FAIRspot.com » Interview With Edvard Scott

Interview

Edvard Scott

While attending the FITC Pause 2008 event in New York last November, we sat down with Edvard Scott and talked about everything life and design as we know it. It was a great experience and Edvard couldn't have been more open to talking about himself and sharing his inspirations with us.

FAIRspot: How long have you been in New York?

Edvard Scott: I came to New York in mid-October, 2008.

FS: What prompted the move from Sweden?

ES: An urge for a new experience; living in a foreign country, working by myself...

FS: Are you finding it easy to meet new people in New York?

ES: Meeting people in New York is not a problem—meeting new friends could be more difficult. I've been fortunate enough to have met some amazing people, and theyʼve already become great friends.

FS: Tell us about working in a cramped space and designing posters on a laptop...

ES: Itʼs an undeniable fact that an artist's surroundings affect and influence their work. Every artist also has to adapt their ideas to the canvas available to them. A film director would most likely make two entirely different movies if one was made for an iPod screen and the other for an IMAX screen.

I dramatically changed my surroundings, not just by moving from Stockholm, but also leaving a great studio—Stockholm Design Lab—behind me. Moving overseas with no more than two bags meant that I couldn't bring heavy stuff, so my display had to stay.

The question ultimately comes down to how these factors affect my work. It's still too early to tell, but I can tell you that it has not cramped my style.

FS: Do you like making your own schedule?

ES: Making my own schedule has been what you could call an "educational experience", most of the ideas I had about my sense of structure and routine has time and time again been crushed. But I like it.

FS: How would you describe your style?

ES: In short: I would say that my illustrations are color and composition driven, whereas my graphic design is simple and clean, and idea driven.

FS: We briefly talked about how your illustration work would work well in a gallery... any further thoughts on that?

ES: The SOSO Café and art space in Sapporo, Japan hosted an exhibition of my work in the summer of 2006. I was somewhat surprised when Yurie from Shift invited me to do this, but I also found the challenge of creating an exhibition fascinating.

I do however have mixed feelings when it comes to exhibiting my work. It's obviously flattering that someone considers your work interesting enough to present it to a wider audience. But there is also something intriguing with the idea of my work filling a "blank space" in a more everyday-kind-of-culture, outside galleries and private spaces, on posters, in magazines and on record covers. It could perhaps be considered a more democratic forum for illustration and design.

FS: Your illustration style emulates a digital hand painted style... do you ever paint by hand? What digital tools do you use for illustration?

ES: A fair amount of my illustrations are created using a Wacom tablet. So I guess you could say that I do paint or draw a lot by hand. Having said that, I use tools that most would consider non-traditional. I have a drawing pad, but itʼs primarily filled with words and strange micro-drawings that somehow help explaining my ideas to myself.

FS: What was it like working at Stockholm Design Lab in Sweden? What was your role and how has it influenced you and your work to this point?

ES: During my 31⁄2 years at Stockholm Design Lab [SDL] I advanced from being hired on a project basis, to becoming a full-time employee. I started as an intern, went onto be graphic designer and left as an art director.

Working at SDL (internally called "The Lab") was never restricted to graphic design. Over the years I worked together with some fantastic graphic designers, art directors, photographers, architects, industrial designers, account executives and production managers. The experiences I gathered over those three and a half (almost four) years could not have possibly been collected anywhere else. I've touched down on projects stretching from food and liquor, aviation, credit cards, computer games, sports, fashion retail and wine storage.

Looking back I canʼt say that SDL has so much influenced my work, as it has shaped it. This is another reason why I feel excited about being in New York and trying to work by myself.

FS: Do you think design is your end-all-be-all or is this just something you are into right now?

ES: Graphic design is not "just something I'm into". I am serious—sometimes too serious—about graphic design, and I know that whatever life holds for me, graphic design will undoubtedly always play an important role.

FS: What field of design would you feel uncomfortable doing?

ES: Any projects that clash with my personal values.

FS: What area of design do you dislike doing the most?

ES: Cleaning up someone elseʼs mess.

FS: Did you go to school for Art or Design?

ES: No.

FS: What is your favorite feature in Illustrator?

ES: Haha, "Divide objects below".

FS: Can you describe your average daily routine?

ES: Sleep. Shower. Read (online newspapers or the back of the cereal box). Check e-mails and RSS feeds. Breakfast. Work. Lunch. Work. Read (news and blogs). Work. Cook dinner. Eat. Call friends. Blank. Read (book or emails). Sleep.

FS: What is the ratio of creative/design time to business stuff (promoting, invoicing, research)?

ES: Fifty-fifty.

Like what you see?
All works above are produced by and copyrighted by Edvard Scott. To view more of Edvard's work, please visit his online portfolio at Studio Edvard Scott.

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May 19, 2013