UsTwo
After coming across their introduction video, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this studio. I’m a huge believer in introducing fun and play within the work place, and UsTwo are a brilliant example of how this can work. It’s been proven time and time again that happy minds work so much more efficiently than gloomy ones, so it’s never made sense why businesses continue to create these dull working environments.
As light hearted and fun as the studio appearance looks, it’s been sincerely thought through and designed by founders Mills & Sinx. During an interview Mill’s mentioned that the studio was designed to make anyone that works or visits there feel special, making them want to return.
A recent study by economists at the University of Warwick found that happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive. As the research team put it, “We find that human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity. Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings.” – Fast Company
Inspirations
I’ve always been drawn to the idea of design for good, I love to see how design can move people, whether that just be providing a new insight, providing someone with a smile or the bringing an issue to light and awakening the opportunity for change. I strongly believe that visual elements can evoke emotions and tell a story in more depths that one of which words can, and I knew this is something I wanted to explore further.
I began my reflection by looking back at the work I had produced within Module 1, as this module gave me a lot of free range to experiment and explore new elements of design. I began to notice that a lot of my projects carried through similar themes, a lot of them were quite expressive, they seemed to harvest a lot of emotion, and most of the time they were created away from a screen. Since starting my journey into this MA I do remember having this feeling of joy when I discovered that I could in fact create design through other mediums and that most of the design briefs could be met through alternative methods. Working with tactile materials allowed me to explore different outcomes and most of the time I enjoyed the results of this. So with that in mind, I knew this wasn’t something I was going to put down anytime soon.
Anna Lomax
Sarah Illenberger
David Sykes
Process
What Simon Sinek explained during his TED talk made a lot of sense to me and I liked how this theory could be applied with actually changing too much. To create such a powerful impact all you had to was change the structure of your message, such a simple change can have a huge impact.
So basing my elevator pitch on Simon’s theory of ‘Why, How What?’, I began by attempting to conceptualise my reasoning behind wanting to work away from a screen. And if I’m being completely honest, the core reason really boils down to the fact that I really enjoy my work when I can create with my own two hands. I have a lot more fun, it re-sparks that childlike joy you have when constructing your dream house using lego. It may sound simple, or perhaps even selfish but I honestly don’t see the point in pursuing a career that eventually forms your once loved hobby into a chore. Not only that, but my results are noticeably better (in my opinion) when I have had fun during the process, you can literally see the passion that has been embedded within it.
I also know that I work better when I have the opportunity to speak to people about my projects, I love to be able to bounce my ideas of another person. Which only makes sense, seeing as I would like to think that a lot of my future projects would in fact be people centred. This being said, I know I also need a little bit of quite time, so i think the most ideal working environment for me would be to work within a shared space, this would give me to option to join in with group interactions if I desired or scuttle myself off to my own space to being putting my ideas into practice.
Knowing how I work, I’m aware that I can be a little bit of an ‘all or nothing’ type of person. So if I was completely left to my won devices, there’s a chance of my losing motivation and/or struggling to get myself into the ‘zone’ to create. Due to this I think it would be in my best interest to aim towards working 50/50. I could keep my focus structured and consistent by working under a larger company part time whilst having the opportunity to do a little more experimental work for my own practice the rest of the time. I believe this would give me the freedom to experiment with new methods and materials which may sometimes be necessary for me to give myself that spark of passion back into my work.
Once I had written up my final version of my elevator pitch, it didn’t seem natural to then present it within a typed format. That would of been too clean and structured, which kind of contradicts my working goals. So instead, I decided to hand write my pitch. There’s something about hand writing that I feel really brings someones characters into their work, you can tell a lot about a person by their handwriting. I feel like it gives you a sneak peek into the writers current state – how much time they had, their mood, and most importantly, who they’re writing for.
With it being a ink to paper project, it just felt natural to include some stamp work in and amongst my writing. As not only does this give an insight into the type of work I’d like to do in the future, it also brings a different kind of energy to the writing. It makes it more fun to read.
I believe fun should always play a part in the creation process. I think when you allow yourself to have fun, this element comes through and shows in the type of work you produce, the quality of the design and your drive to continue creating.
Through the exploration of graphic design, I found myself enjoying two areas the most. I’ve enjoyed taking the time to work away from a screen, as working hands with my projects has allowed me to be both more experimental and engaged. I’ve also found that working with and for people gives me a real moral drive, I love finding ways that my work can engage people using different and unexpected perspectives.
Moving forward, I’d like to combine these two elements together. Ultimately, I’d like to be working amongst people, either collaboratively or within a shared space creating 3D illustrations and set designs to be displayed amongst the public eye. I would like to have a mixture of both self-generated and commercial campaigns – this way I can consistently produce work to keep me financially stable whilst simultaneously having the freedom to explore my curiosities and begin new projects without pressure nor boundaries.
Sian Laüra 