I am lucky enough to have some great relationships with people who have commissioned me to design for them. They are ‘repeat clients’ who regularly request and commission design work. I am also lucky that many of these ‘clients’ have become friends over time. Therefore I have brand identity projects that are ongoing, evolving periodically. I believe in strong community and in building relationships that are meaningful. I aim to ‘design for good’ – where each effort and each design is working towards a better world and a healthy environment, and in support of the natural world which includes humanity. I encourage my students to do the same. This involves carefully made decisions and at times some peeling away of the layers and the received knowledge.
I work with all the design software needed to be a graphic designer. If I don’t know it, I will collaborate with someone who does. Or learn it. I am also writing, drawing and publishing; I teach design; play with ceramics; and also perhaps a wee bit of sound and motion when I get a chance. my methods can be messy but i trust that it gets somewhere and it usually does, in a way that can surprise. I try to make each project authentic and present myself that way too, as much as society allows. I can loose track of time but believe in meeting deadlines and being reliable which is a constant tussle – therefore my greatest relaxation is to forget time.
I studied Graphic Design at Central St Martins. It was where I started out as a visiting tutor – and 18 years later I am still a tutor but a few more days and in the bosom of Birmingham City University Graphic Design BA course. The role gives me the freedom to play rather than full-on freelance. It is a fun and deeply satisfying stage of a working life which has been full of different roles, including at branding agencies in New York and London. Another great job before that was as a journalist at a feminist magazine.
gemmaince@gmail.com | @gemma.ince | 07828 075787
Gemma Ince 