Imagine That

Ian Edward Prentice 
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

http://www.ianep.co.uk

Hello Ian, how are you feeling today?
I'm feeling pretty good - relaxed, for the first time in a long while.

Could you tell us a bit about your industry?
I'm a Graphic Designer; I have a particular passion for printed design, particularly considering print process, methods of production and finish. I love type, and experimenting with gridded editorial conventions to create seemingly fluid layouts that force a certain interaction or interpretation of the works or information displayed.

What's your latest project?
The most recent piece I produced is a 100page publication titled 'Affinity to Print: The Sustenance of Print Culture'. The publication explores print culture and the role of print in design and contemporary society. It features a handful of interviews with designers and studios alongside showcasing their work. The format itself is a composition of three formats; a newspaper, a magazine and a book - digitally juxtaposed to form a 'trompe-l'oeil' (deceive the eye). It is essentially a design extension of my third year dissertation, which also examined print culture alongside new medias and digital conventions of publicising.

What is the project you have done that you most enjoyed?
Recently, probably my V&A prints. I'm particularly interested in design for cultural contexts, and these set of proposed prints for exhibitions at the V&A use a different method of print production, process or finish for each, whether digital methods or traditional/manual. I love craft and physicality in design.

Which project do you feel that you have learnt the most from?
It's quite hard to pinpoint which I have learnt the most from. Live, client led briefs are always more informing in terms of designing for the real world (i.e. not just student or self-initiated briefs). To this end, recently the 2011 yearbook for the BA (Hons.) Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design course at Leeds College of Art was a good one - In terms of budget and print run, it is the largest I've worked on - also collaborating with two others. Myself and ex-course mate Tim Wan are also working on a handful of editorial publications for the college, as a collaborative venture - studioco-lab.co.uk

What are your future aspirations?
Future aspirations are to be successful enough to set up on my own/set up a small studio. Currently I am in between placements while doing the odd project, though not quite wanting to settle yet - I'm still young, there's much more I can see and do.

What advice would you give to students in creative industries?
Push yourself as much as you can. There's so much you can do, so many facilities and great like-minded peers on a course such as the one I did. Make the most of it, don't be too serious.