Lauren Moriarty

This past week, I was lucky to attend a talk by textile and product designer Lauren Moriarty. Although my pathway is graphic design, I feel it's important to get an understanding of all aspects of design as it can give you ideas and more directions within your work. Lauren runs her own business and experiments designing in all different products with new and old materials. Using craft and industrial marking, Lauren combines the two to create textile concepts for products and interiors. One method of Lauren's creativity was to bond layers of rubber together to create cushions and lights. I felt the work stood out greatly and as she advised, getting your work assessed by designers and people within the industry is a must. As the talk began, Lauren explained that it's useful to have a theme within your portfolio as it creates an identity for the designer you are.

Being clear to people and having your ideas work effectively is important as Lauren advised that designs and concepts without a good aim to the viewer will have a negative response. I was surprised to realise what directions your work can go. I had never thought of producing my designs in other aspects than a digital or printed format, but after listening to Lauren's ideas and advice, I began to think what other areas my designs could be executed. One piece of work I was greatly fond of was The Cloud. As the design was originally made in a cushion and light, car manufacture Renoult had asked Lauren to produce a parcel shelf for the new Zoe car range with a similar style and look. Lauren explained that her designs became very popular when she created her own website and offered a service for people to buy her designs with Pay Pal. She advised that having Pay Pal is a great way of selling your work as it covers all the financial problems you may come across if you dealt with the issues yourself.

Similar to D&AD's New Blood, Lauren exhibited her work at a number of shows like Pulse and Top Draw which targeted the surface design area and she suggested similar directions when starting in any design industry would help. When graduating, the first steps are always important and as a designer, you explore all areas in design. She explained that it's the beginning of a long journey. Lauren advised that reading books and seeking the advice from the people around you should always be a key element within your surroundings. Never feel your to big to ask for advice as sometimes you will never crack an idea without someone's opinion or input. I plan to take Lauren's advice within my work and refer to her methods when graduating.