Years ago, I wished I could work on advertising projects for
household names because I thought that above-the-line work would bring
creative satisfaction. I’ve been lucky to work with many well-known
businesses and charities, but looking back, my smaller projects were the
most satisfying creatively.
Often, big brands have already
established guidelines which mean there’s less room for me to experiment
and exercise my creative muscles. I’m not saying brand guidelines are
unimportant, but I prefer to work on projects where I feel I add the
most value and a little of myself.
These days, product companies
seem more interested in refining interfaces and simplifying user
experiences. I value those things when I use a product, but I find
working on these projects less rewarding. Well-known clients still have a
certain allure — and having logos in my portfolio has been good for
business — but I now look for projects which offer me the freedom to
develop my creative interests.
I’m fascinated by how design can
tell engaging stories about products and services, even those which
might be considered mundane by some. I enjoy exploring how images,
layout, and typography can be used to communicate messages in visually
distinctive ways. Above all, I love using my experience and interests in
art direction and graphic design to help businesses, charities, and
sometimes individuals, who might otherwise be exposed to them.
“I
do not attempt to speak on behalf of the machines. Instead, I have
tried to make them speak for themselves, through the graphic
presentation of their elements, their operations and their use.”
— Giovanni Pintori
Even
highly regarded, well-known designers spent time working with mundane
subjects and produced iconic work. After moving from Switzerland to the
United States, Erik Nitsche for magazines including Harper’s Bazaar,
Life, and Vanity Fair. But it’s his work for General Dynamics which
became his most recognized. In his five years as an art director at the
aerospace and defence company, Nitsche developed an information design
system which resulted in annual reports, posters, technical data, and
Dynamic America, a 420-page book tracing the company’s history.
Italian
designer Giovanni Pintori worked for business products manufacturer
Olivetti for 31 years where the simple style and geometric shapes he
applied to advertisements, calendars, and posters developed into the
company’s design vocabulary.
