012//CONTRIBUTORS
S P O T L I G H T
THE BLACK LINE BY LAUREN
Typographer
WE HAVE LOVED WORKING WITH THE SUPER CREATIVE LAUREN WHO HAS WORKED ON SOME OF THE TYPOGRAPHY SEEN IN THIS ISSUE! MAKE SURE YOU READ HER INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEW AS TO HOW HER CREATIVE MIND WORKS!
WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST ILLUSTRATION/TYPOGRAPHY PROJECT YOU'VE WORKED ON?
I haven’t worked on anything that I thought was particularly crazy to date (although I’m always up for crazy challenges!) but I am still pinching myself over having been commissioned to write letters to Maria Sharapova & talented DJ music duo NERVO on behalf of Tag Heuer. It was all in aid of Tag Heuer’s Don’t Crack Under Pressure campaign at the Australian Open earlier this year in Melbourne. One of the most exciting parts of the project was having my work handed to the 3 Tag Heuer ambassadors with custom artworks from the very talented fashion illustrator, Aaron Favaloro. Shortly after I was pinching myself because I was writing the guest names on the back of another talented fashion illustrator's, Megan Hess, invitations to her exhibition in association with BALLY, Dion Lee, Hugo Boss, Lover, Parfums Christian Dior, sass & bide & Zimmermann.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO ILLUSTRATION/TYPOGRAPHY?
I never dreamed of doing typography, however, writing has been a part of my life from the time I was able
to use pens and I would scribble my signature over anything I came into contact with – including bills much to my mum’s annoyance. It was only in my tweens (not that that word existed back then) when I was on a plane and only had a black artliner and a pad to entertain me that I started playing around with creating fonts as opposed to writing in my natural style. From then on I used the fonts I was creating on assessments, artworks, letters…virtually anything that it could be used for and became a little obsessed with the idea that the way that words are presented can open up ideas and change the way that people perceive what you’re talking about.
WHERE DO YOU FIND CREATIVE INSPIRATION?
I always find this question a hard one to answer, as I don’t really have a go-to formula for inspiration. Sometimes I’ll be out on my morning run and have to stop every 10 minutes to make notes because I’m so inspired by what’s around me and my train of thought. Other times I go running and get nothing except a small amount of satisfaction that I may have lost some weight whilst being unproductive workwise.
I do try to read books that challenge & inspire me however, as my main purpose is to inspire & motivate others and expand their way of thinking and I can’t do that unless I’m being motivated, inspired and challenged myself. And when all else fails, I go and buy myself a bunch of flowers because being at the florist and being surrounded by flowers is a guaranteed way to put my mind in a happy, creative place.