TDK Awards '16 Winner, Lachlan Mason, tells us about the perks of having your dad as your high school teacher, how he ended up at Principle Design, and the pros and cons of working in a small studio.
What are some of your earliest creative memories and what lead you into design?
My Dad has been a big influence on my entry into the design world and design thinking. As a bit of a handyman and ceramicist he exposed my two sisters and I to creativity through pottery, home renovations, painting ect. from a young age. This led me down a graphic design path and my two sisters went into architecture and drama/art teaching. He was also my teacher in High School allowing me to tag along to Ag Ideas events and the like since year 7.
What was your plan for graduating and what actually happened?
An ambition of mine has always been to work overseas which I thought was a possibility during my last year at Uni however after finishing, a couple of freelance jobs came up and I stayed in Melbourne. After these finished, I bumped into a friend I studied with who works at Principle Design and said there was a spot available. I ended up getting a position there and have been able to work on some great projects including the Helping Hoops fundraising book and Shelter exhibiton poster. It is still an ambition of mine to one day work overseas.
What are your three must-read design books, blogs or podcasts and why?
1. Brand New Under Consideration – This blog has been influential for me in developing strategic design thinking. Run by Byrony and Armin, it developed a passion in branding and exposed me to various international and boutique studios.
2. Medium – There are so many great design articles in this platform helping you keep up to date with the design world.
3. Typetoken/ Typeroom – I’ve always had a passion for typographic design solutions so these blogs are always a great source of inspiration.
Any passion projects you would like to share?
I did the branding and website for my Dad’s new pottery brand Friendly Fire Ceramics
For me technology plays a massive role in how the future of design will be shaped. Keeping up to date with these new technologies that are being introduced every day will broaden our capabilities to engage audiences in new and exciting ways.
What does a typical working day include for you right now?
Working in a small studio means that you get to work on all aspects of a project from start to finish including client management, concept, production and more so my day always has something new which is great. This process has allowed me to gain invaluable experience when compared to previous studios whose size has meant that the set up is slightly different. Not to say that my time at these places was not also great!
Where do you think design is heading in the next five years and how will you adapt?
For me technology plays a massive role in how the future of design will be shaped. Keeping up to date with these new technologies that are being introduced every day will broaden our capabilities to engage audiences in new and exciting ways. We will be expected to craft end-to-end experience rather than just interfaces which are user focused as opposed to business focused.
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