Meaning matters - reflections on communicating value in divergent design and the significance of commercial branding for creative thinkers

Many creative designers begin their careers with what they believe to be a clear conceptual vision for the work they produce. Whilst in education certainly, this is reinforced when credit is offered for work which applies a complex thought process, regardless of whether it can be successfully deciphered and practically employed by commercial agents and consumers. In my experience, this can lead to the emergence of designers lead by thought rather than clear application, which in turn can make for a complex, divergent practice, difficult to communicate succinctly.

As a freelance designer and product entrepreneur with a back portfolio of personal and commercial projects spanning over a decade, developed from concepts which were hailed as credible from my education, I reached a point in my career where I no longer felt a sense of purpose in what I produced. My output had shifted dramatically over a period of time, influenced by a range of "real world" external factors such as technological shift,commercial trends, market pull, access to finance and an awareness of the ever changing opportunities available to design led entrepreneurs. I had produced a vast amount of project work for various people with wide ranging agendas and as a result, I no longer felt assured of where I fitted as a practitioner.

Interest in what I created seemed to rise and dwindle spontaneously with no clear rationale and therefore I felt a growing lack of direction for my work. In 2012, I decided that this needed to be analytically addressed to make some sense of how my practice was perceived and valued, and so I made the decision to embark on a deep exploration of my skills, outputs and beliefs in the hope that I may find a way to pinpoint direction and determine how to better communicate it to regain direction for my design abilities.

I recognised that my skillset was broad and that I was enthused by more than one area of creative thinking and process, so I first needed to establish what ultimately drove me to work in this way. In the past, I strived to produce work which addressed tangible problems, work which applied ecology to material choice and work which held a human story. Over the years this had expanded to include educational aspects, sharing my beliefs on the opportunities that both design thinking and consumer understanding could bring to both individuals and organisations as they developed and engaged with the products we use everyday. I realised that ultimately I wanted to engage people with
the broader significance of the experience of design, and the benefits it can bring to both our emotional state and our practical abilities.

Initially I had thought that the key to this might be in working on bespoke briefs as opposed to designing for industry. Producing things of significant functional and sentimental value to an individual rather than struggling with the complexity of attempting to address issues concerning mass civilisation, global cultures and economic matters when trying to create a product which meets a broader need, which often results in diluted impact due to the nature of corporate operations. With far fewer demands to satisfy, I figured that the imagination is surely only limited by the resource offered by the commissioning agent when working on one off outputs to commission. In considering the balance, it became apparent that whilst I might be more able to deeply involve individuals in the creative process in the realisation of one -offs (and therefore be able to engage a few in the significance of the experience of design), ultimately I would have less impact on a broader scale in communicating the benefits of strategic thinking to larger audiences.

In an attempt to readdress this balance, I considered the potential for advocating craft as a method for self fulfillment in both a practical and emotive sense through trialing the development of DIY product packs which employed self crafting. I figured that this might both allow an individual to adapt a design for personal significance, yet take advantage of current commercial systems to reach a wider market through a standardisation process that would streamline potential reach. For this, I developed a graphic instruction set for individuals to realise their own version of handcrafted lighting from everyday materials thereby reducing labour and material costs. This experiment proved that although self crafting generated design affordability, pride in creation, and the subsequent appreciation of the transformative process, many people lacked the skills, time and dexterity to develop the outcome to its full potential.

Despite the fruitlessness of this exercise in assisting me to identify a way to communicate design value, I did discover the importance of graphic projection in the presentation and subliminal communication of work, and recognised that this was a major factor in the extent to which engagement occurred. More importantly, I realised that in my use of graphics to hand over the crafting process to the end user, the emerging value behind my practice was not in what I produced, but in how I consistently attempt to offer a transformative solution through end user engagement with outcomes. The trick therefore was in finding a mechanism or "hook" to get people to engage and relate to the different aspects of my work in the first instance.

I realised this could only occur through separation of my output into distinct entities. This is where "branding" comes into play to tame the undisciplined designer and allow for rational value to be uncovered from the relevant content assigned to each identity. No matter how much a creative attempts to reveal the meaning of a concept, it will remain unrecognised unless it is directed to relevant parties, and positioned in a context that is relatable. Essentially, it revolves around the basic principle of the marketing mix, (or the 4 p's) price, people, place and product. Output must be accessible (affordably priced and easy to find), understandable and visibly beneficial in the context in which it is placed so that the end user can successfully interpret and imagine its application.

The result of my study lead me to the creation of three distinct commercial entities for my practice, which each spoke in a different tone for a different set of individual needs. I believe that we should not force pigeonhole creatives into committing to a single definition of who they are and what they represent, but we should help them to consider, how they can be, however simple or complex and help them to communicate it effectively to the right people in the commercial world. It took me two years to develop my separate brand identities following nine years of existing practice. It astonishes me that today, so little emphasis on the importance of effective self branding for designers to succeed commercially. Divergent thinkers are essential for contributing to innovation, If educators uphold the principle that graduates need to make impact with the work that they produce, yet fail to provide them with the necessary skills and insight to realise methods for such, then the system fails to assist them in signposting the meaning of HOW their ideas can matter.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Daring design, decadent detailing, disruption and innovation at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

This weekend I went out in search of new approaches to craft at GNCCF. Seeking the fearless and provocative, defined by a daring approach to form, fascia and function. As a designer concerned with divergence, meaning, innovation and transformation, naively or otherwise, I didn't hold out much hope that I would discover many creative leaps in work produced by makers often concerned primarily with the perfection of process. Thankfully, hidden within the rows and rows of glass vessels, fine silver jewellery and printed cushions, there were some hidden gems to be found, the first to catch my eye was the work of Anna Collette Hunt.

She is a contemporary fine ceramicist, who creates sensual and emotive subliminal reference, through both a visual and kinaesthetic experience. Instantly recognisable to me, I recently discovered her insect installations at the Yorkshire sculpture park, where swarms of individually and uniquely sculpted bugs infested the interior walls and stairways. Her work retains the "one of a kind" factor you might expect from a crafts person, yet the scale and overall aesthetic lends itself to repeats and memorable impact. This is also true of her new decorative plate ranges which present with a wildly eclectic mix of the wild, obscure and overlooked. Graphically, somehow her combinations of traditional motif combined with iconic symbology, work on a level which both captures the imagination and provides the eyes with a visual feast. 

Infestation, manifestation, rich imagery and metaphor seem to be some of the stronger design elements that merge to form a growing, revolutionary aesthetic trend of late. These themes occur heavily in my own recently launched interior collections, Weather Pattern wallpaper, Emperor lighting and Taming The Wild silk cushions.

There is a dark graphic edginess to such work which both intrigues and disturbs. In a practical sense, there is little invention to report, yet emotively, through visual narrative and subliminal reference the formations speak to a place deeper within us. Aligning with the iconic prints of Timorous Beasties and the eclectic darkness of Fornasetti, the same approach to disruptive detailing can be noted in the work on show by Swarm Design, also exhibiting at GNCCF. 

Director Adam Slade describes his work as:"An eclectic mix of flora, fauna, antiques, anatomy and statuary, which in a bizarre and slightly surreal way, all connect together to form beautiful and unusually enchanting narrative scenes."Subtle repeats, relating to creatures and objects that feel sacred yet slightly creepy, combine to create an opulent and overtly indulgent aesthetic. The prints feel bold and brave featuring a startling visual contrast and just the right balance between the ethereal and the corrupt. 

Eerie... Yet acutely alluring, another designer to project a contemporary twist on objects embodying historical charm, can be found in the new work of Eleanora Edlavich. An MA ceramics graduate from Staffordshire University, she has created delicate vessels with ornate detailing including three dimensional cameos, which project fresh appeal and appear reborn through the fresh pastel colouring. Thus, perceptible  innovation is born of intervention, sensual, subtle twists, that warp our perception of tradition, project exciting possibilities for a new aesthetic in both design and craft. 

Much of the output described thus far has a clear emphasis on the reconstruction of visual language, through colour, image and interpretation thereof. The work makes no claims to add creative practical value, but could still be deemed as inventive as an evolutionary visual shift which heightens user awareness of their own engagement with their surroundings. Two other makers with a more physical approach to decadence and disruption are Eluned Glyn (ceramicist) and Olly from Madmade (fine artist / designer craftsman). Both their stands stood out instantly to me, in the reconfiguration of what we may perceive to be proper and correct.

Eluned Glyn takes existing vessels, deconstructing the forms and recreating from fragments. The resulting objects appear distorted and dislocated. A sort of "controlled chaos" that dislodges our prior understanding of the purpose of geometry in three dimensional form. 

The same can be said of Olly's work, yet his motivation for creation derives from a very different source: "Putting time and energy into saving precious materials through reuse and repurposing, I can save artifacts from deterioration and elevate their status to valued artifact." Whatever the driving force behind production, the outcomes are daring, forcing the us to question both our expectations and our acceptance of the unconventional. Perhaps we could describe the resulting impact as intellectually innovative? 

The idea of decadence in design, celebrating decay, moral decline or that which disturbs, could be said to be the key element in the growing trend behind inventive approaches to emotive response. 

Emilie Taylor builds large scale ceramic vessels immortalising modern day urban icons. In sharp contrast to early European sgraffiti and frescoes which tend to glorify the gods and the gentry in all their divinity, the resulting artifacts bear a more meaningful relationship to our everyday experience. The images prompt us to form a deeper affinity with the work as a direct reflection of first hand encounter.  

All these examples are brave. Some might call it degenerate, I prefer to think of them as inventive responses to the very concept of what constitutes innovation. 

In a time when technological advancement seems to be the benchmark for creative value, I ask, are we forgetting human response and relatability in favour of the machine?

These designers have all a conceptual focus which visually taps into our inner psyche forcing a mental shift. This perhaps, it could be argued, is fundamentally more valuable as innovation than a shorter term practical advancement which relies heavily on current technological capabilities... 

All views are my own. Email your thoughts to ilsa@ilsaparry.com