Imagine That

Laura Burton
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

http://www.lauraburton.co.uk

Hello Laura, how are you feeling today?
I think I'm feeling a bit flummoxed. After five years at college I have been institutionalised and not don't really know what to do with myself. I have spent the day just wandering about wearing my college I.D lanyard with a can of spray mount in my hand ready to stick down bits of loose paper.

What's your latest project?
I do quite a bit of collaborative work with fellow graphic designer Frances Ulph under the name of üürdy. At the moment we are designing some type faces for a new sticky tape company, it's a fun project to do as we are allowed to be as creative as we like. We are also part of this years Battle Abbey Arts Trail, a collection of public art to encourage people to take a different look at the surroundings. We're going to disguise public benches as sofas in the attempt to confuse people into thinking they're in their living room and rush to sit down. Being as though we won't be installing T.V's, people will have no choice but to watch some of Battles beautiful scenes instead. As graphic designers, we have never done anything quite like this before and finding it all very exciting and a little but terrifying.

What is the project you have done that you most enjoyed?
I realised a few years ago that the projects which were most successful were the ones I enjoyed doing the most, that I had fun with. So I made a conscience decision to enjoy all my future projects. I know I don't particularly like working on computers so I avoid them as much as possible, I do know I like screen printing and crafts so I use them instead. I hate to admit to having favourite projects but my little voting robot ornament brings me so much happiness it's worrying. My Michelin brief was a joy too, screen printing, sewing, baking biscuits, bit's of ribbon, what's not to enjoy?

Which project do you feel that you have learnt the most from?
I probably learnt the most from my self initiated brief for my degree. Apart from firing glass, I didn't learn much technically but I did learn a huge amount about democracy, I felt ashamed that this was something I should have known about already. I think it just taught me how little I actually know and that I should maybe start asking more questions about things that seems obvious or that I have just accepted in the past without query.

What/Who inspires you?
Anything and everything inspires me, just day to day life stuff really. The inflation of butter in Tesco inspired one piece of work once. I used the colour pallet of a couple of books that happened to be sat next to each other in another project. But if I'm actively looking for inspiration, then I take myself off to the Imperial War Museum, or I read. And there is always FFFFound.

What are your future aspirations?
I hope to continue to get interesting and diverse commissions and to be able to carry on working on personal projects for my own pleasure with the intention of selling the end results. One day I would quite like to earn enough money to be able to eat on a regular basis.

What advice would you give to students in creative industries?
Work really, really hard and to love doing whatever it is you do. I got sick of hearing students moan when they were given another brief, you shouldn't huff when you're given work, you should jump up and down with joy. No one is forced to go to college, you should be there because you're passionate about the subject. And if you hate photoshop, don't use it.