Thursday Lecture - Pat Starke

Yesterday's guest industry lecturer was Pat Starke, creative director at Design Activity in Bristol. He wore his belt buckle in a jaunty manner, almost on his right hip, which was a bit strange. Creative types, eh? He had my attention.

He told us that he was from Aldershot and that, upon graduating, he took up a role in a really good small studio where he learnt his trade. Ambition eventually drew him to London where he worked for a pretentious studio with a classic wanker boss. Pat told us that there is no need to be an arsehole when you are boss, which is something I totally agree with. I have worked for them in the past and it is obvious that a culture of fear and intimidation is not conducive to good work. He also said that he does not work late, as a matter of principle. Life is too short and there are plenty of other things he wants to do. Again, I find this attitude refreshing. I used to work in the games industry and we were expected to do insane amounts of unpaid overtime, even when we were on schedule. One producer even offered to give me some pointless work to do, so that I would get behind and have to do overtime to catch up, just so it looked good on the boss's spreadsheet!

I fully expect to put in the hours when a deadline approaches, or if you get an unexpected opportunity to pitch for a huge client and time is of the essence - that is absolutely fine and I know that "going the extra mile" makes a good impression, especially when you are starting out.

Pat then went on to show us some of the work he has done over the years. It was all really high-quality branding/packaging stuff for some massive clients. One interesting tip he gave us was that when working for a corporate client, show them a range of concepts, from conservative to completely mental. You'll be amazed how many times they will choose the latter, or ask for something in between. What I found really interesting was the rebranding work he did for Bulmers when they introduced San Miguel to the UK market:



The bottle on the left is the original one sold in Spain. The rebrand is incredibly subtle although in many ways I actually prefer the original. It just looks classier. He said it was important on jobs like this to look at the history of the product and to use iconography that fits, which is why they kept the ship from the original. They also added a crest that looks very similar to the Barcelona FC badge to the UK product, probably to make it look more instantly Spanish.

He then showed us the work he did for Agnelle gloves. These are a premium product from France and he was packaging them for the US market. There were a number of different ranges that needed branding, from the top-end couture gloves to the cheaper sports range. Each needed to packaged accordingly. He said rather than researching what it is to be French, it was important to base everything on the US perception of France. Makes sense. I like the mental bag design concepts he did for the top-end product:



Next was quite a long story about his relationship with The Fabulous Bakin' Boys, who make a range of muffins and flapjacks, etc. I have never actually like their packaging - it looks like a cheap stab at Americana and I just don't think it works. It's never made me buy any of their products, as I assumed they would taste cheap and artificial (which is maybe why I often see them half price in Sainsburys).



My tastes aside, the point he was making was that it was important to develop relationships with your clients - only when you really get on with each other can you produce great work. He also made the point that despite their relationship being so good, they were eventually dropped by the client. You need a thick skin in this industry.

I really liked the packaging and logo designs for both Le Canard Et La Lune and Savse Smoovies and would definitely be tempted to buy them if I ever saw them in the supermarket:



Pat then talked about how Design Activity will regularly approach a large successful company with ideas for new product ranges. The idea is that they may like the idea and want to go ahead with it, based on the awesome packaging designs. Or they may just remember you and admire your proactive spirit, which could stand you in good stead with them in the future. Or they may just nick your ideas and do with them what they will. The latter is of course a risk but in Pat's experience most folk are decent human beings. He said that if nothing comes of one of these projects, at least you have more good stuff to add to your portfolio to show other clients. I think it is a brilliant idea. I also want to get the Photoshop skills to mock up products like this:



He finished by giving us some tips on getting a job:

1. Plan your route. London? Stay local?
2. Understand the competition (fellow students).
3. Research your targets. Look at their work. Find the name of the creative director and write to him directly. Talk about their work as well as yours and try to do something memorable.
4. Make contact with them. Ask for portfolio advice. Most people appreciate how hard it is (they have been there themselves remember) and will offer help.
5. Polish your portfolio. Fill it with ideas, quirkiness and practical considerations.
6. Persist!

I found Pat Starke to be very likeable and full of useful advice. I also really like the sort of work he does. It's a real shame that I didn't get on board with the Buddy Scheme as I think spending a few hours with him would have been very helpful. Perhaps I will take his advice and contact him in the near future, once I have got some strong branding projects in my portfolio.