23 Questions!

Having just recently relocated from interstate, Artisan has welcomed Eric with open arms. Have a read over his A List and you'll see why we're excited!

What sparked your passion for design?
I was fairly creative when I was growing up. I used to make my own toys out of paper, cardboard boxes, wires and chains or anything I could lay my hands on. When Mum got involved and started an interior design company, I started to go to her office and hang out with the other interior designers. That’s when I know I wanna be a designer one day.

How creative were you as a youngster?
I remember decorating my own bedroom with bits of junk I found from the shed and re-paint or re-modified them to use as furniture or simply just for display because the shape looks like some spaceship out of movies like Star Wars. I remembered my Dad used to buy me cool robots when I was growing up. I used to purposely burn or paint or scratch the body parts of the robots when I play with them. When asked why I do that, I said “Well, I’m pretty sure they leave scars when they fight with each other Dad!” He stopped buying me expensive toys then!

Do you come from a creative family? Were they supportive of your desire to be a designer?
My family were pretty creative. Dad worked as a draughtsman and Mum worked as a secretary in an interior design company and eventually started her own business in interior design. So, yeah, they are very supportive of me being a designer, especially when talking about our recent projects and bouncing ideas off of each other.

What sort of education and training have you had?
I got my diploma in Arts & Graphics in Penang, Malaysia then started working for a publishing company for two years, then got my degree in Computer Graphics & Communications in UCOL Wanganui, New Zealand.

Who did you want to work for when you first entered the industry?
There were too many to name but then I wasn’t picky. Back then, I didn’t even know the difference between a design studio and an advertising agency.

Tell us about your first project and what do you feel about it now?
I was thrown right in the deep end as soon as I started as a fresh graduate. I was asked to start designing a 48 page magazine from scratch in 10 days. At that time, the software they used was Quark and I use only Freehand and Photoshop. I was stressed out all the way, ended up staying back after work (no pay) to learn the software. Now, I think it was foolish of me to not prepare myself before the job. However, the publisher was happy with the design and the project was sent to print in time. Looking back now I’m happy with the way I approached the task that I was given. I think I proved I was able to cope well with limited resources and tight deadlines. I was the sole graphic designer for the Malaysian edition of ADOI magazine for two years, in charge of not only layout but also photography direction for the magazine’s cover story.

What is your preferred software to work with and what has been the greatest advancement in technology over the past 5 years? Illustrator and Photoshop would be my preference when it comes to design. I only use InDesign for catalogues or projects that have more than one page. Most types of software these days are fully compatible with each other, which is great. I still remember those days when I had to convert files because some printers only accepted Macromedia Freehand files.

What are the various mediums that you’ve worked with and is there any that you would like to explore? In college, I always had fun in Fine Art classes. The idea of using anything or everything to create an artwork is pretty cool. Maybe it’s from my childhood, I love getting my hands dirty. So the usage of charcoal, paint, air brush or spray paint, glue guns, carpentry, lino, darkrooms (would definitely explore more on this), these are only a few I can think of, I’m sure there are more. And on the side (out of college) I have also used the tattoo machine a fair bit when I was working as a freelance tattoo artist during college.

Is digital technology going to eliminate the need for print?
I really don’t think it would ever happen. Yes, digital technology is fantastic but it will never have the same feel as print. We all like to touch and feel something. I get more satisfaction from holding and reading a magazine than reading it on screen. These feelings are something digital technology fails to give. For now at least.

Whose work do you really admire and why?
I really do admire people who have the courage to do something totally different, something out-of-the-box and something that works. It could be music, food, fashion, interior or graphic design, it makes me tick if I feel the connection.

Who has been the greatest person that you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and what have they taught you? The greatest person I have worked with would have to be Mr Harmandar (Ham) Singh. He is the publisher of ADOI Magazine in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. He used to be the Regional Creative Director of McCann Ericksson. I learned that good graphics don’t necessarily work in advertising. Good advertising does not mean beautiful artwork. There is a lot of difference between good looking artwork and advertising that works.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
That would have to be setting up and leading a graphic team in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I was asked by one of the architects who I used to do freelance for if I would be interested in working for his company in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I was required to do the setting up of the department including hiring of designers and 3D artists. It was contract work and it lasted for 9 months.

How would you describe your work?
Edgy, contemporary, experimental, bold, clean and organised.

What are your plans for the future?
Like everyone else, a stable career. Haha. Seriously, it would be great if I could start up my own graphic studio with a team of like-minded designers.

What sort of company would you like to work with next?
I am not fussed about what company I would like to work with. I take each job as a challenge so I’m happy with anything that comes my way. However, I would be very interested if I get a job offer from MonsterChildren (a lifestyle magazine) or with IDN magazine (International Design Network).

What is your opinion of Australian design?
One thing I discovered when I first came to Australia was how laid back and straight forward everything is. It’s unique but simple. I think the experimental part of Australian design is really cool and original but the commercial side of it has got too much influence from US.

What is the best/worst thing about being a designer in Australia?
The best thing about being a designer here is that your skills are appreciated by your clients. They come to you fully prepared (well, most of the time) and knowing what to expect from you. Their demands are reasonable and achievable. The worst thing would definitely be the laid back work ethic. There is nothing worse than realising the artwork has not been looked at or signed off after 2 weeks it has been done and on deadline.

In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge the Australian design industry has to face in the near future? Design of marketing in Australia is focused on a strong western cultural sensibility. I think the biggest challenge we have to face will be addressing the increasingly multi-cultural nature of the market place.

What is your creative outlet outside of design?
Tattoos, both doing and designing. Cooking, photography, music and updating my blog.

What is the best designed bar in Melbourne?
Don’t go to bars much these days. I prefer coffee shops.

What are your top 5 websites at the moment?
www.facebook.com
ado-c.blogspot.com (my own blog, I post everything from silly jokes to recent work (design, photography), things I found or discovered, music updates and personal updates.
www.heroturko.us
www.getartisan.com.au
threadless.com

What CD are you currently listening to and is it any good?
Currently listening to Armin Van Buuren while answering this question. It’s pretty groovy, I must say – makes answering this question so much more fun.

If I was a font, I’d be...?
Fette Fraktur.


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