In Conversation: Alex Cooper & Tim Hutchinson

The lecture series, In Conversation with Alumni, began with Tony Pritchard (Course Leader, Postgraduate Design for Visual Communication) talking to Graphic & Media Design staff members, Alex Cooper and Tim Hutchinson about their joint practice. For final year student Benedict Povey, this was an opportunity to get more familiar with their approach and reflect on how to negotiate his own career path:

“As a student of graphic design, I spend a lot of time looking at what other designers and creatives have done. I hope to find inspiration, but a lot of the time feel daunted by the countless examples of impressive work. The daunting feeling is only enhanced by today’s saturated creative industry and furthermore reinforced by scrollable design websites such as Search System or Designspiration. I encounter a similar issue when looking at the career paths of fellow designers (usually through Linkedin) I can’t help but feel that I need to fit into this linear race to the top. But maybe I’ve developed a tunnel view from the internet.”

“I am lucky to study at London College of Communication, where so many staff and students don’t allow for their practice to be dictated by the internet. An example of this was demonstrated by the talk, In Conversation with Alumni. Alex Cooper and Tim Hutchinson are two of my tutors. From their conversation with Tony Pritchard, it was clear that these are two designers who haven’t allowed their work and careers to follow a linear path. Their experimental typography embraces mistakes and randomness, and their careers have zigzagged from one opportunity to another. Young designers, like myself need to realise that creativity isn’t a straight forward journey, and neither is the industry. Even if that’s the way it’s often presented to us.”

Benedict Povey, Final Year GMD student. 

https://the-dots.com/users/benedict-povey-234081

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/benedict-povey-4a1906148