Discovering the World of Design: My Journey with Form (My First Ten Years – So Far) by Alice Viner

Packaging and branding have always been fascinating to me. Looking at war-time packaging scattered throughout textbooks in history lessons, ghost signs and adverts still lingering on the side of old buildings, wondering why a company chose that particular colour for their brand. Seeing the progression of styles and techniques of design grow, changing the landscape of how we perceive branding, I can’t help but be curious.

Originally working for a designer in the fashion industry, I saw a product transform from a simple sketch to a completed market-ready item of clothing. Seeing designers, brand consultants and seamstresses work together to find that perfect next piece made me realise the thought processes that go into each stage. Does the cut and fabric of the piece fit correctly in its chosen occasion? Will our audience feel the same? Do the colour choices fit in with the clothing style? How will the item make customers feel when they wear it? Does it match the style we specialise in?

These same types of questions come into play when creating brands as well. Everything starts with a simple idea before it is built upon to nurture it into a final product. Design is an omnipresent art form that quietly influences every aspect of our daily lives.

When I began my journey with Form, the world of graphic design was completely fresh to me.

I remember on the day of my interview; Creative Director Dave asked me to complete a few Excel equations on his Mac to get an idea of my knowledge. Sitting down at the desk, instead of a standard Mac mouse in front of me, there was a graphic tablet and pen – I was dumbstruck. Thankfully he didn’t mind swapping it out for me, but I was intrigued. What was that thing? And why did I want one?

From the moment we wake up and reach for our phones, where intuitive apps greet us, to the logos adorning our favourite coffee cups and the billboards we pass on our daily commute, graphic design is everywhere. It’s in the magazines we read, the websites we browse, and the packaging that entices us in the supermarket. In essence, graphic design is essentially a visual language, shaping our perceptions, conveying information, and adding a touch of aesthetic delight to every day.

At Form I have been given the opportunity to test and develop my graphic design knowledge, learning more and more about the industry with every client.

With our variety of clients at Form, I have expanded the strength of my skills on projects, gaining experience and familiarity with common design practices and a range of software. “There is no such thing as a dumb question” and I am lucky that Dave and Ben think this too. Having studied photography at college, I was familiar with Adobe programs, but by no means confident in using them. I was normally huddling over an enlarger or mixing up chemicals in the darkroom. However, having this opportunity to work with real brands and projects, gave me a strong insight into every aspect of a project. There is no better way to begin to learn and understand a skill than with the hands-on experience that was and still is, available to me.

Now InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator are daily fixtures on my desktop, helping to populate content in eBooks and brochures, set up business cards and online banners, and make adjustments to graphics and social posts. Instead of being overwhelmed by these applications, I’m now more than comfortable to ‘have a go’. And it’s that which is helping me learn and expand my knowledge. That and maybe the odd YouTube tutorial.

I am constantly learning at Form. Whether it’s understanding the products of a modern financial client or discovering a piece of new software to extend our service offerings, my knowledge is constantly growing. To begin with, my role was an office assistant really,  helping to answer the phones, keep on top of admin and keep things ticking along. As I had worked one one-on-one with clients and suppliers before, I knew communication was key. Communication leads to a smooth working process, which leads to happy clients (and designers).

One of the main areas where this client communication has come into play a lot is creating and populating websites.

My experience in website content management and population has definitely evolved from learning HTML to customise my Myspace profile. A clunky desktop PC filled with Word documents hoarding reels and reels of HTML code to make sure my top 8 and customised cursor were always just right.

Whether it’s sorting out content, compiling and uploading website imagery, or just keeping things looking sharp, I’ve learnt that it’s the little details that make the big difference.

It’s not just about filling a website and making it looking on-brand, it’s about the viewer – you and me – and making sure it’s a smooth, stress-free ride. Making sure websites are accessible, contain all the important information, follow ever-changing policies and throw in some SEO wizardry from time to time. I had never even heard of “SEO” before starting at Form, now we can’t escape its powerful ways.

Although so much of the world is now digital, an understanding of print and the basics of marketing and advertising is crucial. It’s not just the digital studio I have become familiar with. Through the years at Form, we’ve worked on a huge array of projects and brands.

For data analytics and consumer credit reporting company Experian, we shot a complete selection of photography for a refreshed data breach campaign. Scouting compatible locations, booking models and make-up artists, creating and compiling props, all expanding my role and contribution to the project. Not to mention also being part of the photoshoot as apparently, I make a very convincing student. Those particular photos are hidden away somewhere…

This newly found knowledge also came into play for the gaming production company Wired Productions We Sing game branding and campaign. Organising a complete team, we rented a studio space, equipment, set additions, booked a hair and make-up artist and even auditioned dancers and actors for the shoot. I have experience with how photoshoots work from being in front of a camera, but being the one to organise it all and see ideas become reality in front of my eyes, it’s pretty cool.

It’s not just client work I’ve contributed to – launching our own brand It’s A WildLife allowed us to take a new seat in the world of marketing – as both the creator and the client. With Dave’s ideas (sprinkled with plenty of Ben and I’s input I should add) growing legs and stepping from a screen to a licensing companies portfolio, on to actual on-the-shelf-in-my-local-Asda (and Wilko, Rest in Peace) products is both surreal and rewarding. Never did I imagine myself working through contracts with suppliers, reviewing product mock-ups and prototypes as well as being able to say ‘I helped get that on the shelf’.

Ten years on and there are always new areas of the business to discover, meaning my role is ever-changing.

My role now is along the lines of project manager working closely with Ben, but also with our newest designer Kirstyn. Gone are the days of looking at a single-line brief and having my eyes glaze over (well, most of the time). From a single line, my experience allows me to gather ideas and conceptualise a campaign which I can present to Kirstyn to turn into a reality. Working together, I’m able to tackle exhibition artwork, eBooks, social media posts, reels and videos, and sometimes just a simple business card.

Building relationships with clients and colleagues enables me to continue learning and evolving my way of thinking toward what a campaign needs. My confidence in the world of design has grown year after year, just like the constantly transforming trends and landscape of graphic design itself. It would be naïve to think that you’ve learnt everything you need when the industry – and industries we serve – are ever-changing. Every day is a school day.

It’s safe to say I’ve covered a lot with Form and there has been a huge amount of opportunities and variety through my time here. I look forward to what other projects are in store. Though, despite our many Forex broker clients and however many times Ben tries to explain it to me, I’m not sure I’ll ever quite understand how stocks work…