December 15, 2016

Jochen Viegener: Design & Illustration

Jochen graduated from GMD this year (2016) and is now studying on the MA Illustration & Visual Media course at LCC. He talks about how his design and image making has progressed and what he is currently working on:
“While being on GMD, I kind of developed a lot of my process and work into the direction of image making and image generation as part of graphic design work. I  enjoyed generating my own images from scratch, re-iterate and structure them with graphic design, especially within my final major projects. I felt the need to further specialise in this particular design field in order to become a better image maker and a better graphic designer.
This particular MA offers me not only the chance to develop as a visual communicator, but also to play around and experiment more with images and different media and formats appropriate to my projects. It can be very graphic or completely illustrative.
I absolutely had a great time on the GMD course and it gave me the tools and knowledge that I needed to make pragmatic and well researched design decisions. The final year with its independent working philosophy, the process of concept development and proper design execution played a key role in my own progression as a designer. I feel like I was well prepared for the MA and got all the support and freedom that I needed.
So far [on the MA], we have been working on lots of smaller projects with shorter turnaround times, which means that there is less time to constantly re-iterate concept ideas. I started to spend more time on researching briefs through visual experiments which lie out of my comfort zone and also started to reflect more on my own practice. There is now a constant process going on (for me at least) on re-thinking where my role as visual practitioner and designer lies and where my personal way of working actually originates from.
Currently I am planning on staying in London for the next few years and starting to work as a Graphic Designer within a larger studio. Looking at my current work, I still see myself as a graphic designer, who uses image making as a tool to develop answers to briefs, but I also enjoy all sorts of print making methods. Therefore I’ll be working on some self-published personal projects from time to time like fanzines and books.”
Any tips for current GMD students?
“Try and make your work about your own interests and what is relevant to you. Go out of your own comfort zone and have fun with your projects.”
Current work examples:
An animation project we are currently working on in collaboration with the Wallace Collection: