Another fantastic Gather event hosted by Birmingham Design Festival. These inspirational talks were centered around books and featured speakers such as Sauman Wong, Jamie Ellul, Jim K Davies, Danah Abdulla, and Chris Ashworth. A few members of our team attended and came away with invaluable insight, read on to discover what they learned.
All event photography taken by Angela Grabowska.
GT: When a book’s design has a clear guiding concept, it starts to become an experience. Sauman organised her projects by Form, Function, and Finish, and demonstrated how each book had its own design direction based on the content, coming to life through the book’s form, function, or finishes. “Knowing the limitations allows you to make better design decisions.”
SP: Sauman has been involved in an incredible 80 books over the last 10 years, mixing mediums and building a diverse body of work. She spoke about the importance of being willing to experiment throughout the process. However, she also highlighted how, as designers, we sometimes have little control—and how understanding those limitations can help guide decision-making down the line.
GT: It is truly inspiring to see how something that started as a passion project can become a fully developed masterpiece that fosters a sense of community. We always advise people who are looking to get into the creative industry to explore their own passions and develop their skills through them. What Jamie and Jim have created is the perfect example of what can be achieved when you take the time, show care, and persevere through the hurdles to do something meaningful to you!
SP: “Don’t ask, don’t get.” What a great mantra to live by. In the making of Logo Rhythm, this mindset was a key factor in bringing the project to life. Collaborating with musicians, publishers, designers, and with each other—asking questions and having open discussions—helped build the book page by page. They highlighted the importance of reaching out to others to bring your vision to life. The answer will either be yes or no, but you won’t know until you try.
GT: Designer, educator, and researcher, Danah has a broad scope of what she considers important to her. She creates books that are meaningful and impactful, drawing from her origins and creating spaces for reflection on how to think through design, understand its impact, and recognise how it influences other aspects of our daily lives. It’s refreshing to hear from people like Danah and see how, by expanding our thinking as creatives into other areas, we can gain a better grasp of how design can help shape the changes we’re looking for.
SP: Danah shares how important it is to her to use publishing and design to tell the stories of people who may not have the resources to do so themselves. It was truly inspiring to see how Danah uses her talents and passions to push boundaries. She spoke about the importance of broadening your reading and understanding, and how asking questions is what makes you a good designer, not necessarily having the perfect tools. This truly highlights the meaningful work she has done throughout her career.
GT: “You don’t need a creative title to be creative.”Chris’s talk and books showcased a constant search for ways to express his curiosity and interests as a creator. He argued that when we are truly ourselves and let curiosity guide what we do, creativity emerges, regardless of what your job is. There’s creativity in daring to say and do things differently, and in taking the step toward work that is expressive and inspired.
SP: Chris has had a fantastic career, working for Raygun, Microsoft, Getty Images, and others. He shared how much he enjoys creating away from the screen as much as possible, drawing inspiration from what people do unconsciously, just by walking down the street, and working with what’s around him. As he highlighted, you don’t need to have a creative job title to be creative. What a brilliant note to end an inspiring evening of talks on.
