Over the past two years, a handful of the creatives we’ve featured as Designers of the Week have been students—still studying, honing their craft and putting their early work out there for the world to see. Our latest Designer of the Week, UK–based Alice Pomfret, is a student as well, in her final year of study at Arts University Bournemouth—although, she notes, she’d love to say that she works for some “top 10 publishing/editorial company.”
Read on to learn more about Pomfret’s Scandinavian inspired design.
Name: Alice Daisy P.
Location: Most of the time I’m situated in Bournemouth; however, I can never be away from my Norfolk roots for too long.
Website: Currently I am trying to discover some ironic way to display my primarily print-based portfolio online; it is still a work in progress, but in the meantime you can check out most of my printed outcomes over on Instagram // @alicedaisypomfret or twitter // @alicedaisyp
Design school attending: Arts University Bournemouth
How would you describe your work?
I’ve asked friends/acquaintances in the past for their thoughts and opinions, and most people like to describe my work as having an Ikea aesthetic. What I think they’re trying to say is that it draws a lot of inspiration from Scandinavian design. I like my work to be simple, clean and uncluttered.
“We were tasked to design a beautiful catalogue featuring the work of BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design students, who were asked to design a set of costumes inspired by a concert in which the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed Stravinsky’s ‘The Firebird,'” Pomfret says. [Harry Kitchin & Luke Brown]
Where do you find inspiration?
Despite giving the default Pinterest answer, I find a lot of inspiration from my fellow peers and people I interact with on a daily basis. I gain most of my ideas from having conversations with people and traveling, but conversations normally cost less.
Who are some of your favorite designers or artists?
Wolfgang Weingart, David Carson, Vivienne Westwood and Craig Oldham
[Editor’s Note: Contemporary legend David Carson reflects on the current state of type in design in the latest issue of PRINT.]
![A book exploring the surface and depth within design from the 1860s to present day. [Harry Kitchin]](https://i0.wp.com/www.printmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2a34d8_b4072fbd890d4430b3cffbb9bb334b4dmv2.jpg?resize=600%2C400&quality=89&ssl=1)
A book exploring the surface and depth within design from the 1860s to present day. [Harry Kitchin]
Do you have a favorite among all the projects you’ve worked on?
One of my favorite projects is the “Exit Velocity” catalogue. I worked on this project with Tyler Prior (we run a little collective together called “Gokotta.”) The catalogue had a collaborative front cover, which meant when placed together it created a full image. We wanted to use this to represent the artists who were coming together to exhibit under one name. We also made the layout reflect the students and their process; having a tight consistent grid meant we could include sporadic imagery without losing the consistency.
Is there a project that stands out to you as having been the biggest challenge of your career so far?
For sure, the biggest challenge of my career is becoming editor of my university magazine BUMF. [BUMF is a student-run publication, of which Pomfret is both editor and chief designer.] When I started we had the shell of [a] magazine, and it has been a massive project to build it up to what it is now. My co-editor Rory and I have worked tirelessly to keep bringing new innovative ideas to keep students involved and interested in what we do. Since taking it over, we have been shortlisted for Student Publication awards for Best Specialist Publication & Best Student publication. We have also just been shortlisted for Best Student Publication of the Year in the Stack awards. So fingers crossed! Over the year we have showcased 138 creatives & reached 25 thousand views on our website, and the challenge is ongoing.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I have a lot of dreams and aspirations of how I want my career to pan out. However, you can never determine what is going to crop up and what opportunities you’re going to fall into. As long as I’m happy in what I do, I think I’ll feel accomplished.
What’s your best advice for designers today?
If you never try, you never know.
(Also, make sure you have a packet of biscuits at your desk, just to make the daily cup of tea a 5-star experience.)
“I was briefed with the task of creating promotional posters and branding for the short film Spacemen,” Pomfret says. “I also designed posters as props, their press kit and all online branding/social squares.”
Pomfret says that she was briefed with the task of creating a new ‘regulars’ card and poster for the client’s events and customers.
Explore the topic of illegibility in the past and present of typographic design in the latest issue of Print Magazine, with a special cover by Shepard Fairey. See what’s inside or subscribe to get Print all year long.