Melba 2018 Design Symposium Highlights

James and Michael Fitzgerald, an Irish illustration duo, were the first ones to present in the morning. They shared insights into their professional practice and showcased some of the witty visuals they have created for publications like The Guardian, The New York Times, Wired, and The Economist, amongst others. As they said, the biggest and most important challenge for a piece of editorial illustration is to find the right visual way to convey the subject of the article.

Albert Folch and Rafa Martínez from FOLCH Studio presented their “Opportunity in Chaos” newsletter for the first time, and outlined several important design principles which they follow in their practice. They revealed interesting details about how they correlate to some of their most successful projects, for example the rebranding of the Barcelona-based TV channel bétéve and the architectural studio Marset.

Maciej is a freelance UI and UX designer. In the beginning of his lecture, he explained how collaboration between freelancers can lead to job stability through a larger workload. By finding someone with a complementary skillset, they can benefit from being able to do more work and still keep their independence in other projects. Maciej is also a teacher in the School of Form in Poznan, where students can learn different design skills through practice.

During his lecture, Karol put the spotlight on new technologies like virtual, augmented, and mixed reality and how they can be utilised in real-world advertising projects. He showed examples of UNIT9’s work for brands like 5 gum, Samsung, Nissan, Castello Cheese, and The Smurfs movie.

DECHEM is a studio specialised in designing for glass — they craft objects like glasses, vases, and lamps. They told the stories of the products in which they pushed the boundaries of what is possible to do with such a fragile material. Their diverse work has been influenced by blockbuster movies, client challenges, or inspired by nature itself.

Mikkel presented the interesting concept of SPACE 10 — a think-tank financed by IKEA, which examines specific cases of the future development of society and showcases some of the important questions they raise today. His presentation featured their study on “Tomorrow’s meatballs” focusing on the future of meat consumption, as well as their developments on locally-grown greens. He also presented their concept of “Spaces on wheels” and how it can impact the cities of tomorrow.

Penny Martin talked about the unusual career path that lead her from the realm of the digital, when she was experimenting with different photographic techniques, back to the physical world, when she became editor-in-chief of The Gentlewoman. She explained what differentiates it from other women’s publications and mentioned how they deal with the difficulties of running the magazine and all of its associated projects.