The wonderful collab duo of Anna Arbuckle and Nate Turner have launched their first in what looks to be an awesome series of interviews. Stay tuned for more and have a look see when time permits! The first is an exchange between Photographer KT Auleta and the founder of clothing label VPL, Victoria Bartlett.
North55 was formed in 2000 to provide Middle East businesses world-class creative solutions. Since inception, they have worked with leading corporations to define and develop effective, durable brands that deliver real bottom-line value. North55 brand communication experience encompasses real estate, travel and tourism, retail, luxury goods and food and beverage, across a wide-ranging client base. We had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting Craig Falconer, co-founder and creative partner.
On entrance to the North55 studio exposed brickwork covers the reception walls, along with a specially-commissioned graffiti piece. An archway leads you into the open plan studio space where a shag-pile-carpeted meeting rooms, relaxed break-out areas, brings a kitsch edge to a very contemporary interior.
GraphicHug: Craig, nice to meet you and thank you in advance for taking time out to answer some questions. Firstly, in your own words who is North55 and how did it come to be?
N55: North55 is a creative design studio. We don’t claim to be able to do everything, but what we do, we do with passion. We started in late 2000, when Dubai was just entering the major growth period. At that point the creative agencies in the region took a shot-gun approach to marketing. Everyone did a little bit of everything and as a client you often suffered. Some disciplines were handled well while others were simply tagged on. We wanted to give design the attention it deserved. Also clients at the time were waking up to the value of brands.
GraphicHug: Could you tell us a bit about your background?
N55: I studied design in the UK, then went on to join a number of UK design agencies. I was lucky enough to join the industry just before computers really took over. I learnt some of the core skills from old-school designers. You really pay attention when you’re setting type by hand, letter-by-letter, it makes you look at things differently. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the transition the industry has gone through. My Mac is my best friend now, but it has also taken a degree of the craft out of the job. Even the very best designers today still work out their designs by hand, and only rely on the Mac once the concept is cracked.
GraphicHug: What was it that made you set up on your own and here in the middle east?
N55: I was given an opportunity to join a company in Dubai, and relished the chance to be able to travel and explore the world of design outside the UK. After a couple of years I realised that although I was very happy in Dubai, I needed a new direction. I wasn’t inspired by many of the companies in Dubai at the time, but I did see signs that design was becoming more appreciated. I’d seen TMH evolve as a strong design studio and thought it was the right time to set-up.
GraphicHug: I’m sure you’ve been asked this before – but where did the name North55 originate from?
It’s actually the line of latitude that runs through both the founder’s hometown of Newcastle, but more importantly it’s a memorable name which intrigues people.
GraphicHug: What are your thoughts on the design scene here in Dubai compared to that of the UK? Would you say it is different from working as a designer in the UK in terms of workflow and creativity?
N55: Of course it’s different. The UK has had a 50 year head-start on Dubai, but what everyone tends to forget is that when you work in the UK design industry, only about 1% of creatives work at top end. An awful lot of UK design is very average. The opportunities for designers are often very limited. There’s a tendency to moan in Dubai, about most things, and in general people are spoilt. But Dubai’s design scene offers opportunities in abundance. Brands are born every week in Dubai and more recently there has been some exciting developments in Abu Dhabi. You just have to adapt to the working practices and not try to do everything the ‘UK’ way.
GraphicHug: It seems that there is more of a real primary focus on advertising (in the most conventional sense) out here in the Middle east, especially in the likes of Dubai and Kuwait. North55 seems to be a much more design-led company, so how do you percieve your role within that atmosphere?
N55: ‘Advertising’ has always been the big brother to ‘design’ throughout the world. It’s more glamorous, and with media buying it can be far more lucrative. But even though the Middle East was late to catch on to the value of branding, the last five years has seen it embraced. Middle East brands are becoming global brands and traditional family businesses are going public. They now understand the commercial value of a strong brand.
GraphicHug: So, wow – the studio space. Tell us a little more about that.
N55: When you rent space in Dubai for almost ten years you are forced to compromise. Once we bought our own office space we deciced to make it special. We couldn’t claim to be a creative company and then introduce our clients to a boring, cookie-cutter, ‘beige’ office.
GraphicHug: You’ve said you want to keep the company small and have mentioned that you have always worked for small companies? Why do you consider this important?
N55: Various reasons. On a day-to-day level it avoids politics, policies and excessive admin and it allows you to concentrate more of your time on design. From a clients’ perspective you feel as if you are really working with N55 as a ‘design team’. Clients have full access to our team and are made to feel important regardless of size or budget. From a North55 culture perspective, it means we don’t have huge overheads, which could make us chase the big money projects which aren’t always the ones which produce good work or are rewarding.
GraphicHug: I’m always reading UK being championed as the world’s most thriving creative hub. Do you intend on setting up over there one day and return to your roots?
N55: I’ve never had a life plan, although I sometimes wish I did set some targets. At the moment I am very happy in Dubai, and I am enjoying life at North55 so I can’t really ask for too much more. I only really know design, so if I end up moving back to the UK or anywhere else then design would follow in one form or another.
GraphicHug: According to a recent article in Design Week, there has been an increase in UK graduates moving to and looking for work abroad. What is your take on that, being an employer yourself and having made the transition?
N55: I welcome it; Dubai lacks fresh talent. The classic structure of agencies is lost here, so you often find top-heavy companies, or companies with little turnover of staff which risk becoming a little stale. As an employer though it can be tough, Dubai is expensive and graduates rarely have the luxury of living with parents, so employing fresh talent can be expensive compared to the UK. The result is you will often find junior designers with too much commercial pressure on them, as they have to pay their way. In the ideal world we’d pay them less, but give them more support and training to allow them to adapt to the commercial world of design.
GraphicHug: Can you describe yours, and in turn the companies’ approach to a typical creative brief? For instance do you adhere to a winning formula or not?
N55: In general, the project manager along with myself would develop the brief based upon the initial client meetings. We would then share this with the appropriate design team, depending on the task. We always try to have at least three creatives tackle a brief at the first stage, where we encourage them to spill all their thoughts, research, and ideas on the table. This often includes the good, the bad and the ugly! Once we’ve explored this stage, we would normally narrow down the routes to develop, and reduce the number of team members working on the project. The next stage would be initial concepts, which we may review internally a few times before being presented to the client.
Ideas can come from anywhere, so creatives are encouraged to leave their desks and more importantly their monitors to allow their ideas to develop. We have a break-out area in the office or they can grab a coffee outside, as long as they come up with the ideas, it doesn’t matter where.
GraphicHug: Does this make you less hands-on as you’ve progressed to your current role as creative director/partner. Do you prefer still to be hands on?
N55: It’s a compromise. I love to design – it’s a hobby for me which I make a living off, but the reality of starting a company is that you spend a lot of time working with the other designers, helping them develop their work, and this is also a part of the job I really enjoy. The rest of my time is spent on admin, which you could say is the boring part, but it’s an area where I’ve had to learn on the job, and I have started to enjoy more as I’ve gained confidence.
One area of crictism I have for design education is that they ignore the commercial aspect of the industry. I honestly feel that designers should have an element of business studies incorporated into their creative courses, as so many good designers get lost in the real world. They get used and abused, they become a cog in a big corporate design factory.
GraphicHug: So who and what are your current influences? Would you say these have changed along with your design sensibilties throughout your career?
N55: I have never claimed to be, or desired to be a revolutionary cutting edge designer, so all these poster-boy designers of the eras have bored me. People get carried away and everyone starts to follow the same trends, work starts to look the same and you stop being a designer. My influences have generally been colleagues. When I was younger I worked with some great designers and business people. Not all of them were recognised for their work or efforts, but I learnt so much from them.
GraphicHug: So besides the obvious – namely the sun-soaked and tax-free lifestyle, what is most redeeming thing about being a designer in the UAE?
N55: Exciting opportunities, simple as that. That’s why it’s so important to use them.
GraphicHug: So what would be your ideal project and is there any work you would turn down?
N55: It’s a cliché but my ideal project is the next one! I hate being quiet, so I always enjoy starting the next job. And yes we’ve turned down plenty of jobs over the years (a few less this year!) but you have to have some intergrity. Some jobs we simply could not handle, some projects are not best suited to our skill set, and some would simply bring the company profile down.
GraphicHug: So to finish – what’s on the agenda for this weekend…?
N55: Family stuff really. I have two little boys which I don’t see enough of through the week, so most of our weekends are spent with them.
GraphicHug: It’s been great talking to you Craig.
Our friends at the Scout have produced this wonderfully beautiful movie on high quality leather goods makers Billykirk. Truly beautiful in editing, cinematography and production, it is worth a look see. Word is there are going to be a few more of these coming down the pipeline so stay tuned for more at The Scout. Great work guys!
As yet another part of the Friendship Chronicles series here, documenting a trip down under, we did a series of interviews with several of the great studios and designers we met. We will be publishing them on occasion here as the data starts to form. So with that, here be one of the first! We had the pleasure of meeting up with Adam Gibson from the fantastic studio SouthSouthWest in Melbourne, Australia. Enjoy!
GraphicHug: So first off, nice to meet you. Can you tell us a bit about who you are, and what each of you do there at the studio?
SouthSouthWest: Sure. My name is Adam John Gibson — I’m a 29 year old male, human, no children, almost married (!) and I’m a graphic designer. At the studio I am officially a creative director (the same as my business partner Andy). I do a lot of the typography and layout work at Southsouthwest, along with most of the web projects. Andy also does layout and identity work, but he has a particularly good skill set in image-making and illustration. So it’s a good mix. Jon is account manager and strategy.
GH: Can you give us some background on the formation of the studio? Where you guys were before and more importantly how you got here today?
SSW: The three of us all studied at The School of Art at Hobart in Tasmania. Andy and I went on to work in several studios both in Hobart and Melbourne, and Jon did some studio/account management jobs. We all got sick of working for other people to be honest so we started up our own studio. I think the major deciding factor for us all to create something of our own was the lack of control in the type of work we did. Working for yourself means that you can pick the kind of work you would like to do, although sometimes this means that you can’t eat for a week. haha
GH: The name is intriguing. Can you give us a story or two about the generation of it?
SSW: Again, all hailing from Tasmania, we all have a strong connection to the cold, rugged coastlines of our homeland. Jon and I are both keen surfers and Andy gets out and about in the bush a bit, so we figured a reference to a natural Tasmanian landmark or explorer was fitting. We deliberated and then started discussing nautical/compass references, and SSW just popped up out of that, manily due to the direction SSW being a really cold, strong and powerful weather direction that produces wild, fantastic surf and weather.
GH: Can you speak a bit, to how you see the current atmosphere for design in Australia?
SSW: I think its fair to say it’s a good, solid industry scene here. I mean, there’s a handful of studios that do absolutely amazing work, and then there’s a lot of shit too in my opinion. I think the Australian audience is slowly becoming more design-savvy (pardon my use of that term!) and aspiring to a more European lifestyle, and with this comes a better appreciation of design in general I believe. So yeah, I think as the world gets smaller and more connected, Australia will continue to rais it’s design standards and profile.
GH: Can you speak a bit to where you see this heading if it is heading some place? And if so, how you see SouthSouthWest fitting in that picture?
SSW: Well, it’s hard to see where it’s heading in many ways I guess. We’re so lead by technology that it’s impossible to predict what’s around the corner. I guess for as long as people want us to do work for them we’ll do it. When it stops – it stops. It’s like life really! To be honest – we’re not too precious. We don’t let design and work control our lives. It shouldn’t. We focus on doing solid work for the client at the time, and we like to think that what we create is timeless (hopefully). Ie, it’s not driven by trend. We take each project at a time, and try not too look too far down the track.
GH: It’s a common observation but with the internet looming as massively as it does these days, how local can design be anymore? Is there anything these days that you see as distinctively or quintessentially Australian in design. Formally, conceptually, theoretically?
SSW: No I don’t really. I think that as the world has been brought closer together through the internet etc that it’s becoming almost impossible to set countries/regions apart in design terms. I think Australia mimicks Europe and the UK so much anyway so I’d say we’re not that unique in design.
GH: That being the case, is there a particular movement, region, mode of thought that you are or have been drawing inspiration from?
SSW: I think I have always had a soft spot for any kind of modernist design, minimalism, path of least resistance etc etc, but I have always tried to inject a little more life into that style than what can often be a very dry/machine like style or approach. But I think as a studio we are very aligned with the notion of the craft, or a hand made, tailored approach. Something that comes from the heart and is given to the world with our touch on it! We draw inspiration from things like metal/wood working tradespersons, or printers, as opposed to a particular design style. It’s the craftsmans concept and attention to detail that we look to put into our work. Like a well crafted piece of furniture.
GH: Can you name a few designers who have perhaps in subtle or not so subtle ways influenced the way you think, work or apply yourselves?
SSW: People that have influenced me are: Anthony Cahalan (Uni lecturer), Michael C Place, Raymond Arnold (printmaker), Grant Dickson, James Sommerville, David Carson, Mark Rothko. These people have all greatly affected my outlook and approach to design in different ways. Some of them only psycholgically – for the way they present and carry themselves as people more so than their work.
GH: Have there been any precedents here in Australia?
SSW: Not that I’m aware of!
GH: If there is one thing you could name as a joy to being a designer or design studio in Australia, what might that be?
SSW: Location, location, location.
GH: It appears the community here in Melbourne, atleast as much as I can gather is relatively tight knit. Is there any communication or relationships existing outside of this circle? And if so, where with?
SSW: Melbourne is a tiny place. When I moved here from Tasmania I thought I was going to the big smoke – but once you’ve been around for a bit you realise you’re all pitching for the same work. I guess we keep pretty much contained to melbourne, but we also work with clients in Tasmania and Sydney, and some overseas. We are on the hunt to work more overseas – if only to get out of Melbourne for a meeting!
GH: If, as they coin the phrase, design is becoming a global community, how do you see Australia fitting in that?
SSW: Australia would be considered a major player I believe as our costs are considerably lower than most countries (hrly rates etc). We also have a good motion/web reputation I believe – although don’t quote me on it!
GH: In the grand scheme of things, it appears you guys are doing a wide variety of work, dipping your hands in a range of pockets. Was this by choice? If there was one preference for the type of work you would be doing, what would that be?
SSW: No it wasn’t by choice. We have tried to sculpt our client list to be in some way similar, but it’s difficult to do when you are starting out. We basically take on whatever job we can see potential in if it’s ethical. There are a few types of clients that we won’t work for but i’m not going to list them here! If there were one choice we’d be doing work for wood workers I’d imagine, but that’s unrealistic isn’t it?! But seriosuly, we enjoy and do our best work for people that also are in a design/creative industry, or someone who has an understanding and appreciation of what we do.
GH: Is there a perfect place for SouthSouthWest in the future? Meaning, where do you see the studio say ten years from now. Twenty years from now? Is there a life for old designers anymore?
SSW: I think in the future we will see ourselves around in some capacity for sure. I’d say in 10 years it would be the same as now but probably with some well trained staff that can create the work that we would create. I think that’s the hardest part in the whole game – finding the right people to work for your name. it is after all, your reputation on the line. In twenty years I think, or would like to think that we would be around in a low-stress capacity, possible in some kind of teaching role, and for heavens sake, I’ll want to be living on the beach by then! I thin old designers are the best, in all definitions of the word. Old = wise. Wise = respected. Respected = content. Content = happy.
GH: If you could be doing anything now, regardless, of costs, impact, constraints, or responsibiltiies, what would it be?
SSW: Surfing. Plain and simple.
GH: The monumental mistake. Have you made one? And if so, has it helped you or does it still linger?
SSW: I havn’t made one yet. Touch wood. I’ve made some small design mistakes but nothing that has made me lose any sleep. I can guarantee that I will make one one day though. We all do right?
GH: What are you hugging these days?
SSW: My girlfriend. She’s a beauty.
A glimpse of SSW’s soon to be new studio space!
This one’s a long one folks. So, if you’re looking for the trivia answer, just click here. A couple months ago GraphicHug had the opportunity to meet with John and Jiae at THEME, a bi-monthly Asian Culture magazine published here in the US and distributed worldwide. On a gray morning in DUMBO they humbly chatted with us and allowed us to pick their brains.
GraphicHug: Theme has a keen attention to design in every issue. How does design tie into the voice of Theme magazine?
THEME / JIAE: I feel like a magazine is a reflection of the people who make it. We were both designers before we were publishers. So you can’t divorce the design from the magazine because it’s the point of view we’re coming from. Neither of us studied design, so we approach it from a less visual perspective and more from a content perspective. So we try to marry the design with the content. That’s why the magazine is an interesting endeavour for us because it allows us not to just do visual styling, but direct the styling with a concept because we come up with the stories. So once you control the content, then you really control the design because you can marry the two, or divorce them.
GH: As curators and controllers of your own content have you guys been able to really push the boundaries of design?
THEME / JIAE: We could take more liberties, but we made a conscious decision earlier on that this wasn’t going to be an exercise in design. We wanted it to straddle the line between commercial and crafted. Take esopus for example, they’re really pushing the boundaries in everything from printing and design and it becomes very much an object. We decided that that’s not the direction we wanted to go. It’s a little too esoteric. We wanted the content to resonate with people and we knew that all our readership weren’t designers.
We could definitely go hog-wild with the design if we were a design magazine, but we’re not, we’re a lifestyle / culture magazine. So we have to just figure out what our message is, who we’re targeting, and how we can service design to that end. The design is good, it’s clean, and we both have a keen interest in typography. And you should because a magazine is words and a bunch of images and you put them together. But beyond that, whiz bang effects, printing, production, we’ve tried to stay away from that. Besides the fact of cost, it’s alienating. The magazine becomes too precious. And we want it to be something that people pick up, now that it’s a bimonthly.
GH: Could you talk a bit about your curatorial taste. How has being former designers influenced your choice in content?
THEME / JOHN: Every time we approach an issue it’s always been about having a good mix of high and low culture. it’s not about having one kind of thing, one kind of story. And the approach has always been anything that’s interests us, and that has always guided us. We are the barometer and we are the litmus test for content. And we try and not do stories that everyone else does. So, somewhere in there lies a sweet spot that is the soul of themes.
THEME / JIAE: We’re a culmination of a lot of different experiences. We’ve traveled quite a bit. John’s not an American, he’s a New Zealander. We’ve lived abroad for a huge chunk of both our lives. All of those collective experiences in our lives affects how we look at the world and the magazine is an extension of our world.
THEME / JOHN: We brought in LinYee who’s pretty hands-on with the magazine now. So, we’ve got more voices, which is good. The drive of the magazine has never been to be this lovely esoteric object meant for you to finger. It’s meant to be read, and it’s meant to sort of affect culture and reflect culture. In order for it to do that it has to have a strong point of view, but the content has to be broad enough to appeal to a larger audience base.
THEME / JOHN: It’s also meant to have an element of surprise as well. For example, the food issue we have an artist that works in salt. I don’t think most other magazines would take that sort of approach for a certain theme and I think that’s what keeps us going. That surprise factor.
GH: Has there been a guiding theme or concept or mantra that’s been moving you guys for the past four years? An overriding goal?
THEME / JOHN: Get through the next issue? [Laughter]
THEME / JIAE: Like a lot of designers we didn’t think about the business aspect of it. A lot of people jump into project, and that’s a really good thing because it doesn’t stop you from starting the project, but once you dive headlong you start to understand that if you’re going to do this for a living you got to make it a business. So that’s something we try to impart on people who come and ask us about the magazine business. If it’s a business you have to think of it as a business. You have to do the research and learn what people are doing right and wrong and figure out what you can do to keep going on. For the most part we’re very successful, we’re still around which is a good thing considering the market. We’re actively looking for different ideas and iterations of the magazine so we can keep doing what we’re doing.
GH: Was this an escape for you guys?
THEME / JOHN: I don’t think it was an escape.
THEME / JIAE: I think we wanted to take a risk. We were quite comfortable with where we were in life. We had a choice at that point. You kind of go along that trajectory and you’re relying on a certain standard of living… So we made a choice. We either buy a house or we start a project, which meant that we were starting our careers all over again, which is kind of exciting, scary, but both of were looking for a bit of an adrenaline rush. I was working at Pentagram and John was doing creative direction for Equinox and kind of rising along the ranks. We’re both risk takers. We do dangerous sports we like rushes of energy. In that way it’s an escape, but it was more about needing to shake things up. To think about the world a little differently and we both really wanted to produce content. We were both at a point where design wasn’t fully fulfilling us in of itself. Both of us have jumped around from interests and careers because we’re constantly curious about the world. Design, there’s a certain curiosity to it, but it gets formulaic after awhile, whereas content you can really jump around. I think there’s craft there because you have to craft the message, the medium, so we love the craft. The magazine allows us to jump around and ask a lot of questions.
GH: In Theme’s fourth year now is it still maintaining it’s original rush. How has the curve of energy been?
THEME / JIAE: Anything you do over along period of time will become formulaic even if you redesign it, which we did two issues ago. We’ve been slowly mixing up the content. You have branch out in order to bring in something new and exciting. I think if you’re going to succeed as a business / magazine you kind of have to do that anyway, because it’s all these associated properties you build around the magazine that are just as valuable as the magazine itself. What more can you make that in to? whether it’s a conference, a shop, whatever.
GH: Over the past four years what has been the most exciting project or interview?
THEME / JOHN: For Issue 2 we got an opportunity to go to both China and Japan. And I have to say one of our most memorable interviews was with Daido Moriyama. That was really cool. He was very cool. We got to meet him at this local cafe. It is in a back alley, in the backwoods of Shinjuku. Its like the sixth floor of this office building. We walk in and its a dingy little cafe and he has photographs everywhere. He obviously knows the cafe owner. And he starts talking. He’s smoking. It was just a really unique kind of experience.
THEME / JIAE: Super, super talented guy.
THEME / JOHN: Yeah, he was like, we should go drinking!
GH: You were mentioning earlier, the mindset now is to often just make it to the next issue. One theme, we are constantly grappling with at GraphicHug is this notion of future. We are wondering if you have something in mind, past the next issue, something you are aiming towards and are considering for your future?
THEME / JOHN: I’d like to say, there are definitely graphic design brands. Michael Bierut is a graphic design brand. Paula Scher is a graphic design brand. People know them and they expect to be treated a certain way. There are definitely opportunities out there. The thing is, people need to understand once you are known for something, there are definitely opportunities for you to do other things. If you look at every opportunity, as an opportunity to try something different.
THEME / JIAE: I think you need to invest in it. So that means if you have never done it before, and you do it for free, well that’s what you do. You have to shape your career on a day to day basis. I mean you could just take on the same type of projects that you are good at and people recognize you for and you will get paid handsomely for it over time because its where your expertise lies. But I think again, it is about making a conscious decision that you want to take a risk. That you want to expand your set of tools and the projects you work on. And you have to develop them. And it may take years. Someone said, ten years is how long it takes to develop expertise (Malcom Gladwell’s, Outliers). I think its pretty accurate I’d say. After ten years, you are going to be pretty good at what you do. You can’t expect transformation overnight. I think everything happens in gradual steps. The opportunities are there, you just have to identify them. And you have to decide if you want them or not.
For us, I think right now, because of the whole historic election, I think John and I are thinking more about creating opportunities for giving back. We don’t know what that means yet. I used to do a lot of volunteer work growing up, but I haven’t done it in ages because I have been so absorbed in my life. This is a good time to think about maybe getting back to that. But of course we tend to think that we should start a new project. So we are kicking around new ideas like kicking off a non profit project. But perhaps, we are thinking we should perhaps give hours to the soup kitchen first before we decide to start a non profit to feed the hungry!
GH: What are you guys hugging these days?
THEME / JOHN: Our baby.
GH: Congratulations!
THEME / JIAE: And each other when we can. And that’s pretty much it. And the dog occasionally. Yeah, he gets very little love from us these days. He’s just the dog… just the dog…
Thank you very much to John and Jiae. People. Get yourselves the latest issue of THEME and support magazines!
