23 Questions!

Talk about creative with a fine art twist! Coming from a family of art collectors, jazz musicians and even the occasional quilter, Zoe seemed destined to become involved with creative communication. Sit back, relax, pull up a knitted quilt and check out our latest A-List, Zoe.

What sparked your passion for design?
Probably the logo, colours and stitching on the inside of my pram!
I still get excited by old record covers, bus tickets, other people’s doodles, wallpaper, Scandinavian ceramics, comics, shoes, maps, lolly wrappers, postage stamps, old photos (etc etc)

How creative were you as a youngster?
Before I started primary school, I spent half my time at the art gallery. As an only child, I probably spent more time alone than other kids, and this gave me time to draw a lot. My aunt spent a lot of time painting with me too.

Do you come from a creative family?
Definitely. I come from a very colourful family. My nana was a champion knitter, my mother is an inspiring quilter and my father was a terrific jazz guitarist. I have three incredibly creative aunts – one is an art restorer and a serious art collector. She owns a Lucien Freud and she claims she owns a Renoir as well! Another aunt makes her living as a portrait artist, and my other aunt is a professional photographer with archives of photos of celebrity parties in New York from the 1970s!

Were they supportive of your desire to be a designer?
100%. I think they saw it would be utterly pointless to try to push me into anything else, although my grade one teacher wrote on my report card that I could become a great scientist one day as I am so curious.

What sort of education and training have you had?
At the age of 17, I completed a Diploma in Art and Design and went on to start a Bachelor of Fine Art. I deferred to work and travel overseas, which was just as educational for me as my formal education. After living in India, Ireland and Korea, I settled in Montréal to complete my Bachelor in Design at Concordia University in 2002. Since then I have worked in many different areas of design, including teaching where I've continued to learn from young people.

Who did you want to work for when you first entered the industry?
I have always been super-inspired by a few companies - Inkahoots, a company based in Brisbane, have been doing cutting-edge work since I can remember. As I was living in Canada when I graduated, I was awed by Bruce Mau and few smaller local companies such as orangetango. I also really love hand-printed Montréal-based designers and illustrators breeree and Seripop.

Tell us about your first project and what do you feel about it now?
I designed a poster in 2001 for McGill University in Montréal called La nuit et la ville/Night and the City. An Interdisciplinary Conference on the Nocturnal Side of City Life. I loved working on it, and was so proud when I got it back from print. It’s still in my portfolio although I can see how I’d lay it out differently now.

What is your preferred software to work with and what has been the greatest advancement in technology over the past 5 years? Adobe CS. There’s still a few bugs, but the programs work together very well. Illustrator still blows my mind after all these years and InDesign is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Greatest advancements in technology? Photobooth was pretty fun when it first came out!

Is digital technology going to eliminate the need for print?
No way. But I will admit it’s probably going to gradually reduce the demand. Humans will surely always need and love the tactility of paper, and sustainability issues will only make new greener technologies like waterless printing more affordable with demand. Hopefully cotton, bagasse, bamboo, seaweed and hemp paper stocks will become more mainstream.

Whose work do you really admire and why?
Todd Stewart, a friend of mine who is the powerhouse behind Montréal-based breeree. He never stops working and everything he creates makes me stop breathing for a few seconds.

Who has been the greatest person that you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and what have they taught you? Almost everyone I've ever worked with has taught me something. What a cheesy answer, but it's true! I could drop a few names, like Aleem Ali, the CEO of Human. He demonstrated incredible patience, love, lateral thinking and strong ethics, and I admire him alot. Both Damien Frost (www.stickygum.com) and Rich McCoy (www.mccoy.co.uk) are also design heroes to me.

How would you describe your work?
Funny, slick, smooth, quirky, eye-catching, contemporary.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m planning a quick trip to Japan this year to participate in a collective art show in Nara. But generally, I like to take things as they come. I’m pretty flexible with my plans. Sometimes I make them to break them.

What sort of company would you like to work with next?
A company with funny, hard-working, creative humans, who collectively work on inspiring jobs that benefit the world we live in.

What is your opinion of Australian design?
Australia still follows the US a lot with mainstream trends. Australians in general are very unique, funny, tell-it-like-it-is and laidback, highly creative, hard-working and intensely competitive - everything it takes to gain recognition as global design leaders with a unique voice. We shouldn't be scared to be ourselves.

What is the best/worst thing about being a designer in Australia?
Our design is young and fresh. We can draw inspiration from the many cultures that together form our multi-cultural society, including our own Indigenous culture which is a great source of inspiration.
But… it would be nice to spend a long weekend in Copenhagen, fly to Granada for a meeting or spend my lunch hour in the Musée d'Orsay. We’re pretty damn far away from everyone else.

In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge the Australian design industry has to face in the near future? To keep taking risks and rewarding our creative people. There are many "designers" these days, and although a lot are fantastic, a lot are also wretched! Perhaps there needs to be a system of accreditation as well, but this isn’t specifically an Australian challenge.

What is your creative outlet outside of design?
Wine-tasting, jewellery-design (I moonlight as a silversmith), and I play the bass clarinet. I usually binge at MIFF as well.

What is the best designed bar in Melbourne?
So many to list, but I like Workshop (on Elizabeth Street). It used to be an old motorcycle repair shop and it still feels a bit rough, but it's spacious and you can find a private cozy nook to plug in and work. It also has great views of the city from the deck which is just too damn lovely.

What are your top 5 websites at the moment?
(asides from the ubiquitous facebook (which is the new email), and theage.com.au)
www.dezeen.com
www.numerogroup.com
www.kitandcaboodle.ning.com
www.ted.com
www.getartisan.com.au (um, obviously!)

What CD are you currently listening to and is it any good?
Kes Band. Incredible.
www.mistletone.net/category/artists/kes-band

If I was a font, I’d be...?
Apex Sans.
Classic. Versatile. Elegant. Perfect. (ha!)


Do you need an A-List Artisan like Zoe in your studio? Would you like to know more? Contact Mathew NOW!