PAPERSNAP
Papersnap is s print, illustration and graphic design studio located at 44 Stanley in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Telri Stoop and Steven Mckimmie own and work the business. The studio celebrates its first year anniversary on the 2nd of November this year. They produce high quality designs for print but also sell a number of illustrated products from a range of designers. Steven and Telri started the business from scratch and this independent design business would be ideal for my future. Henceforth, I chose to interview Steven to enquire about his creative career.
THE INTERVIEW
1. How did you start practicing with your creative side?
I was always into drawing but never took art at school. I later studied Graphic design and that feels right to me.
2. When and how did you start working commercially?
I started working for a small website building company just after graduating and never really took up freelance work as it can be unstable with money and availability.
3. How much of your work has been freelance and how much is through an agency/business?
Almost all my work has been through agencies and businesses. Papersnap is the first job I have had that allows me to be my own boss.
4. While working, what complications do you come across in terms of pricing your work?
People always take too long to pay and often need to be constantly reminded.
5. How do you ensure that your work is priced fairly and that you are paid in due time?
We provide an initial and then revised quote. In the quote we state that only three changes can be made to designs that have been requested by the client. I recommend always recommending a higher price and then your can negotiate lower without unexpected losses.
6. How often do you collaborate? Do you find these collaborations useful to your career and skill?
I haven’t really collaborated, as I am more of a graphic designer than an illustrator however I do think it is useful, especially for a young designer learning new skills, looking for inspiration.
7. While working do you chop and change between projects or do one project at a time?
It depends on deadlines but I prefer having multiple projects going at once because it causes you to take breaks from the style or work you are completing.
8. What ratio of your time is spent on conceptualisation, ideation, execution and presentation?
Often there is not enough time for full concept development and execution as you would like. Sometimes we only get a few days to start and finish a project. Ideally I would like to have three days for concepts and one week for execution. Too much time tends to lead to overworked designs that don’t have the same authenticity.
9. What would you say is the next big trend for illustrators?
There aren’t any trends that I can name; I see a lot of clean geometric work abut also a lot of expressive whimsical styles. There is such a wide audience out there, as long as it is good design, people will go for it.
10. What other skills do you think creative people should adopt to inspire or improve their work?
I think it is important to find activities in your life that give you a feeling of suspended animation. For example, I like to play soccer and run. It is a form of stress relief but also refreshes your mind and incubates your work for some time.
11. What would you say is the greatest challenge in your career?
Owning a business is hard and if you’re a designer you may not know that much about it. It is a difficult thing to learn and you get thrown into the deep end in the industry.
12. What would you say is the greatest advantage to your career?
Working for myself in my own business is a huge advantage, I have much more creative freedom.
13. What advice would you give to an undergraduate?
Learn on the go, get into as many new situations that give you experience. I recommend working at an agency at first to get the idea of the industry. Larger businesses will give you one specific job whereas the smaller businesses will give you a variety of jobs, which is something to keep in mind when looking at internships or work opportunities.
If possible do a short postgraduate course in business management as it will give you a step above other designers while preparing you for the unexpected complications of business.
14. What is rewarding about your field?
It’s rewarding to see an element of awe and appreciation from a client.
15. What advice do you have about advertising?
Follow these three steps; figure out which job you want to do, find your target market based on your product and then contact that market as directly as possible.
A lot of people recommend Instagram and Behance. This is good for assembling a portfolio but most of the people who look you up are other illustrators. They are not your paying clients. Paying clients are found through sites like Facebook and Linkedin where external communities are looking for illustrators.