It is a very diverse group of contributors. They come from all over the World and with a lot of different backgrounds. Some are artists and illustrators while others are graphic designers or agencies – and even a few are product designers. The diversity is something we appreciate and gives us and advantage of a kind. – Although we feel the designs share common design values they also speak to a lot different people because of the diversity.
What made you chose start the Paper Collective?
We had two reasons. First of all we wanted to create a platform where we could combine a creative business with a sustainable and charitable business model. We are not a non-profit organization, but our business model shows that you can do business but also do good at the same time. Being able to pass the contribution on the charities is extremely satisfying. Our second reason was that we felt there was a need for a good place for curated modern poster designs. There are a lot of good individual designers out there, but we wanted to create one platform where we can bring together all our favourite designers under one brand umbrella.
Do you believe that Design is only about aesthetics or it should have / play a social role in our days?
Every business should take some social responsibility today and hopefully we can inspire others to do something similar.
Which is the project you feel more connected to or gave you more satisfaction?It is hard to say – the project is still so new that each and every new poster is like baby to us.
Which are those elements, according to your opinion, that make a designer or an illustrator better than others?
We look for people who have an original design approach and know how to tell a story through their design. They have that one piece of paper and need to make it count. The same would apply if we were choosing a lamp, a sofa or vase. The designer must be able to communicate their idea and personality through form and function.
Which other disciplines do you thing have interesting connections with design because nowadays we see people that are multiskilled or/and multitalented?
There is definitely a crossover between design disciplines. For us our collaborations with product designers and architects like Form Us With Love (2014), Note Design Studio (2013) and TAF Architects (2014) show that if designers have the right approach to design, it does not matter if they are expressing themselves through a building, a lamp or a poster.
How do you contact or find the people you collaborate with?
Some we find on social media, others are recommended to us and we are also starting to get a lot of proposals from great designers, illustrators etc. from around the World.
What advice would you give to the new creative generation from your experience so far?
Be original and work hard.
Which is the most important achievement that Paper Collective has approached so far?
We don’t really celebrate big milestones yet. We still get excited every time we see a happy customer post a picture on social media with one of our posters in it or when we start a new collaboration with a nice design shop. We are just taking it one step at a time.
(C) 2013 PAPER COLLECTIVE ? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
(C) 2013 PAPER COLLECTIVE ? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
(C) 2013 PAPER COLLECTIVE ? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.READ ALSO: WALK THE LINE AT THE MILAN DESIGN WEEK BY LUCA NICHETTO AND LERA MOISEEVA