Interview with designer Gemma Copeland
Gemma Copeland is a talented, yet thoughtful designer. Her approach to design always includes an equal measure of aesthetics and ethics. She believes a key trait of any designer is humility and the willingness to learn. And Gemma chooses substance over style, always.
Gemma completed the Bachelor of Design and then went on to complete the Masters of Design Futures, both at Brisbane’s Queensland College of Art. Her interest in sustainable design came through the masters course, led by design theorist and philosopher Tony Fry.
Until recently, Gemma was a designer at Brisbane studio Oblong + Sons where she created the statement identity for the inaugural LoopFest. Gemma’s now working on a few freelance and personal projects before she heads off to London on a one-way ticket. Her plans are to travel through Europe until the end of the year and hopefully to complete one or two typography summer schools or short courses while she’s there.
Design Montage wishes Gemma an amazing trip and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her. She’s certainly one to watch! Follow Gem on twitter or visit her website.
How have you got to where you are today?
My choice to study design was partially due to some great advice and partially thanks to a natural affinity for it. I guess I’ve always been drawn to design in one form or another. I always knew I wanted to go into a profession that I enjoyed whole-heartedly, as I was never one to buy into the idea that the point of working is simply for the money. I find designing both creatively and intellectually stimulating. I love that design forces you to constantly learn, re-evaluate, evolve and improve.
I completed a Bachelor of Design at the Queensland College of Art, where I was lucky enough to be exposed to a number of people and ideas that have shaped and directed my practice today.
Once I finished this degree, I decided to undertake a Master of Design Futures. The course, led by internationally acclaimed design thinker Tony Fry, is essentially about creating change through design and strategy, a strong focus on innovation, conceptual thinking, politics and philosophy.
I believe that the course has been crucial in my development as a designer — it has taught me to be much more critical and reflective, and to understand design as a holistic process.
In a few words, describe yourself…
Bright, spirited, self-motivated, passionate, mercurial.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
I’m planning my overseas journey, selling all my worldly possessions, enjoying the flexibility of freelance life and working on some personal projects.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
I don’t have a ritual as such, but my love of learning certainly informs every part of my creative process.
I begin by analysing the brief, researching and learning as much as I can about the project. This process always results in an idea; the solution is in the brief.
What or who inspires you?
I find that being a designer equates to finding inspiration in everything. I’ve observed this in every passionate designer I know. It makes it almost impossible to “switch off”, but it also means that every conversation, image and experience has the potential to spark an idea.
What are you most proud of?
This is a difficult question! I guess I would say this guy: aarongillett.com (my partner in life and crime).
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I wanted to be an artist, an architect or an author. I was always writing stories that I would then bind and illustrate.
