We were incredibly lucky to catch Byron Meiring—Creative Director and co-founder of Made by Radio and hear about a typical day in the studio, all the awesome peeps he works with as well as some super top tips if you're looking into illustration and animation! You should really be following the amazingness that these guys are getting up to!
Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?
I studied at AAA school of advertising My first job was working for Pete Pienaar and Heidi Chisholm at a design agency called Daddy buy me a Pony. From there I had a quick stint at Am I Collective and then a few years in the UK working for I Love Dust. In 2011 I made the jump to start my own creative studio, Made by Radio.
Give us the elevator pitch on what you do.
When we first started Radio our bread and butter was iconography, infographics and a lot of general editorial work for magazines and newspapers. We have diversified over the last 3 years immensely, focusing heavily on animation 2d, cel and 3d. However the main focus has always been to do well crafted design through all mediums and we keep that as our ethos no matter what project we tackle.
Who’s on the team, what are their roles and why do you love them?
In 2015 the studio had 3 full time employees. In 3 years we have grown to 20, all from different backgrounds and skill sets. What I love about the team we have right now is the level of talent and humility that each member brings to the table. It give us the opportunity to collaborate on projects across skill sets and briefs which in the end leads to better work, which everyone can be proud of. I also love the fact that we all share the same humour and we can put our heads down and work when we need to but we can also get together share a few beers and laughs. Its really a special environment and I am inspired and proud of every person I get to work with on a daily basis.
Byron Meiring—Creative Director, Willie Blignaut —Creative Director of Animation, Francois Schonken—Animation Director, Pete Knowles—Animator, William Pule—Animator, Schalk Pienaar—Animator, Arno Visser—Senior Art Director, Jaco Haasbroek—Senior Art Director, Jean Rosseau—Senior illustrator, Eddie Naude—Illustrator, Adam Grason—Illustrator, Marlize Eckard—Illustrator, Geoff Trusler—3D lead, Andre Davids—3D, Ian Swemmer—3D, Thys Lötter—3D, Kyle Zeeman—3D, Matthew Dickinson—Sound Engineer, Leizel Thebus—Project Manager, Andrea Barkhuizen—Project Manager
What does a typical working day include for you right now?
Dropping the kids at school, then chatting through briefs and feedback with the team. Sending emails doing client calls, giving feedback on work we are busy with in studio, sending more emails, more client calls and if I have the time some actual design ;)
Including sketches also helps to show process and how you think.
What qualities and skills to you look for in a graduate?
Be humble, have a willingness to learn from others and to take any feedback to heart even if you don’t think it might be right, be normal and not an asshole.
What do you look for in a great portfolio?
Being able to draw human proportions correctly, pen on paper stuff. I’d rather see a portfolio with 2-4 really strong pieces than 10 average pieces. Including sketches also helps to show process and how you think. A few people have got a job in the studio just on their ability to be able to sketch proportions really well. A sense of styling how the characters or scene looks and what mood it provokes.
