Meet the designers behind our new look!
We’ve asked Emi Chiba and Tor Wills a few questions about their internship experiences with HarperCollins, thoughts on design, a behind-the-scenes look at what inspired the ABIA’s new look – and more!
You can check out their portfolios and websites here:
Emi Chiba
Hi Emi! Tell us a bit about yourself! What made you pursue design?
I’m currently completing my Bachelor of Design in Visual Communications having also completed my Bachelor of International Studies early this year. I’ve always been very drawn to the creative arts having grown up drawing and painting and studying visual art in high school, but I really chose to pursue design on a whim.
I always thought that I would study international studies and politics, but when it came to sending preferences for university I stumbled across a course at UTS that offered a double degree in International Studies and Visual Communications.
I never thought that I could use my creative skills outside of high school and as my studies have progressed, I have become more and more inspired by the direction and opportunities pursing a career in design has afforded me.
Primarily, I prioritise the accessibility of my work.
What principles guide your work as a designer?
While the visual style of much of my work is varied, I’d like to think that I do use the same guiding principles to direct my work process. Primarily, I prioritise the accessibility of my work.
I try to always strive to make designs that are clear and inviting to viewers in order to facilitate clear communication. I personally gravitate towards designs that are sophisticated yet really fresh and fun and I think I try to remember to create designs that I personally would like to see in the world. I strive to make all my work very audience driven ensuring that I always have a very specific audience in mind so that my designs are purposeful and serving a particular role.
Can you tell us what a usual day of work is like for you?
While interning with Harper Collins, my day starts at 9:30 with either a team meeting or a one on one catch up just to run through the work for the day and chat about how I have been going. When in the team meetings, I use the time to observe and listen to get a sense of how everyone in the team works and what everyone is working on individually, which have been a great way to see the process of cover design development. After this I move onto the jobs and tasks I have for that day. I usually write a little plan, get some tea and listen to a podcast while I work!
I like to work in a space that is clean and reasonably organised with a note book and things to inspire me close by.
Working on the ABIA re-design, sometimes new briefs pop in during the day that need to be done this might mean I have an impromptu meeting on zoom to get properly briefed. Every week interning has been different and exciting but it has been great being involved in the the ABIA re-branding project, seeing and being a part of the processes of the re-design over three months.
Ultimately, gaining confidence in my own work and my own voice as a designer has been a big takeaway from this internship.
What has it been like working with the team at HarperCollins? What have you learned and what have been new experiences?
As my first internship, being able to get to know the design team at Harper Collins and see how they work has been such a great learning experience.
Interning from home has meant that I’ve been able to sit in on as many meetings as I wish to really get a big picture view of how the design for a cover is formed. With everyone at Harper Collins working from home, I still have felt very included and encouraged by the the design team, an experience that has really allowed me to be involved with effective team building and collaboration whilst working remotely.
Presenting my ideas to the team has been very rewarding in terms of understanding and interpreting feedback and the ABIA project has been an experience in which collaborating with team members has allowed me to develop really positive relational skills.
Ultimately, gaining confidence in my own work and my own voice as a designer has been a big takeaway from this internship.
Can you tell us a bit about the process and thinking behind the ABIA 2021 website redesign? What have you learned from working on this project?
The ABIA de-design as a whole was such a wonderful experience to be involved in. In our team meetings we spoke about how we wanted the re-design to look modern and potentially quite graphic and fun whilst still maintaining a sense of sophistication that we believed really reflected the awards night as a whole. The celebration of literature and writing that the whole night really represents was a unique jumping off point because there was a lot of visual potential but we gravitated towards the idea of using punctuation as the main graphic elements of the design.
It can be intimidating to ask questions but I try to think of the experience as a crucial opportunity to learn outside of University with hands-on experience.
I am really thankful for the trust and faith the Harper Collins team had in my ability to create something out of the inspiration and research the whole team had collected and I had a lot of freedom in exploring potential designs. The website re-design came about after the overall ABIA new design had been finalised, with a new logo and fonts which add an art deco feel, alluding to a celebration of literature throughout history. I thought it could be nice to make the website feel more open and use the space to show off the graphic punctation elements in a playful way.
Being able to work on a live brief with real clients has been rewarding an exciting. Working collaboratively yet also quite freely has allowed me to gain confidence in own decision making, whilst being able to present my work to a team almost every week has provided me with an opportunity to hear critical feedback from those in the industry.
What are ways, in your experience, to make the most out of an internship?
From my experience, internships are are great place to be able to ask questions. I am a curious person so I have loved the opportunity to listen and learn and I think it is important to involve yourself and invest in every opportunity given to you, even if you are unsure how you will go about tackling them.
It can be intimidating to ask questions but I try to think of the experience as a crucial opportunity to learn outside of University with hands-on experience.
What’s next?
Next year I will be finishing up at University, but in the mean time I hope to pursue other internship experiences in order to gain a better understanding of different design fields.
I would love to be able to intern or further my design studies in Japan, having lived there on exchange last year, but ultimately hope to see myself working in for company and with a team that I feel passionate about and in a place where I can ensure I am using my skills to serve others.
You can check out Emi’s porfolio at https://emichiba.com/
Tor Wills
Hey Tor! tell us a bit about yourself! What made you decide to pursue design?
During high school, I always knew I wanted to do something creative, I wasn’t sure in what way exactly but I knew I wanted to create beautiful things, whether that be art, design or photography. I initially decided to do Visual Arts but after a year at art school I realised it wasn’t quite right and swapped to design. I liked that design was more specific and purposeful, but still creative and open-ended.
When creating work, it is important for me that there is a clear purpose and intent for the project, one that helps people and contributes something meaningful into the world.
What principles guide your work as a designer?
It sounds cliche but I am very trusting of my gut and instincts, this refers to deciding whether or not to work with a client or deciding on a style for a project. If I start working on a project and it feels wrong or forced I usually try to re-evaluate and see how I can best tackle the project, or if I am the right person for the task. When creating work it is important for me that there is a clear purpose and intent for the project, one that helps people and contributes something meaningful into the world.
Can you tell us what a usual day of work is like for you?
Since finishing uni this year I have found that my usual work day is continually changing. I’d originally planned to travel once finishing my degree, so having to stay in Sydney changed my plans and made me reconsider what I wanted. Unsure what I wanted to do, I did a mix of work including a few internships, freelance jobs and personal photography projects I kept putting on hold. Due to this my day can vary from doing design work from my home office for Harper Collins or being on location for a photoshoot, either way it almost always includes a nap.
As a kid I was an avid reader and read anything I could get my hands on, so to intern at a publishing house has always been a dream.
What has it been like working with the team at HarperCollins? What have you learned and what have been new experiences?
Working with the team at Harper Collins has been amazing! As a kid I was an avid reader and read anything I could get my hands on, so to intern at a publishing house has always been a dream. The experience has taught me so much about book design and the design process within a publishing house, something you can’t really be taught at uni, but rather need to witness. I learnt that whilst every book follows a somewhat similar process, some are much simpler and easier, whereas some take a lot more time, work and even designers.
We began the ABIA rebrand by brainstorming with all the Harper Collins designers and bringing forward examples of awards or branding that we thought would work well in the ABIA context.
Can you tell us a bit about the process and thinking behind the ABIA 2021 website redesign? What have you learned from working on this project?
We began the ABIA rebrand by brainstorming with all the Harper Collins designers and bringing forward examples of awards or branding that we thought would work well in the ABIA context. It was interesting to see that our ideas all seemed to overlap, which was to create something modern and timeless, yet also bringing a strong colour palette and unique identity. After we had a clear concept, Emi and I started to experiment with different fonts and colours, creating mock ups to see how this rebrand might work. After a few different variations and trials we finally came up with a combination that felt fresh and exciting, and just right for the ABIA 2021 rebrand.
What are ways, in your experience, to make the most out of an internship?
In my experience I would say take every opportunity you are offered and say yes to everything (within reason). There is so much to learn whilst interning, which can’t be taught in a classroom, and is invaluable going forward in the workforce. I would also say to ask lots of questions and remember that there no one assumes that you know what is going on on your first day or even your second. My main tip would be to communicate what you hope to get out of the internships and if there are any specific parts of the company you want to learn about, this is super helpful both to you and whoever is running your internship to ensure you both get the most out of it.
What’s next for you?
After the uncertainty of 2020 I’m very open to opportunities that come my way, and don’t have a specific path or goal in mind. I’m much more focused on finding work, or companies to work with, that align with my values and will help me to continue to learn as a designer, rather than fixating on finding a specific role.
Check out Tor’s graphic design portfolio here! https://torwills.com/