Practitioners Report Damien Gasgoigne and Tracy Kendall

Over the past year I have attended a number of lectures by different practitioners and designers. Not all have been from my pathway but I have found all of them interesting in different ways. It has made me realise that really they work in a similar way to the way that I work, with regards to inspiration and gathering research. Two that I found most interesting were lectures given by wallpaper designer Tracy Kendall and Illustrator and animator Damien Gasgoigne. Even though they are from different pathways they still have things in common when it comes to their design process.

Tracy Kendall mainly works with wallpapers and she specialises in screen printing. Damien Gasgoigne is an illustrator who has recently started to work with animation and turning his illustrations into films. From attending both of these lectures I found that the way these two practitioners gather inspiration is very similar. Kendall’s inspirations come from anywhere. Magazines, photos, found objects, fashion, papers etc. Basically anything that she likes the look of and that she feels has potential to take further, she will collect. For example Kendall once found a piece of lace that she loved the look of at a Paris market. She bought this piece of lace for just a few Euros and this single piece of lace turned out to earn her a lot more. Gasgoigne works in a similar way, he loves to take photographs of things that he finds interesting and that he thinks he can pursue. He takes photos of people if he likes what they are wearing. Also if he thinks somebody has a quirky and fun personality he will take a photo of them. He takes photos of situations, movement and shapes. He sometimes finds objects that look like faces, or stains on the floor that he can see a character in. Once he has these photographs he then pushes them further and creates his own characters from them.

This has made me realise that this process of collecting imagery is a very useful technique. Gathering inspiration is the first part of the design process so therefore can be seen as probably the most important part. This is the starting point of any design and therefore should be a fun and imaginative process. You can gather imagery from absolutely anywhere and there is no limitations. Any designer can do this, but it is what the designer does after and how they develop their ideas that make each designer different.

Both Kendall and Gasgoigne are designers who don’t just stick with one technique or practice. They are designers who are trying new things and wanting to push their skills forward. Tracy Kendall started off with producing flat screen printed wallpapers, however more recently she has moved towards producing more tangible pieces. She is now working with different materials like, buttons, sequins, feathers etc which makes he work that little bit different. This shows that Kendall is a diverse designer and wants to try new things.

Gasgoigne on the same hand has also tried to push his work into different areas. He started off as an illustrator producing drawings and designing characters. More recently he has pushed this further by taking these illustrations into animations. However this hasn’t come without inconvenience. Gasgoigne had never worked with animation software before so he had to be taught to use it before he could use it within his designs. I think this is a great similarity that is shared between both designers. It shows that they are designers who don’t want to just stick with what they are use to. They want to push the boundaries of their work and try new things to make their work that little bit different. This also meets the requirements of the design world and the desire for new ideas and technique. The design world is constantly producing new designers who work with new materials, software, technology and techniques. This shows that both Gasgoigne and Kendall are aware of this and that they are keeping up with what the buying public want.

This had made me realise that it’s not just about designing things that look nice, you have to be aware of the constantly changing market out there. As a designer you have to be prepared to adapt your designs to fit the desires of the appropriate market, and always be prepared to push the boundaries of the work and not just stay with what you feel comfortable with. After all, the design world is constantly changing so therefore a designer’s work should be constantly progressing to satisfy this. This may mean that you may hit obstacles and have problems that need to be solved. Both designers have shown this and they have managed to get through them. For example Gasgoigne needed to learn how to use animation software before he could work with animation. Kendall found that she needed to cater for a male market rather than a female market. She may not have preferred this but it shows that she was willing. Both designers have proved that they are enthusiastic to conquer problems and that they are prepared to design to fit the needs of the design world.

From these two lectures I have learnt a lot more about the design process. I have learnt that really the first part of the process is the most important as this is where you have no boundaries and that you can gather inspiration from anywhere. I found both lectures very helpful and inspiring. I found Tracy Kendall’s lecture that little more relevant to me as her design path is the same as mine, and she offered to very useful tips when designing. However Damien Gasgoigne lecture is one that I will always remember as I found it really exciting and it, and I found the ideas behind his work really moving.