We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Rebecca Burt about their original and creative Self Promotion design work. Rebecca Burt is an award-winning communication designer, that makes our world a better place with their original self promotion works.
Rebecca Burt ("RB") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Leadlight Series Self Promotion. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
RB : The beauty of this project is in the story. Evan Reiman was an Entrepreneur and Screen Printer by trade and was taught these skills by his Father who was an influential figure in his life, but who had passed away. This series was a memorial to Evan’s father who was the last person in New Zealand to complete an apprenticeship in creating lead light windows, so the inspiration was to honour his memory by creating a special series of cards we felt passionate about. Sadly, Evan has now also passed away – so they are now a double memorial and tribute.
RB : To bring a story to life whilst illustrating the design capabilities and technical production excellence. Stained glass windows are beautiful when backlit by the sun and also a unique way to showcase the design and printing process. The design really comes to life when the cards are held up to a window. I researched images as they would be telling the story and evoking emotion. The objective was to capture the feeling of the awe and wonderment you feel when observing stained glass windows backlit by the sun. Although there is no religious message in the project, I was looking for strong imagery that would not only showcase our passion for the cards, but would invoke a feeling of quiet contemplation, as if the observer was in a cathedral, appreciating the craftsmanship and remembering a loved one.
RB : No plans – they are memorial pieces now. The business Flexicon is no longer in existence and I am no longer involved in these products.
RB : Project took 6 weeks from design to production completion.
RB : This design was inspired, not commissioned. It was a combination of memorial and promotion for the business.
RB : I thought the products were beautiful. I had been in 11 years of full-time employment in a design agency when I met Evan and discovered these products. I loved them so much and spent many weekends and late nights helping with their creation, before making the decision to leave agency life and work full-time in the business.
RB : The product was very high-end. The target customers were people who wanted to invest in high quality and unique promotional items and cards for their businesses.
RB : A very high standard of production and the design process involved will be hard to follow, they were virtually hand made. They are silk screen printed on a clear plastic stock utilising a process called Opaque Barrier Technique, clear is treated as a colour to create a myriad of effects unlocking the full design potential of the stock. Artwork was formatted using a unique and highly-skilled process that ensured accurate registering of colours, positioning and the sequence of ink layers before film was output. A pearlescent seal and UV overgloss were added to embellished and complete the design.
RB : ‘The Passion of the Card - Lead light Series.’ We were really passionate about the business and the craft. The Lead light part references the memorial tribute to Evan’s father.
RB : Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, screen printing film and processes.
RB : I think what made them so unique was that they were virtually hand made and the craftsmanship showed.
RB : We were a small team and everyone was very highly skilled and specialised at every stage of the project.
RB : Technology played a big part in the technical production process. Film work was generated from Mac and Adobe Illustrator.
RB : No, the design is not influenced by any data or analytical research. My research was visually based and I was looking for images to convey the right emotion.
RB : The most challenging part of this design activity was the production of the cards. Preparation of the artwork files for film output had to be 100% accurate. The screen printing could be challenging as each colour was printed and dried on a rack before the next colour could be added.
RB : I was invited to submit. Even though the work is historical, I don’t believe that matters. It was a lovely opportunity to share the story behind the project.
RB : I improved myself by learning new skills about the screen printing trade. I have always had sharp focus when creating packaging technical artwork, but outputting film-work for this process required huge attention to detail.
RB : Not everything we create as designers is about the hard-sell or work we can even charge for. Some are just for passion and good design is timeless.
