I would like to think of this project as a collaboration. All are welcome to participate and if you have an idea for an interview, a story, or an event that is oriented around community, creativity and altruism, let me know. I’d love to hear about it.
And now to get started! I’m really excited to launch this project with
an interview with a good friend and very talented designer Josephine Tournier
Ingram. Josephine is the proprietor of the design studio Josephin
Designs and the clothing line ecozuzu.
And she blogs at: inspired
visually.
Josephine Tournier
Ingram
1. What attracted you to the graphic arts?
In middle school,
instead of learning – I spent my time sketching people
in magazines and drawing logos of bands
like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, and Guns and Roses (that was during my heavy
metal phase). When I should have
been working on my homework, I was ripping images and words out of magazines
and pasting them together to
make collages that covered my entire closet. So that was the original spark.
In high school, it was all about fine art – sketching and painting for hours and hours. It was only in college that I returned to my passion for graphics. I spent a semester in San Francisco interning for a big graphic design studio (Reflectur) and discovered an inspiring world filled with bold art, color, typography and messages that made a real impact on society. I was drawn to the possibility of being able to use my art as a form of service as well as a place to succeed professionally.
From that point on, I couldn’t imagine wanting to do anything else with my life.
Looking Up Dresses movie production design, logo, postcard,
poster, dvd and website.
2. Where do you find your inspiration and how do you foster
your creativity?
Great question! I foster my creativity and find inspiration
in music, nature and other artists.
I can’t do any artwork or design without music in the background. What I listen to depends on the design project. As I write this, I’m listening to The Album Leaf (Into The Blue Again). At my last job (where I worked as an in-house designer for a skateboard company) I overheard loud music coming from all the other artist’s offices, but my office didn’t have a door, so it all filtered in and became one giant cacophony of random noise! So for the four years I worked there – every single day I put on my big headphones, turned up the music and zoned out to the melodic inspiration of good tunes. Now it’s difficult for me to work without it! Quite often, an old song will come on and completely transport me to a particular project I was working on when I first heard it.
I find so much depth and beauty in the environment that surrounds us. The colors of the ocean, skies and sunsets. Some of the most beautiful and interesting color combinations are found in flowers. I’ve created skateboard graphics using flowers, butterflies, stars, waves and sunsets. I recently created a clothing line collection for ecozuzu based on tree branches located outside my office window.
Modern museums always inspire me (especially the Tate Modern in London). I’m also inspired by Indie music poster artists (like Jason Munn) and family and friends (like you) who are artistic. As a personal side project, I have a blog called “inspired visually” where I post art and graphics that inspire me as an artist. Along with posting some of my own graphic art and designs, I have a list of family and friend’s websites that inspire me. I try to keep an eye on what’s happening in the art world through the internet, books and magazines. In my office, one entire wall is covered in a collage I made about 6 years ago – from random magazine clips, comic strips, photos, text, postcards, stamps, playing cards, old envelopes, and acrylic paint brush strokes. I continue to add to it when I feel inspired.
3. What have been the pros and cons of moving out of an in house design
position with Skate One into the ownership of your own design studio?
Working
at Skate One was a great opportunity. I met great friends there and learned
a ton working on historic brands (Powell Skateboards, Bones Wheels, MiniLogo,
Powell-Peralta, Bones Bearings, Surf One, etc).
After four years, I wanted to expand my palette beyond the skateboard world. I wanted more variety, inspiration, different clients, and non-traditional work hours. These things have brought a certain balance in my life that seemed to be missing before. Being my own boss, I am able to take time out for yoga or surfing – and in exchange I’ll work late into the night. Since I don’t have to adhere to a 9–5 job, I can structure my day according to my strengths.
Of course, there are also drawbacks to having your own business. I end up
having to spend more time on “business”
than graphic art. I now have multiple jobs within one job – from accountant,
to product sourcing, to admin, to sales, to
art director, to designer, etc. Plus, it’s not a reliable paycheck – sometimes
we’re slammed with work and other times
it’s slow. Working for myself is much more work and pays less, but...
Wait – why do I do this? Kidding! It’s totally worth
it.
4. You’ve taught design at both the college
and high school level. Has
your
experience as a teacher as opposed to student caused you to re-examine any
of your perspectives on design or its application?
And do you feel teaching
is
integral to the process of your own growth as a designer?
Teaching forces you to focus on technical skills. For example, I’ve been
using so many command shortcuts over the
years that at times I forget where the original function is located in the
menu bar. My fingers are so automatic when
hitting keys, that when my intern recently asked me how I take a screenshot,
I couldn’t answer until I placed my
hands on a keyboard and then actually looked at where my fingers were striking.
That’s “shift, apple, 3” by the way!
Teaching has certainly contributed to my own growth as a designer. I now try
to look at graphic art through the eyes of
a student as well as a professional in the industry. It’s been a great
excuse to further my own study of graphic art, as
well as find new upcoming artists for the students to learn from. The students
ask great questions that make me really
think about why I do what I do and further explore the field of graphic art
in greater depth.
Devil Is Due In Dreary movie logo (for writer/director Dave Parkin)
5. Service, community and ecology are an important facet
of your approach to design and business. What role do you think design
and designers should be playing in improving the world around us?
When
I first decided to start my own graphic design business, one of my graphic design
mentors (Scott) gave me great advice as to what exactly I needed to do to start
my own business. I can’t even begin to tell you how much that
helped. As a result, I have gone out of my way to help other fellow designers
when they need advice or students who
need mentorship. We are all part of a greater community that can help one another.
When working with a client, the main goal is to help them communicate their message visually to the rest of the world. We have the power to visually inspire the viewer. When I first saw the Apple iPod AD campaign, I was immediately sold on the product. BTW – how fun are all the iPhone aps?! But more importantly, as graphic artists, we can make a positive and even life-changing impact in this world through the messages that are communicated through our artwork and design. For example, check out the AD campaigns for Red (fighting AIDS in Africa), The One Campaign (fighting poverty – founded by Bono), American Legacy Foundation (poster ads by Crispin + Bogusky), and WWF (World Wildlife Fund magazine ads by Contrapunto). A successful ad evokes some sort of feeling, emotion or action.
I want all of humanity (including myself, my nieces and future children) to live in a world with clean air, water and food - free of disease caused by pollution. I believe it is extremely important that we all do everything we can to preserve our environment and reverse the damage of global warming. One thing we can do is support eco-friendly businesses. We can work as environmentally friendly as possible (recycling our paper/inks, driving less, using energy efficient office equipment, etc). As graphic artists, we can also offer sustainable printing options to our clients (such as printing on recycled paper with soy ink). Together we can make a difference.
6. I’ve always been interested in issues of gender equality
and culture. Do
you feel that being a woman has informed or effected your experience within
the design world?
Well, there’s two sides to that question — the effect of gender
on the “art” and the effect of gender on the “business”.
My art has tended to occupy a space somewhere in the middle of what we might
call masculine and feminine. I would
have never been hired at a skateboard company if I didn’t have a tough
(or masculine) edge to my work. But I never
would have been able to lead the Women’s brand of Surf One Skateboards
if I didn’t have a feminine base to my
work. We called the line “tough, yet feminine” and it was extremely
gratifying to see the decks displayed in the male
AND female sections of skate/surf shops around the globe.
I have to say that as much as being a female has helped me in the design world, it has also had it’s set of challenges. Growing up in a house of only women, I always felt an equal to men. I never felt discriminated against for being female. But once I graduated college and entered the work force, that changed. I had to deal with discrimination from time to time (from pay discrimination to sexual harassment). Luckily, I have worked mostly with men and women that have treated me with respect and equality. That gives me hope for the future – that all people will be treated with dignity and equality no matter their gender, age, race, sexual orientation, disability, economic class, nationality or culture.
7. Do you have any advice for maintaining the integrity
of your work when a client has a misguided but emphatic sense of aesthetics?
Is there a balance or is the client always right?
Most of the time, my clients take my advice and give me artistic control. But
sometimes I come across a client that
does not take my advice or simply has bad taste. Here’s what I recommend:
1) Take the extra time to create and
present an additional version for them to compare. Hopefully, they will bite
and go with your alternative version. 2)
Gently persuade them with research from current market trends to back up your
design advice.
If they are stubborn and want to stick with a misguided aesthetic, then you have to give them what they want. Hey, they’re paying for it! Just don’t put it in your portfolio. If the project seriously compromises your artistic integrity, then choose not to accept the job in the first place. But it’s pretty tough to turn down clients in this economy, so as Tim Gunn says: make it work!
8. Are there any current or recent projects that you are excited about?
I created some new graphics for London based Angeline Tournier designer boot
(Colorado Rose boot) that I love
wearing! You can view them on her website angelinetournier.com.
Angeline Tournier "Colorado Rose boots"
I also did some graphic design work for U.K. based Pop Beauty. It’s been fun seeing the display case I designed in Sephora stores around the globe.
I have really been enjoying creating graphics for ecozuzu (environmentally
friendly line of clothing and accessories). I
also designed the website and art directed the video. Check it out at: ecozuzu.com.
It was a real thrill to see
Adrian Grenier (from Entourage) recently photographed wearing one of my designer
t-shirts!
EcoZuzu apparel design, illustrations, website and all promotional materials. Note: photos by Andrew Hugh Purcell.
9. Are there any professional resources you use or would recommend to
designers who are just getting started?
I recommend taking a business class. I took courses through W.E.V. (Women’s
Economic Ventures). Then get
yourself a copy of the Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook for Pricing & Ethical
Guidelines and read it cover to cover
(available at amazon.com). The read it again. It’s a fantastic resource.
10. Do you have a golden rule of design?
I don’t necessarily have a golden rule. If anything, it’s “have
fun”! If I were to mention some general rules, they’d be:
Listen carefully to a client’s design needs. Create something new and
exciting with a clear message. Pay attention to
detail, especially in pre-press production. Make your client happy. And enjoy
the process!
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