PRINT’s latest Designer of the Week, UK–based Rosie Manning, specializes in UX, UI and brand identity design. Below, she recounts a couple of key projects in her career, shares her thoughts on collaboration and names a few of her favorite designers and artists.
Name: Rosie Manning
Name of Firm/Studio/Company: Founder of &us Collective and awwwards.com Jury
Location: Yorkshire, UK
Design school attended: University of Leeds
How would you describe your work?I consider it to be methodical and purpose-driven. I tend to mainly collaborate with startups on brand identity and product design. It’s pretty interesting because the products vary, and it’s an absolute joy to create something from nothing, then push it out there and see it flourish. I run a design collective, so I’ve also the opportunity to create amazing stuff with a bunch of humble and talented individuals from all over the globe.
[Editor’s Note: Want to learn how to make a product? Check out this product design checklist from Liz Long.]
Where do you find inspiration?It’s pretty random. I mean, I don’t go on a wild Pokemon hunt for it. I prefer to collect things as I see them, whether it’s snapping a lush-looking typeface in a magazine, or jotting down nice-sounding words I’ve overheard in a coffee queue.
Who are some of your favorite designers or artists?I honestly believe design power is harnessed in the beards of: Leigh Taylor, Tobias Van Schneider and Haraldur Thorleifsson.
A worthy mention is also Richard Rowan for impressive glass prints and out-of-this-world color blending.
Do you have a favorite among all the projects you’ve worked on?Tough one. Designing the brand and product concepts for Weddinghero.co.uk was one of those effortless projects where the planets align and everything just falls in to place.
Is there a project that stands out to you as having been the biggest challenge of your career so far?swag.com has been epic design and engineering on a shoestring. From start to finish it’s been a rollercoaster of intense emotional discovery, for both the &us and swag.com teams. We’ve high-fived at pixels and hurled chairs at Shopify. But, there ain’t no rainbow without rain—it looks great and we’re all stronger for it.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?I adore the freedom and flexibility of designing independently, but truly appreciate the value of team collaboration. I’d love to continue collaborating with smart people to create meaningful and useful products.
What’s your best advice for designers today?Make mistakes. Learn from them. Then find some new ones! #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
How to Become a Branding Expert — Online Workshop
This workshop is a collection of our very popular branding workshop series with Marcia Hoeck and Ed Roach: Common Mistakes Designers Make with Branding and How to Fix Them, How to Position Yourself as a Branding Expert and How to Talk About Branding. Learn more here.