As a designer that's not a fan of routine Cathrine D'Amours co-founded nouvelleadministration.com to keep her on her toes! Continually wanting to push boundaries and evolve towards new ways of communicating, Cathrine shares with us where she thinks design is headed.
When did you fall in love with design and how did you get started?
Design, and more specifically typography, has always been part of my life. I remember at a young age, being quite amused when redrawing letters on paper placemats at the village dinner. I enjoyed creating imaginary signs for fictional projects and I painted these letters on immense cardboard boxes. I recall designing on a large piece of wood cherished by my, now, not to happy father...
What does a typical working day include for you right now?
Having a small studio with open areas, our days are mainly directed by a series of ping pong exchanges on the different projects we or working on. The three associates-designers work collaboratively on each mandate. This allows us to push creative boundaries while playing together. In busier times, when deadlines await and each member is focused on their workstation, we still make the effort to share and discuss the tasks at hand. It truly is the essence of the studio.
What are your three must-read design books, blogs or podcasts and why?
I’m totally in love with Bruno Munari. “Design as Art” and “Munari’s Books” are two of my favorite design books. Podcast wise, I love Design Matters.
What do you look for in a great portfolio?
Authenticity, creativity, diversity.
I think it will take intelligent and daring beings to bring calm and slowness into the public's daily lives.
Tell us a bit about yourself and the studio that you work for.
I am a designer who does not like routine. I get bored easily. I think that is, among other things, why I decided to build my own studio after spending several years in design firms. Nouvelle Administration is now in its forth year and started with two designer friends in an effort to always stay true to our roots and ideology. We choose the projects that we want to work on and believe in. This past year, I've had the opportunity to work on different collaborations such as interactive projects that took me to boundaries I had yet overcomed. A great learning experience. In the coming years, I would very much like to explore new mediums in an effort to tell new stories and touch people in a more profound way.
Where do you think design is heading in the next five years and how will you adapt?
A designer's job is first and foremost to find solutions to problems, communication problems more often than not. So I think we will always need good designers. On the other hand, it is obvious that we will need to diverse our ways of thinking and evolve towards new ways of communicating. We are more and more solicited visually, both on the streets and on our screens, and in the places we hang out. I think it will take intelligent and daring beings to bring calm and slowness into the public's daily lives.
Where to find Nouvelle Administration online.
Website: nouvelleadministration.com
Twitter: @Studio_NA
