An interview for Étapes
with Studio Laucke Siebein
by Caroline Bouige
étapes: design et culture visuelle
é:193 juin 1211
www.etapes.com
Caroline Bouige: I read you work at Total design and Dedato, what did you learn there?
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Dirk Laucke: Before I answer your question I’d like to point out that I wasn’t employed by these Design Studios to learn something but to work there as a designer. I often hear from young designers that they would like to start working in some particular firm because they want to learn something there. I don’t think that’s the right work attitude to begin with. Employees really aren’t prepared to pay a decent salary just to function as an educational institution. Besides it is an open door in the sense that one should always be prepared to learn, no matter what state of your career you are in. However, to answer your question: With Total Design and Dedato I had my first contacts with real assignments commissioned by real clients. In Art Academy the ‚practice’ of design somehow always had to be simulated and I was getting used to adapt this simulated reality according to my own imagination and expectations. This problematic habit I had to cope with regularly in those first years. I had certain ideas and really thought my client should adapt his task, even his entire organization to fit my solution. Somehow I quickly learned that it doesn’t work like this and that such an attitude would never lead to good and reasonable results. Listen carefully and then come up with a design, not because it looks beautiful or cutting edge but because it is a relevant answer to a specific request. That’s what I have learned.
Caroline: Would you advise every Young Graduate designer to begin their professional lifes in an agency?
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Johanna Siebein: I wouldn’t want to make a rule out of this. There is always many ways to reach a goal, whatever that goal might be. In general regarding this, I would like to warn of any kind of pragmatism or opportunism. I often see really bad quality, boring portfolios of people who worked for a few years in some firm who suddenly realize they’d rather prefer to make good things like art books and the likes. What they don’t realize is that others have done that all the while and thus are the preferred breed.
Caroline: When and why did you choose to associate with Johanna?
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Dirk: Johanna, years ago did an internship with me. Actually, it was clear to me after a few days already that Johanna is a genius designer. That was the basics. Furthermore we like and trust each other. After a year of collaboration in Amsterdam we decided to expand our activities to Germany as well. Johanna now lives and works there.
Caroline: How do you work together?
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Johanna: We never worked on the same project. One of us is ‚leading’ on a project and asks the other his opinion and, ultimately, his blessings. If one of us doesn’t think something is good enough it’s not going to be presented to the client. Logistically: we visit Berlin or Amsterdam often and skype several times a day.
Caroline: What are the main challenges in your daily practice?
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Dirk: As I said before, we try to execute a commission properly and reasonably, thus it is never about us, but about our clients. I really think that a designer never should have a hidden agenda regarding this. In reality however, the issue is a lot more complex. In many cases the request of our clients doesn’t make sense in the first place. We do adapt the assignment sometimes together with our clients. What I find the most difficult is to translate the assignment into the vocabulary of visual communication without getting lost in translation by emotions such as vanity or pride.
Caroline: How do you begin each work? do you have a straight linear process?
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Johanna: No, we don’t ever get results in a straight forward, linear process. Play, even chance sometimes on the one hand and discipline and ingenuity on the other are important parameters on a zig-zag route to the finished product.
Caroline: Your design is based on the idea and the function, but do you think it is also important to take care about the aesthetics ? (not only in the finishing touches but also when the idea is developed) How do you arbitrate between aesthetics and function?
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Dirk: People tend to think that a sunset is beautiful. I doubt whether that is true. My aunt had a foto wallpaper of a sunset which was actually quite ugly. Sure, I can also be moved by a sunset but I think not so much because of the actual colours et all, but because a sunset in most cases marks good moments in my life. Relaxation, warmth, love … such things. What I mean to say is that something has to be charged with meaning in order to be beautiful. Function is one pretty important way of adding meaning in processes that involve earning money. In other words, ugliness doesn’t make sense.
Caroline: On which critera can you judge the value of a design piece?
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Johanna: We think that good design is always a bit off, edgy and needs getting used to. What’s fabulous on first sight is often less interesting.
Caroline: Do you think that it is the role of the designer to suggest to base the communication on one side of a project or another because he has also an outsider point of view (unlike the client)?
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Johanna: A designer should be more than a solid craftsman with good taste. We advise our clients on all levels of strategy and communication. To lay back and wait until you are being asked to design a certain product doesn’t work anymore already for a long time.
Caroline: Which people tought you most in design and what are these things?
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Johanna: Our teachers in art academy of course showed us the right direction. Which is worth a lot. But real godfathers we don’t have. We learn a little bit from a whole lot of people. All in all that is huge.
Caroline: Can you feel the evolution of graphic design practice over the 5 past years? What is it for you?
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Dirk: Over the past years small publishers and self commissioned publications – often copied low budget reproductions – spring up like mushrooms from the ground. There even are bookstores, specialized in this phenomenon. I have the feeling that more and more young graphic designers withdraw themselves from the field of design as a service providing discipline to define themselves as autonomous artists and free authors instead. Of course this is a well known discussion which has become more visible through the many designblogs on the worldwideweb. Nevertheless, I believe that the rising influence of marketing departments in big firms play a crucial role in this. Over the past years I witnessed how visionary, sane companies under this influence turned into brain- and soulless monsters. For those companies really no intelligent person would like to work any longer. Designers in the end are romantic idealists, aren’t they?
Caroline: Who are the most important designers in your opinion?
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Dirk: Nobody owes anybody thanks or high regards here.
Caroline: There is a lot of «weft» (I’m not sure it’s the good word …) in your images (like dynamo) in your typeface (like Richard) Could you tell me about this attachment for lace appearance?
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Johanna: To escape the twodimensional character of paper is an important formal aspect in our work. However we try to avoid aesthetic eyewash like transparency or digital shadows. The same is true for our choice of materials by the way. To give an example: We would never chose the photographic representation of brown craftspaper as a background. Something like that we find more of an illustration. We would prefer to print directly on craftspaper instead. Back to the ‚holes’ that you were adressing; an open form provides transparency on a form under it. Next to ordening elements horizontally and vertically thus the possibility of in front of and behind is added. This dimension we rarely let go of in our designs.