Thursday Lecture - Keith Hancox

Keith graduated from Bath Spa five years ago. He currently works as a designer for Mytton Williams in Bath, who are one of the more respected design firms in the area (their clients include Waitrose and Clarks Shoes). By night he runs a collaborative online design shop called Polar with his girlfriend, with the USP that everything they do is red and white. Perhaps they should add green and they might make a killing at Christmas. Just a thought...

He showed us a few of the branding jobs that he was particularly proud of, in particular the work for the Halcyon Hotel and Circo club in Bath, which are both a part of the same company.



I think that they are both pretty decent logos but it would have been nice to know exactly how big a part Keith played in their design. There was definitely a design team involved, rather than an individual, so it would have been interesting to know what his particular role was. Apart from these two branding projects, Keith didn't really show any of his work, opting instead to give us some general tips about the business, based on his experiences to date.

Firstly, we should all listen to Anthony Burrill. While I agree that we could all do well to live by the sentiments of Burrill's best-known piece - "Work Hard & Be Nice To People" - I am not so sure that he offers any other sage advice to budding designers. I assume that Keith was present at an inspiring lecture by Burrill during his time at Bath Spa.



He then told us how we should "understand the client" and figure out what makes them tick, particularly by researching their business at the start of the relationship. Now, this sounds pretty obvious to me and no doubt to anyone else who has worked for a client in any capacity in the past, but I understand that it was worth him mentioning it for the benefit of many present. More pertinent to me was his insistence on the importance of doing work placements. I am ashamed that I have not done any of these yet, especially when I keep hearing how they are more useful than most of the stuff learned on a degree course, even though you often spend more time making tea than designing. I certainly wouldn't have a problem running such errands, just to be in a professional studio for a week or two to see how they go about their work. I will get something sorted for after final hand-in on May 14th.

There were a few other things that I found useful - stuff that I already knew but perhaps don't regularly apply to my own practice:

• Your first idea is not always the best. I often find myself investing too readily in the first decent idea I get. I am then reluctant to put it on ice while I explore other avenues. This is not good and it is something I should force myself to do.
• Get loads of ideas down but set a deadline. If I don't come up with a great idea right away, I can get sucked into a research whirlpool, whereby I come up with LOADS of different ideas without actually fleshing any of them out.
• Get your inspiration OFFLINE. This is something I have heard over and over from successful designers. Stop looking at blogs and design magazines and get out into the real world. Check out art galleries, music and the like but also look at nature. Keith likes to just wander the streets, taking pictures of things he finds funny or interesting. I am not sure if these ever directly feed into his work but it can't do any harm.

So, while it would have been nice to have seen a bit more of his work, I did find Keith's lecture informative and will definitely try to put some of his tips into action, albeit belatedly.