Hello,
Oh what a year! This year was the studio’s 10 years anniversary … It made me thinking of the journey and what’s the driver of my design?
When I need to reload I tend to go back to Haruki Murakami, and his novel; “What I talk about when I talk about running” where he link running to writing: running or training for a marathon is like a metaphor for writing a novel.
Murakami thinks, writing is “an unhealthy type of work” because it brings the author face to face with the “toxin that lies deep down in all humanity” and without which “no creative activity in the real sense can take place.” Murakami says;
“Most of what I know about writing I’ve learned through running every day.” I say ”Most of what I know on designing I learned through biking every day”.
Come rain (snow) or come sunshine. I bike … But what is it that really drives me? Type is the driving force, the dopamine that creates the energy that drives my work.
Thank you for your trust
Looking back at all projects of the first 10 years, whatever I designed was really driven with type and what type can do to define a brands voice.
I’m humble of all the opportunities the studio been trusted with … It’s a lot about timing and luck, I guess, but also the continuous biking…
Murakami only grows in my eyes. In his lates novel “The City and Its Uncertain Walls”, he returns to his early work, 40 years ago, to rethink it.
That links to this post; “Tight but not touching” where I returned to one of my early designs, 27 years ago. Not something I recommend everybody to do.
Happy Holidays! Wherever you are in this strange and beautiful world.
Credit: the print “Forever bicycles” by the incredible artist Ai Weiwei.