Catch up with Michael Beech, Isobar Australia’s Senior Designer
Michael Beech, Senior Designer at Isobar Australia, talks to us about his career inspiration, how modern technology is impacting design, some of the challenges he’s faced as a designer and more in our latest interview.
Hi Michael, First up. Why did you want to become a designer?
Growing up I was always interested in art and technology, in particular computers. I remember also being fascinated with book covers and film posters and how typography could be used with graphics to communicate powerfully and really capture the emotion of a subject. I was studying at a time when art and technology were converging in our culture especially as the internet became ubiquitous. All these things combined led me to study graphic design and the rest kind of felt like an inevitability.
Machine intelligence and programmatic have disrupted the creative process in recent years. How have you and your team adapted?
Like with any tool, it’s important to make sure it’s used effectively. It should complement the creative process not work against it. I think the early mantra of being “data led” was almost comically wrong from a creative point of view. As with all things data comes with prejudices and presumptions that we need to make sure don’t infect our creative work. I’m not sure who to credit the term “data informed” as opposed to “data led”, but that more accurately reflects how we feel the best use of this technology can be achieved.
Is the future of creativity, craft and design under threat by the insurgence of machine’s abilities? Or should the industry embrace these advancements to improve the creative output?
Having worked in digital my whole career, change has been so rapid and so constant that I think I would feel more uncomfortable with a period of stability. Of course, creativity, design and particularly how we practice our craft will change and evolve, possibly even dramatically — but I don’t see a future where human creativity doesn’t provide vital input into our culture. Unless we are talking about some sort of trans-human evolution or omnipotent AI — and then I think we will have bigger problems than worrying about the state of the industry.
What has been your biggest challenge you’ve faced as a designer?
When I reflect on challenges I’ve had in design, they always seem to be communication challenges. I strongly believe that communicating our designs is as important as the design themselves. This includes communicating an approach to a project, big design decisions and the effect they have on the products and businesses we are working for — but also communication within the design and broader team. In my experience, great communication is often the catalyst for a great project.
What is your favourite project you’ve have worked on at Isobar and why?
It’s never a good idea to pick favourites, but I am very proud of what the team achieved designing the responsive booking engine for Jetstar. Not only is it a huge commerce platform, but there was so much opportunity for us to improve the experience for everyone choosing to travel with Jetstar. It’s been the most challenging and rewarding experience in my career.
Finally, what one piece of advice would you give to a designer looking to develop in their career?
It’s impossible to avoid a cliché, but I would say never forget the power of fresh eyes on a design. If you’re stuck on a particular problem — get outside, go for a walk or whatever you need to do. I’ve always found it helps me look at a problem and gain new insight but it’s often the last thing we think of because of the nature of our working lives.
