Introducing, Avenir Design.

I think the world of creative design has started to devolve. No longer do we see fresh, inventive, even innovative designs, but instead we’ve seen the rise of minimalism. In my opinion, the world of creative design started to box itself in 20 years ago; expression was practically outlawed.  I mean, look around us, just take a moment to visualise walking down your local high street, now think to yourself when was the last time you saw a logo, a shop front, a poster, a billboard, even a leaflet, that really jumped out and made you feel something? Who was the last person you spoke to who showed passion and adoration in expressing maybe not just themselves, but their love for their business, or a project they’re working on?

We’re in a world where money comes first, and sure, don’t get me wrong, it’s a very important aspect for a lot of people, but if you put your passion first and draw emotion, the money will come; probably more money than if you’d have started with solely money in mind.

I think sometimes we get caught up in doing what the masses want or expect you to do. In the last two decades we’ve started caring more about what other people think, as opposed to how we think as individuals. Fear of expression, what if people don’t like the logo I want? What if people don’t like my reasons for starting my business? What if people laugh at my passion? It’s questions like these that instigate the minimalist mindset. “Oh, keep it simple, that way most people will like it”, no, that’s not enough! Make it wonderful, make it different, make it you, that way people will love it. They won’t just like it, they will LOVE it. And when it comes to creative design, that, to me, is pivotal. Make it you, make it an extension of your passion, an extension of your mind, your inspirations, your life experiences. Because at the end of the day, no two people have had the same life experiences. I could live next door to you our entire lives and we would both have entirely different perspectives and outlooks on life, on family, on morality, on politics, and of course, an entirely different perspective on creativity and design. What I like, you might not like; what you love, I might hate. So, why do we pander to the masses when in reality we are ALL different?

Let’s talk about Llangrannog, Wales - here is a picture I want to paint for you. Llangrannog is a beautiful quiet village on the Welsh coast. It embodies simple living, a stunning landscape, and it’s really an artist’s dream. It’s a small community, and one where nothing is ever overly complicated. And that reflects in every shop window, every restaurant, every ice cream shop, even the small boutique shops by the seafront. Now, when I imagine walking down there, I can recall every bit of branding, every logo, every shop front, and every poster. So here’s the trick, this is their WHY: they’ve all stuck to what they love, what they’re passionate about, and that’s Llangrannog. Llangrannog is what they love and what they’re passionate about. They’ve all drawn inspiration from the place they call home, and yet each business looks and feels entirely different. Because as much as they all live in the same village, they’ve all had different life experiences, different experiences in Llangrannog. You see pubs styled after ships, hotels designed like beach huts, and even an Italian restaurant framed as though it was born from the Welsh coast. Every single one of these places embodies its own passion, its own independent design birthed from one person’s vision. They haven’t catered to what they think most people will like, they’ve catered to what they know and love and made its personality their own.

And this is where the creative design industry has lost its way. WE are supposed to be the designers, the inventors, the innovators, the creators, the ones who breathe new life into the world, giving people something new to feel, something new to connect with. And yet, where is that? I think back to studying photography in college, the first year was incredible, learning new and different ways of expression, different techniques, the history of previous photographers, previous creators and where they drew their inspirations from. But here’s what happened in the second year, students were boxed in by mark schemes. We were told how to think, how to take our photos, how they should be edited and showcased, and that to me is not creativity. That is not creative freedom.

It made me wonder, if us as students in a small town in Buckinghamshire are being boxed in in how we should be thinking creatively, how many other creative thinkers are being shut down and are fading into the background?

I know countless graphic designers, photographers, content creators, architects, artists, and musicians who once were filled with love and excitement for their passion, yet over time were boxed in, told how to think and how to create, and now live day by day ticking check boxes for the masses.

Passion is fading, creative thinking is fading, inventors and innovators are sat behind desks allowing their creativity to dim. It’s time we draw inspiration from the past and revive the world of creative design. It was Albert Einstein who said, “If you want to know the future, look at the past.”, and that’s exactly what we aim to do. We must draw from the past. From the 1920s all the way until around about the early 1990s the world of creative design was booming. People were inventing, coming up with crazy designs that popped and drew attention. Even tag lines which connected with people, drew emotion, and gave us something to think about. From small businesses to huge corporate companies, they were all inventing and creating; looking for new ways to connect and stand out. And this is the key, it’s very rare to make this statement, but the future must become the past, and this is our inspiration.

So, this is what we plan to do:

Graphic design;  bringing new and fresh ideas to design, working with you to outline that which you’re passionate about and how we can draw from that to reflect that in whatever you need designing. We’re putting creativity BACK into creative design.

Print services; we’re here to help, we will recommend the product to suit your needs best and ensure whatever you’re having printed is presented in the best way possible. After all, this could be the first time a potential client sees you and your business, let’s make sure first impressions count. 

Web-design; this is something we’re looking to do slightly different to the industry norm. We’re not going to charge you a one-time extortionate fee, hand the website over, and move on. No, we will keep things simple for both of us. We will work with you to design your website, ensuring it’s a reflection on you and how you want your business to look and feel. We won’t just hand it over to you and forget about you, we will keep your website under our responsibility making sure you spend as much time as possible focused on your clients.

Branding; now, I’m not sure about you, but I’m tired of seeing the same style of branding on every high street, on every website, on every advert. It’s dull, it’s boring, and that’s something you will never see nor feel when we work with you. We will make sure you stand out, and once more, your branding will draw inspiration from you and your business. It’s important we give it its own personality, and that’s exactly how we connect you with real clients, real people who will resonate and feel something when they see you and what your business is about.

And finally, photo-editing. Photography is what got me here in the first place, and so if I didn’t pay homage to my beginnings and my past, what example would I be setting? Let’s make your photos stand out, whether it be a magazine cover, imagery for your social media, promotional content, new photos for your website, we’ve got you covered.

Now, I’ve explained our reasons and our why, for starting this company, I’ve told you where we come from and what we want to do in order to bring change for the better and how we can do that with you, but what about the vision? What are our plans?  Well, I want to kickstart collaboration.

As I said earlier, no two people have the same life experiences, every single person thinks differently, draws inspiration from different places within them, and this is at the forefront of our plans for the future. As creative designers we should never be gatekeeping or remaining independent, and so I will work with, and I want to work with, as many other creative minds as possible.

When I’m approached with a project, I could come up with a million and one ways of producing an end product, BUT there might be a designer I know of who could take all of my ideas and present it even better, because their life experiences might culminate to be exactly what that project was missing.

And so, to any creatives listening, my door is open. This isn’t a call for networking, this is a call for collaboration, to work together and change the design industry for the better.

We really can bring about real change, and it will take time no doubt, but by collaborating and working together, we will get there far sooner.

And so, I’m incredibly excited, and proud, to introduce you to Avenir Design.