Firstly, How would you describe the work that you produce? and is there a project that you think sums up qubik?
I guess the work that sums up what I do the most is the Chromatologies identity and fold-out poster I designed in 2010. I’m still really happy with how that project turned out. The design solution is typographically-led, making a clear, but oblique reference to the study of colour. Key to the poster’s success in my opinion is also the use of materials. I sourced a stock called Chromalux from Fedrigoni which is gloss coated on one side and uncoated on the other. The gloss reproduces the bright colours really well and all the information relating to the festival is printed in black and white on the reverse.
When studying/ starting your career in design, who were you influenced by?
I studied in the 80s and to be honest I didn’t really know of any other designers apart from Peter Saville — through records I’d bought on Factory. Later in the late 90s I was really influenced by the work of The Designer’s Republic quite a bit.
Is it the same people you’re influenced by now or have you found new influences? if so who are these new influences?
No I’m really not influenced by those designers any more. I think my taste got more mature after this and I was drawn especially to Dutch designers like Karel Martens. I really admire the work that comes out of Werkplaats Typografie, it seems consistently free and engaging. There are so many designers who I like right now, James Langdon is an inspiration, also the font designer Radim Pesko.
Of the projects you’ve done, Which do you think was your favourite or most effectively answered the brief? and most importantly, why?
Hmm same answer as 1. I guess. It uses the concept of chromatology in not such a direct way, I mean without forcing or illustrating the idea too much. Chromatology is the study of colour. I decided that filling all the text with a continuous colour gradient was a really nice way of answering the brief.
What is your view of the phrase Form Follows Function? do you think it is relevant in design today or outdated, and why?
It ought to be relevant I think. Our role as designers is to communicate ideas using a mixture of type, graphics, images, materials and of course form. All of these are equally important to communicating the message. I like a lot of contemporary design, especially this aesthetic which I describe as ‘amateur’. It’s actually quite difficult to achieve in principle, to be free enough and make something look amateur but also well designed. Some designers are better that others. But I worry that pretty soon it will look outdated. Most of the design I really admire is perhaps a little boring, but it will probably stand the test of time and will still look fresh in the future.
Finally, what are your influences outside of design that you think have an effect on your practice?
I have interests in art and music. I have an art practice and I read a lot about art. I listen to a lot of electronic music and am interested in the history of electronic music and also current experimental practices. I am generally drawn to experimental media be it film, literature, art or music. I like things that push and test boundaries. My favourite book is Finnegans Wake by James Joyce — probably the most difficult book ever written. I come across things like that and I am intrigued by it, I want to figure it out, to experience something totally original and new.
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