Interview with Daniel Kutcher

I represent myself in the design world.

Design for me, is transmitting a concept.

I enjoy designing pieces that are fictitious in nature. Pieces that are not related to the world we live in inspire me the most, for example, logos of companies that don't exist, and normally if they contain some level of irony, all the better.

I enjoy greatly architecture design. I find the mix of creativity and science used to realise buildings very intriguing.

My first job as a designer was at a television production company and my role was to design A3 leaflets that they used to pitch ideas with to the major TV stations around the country.

My favourite medium to express myself with is film (digital nowadays).

When I'm in motion on public transport listening to music.

Simplification and coherence.

I feel free. There is no pressure to do anything a certain way and anything is possible. It is the start of a journey where you know that the end will only come when you feel satisfied with what you see in front of you.

I feel like I have reached the goal and I again have the freedom to start a brand new canvas and see in which direction the new piece goes.

If it in some way has a dialogue with the viewer or audience.

How much thought has been put into it and whether the design serves its purpose.

I don't believe designers should impose their ideas on society, rather contribute and see if a dialogue can be established. Towards the environment, they should try to compensate for any possible damage inflicted on it.

One detail I have noticed over recent years is a "blanding" of design concepts, especially ones related to brands. Over recent years, the "minimalist" idea has taken over in many areas of design and has seen companies have their emblematic logo replaced by their name written in a plain simple font. I think this trend will continue over the coming years until designers and companies realise that having a unique logo that generates warmth is what really sticks and then, great designs like the IBM logo will begin to appear once again.

I have never held an exhibition before.

A large part of my inspiration comes from art. I enjoy viewing works from many periods including contemporary. Another large part of my inspiration comes from art in the physical world, nature, architecture, people, clothes, streets, etc.

I work on designs which at first I have no idea how to realise as I enjoy the journey as much as the result of the pieces.

I've been moving around my whole life. The longest time I was in one place was 7 years and that ended around 10 years ago. So from having moved around a lot, I've been lucky to have had inspiration from many different countries and cities as time goes by.

I normally form part of a team and have been switching between being on the creative side and on the director's side.

I believe their presentation is key. It takes one look at a person's online portfolio to tell if they are good in their field, organised and have potential. Also, their ability to be humble, someone who is not the best but is willing to learn is always more of an asset than someone who is better but won't accept advice.

I see my process of design similar to the process of rendering a 3D object on the computer. I first have a very blurred idea of what I want and slowly I revise and revise the different parts of the design/concept and keep on ironing out the issues until I have a design that I can clearly see as satisfactory.

I really like the design of a few Patagonia jackets I own (their mission statement towards the environment influences my decision) as well as the design of a BlackMagic Design Cinema Camera that I use to shoot documentaries with.

I get up at around 7:30 and head off to work to start at 9:00. I work until 14:00 and have a two hour lunch break. I start designing again at 16:00 and finish at 19:00. Then I head home, have dinner and then work on personal projects until around 24:00 or 1:00.

Always follow your instinct (it's worked for me at least).

A very positive aspect of being a designer is that there is very little chance of ever having to go through a boring day at work. A negative could be that every year there is more competition, so it getting increasingly more difficult to make your mark in the industry.

Always explore areas in design that you would never think of investigating, it creates an element of challenge not found if you stick to your area.

To be able to properly convey the ideas in their head to an audience.

I use the main Adobe CC programs including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for creating my works. For inspiration, I use online art galleries and the Behance network of curated galleries to see what is trending in the design world.

I know I have free time after work during the week, so I use that time to work on projects. But I also say to myself that I won't work on the weekends, so that I have time to enjoy my life around me.

I'll quote the famous words: "how long is a piece of string". Some designs take me a morning to get right, this project has taken me around 4 years.

Do I survive by working as a designer alone or do I have another job?

It was working at a box factory while I was in Australia. Between the job, the people and the timetable, it taught me a lot about life and different ways of living it.

Mainly spanish production and electronic companies.

I really enjoy packaging design as well as catalogue design. I enjoy these the most because they challenge me the most, working various sides of an object as well as a narrative throughout a catalogue I cant find in other design platforms such as posters or newsletters.

I will be moving to London in June to work on documentaries.

It depends on the project. This project has been a personal one that I have done alone. I enjoy working on other projects as part of a team, for example on documentaries.

Not at the moment.

They can contact me through email at danielkutcher@gmail.com

Not this time.