNOWLEDGE HAS COME TO LIGHT. THERE IS SOMETHING HIGHLY APPEALING TO ME TO KNOW THAT THE WORLD IS MUTABLE AND EVER CHANGING – SOME PEOPLE FIND IT FRIGHTENING, I FIND IT A COUNTERBALANCE TO FEELING ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE.

+81 MAGAZINE 2010 PROFILE :

Q. WHAT DO YOU STRESS MOST WHEN CREATING A DESIGN, AND WHAT STANCE OR ATTITUDE DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE IMPORTANT?

A. CONTENT IS CRITICAL. MY APPROACH TO DESIGN HAS ALWAYS BEEN FUNCTIONAL – GRAPHIC DESIGN IS PRIMARILY A TOOL TO BE USED AS A VEHICLE TO EXPRESS A CONCEPT. THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE VISUAL DETAILS WITH REGARD TO CHOICES MADE BETWEEN FORMS, TYPES AND COLOURS ARE SECONDARY OR TRIVIAL COMPARED TO A CONCEPT, BUT RATHER IT’S THAT DESIGN CHOICES ARE ALL MADE WITH REGARD TO CREATING VISUAL SEMIOTIC CODES TO EFFECTIVELY EXPRESS A CONCEPT. AS SUCH, I WILL NEVER BE A PIONEER IN DEVELOPING NOVEL MARK-MAKING OR NOVEL ILLUSTRATIVE FORMS. INSTEAD MY FORTE IS THE USE AND ORCHESTRATION OF SEMIOTIC ELEMENTS TO DEVELOP COMPLEX STORIES THAT ARE SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY REFERENTIAL.

WITH REGARD TO MY DATA VISUALISATION PROJECTS, MY AIM IS TO SPEAK TO A BROAD PUBLIC WHO IS ENGAGED IN POLITICAL ISSUES ON A GLOBAL SCALE. THE LAST DECADE HAS SEEN A HUGE SWELL IN THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST IN GEOPOLITICS – THERE HAS BEEN A GLOBAL POLITICAL AWAKENING ON AN UNPRECEDENTED SCALE. I’M ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS, BUT I HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO BRING PERTINENT INFORMATION TO LIGHT THAT IS NOT COMMONLY DISCUSSED IN POPULAR MEDIA.

Q. SINCE YOU EMBARKED UPON YOUR CAREER IN DESIGN, WHAT HAS CHANGED THE MOST ABOUT YOUR WAY OF THINKING AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER, AND WHAT HAS REMAINED THE SAME?

A. AS A DESIGN STUDENT, I WAS FIRST OCCUPIED WITH CREATING UNIQUE ABSTRACT MARKS. A LOT OF MY EARLY WORK REVOLVED AROUND OBSESSIVE, AND DEEPLY COMPLICATED ILLUSTRATION – WORK THAT HAD A VISUAL AND EXPERIENTIAL DEPTH, BUT THAT WAS SO ABSTRACT AS TO BE VOID OF CULTURAL MEANING. THIS WAS THE RESULT OF LEAVING THE SCIENCES – WHICH IS PREDOMINANTLY CONCEPT ORIENTED – AND WANTING A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION TO VISUALLY CREATIVE EXPRESSION. THERE WAS ALSO A DESIRE TO EXPERIMENT WITH SIMPLE AND VISUALLY FUNDAMENTAL FORMS OF EXPRESSION. HAVING SATISFIED THAT EXPRESSIVE NEED IN MYSELF, I MOVED ONTO CONCEPT-FOCUSSED DESIGN – DESIGN THAT EXPRESSES NARRATIVE. MY GOAL IN CREATING PROJECTS WAS TO INFUSE A PERSONAL VOICE INTO THE WORK. I HAD A KEEN AWARENESS OF THE ROLE OF DESIGNER AS AUTHOR AND WISHED TO PUSH THIS ASPECT OF MY CREATIVE SELF. WITH TIME I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FUSE THESE TWO WILDLY DIFFERENT FORMS OF EXPRESSION INTO PROJECTS TO BRING ABOUT EFFECTIVE USER EXPERIENCES – EXPERIENCES THAT DRAW IN THE USER WITH BEGUILING VISUALS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME TELLING A STORY THAT IS CULTURALLY REFERENTIAL.

Q. ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC APPROACHES OR WORK CONCEPTS THAT CARRY OVER THROUGH ALL OF YOUR PROJECTS?

A. MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE. I’M A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE POWER AND THE ALLURE OF DISCOVERY – ENGINEERING A DESIRE IN THE USER TO DELVE DEEP INTO THE DESIGN AND TO EXPLORE INTERCONNECTED ELEMENTS THAT GIVE THE USER A SENSE OF COMMITMENT TO THE DESIGN. THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE CONCEPT OF HIERARCHY, BOTH ON A CONCEPTUAL OR STORY-TELLING LEVEL, BUT ALSO INVOLVING THE MECHANICAL INTERPLAY OF FORM AND COLOUR. GIVING EASY ANSWERS TO THE USER ULTIMATELY RESULTS IN BOREDOM AND APATHY. I TREAT MY AUDIENCE WITH RESPECT AND PRESENT THEM WITH WORK THAT IS CHALLENGING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING IN ITS USE OF VISUAL FORMS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO COMPLEX CONCEPTS. ALTHOUGH MOST OF MY WORK FALLS FIRMLY INTO THE REALM OF MINIMALISM, THE MANNER IN WHICH I USE MINIMAL GRAPHIC ELEMENTS BRINGS OUT A COMPLEXITY IN THE DESIGN THAT ALLOWS IT TO OCCUPY A WORLD OF ORNAMENT AND DECORATION – ALBEIT, A WORLD THAT IS INFUSED WITH MEANING. I’M CONSTANTLY FASCINATED BY THE ABILITY OF VISUAL CREATIVES TO ENGINEER THE COMPLEX FROM THE SIMPLE, AND I TRY TO PUSH THAT ASPECT OF MY PRACTICE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Q. WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR EXPRESSION AND AESTHETIC?

A. MY WORK IS BEST SUMMED UP AS ROMANTIC MINIMALISM. THE SPACIAL QUALITIES OF MINIMALISM APPEAL TO ME TO A GREAT DEGREE AS MY PERSONALITY IS DRAWN TO THE SENSE OF PEACE AND CONNECTION TO WORK THAT COMES WITH SINGLE-MINDED FOCUSSED ATTENTION – THAT FEELING OF BEING DRAWN INTO A WORK TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT YOU LOOSE YOUR REFERENTIAL SENSE OF SELF. THE FEELING IS MEDITATIVE IN A MANY WAYS AND IS A VALUABLE STATE OF MIND WHERE IDEAS CAN EFFECTIVELY BE IMPARTED. HOWEVER, I USE MINIMALISM IN THE SERVICE OF CULTURAL REFERENCE: IN A MANNER SUCH THAT THE SIMPLE ELEMENTS COORDINATE TO EXPRESS IDEAS THAT ARE BORN OUT OF HUMAN CULTURAL EXPERIENCE.

Q. ELECTRONIC MEDIA IS INCREASING IN TERMS OF BOTH QUANTITY AND VARIETY IN AN ALMOST INVERSE PROPORTION TO PRINT MEDIA. HOW DO YOU VIEW THE RELATIONSHIP OR COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRINT MEDIA/ELECTRONIC MEDIA?

A. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS CAUSED GREAT CONSTERNATION IN AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF DESIGNERS, BUT ONE THAT I FIND NOT ONLY INTERESTING FROM A SOCIOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW, BUT ALSO FROM THE POINT OF VIEW AS A DESIGNER WHO DESIGNS MOSTLY IN PRINT. IT IS UNDENIABLE THAT PRINT MEDIA IS NOT NEARLY AS IMPORTANT TO SOCIETY AS IT ONCE WAS. THE DESIGNER WHO DESPERATELY TRIES TO HOLD ONTO PRINT IS A DEEPLY FRUSTRATED INDIVIDUAL. MANY DESIGNERS HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY WITH TRYING NEW FORMS OF EXPRESSION. TO A LARGE DEGREE THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATION IMPOSED UPON BY THE STEEP LEARNING CURVES OF NEW TECHNOLOGY – BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES IN HUMAN EXPERIENCE DERIVED FROM TACTILE PRINT VERSUS DIGITAL MEDIA. MY FASCINATION WITH PRINT IS PRECIOUSLY BECAUSE IT IS TACTILE, TRADITIONALLY EXPERIENTIAL AND CRAFT ORIENTED. THAT SAID THOUGH, AN ADAPTIVE DESIGNER WILL FIND WAYS OF IMPARTING THOSE SAME QUALITIES IN DIGITAL MEDIA. A CRAFT-LIKE OBSESSIVE DETAIL APPROACH IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE IN THE DIGITAL REALM.

MY WORK, IS OF COURSE DESIGNED TO BE PRINTED, BUT I AM COGNIZANT OF THE FACT THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL SEE ONLY SMALL, LOW-RESOLUTION DIGITIZED IMAGES ON WEB FORUMS. SO THE DESIGN HAS TO BE UNDERSTANDABLE FROM SUCH LIMITED ARTIFACTS AND HAS TO BE EXPERIENCED FROM AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW. AS SUCH, I’M VERY CAREFUL IN CHOOSING TITLES THAT ADD TO, NOT JUST EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF THE PROJECTS – AS LANGUAGE IS NOT MEDIUM DEPENDENT. IN THIS WAY A DIMENSION IS ADDED TO THE PROJECT THAT SUPERSEDES THE GRAPHICS WHEN THE VISUAL FORMS ARE TOO COARSE TO CARRY THE CONCEPT.

PRINT VERSUS DIGITAL IS SIMPLY THE LATEST DICHOTOMY IN A LONG HISTORY OF EVOLVING FORMS OF EXPRESSION. CHANGE IS EVER PRESENT – AN ADAPTIVE FLEXIBILITY IN APPROACH IS CRITICAL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY DESIGNER. NOSTALGIA IS A NICE PLACE TO VISIT, BUT I WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE THERE.

Q. HOW HAVE YOU RESPONDED, OR HOW DO YOU PLAN TO RESPOND AS A STUDIO TO THIS TRANSFORMATION AND DIVERSIFICATION OF MEDIA?

A. MY PRACTICE IS FLUID WITH REGARD TO FORMS OF EXPRESSION AND DISSEMINATION. I TRY NOT TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN ANY WORKING METHODOLOGY AND AS SUCH, EASILY OCCUPY MANY DIFFERENT PLACES AT ONCE. I WORK IN A VIRTUAL DATA WORLD WHERE INFORMATION IS GLEANED FROM INTERNET SOURCES, LIBRARIES AND INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING. PROJECTS ARE EXECUTED IN PHYSICAL FORM USING PRINT TECHNIQUES THAT INCORPORATE 100S OF YEARS OF TRADITION. AND FINALLY, VISUALISATION ARTWORKS ARE PROMOTED AND DISTRIBUTED ONLINE THROUGH PRESS CHANNELS AND RETAILERS. IN MANY WAYS WHEN ONE WORKS FREELY WITHIN AND BETWEEN SUCH DIVERSE MEDIA, THE NATURE OF THE MEDIA NO LONGER MATTER – ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU ABSORB IN TERMS OF CONTENT.

Q. IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU FORESEE THE ROLE AND POTENTIAL OF GRAPHIC DESIGN CHANGING IN THE BOOK, MAGAZINE, MUSIC, FASHION, COMMERCIAL, AND ART SCENES?

A. THE SINGULAR IMPORTANT CHANGE I SEE IS THAT AUTHORSHIP IS NOT ONLY BECOMING MORE AND MORE PERVASIVE, BUT ALSO VALUED IN THE PRACTICING GRAPHIC DESIGNER. THE ARCHAIC ROLE OF DESIGNER AS SOLUTION GENERATOR AND RESPONDER TO COMMERCIAL BRIEFS IS RAPIDLY BEING REPLACED WITH THE PROACTIVE DESIGNER WHO GENERATES THEIR OWN CONTENT AND INFUSES COMMERCIAL PROJECTS WITH THEIR OWN SIGNATURE AND PERSONALITY. THIS IS A NATURAL EVOLUTION WITHIN THE FIELD THAT IS THE RESULT OF GENERATIONAL CHANGES IN CONFIDENCE LEVELS WITHIN DESIGNERS WHERE INDIVIDUALS RECOGNIZE THAT THEIR UNIQUE EXPERIENCES AND VOICE CAN BE CONTENT ITSELF.

THIS IS HAPPENING IN ALL FIELDS (NOT JUST DESIGN AS ART) AND IS A WONDERFULLY REFRESHING COUNTERPOINT TO THE “SLAVE TO THE BRIEF” DESIGNER OF THE PAST. I’VE LOST COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF NEW MAGAZINES THAT ARE DESIGN-LED AS OPPOSED TO THE TRADITIONAL MODEL WHERE SUCH PROJECTS WERE INITIATED BY EITHER AN EDITORIAL OR MARKETING TEAM. JOP VAN BENNEKOM’S FANTASTIC MAN MAGAZINE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE – VISUALLY STUNNING WITH IT’S DECIDEDLY GRAPHIC DESIGN EMPHASIS ON NEGATIVE SPACE AND A TERRIFIC READ FROM A CRITICAL DESIGN POINT OF VIEW.

THE KEEN GRAPHIC DESIGNER WILL NOT ONLY RECOGNIZE THE STRENGTH OF HIS OR HER TECHNICAL MARK-MAKING SKILLS, BUT ALSO REALIZE THE POWER OF SKILLS THAT INVOLVE SOCIAL CRITIQUE. WHO ELSE IS BETTER POSITIONED THAN THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER TO PLAY SUCH A ROLE IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE?

Q. THANKS TO INTERNET GLOBALIZATION, GRAPHIC DESIGN IS LOSING ALL SENSE OF REGION AND BECOMING INCREASINGLY SIMILAR AROUND THE WORLD. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?

A. THIS IS A WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT. NATIONALISM, ALTHOUGH IT FOSTERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIQUE MODES OF CULTURAL EXPRESSION, IS SUCH AN UNWIELDY CULTURAL TOOL THAT IT ENDS UP BEING A POISON TO MOST PEOPLE. THERE ARE SOME WHO BELIEVE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL DESIGN MOVEMENTS COULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED WITHOUT A CERTAIN DEGREE OF INSULARITY, AND ALTHOUGH THIS MAY HAVE BEEN TRUE OF THE PAST, THE EXPLOSION OF CREATIVELY THE GLOBE HAS EXPERIENCED WITH THE RECENT BREAKDOWN OF GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS ALLUDES TO A NEW TYPE OF CULTURE GENERATING MECHANISM – ONE THAT MAY PROVE TO BE FAR MORE POWERFUL. CERTAIN ASPECTS OF CULTURAL IDENTITY WILL DISSOLVE – MOST LIKELY LANGUAGE – BUT OTHER FORMS, PARTICULARLY VISUAL ONES, WILL LIKELY PROSPER AS CREATIVES GATHER INSPIRATION FROM CULTURES THAT THEY PREVIOUSLY DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO. INSULAR MODES OF CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT MAY HAVE REACHED THEIR ZENITH IN THE LATE 18TH CENTURY – THE END OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF SLOW CULTURAL EVOLUTION. THE RAPID CHANGES THAT ACCOMPANIED THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE PROLIFERATION OF MASS COMMUNICATION HAVE RESULTED IN AN INCREASE OF CULTURAL ARTIFACTS, NOT A DECREASE. THE LATEST MANIFESTATION OF MASS COMMUNICATION, INTERNET GLOBALIZATION, HAS SIMILARLY RESULTED IN AN UNPRECEDENTED EXPRESSION OF CREATIVE OUTPUT FROM ALL PARTS OF THE GLOBE.

MY PERSONAL HISTORY IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF CROSS-CULTURAL SEEDING. I WAS BORN IN CROATIA IN THE 70S, GREW UP IN CANADA IN THE 80S AND 90S, AND HAVE LIVED AND WORK IN THE USA AND THE UK IN THE 2000S. I HAVE NO PERMANENT HOME AND HARDLY A SHRED OF NATIONAL IDENTITY, BUT HAVE AN INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING OF FOUR DIFFERENT CULTURES AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THIS IS HOW MY WORK ORIGINATES AS WELL – GATHERING INFORMATION FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES AND INSPIRATION FROM MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLES.

NO ONE NATION IS BETTER THAN THE NEXT, AND NO ONE WAY OF BEING IS SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER. THE SOONER PEOPLE REALIZE THIS, THE SOONER THEY WILL BE AT PEACE. PLURALITY IS THE FUTURE.

Q. DO YOU MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO REFLECT THINGS LIKE YOUR IDENTITY, PERSONALITY, NATIONALITY, OR CULTURE IN YOUR DESIGN WORK? WHAT PART OF YOURSELF HAS BEEN A CONSTANT IN ALL YOUR CREATIONS?

A. NO, I DON’T MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO EXPRESS NATIONAL IDENTITY IN MY WORK – I COULDN’T CARE LESS TO DO THIS. IF I HAD STAYED IN CROATIA OR EVEN CANADA FOR THAT MATTER, I WOULD NOT LIKELY BE PRODUCING “CROATIAN DESIGN” OR CANADIAN DESIGN”. THAT’S NOT WHO I AM – I’M INTERESTED IN GLOBAL HUMAN EXPERIENCES AND AS SUCH MY WORK SPEAKS TO A BROAD AUDIENCE. AS AN ART STUDENT IN MONTREAL, TUTORS CHARACTERIZED MY WORK AS DECIDEDLY EUROPEAN IN AESTHETIC APPROACH. I THINK THAT’S SIMPLY BECAUSE I HAVE AN AFFINITY WITH MODERNISM AND TO THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE, MODERNISM IS EQUATED WITH EUROPE. BUT THE CAREFUL ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN MY WORK AND THE KEEN APPRECIATION OF CULTIVATING FLOW WHEN WORKING, COULD JUST AS EASILY BE CHARACTERIZED AS EASTERN IN MINDSET. I’M A VORACIOUS LEARNER – BEFORE DECIDING ON A PATH OF NATURAL SCIENCE, I WANTED TO BE AN ANTHROPOLOGIST. I SPENT A GOOD PART OF MY YOUTH ABSORBING MYSELF IN JAPANESE HISTORY – JAPAN’S CULTURAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL OUTLOOK ON LIFE APPEALED TO ME GREATLY. FROM THERE I MOVED ONTO MIDDLE EASTERN CULTURES AND THEN ONTO THE WORLD OF MYTHOLOGY. I’M CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE – WHETHER IT BE PHYSICAL OR INTELLECTUAL.

Q. WHAT KIND OF DESIGN WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY NEXT?

A. LATELY I’VE FOUND MYSELF GRAVITATING TOWARD INTERACTIVE DIGITAL DESIGN AND LESS SO TOWARD PRINT. I’M MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN INTERACTIVE SCENARIOS THAN THE NEAR STATIC WORLDS I’VE BEEN INHABITING. I’VE ALWAYS TRIED TO INSTILL A QUALITY OF INTERACTION IN MY PRINT WORK, BUT THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH A DESIGNER CAN ENGINEER IN THIS CONTEXT.

Q. YOU ALSO HAD A CAREER IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. HAS THIS BACKGROUND HAD ANY SORT OF EFFECT ON YOUR CURRENT CREATIVE ENDEAVORS? IF SO, HOW EXACTLY DOES IT SHOW UP IN YOUR DESIGNS?

A. MY SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND HAS DEFINITELY INFLUENCED MY DESIGN WORK, BUT LESS IN TERMS OF AESTHETICS AND MORE IN TERMS OF CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING. IN THE SCIENCES IT IS NOT ADEQUATE TO SIMPLY STATE 1+2=3. INSTEAD ONE MUST PROVE 1+2=3. IN DESIGN, STUDENTS LEARN FROM RESPECTED PROFESSIONALS AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ACCEPT DESIGN KNOWLEDGE AS TRUTH. THIS TACIT KNOWLEDGE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE TRAINING OF THE DESIGNER, BUT THE METHODOLOGY OF ACQUIRING THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE OPAQUE NATURE OF THE VALUES IMPARTED ARE NOT HIGHLY CONDUCIVE TO PROGRESS. A SYSTEM THAT IS NOT BASED ON TESTABLE THEORIES IS CLOSED TO CRITIQUE AND QUESTION, AND AS SUCH, IS A DRAG ON PROGRESSIVE CHANGE.

IN MY WORK, I ALWAYS ASK WHY: RARELY IS THERE AN EASY ANSWER, BUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, RATIONAL REASONS DO EXISTS THAT EXPLAIN ONE CHOICE VERSUS ANOTHER. THIS METHOD OF WORKING IS LESS OF VALUE FOR PURELY ILLUSTRATIVE PROJECTS, BUT FOR DATA VISUALISATION, A SEMI-RATIONAL APPROACH IS A MUST. OUTSIDE OF THE CONTENT ITSELF, WHAT I FIND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT DATA VISUALISATION IT THAT IT FORCES THE DESIGNER TO ASK THESE TYPES OF QUESTIONS. THERE ARE A MYRIAD OF GRAPHIC CHOICES A DESIGNER CAN MAKE FOR ANY GIVEN PROJECT. BUT IN ORDER TO MAKE THE MOST APPROPRIATE CHOICE OF VISUAL ELEMENTS TO EXPRESS A CONCEPT, A DESIGNER MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT QUALITIES OF FORM ARE BEST SUITED TO A USER’S VISUAL PERCEPTION OF DATA. WITHOUT THIS UNDERSTANDING, IT’S VERY LIKELY THAT THE REPRESENTATION OF THE DATA IN GRAPHICAL FORM WILL AT BEST BE CONFUSING AND AT WORST, UNINTELLIGIBLE. THE VISION SCIENCE AND BEHAVIOURAL COGNITION THAT UNDERPINS DATA VISUALISATION MAY PROVE TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE EXPERIMENTAL SPACE FOR DEVELOPING THE THEORY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN.

Q. WHAT LED YOU TO SWITCH OVER TO DESIGN FROM SCIENCE? WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TWO FIELDS HAVE IN COMMON?

A. I LEFT THE SCIENCES AS I DESIRED A MEANS BY WHICH TO EXPRESS MYSELF VISUALLY. I CONSIDERED FINE ART FOR A PERIOD, BUT FOUND MYSELF DRAWN TO THE GRAPHIC LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION DESIGN. I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN 2002 AT THE AGE OF 32 WHILE WORKING AS A EVOLUTIONARY GENETICIST IN A UNIVERSITY LABORATORY. THE DECISION WAS NOT EASY AS GIVING UP A CAREER I BUILT FOR WELL OVER A DECADE WAS DAUNTING TO SAY THE LEAST. BUT MY DESIRE FOR VISUAL CREATION WAS OVERWHELMING AND ULTIMATELY I OVERCAME MY APPREHENSION FOR CHANGE.

I’M STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE COMMONALITY BETWEEN ART AND SCIENCE – IF IN FACT, THERE IS ANY. THERE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN A GREAT INTEREST IN THE LAST DECADE TO CONSCIOUSLY MERGE THE TWO IN THE RARIFIED CONTEXT OF BIENNIALS AND MUSEUMS. I’VE FOUND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS WORK TO WEAK AS IT LACKS THE RIGOR OF SCIENCE AND THE POETRY OF ART. INSTEAD IT OCCUPIES A GRAY AREA OF NEW PURPOSE THAT PRIMARILY SHINES A LIGHT ON SCIENCE AS TECHNOLOGY. A FEW PROJECTS ARE PREMISED ON A CRITIQUE OF SCIENCE, BUT THESE ARE OFTEN SO VAGUE AS TO BE OUTCLASSED BY JOURNALISM.

I CAN SAY FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THE MANNER IN WHICH I WORK – CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT, CHOOSING THE APPROPRIATE VISUAL TOOLS, ETC. – IS HARDLY DIFFERENT NOW AS A DESIGNER COMPARED TO MY WORKING METHODOLOGIES AS A SCIENTIST. I FEEL THAT THE SCIENTIST AND THE DESIGNER WITHIN ME ARE ONE AND THE SAME.

Q. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR YOUR DATA VISUALIZATION PROJECTS? WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM GENERAL DIAGRAMS?

A. CONTENT IS ALWAYS THE STARTING POINT FOR ANY OF MY DATA VISUALISATION PROJECTS. THE FOCUS IS ALWAYS AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION DERIVED FROM DATA THAT STANDS IN CONTRAST TO PREVAILING NORMS OF BELIEF. THIS IS THE TYPE OF DATA THAT MOST INTERESTS ME – DATA THAT MAKES YOU REALIZE THAT WHAT IS COMMON SENSE IS LITTLE MORE THAN COMMUNAL SENSE, AND WHAT IS NATURAL IS ACTUALLY AGAINST NATURE.

Q. WHAT WAS YOUR GOAL IN USING SILKSCREEN PRINTING AND CHANGING INK AND PAPER TO CREATE SEVERAL DIFFERENT PATTERNS FOR THE PROJECT?

A. THESE TYPES OF CHOICES ARE ALWAYS IN THE SERVICE OF THE CONCEPT. FOR EXAMPLE, IN “A_B_ PEACE & TERROR ETC.” THE CHOICE OF A DOUBLE-SIDED PRINT WAS TO GRAPHICALLY EXPRESS THE CONCEPT OF “TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY”. THE TRANSLUCENT QUALITY OF THE PAPER NOT ONLY ALLOWS THE TWO DATA SETS TO BE COMPARED WITH VISUAL EASE, BUT ALSO CREATES THE THINNEST POSSIBLE BARRIER BETWEEN THE PEACE AND TERROR MEASURES – SYMBOLIZING THE CONCEPT THAT “ONE MAN’S TERRORIST IS ANOTHER MAN’S FREEDOM FIGHTER”. THIS VERY SIMPLE DESIGN CHOICE OF RECTO/VERSO PRINTING IMBUES THE POSTER WITH AN OVERT CHALLENGE TO PREVAILING BELIEFS THAT PEACE IS PEACE AND TERROR IS TERROR. IN REALITY, THE TWO ARE NOT SO SIMPLY DISTINGUISHED. THIS IS THE ARTISTIC CHOICE AS A DESIGNER THAT I MAKE FOR EVERY VISUALISATION PROJECT – TO QUESTION COLLECTIVE NORMS OF BELIEF AND BRING NEW PERSPECTIVE.