Dalton Maag: What Lies Beneath – A Typographic Talk

Cardiff Met were lucky enough to welcome Dalton Maag to give a talk and I am pleased I was able to attend. Students, lecturers, designers and people within the creative community attended the talk – and it didn’t disappoint.

Bruno Maag – the founder and chairman of the foundry and Tom Foley – the Creative Director of the foundry gave the talk. The talk covered two case studies of past clients, the science behind reading and type in general.

Bruno Maag is originally from Switzerland where he began his career in typography with a typesetting internship. From there his career grew until he founded Dalton Maag (as he said there weren’t any jobs going so I made one for myself). Tom Foley went to Limerick University, Ireland to study Graphic Design and then went on to complete his masters in Central Saint Martins, London. He worked as a graphic designer for a few years before gaining employment at Dalton Maag, where he is now the Creative Director. The company mainly focuses on four services:

• Custom Fonts
• Logo Refinement
• Library Fonts
• Font Modification

Although I took a lot from the talk itself, including the history of the evolution of typography, what I really took was the passion and love the two have for type and what they do. Bruno, especially, displayed such passion when giving his talk. He is clearly a very knowledgable individual who understands the history of typography. I think this demonstrates that having a true understanding of your practice can really help to influence the choices you make an can really inform your choices.

When discussing their case studies, one was for the company Lush and the other Intel. With Lush, they did not have to design the typeface as the Creative Director of Lush had already designed their typeface. However, as their services became digital they needed to optimise the typeface for online use. This took a lot more work than what I originally thought it would have. Trial and error was key until they could find a style that conveyed their unique features, but also keep the file size down to ensure that bandwidth would not be effected – thus preventing pages from loading too slowly.

In regards to Intel they were asked to design a custom typeface. This meant they went through their design process: Research -> Ideation -> Design Concept -> Refinement -> Execution. Bruno stated the importance of getting your process right as that will ensure errors are not made and will essentially save a lot of time. Once they have decided on a typeface, they must ensure it works in different weights and must then consider other script languages such as Chinese etc. as Intel are a global company and therefore need the font to work in various languages on different script systems. I never imagined the complexity of creating a typeface because consideration to the style, file size, script systems, other languages and other various elements are all essential and one mistake could cost a lot of money. The Intel project took about four years to complete in total – showing the true nature that type designing entails.

Some pointers that were given to us by both Bruno and Tom were to always consider your audience and to complete thorough research. Another was to never minus track as that distorts the type and makes the page look crowded – affecting reading and comprehension. The final point was to always read the End User Licensing Agreement as that can cause legality issues when using someones typeface. Having a slight business mind is key when entering the industry because business is an essential part to the Graphic Design industry – like most.

On the whole, I found the talk to extremely inspiring and it gave me an insight into what designing typefaces is like but also the level of commitment needed. There is a lot love needed for jobs like these, but it’s clear to see when there is, the work is created to a high standard and is all worthwhile.

 

Afterlife – Max Harding

For our most recent afterlife talk, a recent graduate, Max Harding gave a talk on his time in University and in industry. He has been working at Halo design agency in Bristol for the last two years.

He began by talking about his favourite film; The Devil Wears Prada and although it was a slightly random introduction the point behind it was that we all have our own opinions and it’s important that we remember that our opinions are just as valid as that of a Creative Director. He summed up his role quite nicely in my opinion saying; ‘It is about finding the gold in a sea of blue.’

Max did give some good advice, which was not to worry if you don’t have the strongest portfolio (obviously it has to be good), as long as you can sell yourself you can still get the job because at the end of the day it’s you that they’re hiring. I think that the most important thing is to show your personality both within your portfolio but also when meeting individuals such as in interviews etc.

Max Harding definitely presented his presentation with personality and flare and really captivated everyone in the room – a good strength to have in my opinion. He also brought humour into his presentation, which made the talk on the whole more enjoyable.

On the whole I enjoyed listening to Max because it was nice to listen to a recent graduate enter the industry and gain some insight into the work he has done within the agency. It was also nice to hear how he hard he had to work to gain his employment because I think sometimes it is thought that graduates should find a job immediately – but that simply isn’t the reality of it. Therefore preparation is key and that is definitely the biggest thing I have taken away from the talk. Prepare and be yourself.

London

On the 19th of February I went to London on a Graphics trip. It was a really fun, enjoyable, inspiring and motivational trip.

The first day was simply arriving at the hostel and settling in with free time in the evening. The second day was spent at the 4 Designers conference until 4 o’clock, which was simply amazing and inspirational (please refer to my 4 Designers blog). In the afternoon a group of us went to Soho for food, and to walk around the area, which I always find interesting to see the diversity of individuals within the city. The final day consisted of visiting the design studio Dare to gain a feel for what it’s like to be in a creative environment. In the afternoon, we went to Southbank to see some of the sights and then went to the Design Museum – which I was really looking forward to seeing as I’d never been before.

The City…

I always enjoy going to London simply due to the diversity found within it. It is such a busy and ever-growing city there’s always something happening that catches your attention. Like always, London failed disappoint. Walking down Oxford Street in comparison to walking next to the Thames on Southbank had such a different feel and atmosphere to it. People behaved differently, (something I find interesting); one felt rushed and isolated whereas the other was more relaxed and focused on socialising. It really got me to think about the way we react in different situations and how what we see can influence us. It really does enforce the idea that as a creative I should always be observing what’s happening around me – something I normally do anyway.

Dare…

Dare was an incredible experience. I loved gaining a feel of what it would be like to work in a real studio setting. The atmosphere was amazing (in my opinion), and there was a real sense that everyone wanted to be there and create. It was quite a chilled atmosphere, but was clearly apparent that everyone had work to do. The whole experience made it a bit more real for me and really cemented graphic design as a future career. We were spoken to a lot about Behavioural Science and the impact that knowledge of that area can have on your work and as it is a topic rooted within Psychology, it was right up my street. This is something I have wanted to look into further because not only does it interest me a lot, I also believe that if we understand how and why people behave the way they do, then that can inform work being produced for the better. This is now something I’ll definitely be looking into.

The Design Museum…

I really enjoyed the Design Museum believe it or not. One of my favourite elements was the overall design of the interior. It felt clean, open and well considered. There was so much packed into the space with tonnes of history bursting from the rooms. I really enjoyed seeing the development of designs and how developing technologies have changed them and allowed them to grow into what we know today. I think it really shows how we always have to keep up to date with new technologies to enhance the relationship people have with the world.

One of my favourite pieces was a letterpress piece by Alan Kitching. The use of layering and contrast between colour and black and white has been executed beautifully. There is a real sense of texture within the piece and also a sense of movement. Although the words tell a story, the layout has been well considered and helps to enhance the narrative. I feel the piece really does demonstrate the power that typography can have and how it in itself can be a striking piece.

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in London. I feel it has really opened my eyes to the possibilities that are available within graphic design. It has made everything more real and I can actually see myself working within the industry one day. It has really inspired me and motivated me to push myself and practice, practice, practice! During our time there, we were also able to meet some graduates who are now working in London in the industry. It was really good meeting them, because it revealed that students from CSAD have gone on to start careers in graphic design. It was also nice to gain an insight into what their time was like at uni and their progression throughout.

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4 Designers – London

Whilst in London we attended was the 4 Designers conference held in Conway Hall. The conference was hosted by Patrick Baglee, who founded 4 Designers in 1999, his writing on design has appeared in Eye magazine, Creative Review, Blueprint and Design Week. The four designers that spoke included; Matthew Shannon, Joanna Davies, Matthew Baxter and Brian and James Webb.

Matthew Shannon currently works at Brash Brands as a Group Executive Creative Director and Group Content Director. His role allows him to travel across the globe working internationally. He has worked for some of the most respected design studios in the UK including the likes of SAS first, MetaDesign and Williams and Phoa to name a few. His talk was, like all the others inspiring to say the least. He gave good advice, one being to keep your eyes open to opportunity and know what’s going on around the world. He also spoke about the importance of research and thinking and that no stone should be left unturned. The doing should be the last thing and the smallest part of the process. It should be think, re-think then do. It is all about working out a process that’s right for you and works the most efficiently. He also said that we should be agile as you may never know what will happen or what new technologies will emerge and with that we should adapt when needed and to not get caught up in the day to day. One example he gave was when it comes to rebranding use the perception that’s already there and turn it to make it work in the brands favour.

However, the best piece of advice I feel he gave throughout the talk was this; ‘To effect change, you need to be the change.’

The second talk was given by Jo Davies, who is the founder of ZAK, a creative, independent agency, that helps to transform brands through developing them and creating platforms for global clients, one being New Balance. The company has now been running successfully for the last 11 years.

I found Jo’s talk to be the least inspiring in regards of what it means to be a graphic designer, but did give some of the best advice. One piece of advice was to find your inner rockstar and find what sets you apart from everyone else. Another was to learn about agencies… RESEARCH! No matter what you should always be happy, otherwise what’s the point? In regards to the gaining a job she said that you should make a strong impression and be interesting – go and do cool things, travel, see the world! Once your in, live the companies values and always deliver excellence. Another key point to remember is that you’ll be constantly assessed and observed – just because your in doesn’t mean the hard work’s over.

In regards to going freelance or setting up your own agency, she did advice that it’s worth gaining the experience of working with real clients and gaining the studio experience is key before starting your own business. This will allow you to gain more contacts and clients.

The third talk was given by Matthew Baxter who is currently a Creative Director at Baxter and Bailey. He has worked at some of the most renowned design agencies, not only in the UK but also internationally including; Tricket & Webb, 3Deep and 300million. He also writes for Design Week and has judged awards for D&AD and Design Week.

I personally found his talk to be my favourite and felt incredibly inspired listening to what he had to say. One of the biggest things that I took away from the talk was; ‘talent and skill are small parts to it but practice is key.’ Here were his stone cold pieces of advice… (which he went on to contradict)

1. Know where your going. Or don’t because it keeps your head up and looking round.
2. Say YES to everything. Or don’t  – you will know if it’s the right job for you (trust your gut).
3. Fake it till you make it. Actually keep faking it, it means your always learning something new.
4. Go places. You don’t have to – there are benefits in staying local, just do what’s right for you.
5. Don’t do free work. Don’t let other companies or people take you for granted. 

Although this advice is slightly confusing, there were some non-contradictory words of advice he gave which are things to always remember:

1. Always read the words – direct the brief.
2. Spellcheck.
3. Spellcheck again.
4. Be nice.
5. Keep in touch.

In regard to portfolio’s the advice he gave was very helpful. He said that a very simple and well articulated portfolio stands out and therefore you should reduce the work to its simplest form to ensure its clarity.

He also very kindly put a video together of all the people he has worked for, to give two pieces of advice to future graphic designers hoping to enter the industry like myself one day.

Lynn Tricket:

• NEVER talk yourself down.
• Dare yourself to do something new.

Gift:

• Show your commitment in everything – over deliver.
• Hard work and good attitudes pay off.

Brett Phillips:

• Know it, Research it, Live it.
• Focus on what you want.

Heidi Lightfoot:

• Don’t worry about not knowing – ask questions.
• Nurture your curiosity.

The final speakers were Brian and James Webb – a father and son duo, who undoubtedly gave the most entertaining talk of the day. Brain Webb founded Tricket and Webb in 1997 and in 2003 founded Webb&Webb along with his son. It is a very well respected design firm who have clients including Royal Mail, V&A and the Tate.

Much of their talk reflected on past works they had done, but some advice that I took from their talk included:

• Protect your Identity – people will take it and copy it.
• Get used to change.
• Always know the ob better than the client – become experts.
• Always look for the answer – but avoid the obvious.

Although they did not give as much advice as the other speakers, it was incredibly enjoyable to watch the two of them work together and present the talk with one another, showing the relationship they have.

Overall, I found the whole day incredibly inspiring and motivational. The advice given was great in my opinion and is something I will keep close, some more than others of course. I felt like I had a real insight into each of them and the key things to remember when entering the industry. When listening to designers I find that some of the advice seems to be a recurring theme, which cements it in my mind and therefore remains at the forefront of my mind.