TANK

A lively conversation with John Waricker.

Chris Butcher | 24.06.2010

‘So any questions,’ were the words John opened AGDA’s ‘A lively conversation with John Waricker’ with last Thursday night.

And lively it was.

John shared his stories, insights and opinions to a back drop of imagery from the recently published ‘The Floating World’ and the Tomato portfolio captivating the small audience for well over 2 hours.

Tomato like Barnbrook (see my post from his talk here) inspired me to question the role of a graphic designer within culture throughout my uni degree. Their work inspired me and challenged me to engage with it. It beckoned me to scratch beneath its surface and draw me into its message. Most importantly it lead me to see the opportunity and importance of storytelling in design. This shaped my design career immensly.

It is difficult to capture the energy of the discussion, but I have put together a list of random points that resonated with me on the night and one question I also continually ask myself as a designer.

Enjoy.

On The Floating World

– White cliffs of Dover. The edge of the land and the sea. Life cycle.

– It began to develop whilst writing code for basic interactive programs during his Masters Degree in Interactivity in the late 70’s. They were waiting for something like an Apple.

– It is a compendium of John. It continues the conversation. It was done for himself, his children and friends.

On Tomato

– They enjoy it, everyone is generous with their own ideas, and they all need their own space to do their own things.

– Their personal work pushes their commercial work in very unexpected directions.

– It comes down to Trainspotting. 15 minutes playing with a photocopier.

– Their work is a conversation with their client.

On being a designer

– Its all about what questions you ask. Ask the RIGHT question, define your point of view and look through that lens to create your work.

– Its about storytelling.

– He does not think about the audience when designing. Instead he trusts his intuitive process. Focusing on the work.

– Market research is an assumption. It assumes you know me.

– He is likes work that is romantic not mechanical. Work that has an ebb and flow.

– Good work sings.

– Its not a job, its a way of life.

On life

– Most people are dull.

– We should aim to make our lives interesting. The human project. If you sit back expecting life to give things to you. You are dull. You have to make it for yourself.

A question that was raised through the conversation

– What is Graphic Design?

AGDA Victoria just posted a short video of ‘highlights’ from the night you can check it out here.

Many thanks to John and all at AGDA for putting on another inspiring and insightful event.

If you have any thoughts on ‘What Graphic Design is to you’ please comment below.

CB

Tags | advice, agda, book, graphicdesign, inspiration, Inspirational, tomato

Categories | Graphic design, Inspirational