Design Work: “It’s not just about passion…” Tatiana Romanova Surya

Pabrik member Tatiana Romanova Surya is creative director of DesignLab and a wildly talented illustrator. She talks candidly about her passion for design and the challenges of the industry in Indonesia.

 

Q.  Tell us something about yourself and your work…

A.  Since early childhood, I was always drawn to anything related to art like drawing, writing, music. Though I didn’t get the chance to pursue a path in a pure art form, I’m grateful that I get to be somewhere in between I guess…between “trying to be artistic” and “trying to survive on a daily basis”.

 

 

Q.  How did you first get into graphic design? Can you remember the first time you saw a piece of design and thought ‘wow!’?

 

A.  I didn’t really know there was a thing called ‘graphic design’ when I was growing up. I just always enjoyed drawing, including stuff like logo-like doodles my friends used to ask me to make on their arms, or figuring out how to place writings and pictures (like collage stuff) on my friends’ books.

 

Initially, when applying for university I chose Information Technology in Binus because it was da bomb at that moment, and I was totally clueless about future possibilities in anything related to art. But luckily, the night before I sent the application, my dad spotted the major ‘Visual Communication Design’, and suggested that I should check that out instead, because he was smart enough to know there was no way I could stay sane living a life in Information Technology.

 

Q.  It helps to have parents who understand you?

 

A.  Yes! It’s all been a lucky coincidence that I went to graphic design. I wanted to go into fashion design, but my parents couldn’t afford the schools.

 

 

Q.  What do you love most about your profession?

 

A.  The anxiety and tension of figuring out how to find the most suitable solution with so many limitations.

 

Q.  Do you think there is a design solution to every problem? Or, to put it another way, can design save the world?

 

A.  Naively I wanna say yes. But the natural cynic in me would differ. I guess, since design can be a medium to communicate ideas or messages, then in a way, yes, it can help communicate things that might help make the world better. Perhaps visual language can cross boundaries that verbal or written ones cannot, and therefore can be a tool to spread a positive message much wider than words can.

 

 

Q.  What and who are your greatest inspirations?

 

A.  Egon Schiele was love at first sight for me…and still my #1 favorite artist that inspires so much.

 

On a daily basis, I get design inspiration from music, movies, books.

 

I don’t really have a superhero in design, but I do aspire to be kind of like Marian Bantjes, in the way she does her work.

 

 

Music also has a huge impact. Simply playing my favorite playlist can boost my energy when working, and even give freaky ideas sometimes. I just know that putting on a Beatles or Bowie album can be the most powerful fuel for long hours of work. Lately I’ve also been into the new retro wave sound. Though when handling projects for difficult client, hardcore tunes are the best to release stress!

 

Q.  What are the qualities of your favourite clients?

 

A.  The main quality would probably be trust. It doesn’t mean that they cannot critique or question the ideas I present of course, but it’s a very motivating feeling when you meet a client who believes that you have the decency to try your best. That we’re on the same team, have the same purpose. Clients that know what they want, and are aware that the project is the main priority, not personal taste or boss-pleasing.

 

The project would the number one thing that attracts me. I don’t really care about getting in touch with prestigious clients just for the sake of the pride it might bring. I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. But I have been sticking with clients who from time to time give not-so-awesome work, but since they’ve become good friends, I’d love to maintain the relationship.

 

Q.  What have been your favourite projects – are there some of which you’re particularly proud?

A.  Portfolio-wise it would be the ones with more artistic freedom, like the ones for Patrick Owen [creating fashion illustrations] or my own projects at the office.

 

 

But even a commercial project can bring a sense of satisfaction, from the scale of the challenge it presents. Like doing the catalogue for Tupperware. I am proud that, together with the team, we’ve been able to perform under the amount of pressure projects like this involve.

 

Q.  Can you explain a little more about your work with Patrick Owen?

 

A.  Initially, it started as an illustration project. But along the way, there were so many other aspects that I needed to learn as well. Making a pretty illustration is not enough, I also had to learn what can work on printed cloth, how it will look on a certain cut or pattern, a lot of technical things. But it’s been so much fun, because it’s like a chance to figure out design other than on printed paper.

 

 

Q.  Was there a well-defined initial brief from Patrick? Or were you free to go in any direction with the illustrations?

A.  The first time we collaborated, he was very specific with the brief, the style of illustration, the colour tones, the placement on clothes. But along the way, we’ve come to understand each other better I guess, so he’s given me more and more freedom artistically.

 

Q.  Which artists do you find most interesting, inspiring, moving?

 

A.  Definitely Egon Schiele. I don’t know why…don’t have enough knowledge to find the words to explain theoretically, but to me the ache and tension and struggle in his painting are the things that pull me the most.

 

 

I love his self-portraits, particularly the one with hands on chest, and also the ones he made during his time in prison. There’s also one he made for Galerie Arnot that I love.

 

Lissitzky has been a huge idol for me as well. How his work manages to create emotions only through geometric shapes is fascinating for me.

 

 

Q.  What would be your dream project right now?

 

A.  To experiment with oil paints and a graphic design grid system…make something in painting and printed fabric.

 

Q.  What are your thoughts on the graphic design industry in Indonesia – what are the positives and negatives?

 

A.  If I’m being honest, I can’t say anything positive other than that it still provides opportunities to grow a business as long as we’re ready to work harder than hard. Though rare, there are still wonderful clients out there that offer interesting work.

 

The negative… I guess it’s because there is still less appreciation for the profession in Indonesia. Graphic design is something that most people are not aware of, so many would regard it as a second hand necessity. Many still think it’s just something easy peasy, a no brainer.

 

 

Q.  What do you think can be done to increase appreciation of graphic design?

 

A.  I guess we can try through small things step by step. From the closest connection: certain clients: we can probably try to ‘educate’ them that what we do is not just about picking pretty colours and pictures and cool fonts. That there is a thinking process.

 

Q.  What advice do you have for young designers getting started?

 

A.  For young designers getting started, I’d like to share that the industry is not the same as graphic design. ‘The industry’ is a separate entity from ‘graphic design’.

 

The industry can be shitty, but it’s not graphic design that is shitty. If you want to persevere in the industry, it’s not just about passion for design, it’s about willingness to do the dirty work. You’re gonna work too late, lose your health, get depressed, question your sanity. But you also get the opportunity to infiltrate, little by little, good design into real projects that reach people.

 

 

Being a designer is not just about getting cool artsy projects with pretty printings. It is also about those ugly-ass commercial flyers or booklets with too much text, too many low res photos, and too many logos to put together, which is like a hellish yet exciting design challenge.

 

And graphic design is very exciting because the knowledge not only teaches you about making designs on printed papers, but it also helps with the thinking process for many other disciplines.

 

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