Studio one8one7 is a creative agency based on the south coast of NSW, an hour south of Sydney. Partners Christey Johansson and Marcus Piper founded the studio in July 2008 upon their return from a few years working in London. It began as the natural progression of two people working and travelling together with common goals and ideas. While Johansson was working at Penguin books and Piper at Neville Brody’s Research Studios, they began to collaborate on projects outside of their ‘day jobs’, mostly as a natural result of being in the same space.
Who is Studio one8one7 and what kind of work do you do’
one8one7 is a collaborative agency, a philosophy that comes from a decade of working in editorial design where the finished product is the culmination of many people’s creativity and hard work. To that end we commissioned Luke Prowse, the Parisien typographer responsible for Times Modern (part of The Times newspaper redesign in the UK), to create a bespoke logotype for us.
Though our history is in editorial design and illustration, we now work across many fields. In recent times we have created books for Jaime Hayon and Swarovski, art directed and redesigned magazines such as POL Oxygen, CRAFTS (Bristish Crafts Council), Spoon, Australian Aboriginal Art Magazine and most recently INDESIGN, and continue to work with creative companies/individuals/organisations in branding, creative direction and design.
Can you describe the creative process and inspiration that led to your design for SD09′
The idea stemmed from looking at the SD08 city banners and wishing we could read them from the back as well as the front. That is something that is at the heart of our process – the second look, making the most of what you have on offer. We think and work in a three-dimensional environment, with training in product design and installation, so looking for that extra trick in the production of something, or using something you have in an unexplored way is where we come from.
If you take Tokujin Yoshioka or Paul Cocksedge for example, you can see a similar approach in their work; an added layer of function that is so simple but only evident at the second look or from the right or ‘wrong’ angle.
The choice of typeface was crucial in the identity. We wanted a face that has multiple weights and widths and allows for great play while not losing the identity. The aesthetic is very composed, almost like a precinct map, but is bold and at times unexpected. We would have to say Maleveich was a big inspiration in the composition of the identity, and the objective was to not focus too much on the ‘design’ market, per se. We set out to create something timeless, clever and functional – an identity that worked in the way Otl Aicher’s 1972 Olympic Games identity did, across many platforms.
What are you most looking forward to in the SD09 program’
We hear AGDA have a great speaking series planned with some fantastic names on board, but really just experiencing a city celebrating design for a few weeks is a fantastic thing for anyone involved in design.
Sydney Design 09 is on from 1-16 August, at the Powerhouse Museum and participating venues throughout the city. Visit the website and sign up for updates as this year’s program is revealed.