Down an alleyway, amidst a clutch of industrial buildings in the bayside suburb of St Kilda, sits the offices of 3 Deep. The chaos of the outside world falls away once you step inside this design studio where creative rationalism reigns. A round black rug punctuates the all-white waiting room like a full stop and in the conference room, rows and rows of photocopied images line the wall.

'That's the research for a website we're working on,' explains Brett Phillips, 3 Deep's principal and design director. 'We're research-driven rather than a concept-driven. Everything has a foundation and with each project we set out to build that first.'

Phillips and his business partner David Roennfeldt opened the studio in 1996 and together with their creative team have established a name for themselves as an image-based, typographic-driven design studio. Their client list includes risk takers such as the avant garde fashion publication Poster Magazine, and more conservative business clients like Australian Paper and Tiffany & Co. No matter who the client is, says Phillips, their process remains the same. 'Research is part of the creative backbone of every project that we undertake,' he says. 'It uncovers possibilities and assists in clarifying the potential for concept development, not the other way around as is quite often the case.'

A good example of how research can help inform the creative development process, says Phillips, is their work for The Australian Ballet's triple bill, Revolutions, in 2006. Among the works was Le Spectre de la Rose, a one-act ballet by Mikhail Fokine, a pioneering influence in 20th century ballet. Before they could create imagery to speak to contemporary audiences, Phillips says they 'had to understand the work, its influences and the visual landscape in which the work was first performed.'

'Our research for the project revealed so many interesting image references. We gathered research on pose, gestures, lighting, and character expression, which revealed a really nice use of light and shadow along with the interesting use of horizontal floor lines,' says Phillips. 'This research was then used to inform some of the elements of the final series of images used to describe the performances and subsequent typographic development.'

Research isn't just a behind-the-scenes part of the process either. Showing their research leg work is just as essential and 3 Deep uses a storytelling technique to help clients make sense of their first principles approach to design.

'We have always invested ourselves in the process of investigation and we need to be able to articulate that journey in a way that clients understand and can appreciate, so our storytelling is always influenced and constructed from our research,' says Phillips. 'By understanding the creative process and uncovering the mechanics of how we have arrived at an outcome, clients are able to have a really clear picture of the intellectual investment and value of our work. They can also take ownership of the direction much sooner in the process which is always an important factor in maintaining the integrity of a program throughout its lifecycle.'

It's a step that not only creates a good rapport and dialogue with the client, Phillips believes it is also a crucial step towards creating successful visual communication. After all, if a designer can't communicate with their client, how could they possibly go about communicating that client's message?

'Quite often we are talking to business people who have a different way of processing information, so it's important that we talk with them in a familiar language which research can help articulate,' explains Phillips. 'Storytelling helps clients understand that our creative responses are objective and not based on a superficial or fashionable response to their problem. They can literally see the connections that were made and trace the history of the thinking throughout the process.'

You can see the work of 3 Deep Design in the new exhibition In your face: contemporary graphic design, 5 August-5 November at the Powerhouse Museum for Sydney Design 06.

Sydney Design 06
Australian Ballet Revolutions
3 Deep




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+ Sydney Design 06
+ In your face: contemporary graphic design