Man-o-man we got the chance to interview Paul Meeuwsen & Beck Storer from The Cutaway in Melbourne and it was awesome. Paul & Beck shared with us their top three favourite books, what makes a standout graduate and why having a plan B is so important.
List your top three design books and why?
1. Orbiting the Giant Hairball – Gorgon Mackenzie:
In the world of deadlines and corporate briefs, this great little book makes you never
forget to dream, to break the rules and always challenge yourself creatively.
2. How to be an explorer of the world – Keri Smith
: We love this book. It’s filled of fantastic abstract and creative research methods that apply in
all of our projects.
3. Stop stealing sheep – Erik Spiekermann
: We love this book because it’s the best demystification of type and although its is getting older now it has been constantly updated to be relevant for the digital age.
What has been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt along the way?
1. Clients are human beings - they’re not that scary
.
2. Just try your best.
3. Ask questions. Questions are free!
4. Learn from your mistakes.
5. Embrace change during the execution process.
What do you look for in a great portfolio?
Every graduate has a special story to tell - and the way they unfold their creative journey through their portfolio is the main thing we look for. We want to see their creative heart and what really makes them unique. It’s not necessarily about the fine tuned crafted artifact a person presents to us, like a beautiful bespoke brand mark. We’re more interested in the way they got there – their processes, research – even their stumbles. We believe it is these things that form their unique story and who they really are.
Any passion projects you would like to share?
We have a very, very special passion project on at the moment – designing and launching Paul’s (our passionate Creative Director) very own new sneaker brand! We can't tell you any more that that as its cloaked in secrecy. It has been born from the love Paul has for sneakers (he has over 63 pairs) and we are currently art directing its international launch with a small movie – very exciting!
Clients are human beings - they’re not that scary . Just try your best. Ask questions. Questions are free! Learn from your mistakes. Embrace change during the execution process.
What has been some of your biggest disasters?
Well here’s a very recent one!... We had only 24 hrs to complete an outdoor installation and mother nature caused a huge headache for us due to it raining all day. Clearly bubble wrap, gaffa tape and rain do not mix well. Luckily we had a plan B, which ironically embraced the weather elements and ended up presenting a beautiful colour water wall… What we learnt? With outdoor installations - always have a plan B.
Are you involved in any teaching?
Design education is a big part at the Cutaway, as we truly believe the best education for designers is designers. This is why we actively lecture at a number of Uni’s in Melbourne. We’re seeing too many graduates coming out with limited skills that are extremely relevant in our industry and we believe the more industry people are actively engaged in teaching, the better design education will be and result with a more robust and healthy design industry as a whole.
Website
Where to find The Cutaway online.
