"Producing creative solutions and solving design problems for clients worldwide", the agency are branding wizards, and Grahame tells us that they "
try to live up to our name by overcoming design problems to help our clients win". Grahame's awesome print was added to our online Grafik Editions store earlier this year and we have taken the opportunity to pick his brain about his career, and passion for visual communication.
What is the path in your life that lead you towards graphic design?
I was always drawing as a kid. I leaned towards drawing floor plans of imaginary buildings. Which looking back on things is pretty weird. I guess I liked the order of it. I initially wanted to study architecture but when I found it could take 5 years of education I decided against it, although I ended up studying graphic design for 5 years.
Tell me about Never Know Defeat. How and why did it start? What’s your mission statement?
Dave, the co founder of Never Know Defeat, was in Sweden where he saw a battleship with Never Know Defeat written on the side. He came back and told me that would make a great name for a design agency. I agreed and we went for it. We were already producing work together for various projects and it seem like a good name to collect them under. We also try to live up to our name by overcoming design problems to help our clients win.
How do you like to approach branding work, and how do you go about making brands stand out?
Ultimately it’s all about our relationship with our clients. Finding out what their goals are and understanding their unique problems is essential for success. If you can solve their unique problems by default their brand will stand out.
Do you have any personal projects going on currently?
I always have several other projects on the go but a majority never see the light of day or go on ice while I handle client work. Sometimes they cross over and that can make for interesting results.
How did you design the poster for Grafik Editions?
I was experimenting with architectural scenes and seeing how minimal you could make the form of a building whilst it still remaining impactful. I wanted to create a serene and calm feel from an imposing structure.
What are your earliest design inspirations?
Bit of a cliche but skateboard graphics and album artwork were my main inspiration. Stuff like gig flyers, band logos and graffiti grabbed my attention. I also got into graffiti for many of my younger years and that really exposed me to lots of different styles. As I got older I developed a more minimal taste in design.