BORDERLESS

That time I filled the studio with Sydney Design Kids for #TDKTuesdays

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

PROJECT: DESIGN TALK

After making friends and becoming part of the hosting team for Design Kids Sydney, I offered my agency, S1T2, to host our own talk as part of TDK Tuesdays, which are monthly talks held at different agencies for young creatives to see the working world. The session was a curated event called Borderless at S1T2, focused on creative technology and what it means to be creative in design.

ROLE: CURATOR

Using S1T2 as the venue, I wanted to bring out the studio’s philosophy to young designers and create a safe space for creatives to speak openly about their ups and downs and their more lateral career choices. I also set up an after-event pub meetup where I encouraged the designers to meet each other.

Sharing my story of evolving into Creative Technology and becoming Borderless

No, this isn't about being an international designer. This is about what I can share about my journey from a struggling pixel-perfect digital designer to a free-thinking interaction designer in creative technology with S1T2.

The digital designer that found creativity with no boundaries

Just like the sprayed mix of different colours on the flyer artwork, I wanted to show people that if they’re struggling to fit into the square peg of a career, they also have many wider talents that can help them find their own creative freedom, just like I did.

Recruiting a diverse set of creative Sydney friends

As the S1T2 team are quite introverted, I sought to create a panel of creatives I knew in Sydney to show people the different ways to make an income from being creative, and to share real people’s real journeys. An created an invitation and a guide to get everyone on-board.

Organising the space

One of the difficulties of this project was that it took place in the middle of lockdown, when people could still attend events and sign in, but colleagues were rightly cautious. At the same time, half the studio was still a mess from the previous project, so it took a lot of organisation to actually make the event happen.

Filling the studio with designers

The event was a great success. The studio was packed like you've never seen it. And so many people came away with so many good words to say and feeling inspired. They met friends. They met mentors. And even my friend Pauline, who just came to have a look, and she's an interior designer, she said, I feel safe in this space here. And that's what I did it for.

5 inspirational talks, by 5 inspirational creatives

I knew what I wanted to see and what I wanted to show in a design talk. I wanted to show diversity: people who work in agencies, freelancers, late studiers, and different paths into creativity. I also wanted to represent people of different backgrounds and make sure women were not the minority in the lineup.

CISCO. I introduced the talk, set the scene, sold everyone into the ethos of S1T2 and Borderless, showed how S1T2 allowed me to become borderless, and then introduced my lovely panel.

JON. Founder of Studio AM in Sydney. I met John just as another designer at TDK Choose Taco Night. We became friends and he went on to become a creative director and owner of a studio and it was only right to give him the stage.

NICK. I met Nick at a life drawing session. He’s an artist and illustrator from Harlem, New York, and teaches art in a local school. Nick was a perfect example of making a creative income in a creative way.

BEC is a designer I didn’t know personally, but had met and followed on Instagram and had a career I was really curious about. From UX to product design, she shared her story.

ANITA is a dear friend of mine and a talented designer and creative. After studying graphic design and UX, she went on to work in a branding studio and is now at Accenture. She has so much to share, especially around empathy.

A great night

These are some photos my TDK teammate Grayson took. It was a great night. Everyone had fun and it was a cool event full of creative inspiration.

With designers meeting designers

Designers meeting designers. A key part of this event, and not an afterthought, was booking out a room in the Shakespeare pub across the road, filled with designers finally connecting with other people, sharing experiences, and making friends.

FRANCISCO

REBELLO.COM

FREBELLO.DESIGN@GMAIL.COM

@FRANCISCOLONDON