We chat with Bondi based Designer / Art Director Nick Barclay about designing for Italian brand Piquaudro, the importance of proof-reading your work, and the lovely emails from lovely people about how lovely his work is.
When did you fall in love with design and how didyou get started?
I always loved art but my first memory of falling in love with design was when I first saw a copy of Wallpaper*. It looked so different to anything I'd seen before and I was blown away with how clean and well put together it was.
What was your plan for graduating and whatactually happened?
As with everyone, I thought I'd slip straight into a studio job in London and live the creative dream... what actually happened was every week I'd look through Design week, Guardian online and Creative Review circling all the Junior design jobs and heading off to photocopy my folio (yes we had to do that back in the stone age), bundle it all up with my CV and wait. Many, many beautifully designed rejection letters later I decided to change direction and me and a friend got onto the D&AD Advertising School and as luck would have it the week we were meant to start I got offered a job in publishing. At the time I needed money more than advertising and I was excited to get stuck into my first job.
Who are your top five design crushes right now?
Kurppa Hosk in Stockholm
Nomad in London - really strong ideas, bright colours and style.
Frost* in Sydney - I love the current HIV campaign they designed and they always do amazing work.
Studio DBD in Manchester
David Oku in London
Are you involved in anyteaching and if and how it shapes your practice?
I love hearing from students and I reply to everyone who emails me questions etc. It's definitely something I'd like to do more of and it's nice that someone liked your work enough to take the time to email you.
Tell us about any collaborations you have been working on.
I recently worked with Piquaudro in Italy designing their stand at Pitti. They were a dream client and trusted me enough to let me do something bold bright and simple and very different to everyone else.
What have been some of your biggest disasters andhow have you learnt from it?
Me and spelling don’t get on... I'm a prime example of not proofreading your own work, I can read something 20 times and still miss glaring typos. There have been a few occasions where my prints have been featured on websites and someone has emailed me to inform me there is a huge typo.
What advice would you give students starting out?
As hard as it is in a social media driven world, develop your own style and build your career the proper way. Good ideas go a long way and you aren’t a senior designer after a few years in a studio.
Where to find Nick Barclay online.
Website: nickbarclaydesigns.com
Instagram: @nick_b_designs
