Roundup of Design Feaster Blog Posts for 2009

Instead of giving a bulleted list of last year’s picks of blog posts, I thought it would be more interesting to relate them as sentences, much like the way that Things Magazine relates their discoveries about “objects and their meanings” which are written in paragraphs but could have easily been presented as a list. Here’s my try at summarizing last year’s Design Feaster Blog Posts not as a list.

When I re-capped my experience and “lessons learned” about a design lecture done badly, it was self-therapy. It was my attempt to reach out to the audience that I didn’t quite satisfy. I’m glad that I wrote it—essentially wrote it out of my system, actually. The biggest lesson: Speaking in front of a group of people, even if the group consists of only three people or one, must be prepared and done in a well-edited and engaging way—matching the Substance of your speaking with Style.

Themes that I want to uncover and write about more are creative projects or businesses started and run by families, such as e.m. papers, who design and produce printed products. Then there are brothers Rien, Alrik, Paul and Rudin Swagerman, who founded Viewbook— a web application that allows people to create and share their portfolio of visual design or photographic work.

Tied to this blogging about family-oriented creative projects are creative efforts by individuals. Interviewing my co-worker Marketing Strategist Seijen about his use of Behance’s Action Book has started a diverse set of Interviews with people, whatever their discipline, expressing their take on the creative process through very interesting projects. And creativity takes all sides, like Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s on-the-side creative obsession with typography.

Blogging helps me reflect on and discover more about… I was going to say Design. During my interview with The Curated Object (Thanks again Joanne!), in answering her question about what inspires me, I said, ‘Everything inspires me’ with the disclaimer ‘at the moment.’ To wrap up the benefits of blogging, it helps me both recognize and explore more about many people, places and things that motivate creativity. It’s an ongoing discovery that Artist-Maker Nic Webb, in his Interview, simply and profoundly described as something that is non-stop. As he put it, “With regards to staying creative: “I don’t think it is something I could turn off.”

Designer’s Quest(ionnaire): Interaction Designer Maureen Hanratty

Maureen Hanratty began her studies in Painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, then completed the graduate program of Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Michigan. Her goal as a user experience designer is “to create a conversation between people and the products and systems they interact with.” Read her straightforward and insightful take on design and designing.

The Designer’s Quest(ionnaire) is a Design Feast initiative that describes and captures a designer’s perspective in a succinct format. Read the previous Designer’s Quest(ionnaire) with Make-Up Artist and Hairstylist Chantal van Gogh.

Duane King’s “Thinking for a Living”: Creative Destination for Everyone Passionate about Better

Like many, I’m a frequent visitor to the site Thinking for a Living since discovering it in 2008. It was created by Duane King, of multidisciplinary design studio BBDK, for a breakout session that he gave at the Dallas Society of Visual Communications Student Show and Conference. The site has become a sustained effort, looking at designing as an act of education and that must be practiced with passion. Duane King shares thoughts about the new Thinking for a Living and why relationships and diversity matters when it comes to creating.



Can you please tell a little bit about yourself?
Where are you from? What do you do for a living?
I am a designer, curator and writer who believes that although design is a profession, it’s above all a passion. I was born and raised in the Hill Country of South Texas but I am currently living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and working as Creative Director of BBDK. In my spare time, I work on Thinking for a Living and giving back to the design community.

What is Thinking for a Living?
Thinking for a Living is a publisher and curator of thought-provoking design content and a creator of meaningful experiences. We are about spirited creations and seeding great ideas. Good ideas benefit someone. Great ideas benefit everyone.

Thinking for a Living is also a network built on friendship, passion, and a dedication to the craft of design. The network is an alliance of like-minded individuals who are experimenting with publishing and spreading ideas through a series of topic specific sites, conferences, workshops and publications.



How did you arrive at the decision to redesign the website
for Thinking for a Living?
Thinking for a Living is a collaborative project, and as such, I approached Frank Chimero, Ian Coyle, Bob Borden, and Shane Bzdok to discuss our goals and aspirations for the site. We tried to think ahead and create a site that was a paradigm shift in interactivity and better emphasized our original writing. With these goals in mind, and with the development support of Ian Coyle, we began to rethink the site.

What is the most rewarding part of running
Thinking for a Living?
Uniting people. I’ve said it before, but I strongly believe that collaborations with people from a wide variety of skill sets will serve to expand your view of what’s possible. Whether designers, programmers, motion graphics artists, illustrators, copywriters or photographers, the result will be a mix of cultural, economic, and creative energy that can offer true originality while testing your assumptions of how things are done.

Is there a part of working on Thinking for a Living
that is particularly trying? And how do you deal with it?
The most trying thing about working on Thinking for a Living is not letting it take over. I love working on it. We all do. Balancing our time between paid and passion projects is probably the most difficult aspect.

What are some current Thinking for a Living projects
that you’re engaging?
We’re currently in the process of creating several new web projects. Shane Bzdok is developing Design Facts, Antonio Carusone is developing a project called Design Manifesto, Ian Coyle is working on More Substance and Frank Chimero is developing Type 101 and Design History 101. Antonio and I are also currently working on a book entitled The Grid System for Laurence King Publishing that should be released early next year. Of course, there is more—but I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises.

How do you stay creative? Do you draw? Or keep a journal?
Honestly, I don’t know any other way to be. I never tire from creating things. Sure, my mind and body give out here and there—but it’s nothing that a good night’s rest can’t fix. I do draw, but my sketches are typically shorthand and intended to communicate a concept. I don’t keep a formal journal as I feel it makes things feel too sacred. Perhaps it’s horror vacui. Nonetheless, I prefer to exist in a flurry of thoughts, Post-It notes and torn scraps of paper.

What are some of your sources of inspiration?
I don’t read design magazines or annuals. For me, inspiration comes in unexpected ways and typically from a source outside of our industry. A beautiful song. The Milky Way at night. A really good story. The space between columns of text. The foam on a cappuccino. It’s random. I simply try to keep my eyes open and see things in different ways.



What’s your advice to people who aspire to start
and grow a website?
First and foremost, it’s more work than you’d ever expect. Be deliberate and be prepared to work yourself silly. And please, if you’re going to make something, create something of value. The world doesn’t need more noise. There are far too many copy-paste sites out there that simply regurgitate information. Be mindful and thoughtful of your audience. If they are spending their valuable time with you, make it worth it.

Who should visit Thinking for a Living?
Thinking for a Living is for anyone who is curious and driven. Our audience is hungry for better. Better brands, better products, better experiences, better ideas. A better future.



Any future features or events, like panel discussion and
workshop The Practice Sessions for students in design,
you’re planning to pursue in relation to Thinking for a Living?
Yes, but I can’t discuss it currently as it’s all still in the planning stages. Unfortunately I can only tease you about it.

Toyota Communication Recall

After listening to National Public Radio’s article Can Toyota Recover Its Reputation For Quality?, I wondered about their “Public Relations Strategy.” It delivered neither the appropriate content nor the appropriate tone, especially at Toyota’s first public address of their global recall:



It seems to me a better model would be to bypass the PR Specialists in the communication flow:



The result is a leaner communication model, where the CEO speaks directly to Customers—and directness is always a virtue when it comes to apologies.

So much to know, so little time: Shane Bzdok’s Design Facts

I met Shane Bzdok through his ongoing involvement with Thinking for a Living™, “an ever-growing platform dedicated to the concept of open source design education.” His work, from identity and interactive design to personal doodles, drawings, paintings and Photoshop fun, can also be found at Pixelseed.



His latest project is Design Facts which is “focused on graphic design history, contemporary design facts and industry related definitions.” It quickly caught my attention for its simplicity and enduring potential to learn and re-learn about the galaxy of design history. Read more about this fact-rich project and its creator.

Can you please tell a little bit about yourself?
Where are you from? What do you do for a living?
I spent my early childhood on a small farm in North Dakota where my father, who was a designer, photographer and classic car enthusiast, was publishing his own car magazine out of our home. We actually had an eight-foot horizontal stat camera in our house! Needless to say, I was exposed to both graphic design and an interest in history at a very early age.

Currently, I work as an art director and designer with Bob Borden and Duane King at BBDK, Inc. in Santa Fe, New Mexico where I also contribute to our passion project, Thinking for a Living.

What is your new project Design Facts about, because
it looks like more than only highlighting designers
and their creations?
Design Facts is a very literal description, actually. The content is graphic design trivia with an emphasis on historical information. I also plan on including a sprinkling of contemporary facts, industry-related definitions and possibly even designer quotes.

When and how did you arrive at the idea of Design Facts?
I’ve always had an interest in history, both design related and non-design as well. I’ve recently begun collecting vintage design publications and it seems the more I collect, the more I enjoy looking back at designers and their work and identifying the contemporary connections and subtle (or often not-so-subtle) references surrounding me today. With this in mind, I began to consider how I could share my enthusiasm about this topic with others. After some digging around online, I soon found my white space—there appeared to be a lack of sites that offered graphic design history or facts delivered in short form. I did, however, find more than a few sites that focus on lengthy passages of design history, but they are either too deep or very focused on one or two particular areas. As far as I could tell, there was nothing that offered a constant feed of general graphic design facts delivered in daily, bite-sized bits (not to say they don’t exist). I shared the concept with Duane who then came up with the very fitting name of Design Facts and the lovely little tagline, “So much to know, so little time.” Thanks, buddy!

What makes for a compelling Design Fact?
In my opinion, it’s the behind-the-curtain, lesser-known information—the minutia—that is most compelling. The tiny details that get lost or are typically ignored in the bigger picture of more generalized text in classroom history books. In the case of graphic design, I also believe it’s not so much the “who, what and when” as it is the “how” and “why.” We’re so used to seeing beautiful, polished things done by brilliant people but it’s how these things came into being and why the creator made them that typically make for a good story or, in my case, an interesting fact.

That said, I think any fact or piece of information, no matter how common or seemingly mundane, can be compelling to someone. If even one tiny bit of information can spark curiosity and the desire to learn more, then I feel I have succeeded. I really want this to be a practical educational resource for both students and non-students alike. I am constantly amazed at how very little entry-level designers know about the heritage of their craft and those who came before them—this included myself at one time.

What aspects—like designers, design works, attitudes,
movements, methods, books, films—of Design motivate you?
Above all else, I am motivated by the phenomenal intelligence, talent, kindness and raw creativity of my peers and other Thinking for a Living Network partners whom I am fortunate enough to call my friends and co-workers. These include Bob Borden, Antonio Carusone, Frank Chimero, Ian Coyle and especially my career-spanning mentor, Duane King. They constantly inspire me to do better.

I would also like to add that the longer I’ve been doing this, the more I realize that nearly anything and everything can inform, inspire and motivate. Business, science, nature, economics, mathematics and everything else in between all have something to offer for those who are looking. I try not to rely on specific formats or methods of inspiration but instead try to keep my eyes as wide open as possible and hope I can recognize inspiration when it appears in front of me. My only piece of advice is to be sure to get away from the computer once and a while. The real world is great. It’s ultra high-res with immediate download.

Why did you decide to use Twitter to help realize Design Facts?
Square peg, square hole. I had a concept that involved bite-sized content delivery and here was a publishing platform that offered exactly that. Pretty easy decision, actually. I also include a link to an image reference for each post which I manage on Flickr. Flickr not only acts as a stable depository for all the images but also has the ability to capture additional audience.



Besides ultimately using Twitter, what tools and materials
were used to start and work on the idea of Design Facts
and make it grow?
I had done some early Photoshop comps of a site design I was really happy with but once I made the decision to use Twitter as the publishing platform, I felt the design didn’t translate well. While doing some research, I had stumbled across some photos of old library cards (above image). The mustard yellow paper, formal typography, date stamps and handwritten names on these old cards were both beautiful and immediately spoke of academia. Obviously, there’s not much I can affect in regards to the overall look and feel of a Twitter page, but I’m quite pleased with the end results none-the-less.

What is the most rewarding part of making Design Facts?
The act of passing on knowledge has always been very fulfilling to me so knowing that someone has discovered something entirely new about graphic design is definitely the most rewarding part. That and the fact that I am learning more about graphic design myself through this process is also quite rewarding. Every time I crack open a reference book or dig a little deeper into a somewhat familiar topic, I add a little bit more to my own mental archive. The really interesting part is that the more I look, the more apparent the connections become. I begin to see the threads of inspiration that connect different eras and designers; how a typographic trend in one decade influenced an entire generation of designers in another. It’s all quite fascinating.

Is there a part of the work that is particularly trying
and how do you deal with it?
Nothing really feels hard when you enjoy what you’re doing but I suppose maintaining the schedule is probably my biggest challenge. Fact is, nobody else is going to do this for me so I realize the only way for it to succeed is to literally make it part of my everyday routine. I learned this from Duane, actually. He’s made Thinking for a Living a permanent addition to his morning ritual so I already knew what I had to do. Also, through my professional experience, I’ve learned the value of managing expectations on the viewers’ side. I intentionally limited my posts to one per day for many reasons, but mostly so that I could keep up with it and make sure I deliver. Never take being on time for granted. It’s very important that people can count on you, even at the smallest levels.

What is your advice to nurture curiosity
and turn it into a project?
All of us involved with Thinking for a Living are big believers in passion projects—those projects we are deeply passionate about, strongly believe in and are typically doing on our own time and our own dime. What I can tell you is that the curiosity, and even the idea, isn’t really the hard part—those things come with being a creative person. In my experience, the hard part is follow through. One idea that is executed to completion is worth a thousand that get started and never finished. My advice? Start something today, work on it really really hard and then do everything you can to finish it. My pal Frank Chimero probably says it best with his poster that states, “There is nothing stopping you from doing the type of work you want to do.”

Any future plans you’re planning to pursue with Design Facts
as it travels design history?
As practical and seemingly perfect as Twitter may be for this project, my long term goal is to develop a full-scale website that will allow me to better brand the project and allow for a more cohesive delivery of text and image. What’s great about the efforts I’m making with Twitter is that it’s allowing me to build up a database of facts for the real site when that day comes.

In closing, I want to thank my long time friend, mentor and creative director Duane King for all of his guidance and inspiration. I wouldn’t be the designer I am today without him... and that is a fact.

Graphic Designer Alberto Hernández’s Mission to Advance a Reader’s Interest through Hybrid Novels

Alberto Hernández’s experimentation with the book readily manifests his passion for visual storytelling, and proves how completely it can captivate the reader. One story that piqued Alberto’s creativity was Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Read how this visceral story was transformed into a “hybrid novel” which uses “playful graphic devices” to help the reader’s engagement of both the book and the story that lies therein.

Can you please tell a little bit about yourself?
Where are you from? What do you do for a living?
I am from Móstoles, a small town in the south of Madrid, Spain, but I am currently living in London where I have just finished my MA in Graphic Design at the London College of Communication. At present, I’m looking for work to gain some experience and learn some new skills before going back to my country, where I want to work in a few months.



When and how did you arrive at the idea of a “hybrid novel”
and are there other practitioners of this medium?
“Hybrid novels” is a project that I carried out while pursuing my MA some months ago. It was my Major Project. The challenge by the tutors was open, and that’s the most difficult part about open briefs: one does not know where to start. The idea of ‘hybrid novels’ came after a long time searching through piles of books, particularly novels. I realized that barely any of them contained imagery. Why is this? My thought was that the older we get, the less able we are to read images and that people generally tend to think that images diminish good writing. Ninety-five percent of the books that I saw did not contain imagery. In addition, in a time in which the tradition of reading physical books is getting more and more lost and the sale of e-books is rapidly increasing, the use of visual devices in books—to encourage us to read them in our own hands and feel the experience, which we cannot feel through the digital world—is increasingly important.

But the use of graphic elements in fiction is not new. We can find some examples of this in pioneering work such as the series of five novels in which Lope de Vega Carpio (16th century) omitted one vowel; Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759) which used hyphens, dashes, and asterisks, blank pages, even entire pages in black to denote a character’s death; James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake (1922) in which he scrambled the text to create a range of visual effects; William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch (1962) whose reordered text challenged conventional ideas of linear reading and narrative structure; and Georges Perec’s A Void (1969) written without the
letter “e”.

Nowadays, we can find quite famous examples of graphics novels such as Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves (2000), Steve Tomasula’s VAS: An Opera in Flatland (2004), Graham Rawle’s Woman’s World (2005), Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2006) and Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts (2007).

What are the narrative ingredients that make a compelling story?
Actually, I do not think there are any clearly defined ingredients that make a story more compelling. But from my point of view, as a graphic designer, page design, typography, binding and materials play a very important role in novels. And I suppose that a story would be more gripping if readers could interfere in the story and get involved in
new ways.

What storytellers or stories motivate you?
Most of the music I listen to is electronic. Luis Buñuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Tim Burton inspire me and influence my work, and I really love the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.



Was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the first story
that you transformed into a hybrid novel? If so, why?
Yes, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was the first story I remediated, and I hope it is not the last because I enjoyed working on that project so much. What led me to work on this novel, and one of the most important things in R. L. Stevenson’s story, is its narrative technique, presented as a dossier of witness statements, a ‘Case’ evoking the procedures of both legal and medical knowledge and testimony. There are also different overlapping narratives: two of the chapters are written by protagonists and a third is presented as a newspaper report of a crime.



What tools and materials were used to work
on the idea of a “hybrid novel” and make it grow?
I began sketching (above and bottom images) some ideas in my notebook. But those ideas started growing when I began making some actual size prototypes, through which one can see whether the sketched ideas work or not. Lastly, I designed the final pieces by using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. The actual book was printed on a wide range of paper from Bible paper to newsprint paper or glossy paper, which gives the book a more odd feeling and suggests the idea that there are different documents.



What was the most rewarding part of making
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde into a hybrid novel?
The most rewarding part was the research. It took most of my time. Thanks to the research, I learned a lot about the Victorian era in England. I saw a lot of material from this time period, and I visited loads of cool places. Most importantly, I learned how to do good research to inform a project. A special moment was when I borrowed the actual novel of the The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written 120 years ago and from a private collection. The book was delicate. It was a wonderful feeling to hold the original book in
your hands.



Was there a part of the work that was particularly trying?
How did you deal with it?
I suppose the most difficult part was producing the final piece because I wanted it well printed, and the finishing had to be perfect. How did I deal with it? By buying three more printers. So imagine my tiny bedroom looking like a copy shop (above image) rather than a place where I actually live. Piles of paper, ink cartridges, rulers and scalpels all over the place, plus four printers. The month before final submission was complete madness.

What is your advice to nurture curiosity and turn it into a project?
People should do whatever they like and work hard to achieve what they want to do—even if it is a high and risky goal. Everything is hard work and more hard work. The harder you work, the better the outcome.

Any future stories you’re pursuing as “hybrid novels”
and will you be making one of your own story?
I have no future plans to remediate other stories unless someone commissioned me to do it, which I would be really happy to do, but for the moment, I think if I remediated a story, it would be mine, one which would take me a while because it is quite long.

• • •

Read previous Interview with Artist-Maker Nic Webb and his Hand-Carved Objects of Wood and Wanderlust

Blogger’s Quest(ionnaire): Papertree Design’s Jeremy Jaymes

Jeremy Jaymes is a Web Designer and Developer who lives in an old farm house surrounded by Wisconsin farmland. He is also a business owner at Papertree Design where Wordpress is his “tool of choice” in “providing web strategy, development and design solutions for businesses large and small.” In discovering his blog, including his free minimally designed Wordpress theme Charlene, a few things quickly caught my attention which are, in no particular sequence: his blog’s grid, its use of lines as typographic elements and the writing. The straightforward thoughtfulness of Jeremy’s posts, which cover topics like Business and Usability, match their simple and elegant layout. His sustained web-based publishing experience may help your entrance into the blogosphere or further inform your current work in it:

Why did you create a web site of regular entries?
That’s a good question. I have made quite a few attempts at it. Various reasons I suppose, I love to explain how things work, share my opinion and help others to learn from my experiences and/or mistakes.

What web-based solution did you select and why?
I use WordPress, it was the first solution that I really got into working with and accounts for more than half of the work I do on a professional basis. It’s what I know and feel the most comfortable with. Lately, however, I have been experimenting with Tumblr due to the beautiful simplicity of it.

What is your definition of a good blog and what are
three good blogs that you frequently visit?
This is tough. I believe a good blog is made up of original content. You don’t need to write or illustrate something groundbreaking every time you put the “pen to paper”, but I appreciate when you spend some time, give it some thought and put a touch of your own personality into the writing. Top of the list for me would have to be:

• Articles that make me think long after I close the page.
• Articles that teach me something.
• Articles that say something I’ve been thinking.
• Articles that get me to respond and leave a comment.

Sounds obvious, but in the sea of content out there,
they can be hard to find.

Narrowing down to three good blogs is tough, if I had to choose three from my current reading selection, I would go with Drawar, idsgn – A Design Blog and ideasonideas. Like I said, it’s a tough call and I am leaving a lot out here. I do quite a lot of reading throughout the day.

How do you create content for your blog?
It’s pretty scattered, I use MarsEdit to do most of my writing, then drop into WordPress for a quick look before publication. Usually when an idea hits me, I will just open MarsEdit and start writing. Not all of my entries make sense the first time around so they might sit for quite some time before being finalized. As of right now, I have somewhere around 30 of them waiting in que. Often times, I will go back to old scribbles weeks later and the idea will start to morph, changing drastically from the first writing. Sometimes it’s just a quick clean up. Either way, it seems to work well for me to get the idea down regardless if it goes any further.

How do you stay organized and motivated
to contribute to your blog?
Motivation, it’s a struggle sometimes, especially when you are not seeing the traffic you hoped for. I usually just try to remind myself that if it helps or inspires one person it is still worth the effort. On a day to day, I have found that there are certain times in the day where thoughts just seem to flow and your motivation is at it’s peak. For me that is usually around two or three in the afternoon, so I will try to do most of my final writing during those hours.

Organized—I am pretty organized overall (aside from being scattered in thought). In addition to MarsEdit I also use a few other tools such as The Hit List, Delicious, Instapaper and old-fashioned pencil and paper to keep things close at hand.

For those aspiring to make a web site composed of
regular thoughts and/or images, what is your advice?
If you are passionate about the topic, then make it happen. I guess that’s the way I try to approach a lot of things in life. Sitting around and talking about it, wondering “what if” will leave you with a lot of missed opportunities. Not everything you write or do will be successful, but you will learn something from each and every attempt.

What is your quest in blogging?
On my personal site, which is relatively new and replacing an older “semi-personal” site, it’s more about sharing my opinion, experience and inspiration. Like I mentioned earlier, if one person comes away from it inspired then I am happy. In regards to my “professional” site, it’s about sharing what I have learned and how I approach things in relation to what I do day in and day out. It’s about teaching but also helps prospective clients gain a better understanding of who I am, the way I work and how I might be able to help them.

• • •

Read previous Blogger’s Quest(ionnaire) with Thought Architect Venessa Miemis

What’s Actually ‘Right’ with the iPad

Since the announcement of the iPad, there have been untold negative reactions, focusing on what’s missing or what it should have been, like this:



Beyond honing in on what is lacking—that the iPad doesn’t have this and that, or that it would have been so much better if it were…something else—the most meaningful reactions are the ones about what to make for this device, like this from my web-developer buddy, Tom Printy, who tweeted:



A product that provokes people to view it as another compelling way to express themselves is, ultimately, a product that is desired. Complementing its User Experience Guidelines, the iPad quickly provoked gathering of its UI Conventions. And as long as it evolves, moves like this will evolve too. That’s because it excites people to create new content, targeted especially for that device and medium. To react to mostly what the iPad misses (or more negatively still, its ultimate miss as the ultimate tablet) misses the point: It’s Apple’s vision. And it’s one that again excites people to make content; to make art.

Artist-Maker Nic Webb’s Hand-Carved Objects of Wood and Wanderlust

Ash Bowl, 2009, diameter 25cm. Photography by Michael Harvey

The first impression is lasting. I’m referring to Nic Webb’s artistry. His objects are handcrafted using traditional tools and methods. All natural, like his words: “When I begin carving I look for the differing qualities in each piece, allowing the grain and character to influence the design. Each spoon evolves to have its own personality and when finished becomes a showcase for the limitless beauty of wood.”

Webb reveres his material, respecting wood’s natural pliability. He discovers suitable pieces during his walks around the British Isles or travels overseas. Both the material’s location and age are respected—and deservingly so, in Nic’s pious approach. He shares his thoughts about working with “fresh living wood.”

Can you please tell a little bit about yourself?
Where are you from? What do you do for a living?
I graduated from Brighton College in 1994 with a degree in Fine Art. Since then I have worked as a painter and maker. I currently work in Camberwell, London, within a community of artists and makers at Vanguard Court Studios. I am 37 and originally from Suffolk, South East England.

What is your statement about being an artist-maker?
I am passionate about working with wood, as it is a natural material that can be sourced ethically and sustainably. I work with traditional tools and methods to minimize the impact of my making. I love to work with green wood (fresh living wood) because of its malleability. In the process of seasoning, the wood can twist and move, creating wonderful natural surprises and allows great freedom in my making. I love the fact that designs evolve from the grain itself and each piece develops to exhibit the natural beauty of wood.

What drew you to the world of spoons?
The spoon is an ancient tool that is recognised and has its place within every culture. It is a humble object that serves us every day. It is a symbol of nourishment and hope.


Beech spoon and branch, 2009, length 35cm. Photography by Michael Harvey

Why the preference for wood? What other tools and materials
do you use to work on your ideas and make them grow?
Wood is pure, formed by nature and is a versatile and varied material offering limitless and unique making opportunities. My work and designs evolve instinctively and spontaneously.

I receive much of my material from tree surgeons working in the parks and gardens of London. Friends also give me great pieces of wood from all over the world. I love to walk and spend time in the natural environment and collect timber from all over the UK. I also work with combinations of precious metals, ceramics and stone.

How does time factor into your work?
The spoons are labour intensive and I regularly work a seven-day week. I try to work with focus and concentration, in order to optimise my working day.

Rest for both the physical body and the creative mind is vital for fresh and innovative work.

What is the most rewarding part of making your objects?
I enjoy all aspects of the making process. Ultimately though, it is the pleasure of seeing and handling the finished object that I find most rewarding. It is also a joy to see others interact with the work and hear their reactions. When the work is finished, the object begins its life.

Was there a part of your work that was particularly trying
and how did you deal with it?
I have always enjoyed my work. Though recognition can take time. It is the privilege of making objects of art and craft that enables me to overcome the challenges. I have always made the most of opportunities and I direct 100% of effort into my work.

How do you stay creative? Do you draw? Or keep a journal?
I draw and paint and experiment with new materials and ideas. I keep my eyes and ears open. With regards to ‘staying creative’, I don’t think it is something I could turn off.

What is your advice to nurture a handcrafting sensibility
and maybe engage a career in making art out of a raw material
like wood?
Be patient and conscious. Take time, learn from others and share what you have learned. Try not to be disappointed with early mistakes. Quite often mistakes can lead you to new beginnings. Respect the material and the tools. Your eyes and hands are very precious, so take care to work safely. Be inspired by others but try not to copy.


Birth spoons (from right to Left) Cherry, Sycamore, Spated Beech, Buddleia,
Elder, Indian Bean, 2009, length from 15cm. Photography by Michael Harvey

Any future themes or phenomena you’re planning to pursue
in your work?
I intend to pursue an organic approach to making. Allowing materials to suggest both form and narrative. I look to explore themes of germination and decay, creating objects that appear not to have been made by hand, more that they have grown or been formed by processes of natural erosion. I am keen to expand my use of materials to bring further colours, textures and qualities to my work.

In 2010, my work will be on exhibition in London, Hamburg, Antwerp, Tokyo and Seoul (South Korea). Some of these shows are collaborative projects with other makers. I am also making bespoke ranges of work for restaurants, stores and retail outlets. My work will also be featured in a number of books, publications and online magazines. Furthermore, I am running workshops teaching green woodworking at my London studio.

• • •

Read previous Interview with Filmmaker Justine Nagan who directed and produced the documentary “Typeface”.

Blunt Statements about Work

One of the advantages of having great Parents and, at the same time, a great relationship with them, is benefiting from their good habits. In my case, I keep gaining from their penchant for persistent reminding.

Their telling me to “work hard” is never tiresome, especially coming from my Father, who was a farmer and came to America to marry the love of his life. He went to school to get a secure job and buy a small but ruthlessly sufficient house. All the while, he and my Mother raised me. My Parents are the hardest-working people I know. Teaching by example, as they did for me, is evident everywhere on the web. Here were two statements that I happened to discover:

From designer Aaron Draplin, his mission statement reads:
“Work hard. Do good work. For good people.”

From Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuk:
“HARD WORK is never not part of the formula.”

To believe that working hard is “overrated” sounds misguided. Even if I work hard on something that was a bad fit to begin with, and felt sorely short-lived, I only realized it after going through it.

The statements by Draplin and Vaynerchuk remind me that hard work is not soft, or “not easy” to use one of my Father’s favorite phrases. Hard work is what it is. It’s meant be done with a hard bite. The statements remind me, most of all, of my Father who is also the most straightforward person I know. He would appreciate the bluntness of these statements, which speak of something easier said than done. It also speaks of something that takes time. In a faxed interview done in 1995, a Portfolio Center student asked designer and author Paul Rand about his favorite hobby. Rand bluntly answered, “Work.”

The “magic” of working hard is exactly that: Doing it. But doing it in a way that you don’t burn out, which is another easier-said-than-done and persistent reminder from my Parents: “get sleep.” Working hard and getting sleep serve each other well.

With another year thankfully in the works, I’m reminded to work hard and rest well, bluntly speaking.