CHAT BACK: Where is the love?

When asked to put pen to paper and reflect on life as a designer for this publication, something made me wonder: why do I actually love what I do?

Graphic design has been my passion, my interest, my obsession, my foe and my friend, for longer than I care to admit. Sure it has its ups and downs, like anything I guess, but this endlessly enthralling pursuit sure knows how to keep me interested.

One of my favorite songs begins: "Why is it everything that's supposed to bad makes me feel so good? Everything they told me not to do is exactly what I would" and it’s a truism about life -- those guilty pleasures always seem to be what give us the most intense feelings of joy.

Thankfully, graphic design isn’t the same as a sneaky extra piece of pizza, gobbled down whilst in my PJ’s at 1am by the light of the refrigerator — though some might say it is similarly fattening.

Indeed the pleasures to be had from this industry are many, and some are indeed a little guilty, like the moment a freshly printed piece arrives from the printer. It’s one of our studio rituals; work stops, everyone is out of their seats and crowds around the print rep, and we pore over the detail.

The bind, the registration, we rub the paper stock with our fingers. You lean in and take a long, deep, hard whiff — phwoar, fresh print. It’s like a super addictive hybrid of every illicit drug, just for your nose, and it wears off after only a few hours.

In our studio, which I began with my business partner Paul Tabouré almost 10 years ago, a common trait amongst our team is a determination to make everything we do the best it can be, and often that means lots of discussion and sometimes, passionate debate.

To the observer, it can seem a little odd — one time, our regular Neverfail water guy, after months of witnessing our debates, felt the need to tell us ‘chill guys it’s ok, it looks good!’. We all looked at each other and laughed, cracking up — needless to say he was wrong, those layouts definitely needed some more love (a common saying in the studio when we think something could be pushed a little further).

I’ve also noticed that passion in our close-knit team can become infectious, and rub off on suppliers, even our clients. Even when the job is something we’ve never done before, and far removed from graphic design.

A recent project involved meticulous planning, teamwork and organisation of the highest order — 200 litres of coffee brew, 8,000 cups, 15 helpers, only three hours and one massive image to be created. Despite all the complexity, it all came together like clockwork. High fives, ecstatic client, group hug, broad smiles, so what next?

It seems, after reflecting on our studio, that its people who make it what it is and the clients we work with (yes even the clients). I’ve realized something about why I still love graphic design.

There’s no specific aspect of design which I love more than another. It’s not the thrill of cracking the big idea, or the game of persistent patience it takes to craft something to the point it looks perfect (Neverfail waterman, take note). I realize I find them all equally rewarding, even lining up and arranging a mind boggling number of cups of coffee.

I still enjoy walking in the door to our studio every day; on my way past the lobby I rub my hands together and give a little smile. It’s because I know we’re about to do something, properly, today. And there’s something to be said for doing things properly.

Often, early in the morning I ride past Tamarama, and see the freshly tractored pattern in the sand, and the driver standing there, coffee in hand, admiring his handiwork. It’s the pleasure of a job well done, whether it’s glamorous, and high profile or invisible -- long lasting or soon to be trampled over by a horde of the beach going public.

It’s the love of a job well done.