Today we are super lucky to be chatting with Rhys Gorgol, the Creative Director of The Company You Keep. They're the design studio responsible for one of our favourite free magazines, Broadsheet, need we say more... Rhys also lets us in on his favourite type foundries and what TCYK are looking for in an intern. A must read.
When/ how did TCYK start? Who is involved? What is your studio culture like?
TCYK started in early 2012 – I’d always been interested in both the business and creative side of design, and after working at a number of studios around Melbourne I decided that it was the right time to set up shop. We are a full-time team of four – three designers; Rhys, Tom and Claire, plus Monica, who is our client services head. I’d like to think we have an open, approachable studio culture. We are all really passionate about what we do, but also understand the importance of not taking ourselves too seriously.
You have been involved in some beautiful projects, what have been your favourite to date and why?
We’ve been lucky enough to work with some great clients who not only understand the design process, but trust in what we do. This has led to some results we’re really happy with – hopefully our clients are too! We've worked with so many ace people that it's hard to pick favourites, but if forced I'd have to say The Beaufort would be one of the top 'early' picks. The clients are close friends – they had faith and let us loose when we were at an early stage of the business. That faith produced some fun times and late nights.
Since you began working with Broadsheet their audience has grown dramatically! What has been your strategy? What major changes have you carried out?
Over the last couple of years we've worked really closely with Broadsheet, and together we've built a strong relationship – so much so that we even share a studio space! This proximity and mutual understanding has really allowed us to have a fluent design process, and get involved in projects from ground zero. The team there are also really big advocates for the value of design – which combined with their clear vision of their brand – helps us help them meet their objectives. We’ve been involved closely with their editorial, sales and publishing teams to all work together to meet challenges and evolve the product and brand. By working together rather than as separate teams, the objectives always stay aligned, and the results have been really rewarding. One example of this was socialising the platform with the creation of MyBroadsheet. We are continually working with their team to evolve the offering and tune the brand. Keep your eyes peeled on the site around late May / early June, as there could be a little surprise or two there.
Do you have favourite typefaces, type designers or foundries? Where do you get your inspiration?
Each team member brings a broad range of inspiration, especially when it comes to typography. A few stand out foundries we keep coming back to would have to be Colophon, Commercial Type, A2 and Klim – those guys are always stepping it up. We love rediscovering older fonts that may have fallen out of vogue too. We stumbled across Glastonbury the other day when scrolling through our type library which is a super lovely face.
The internship program is our way of engaging with and giving a foot into industry to design graduates. The biggest thing we look for is attitude and fit – a strong eye is also important, along with some technical aptitude – but a smile and some upbeat optimism goes a long way.
You offer 8 week full time internships! What do you look for in an intern? What advice do you have for recent graduates wanting to stand out?
The internship program is our way of engaging with and giving a foot into industry to design graduates. There is still a big learning curve when transitioning from education to industry (which we’ve all been through) and we hope the internship program helps soften that transition. The biggest thing we look for is attitude and fit – a strong eye is also important, along with some technical aptitude – but a smile and some upbeat optimism goes a long way.
Whats on the horizon for TCYK?
Quite a bit at the moment! The awesome Matthew Haynes from Analogue/Digital conferences has invited us to speak at the Brisbane and Melbourne legs of the event. It's exciting, as it's the first time we’ve taken the floor in this capacity, and it's a challenge we’re looking forward to. Andy and the boys from South South West are speaking too – they’re good mates so it should prove to be a great couple of weeks (tickets here). A few new projects are about to be released in the coming weeks and up on the site; including a coffee range, jewellery label and a design store in Vancouver. Oh and we’re also moving office at the end of May, which will be fun and mental at the same time, but it's always nice to have a change of scenery.
