Interview With Axel Feldmann

My interview with Axel Feldmann, founder of Objectif in London:

1) What first made you interested in graphic design, in particular typography and layout?
Natural interest in illustration and printed matter. The college i went to (Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany) had a huge amount of influence on the way i think about design, although being far too dogmatic.

2) How did you start out in graphic design, and get yourself noticed in the industry?
worked in many different small design studios across europe, before setting up on my own.

3) What does an average day consist of for you?
25%-50% administrative, 75%-50% design

4) Who/What has been your inspiration for your design work?
many inspirations from many people. no particular style/ideology, but whatever is appropriate for the specific content

5) How much does budget play a part in your design process?
a lot. usually working with small budgets (arts/culture) and therefore having to find cheap but nice solutions

6) How important is the cover of a publication as opposed to the design of the inner spreads?
extremely important, unfortunately

7) When you develop a design, in what order do you undertake a project and then in which order do you work?
consultation with client to extract the brief from him/her. close collaboration on the design development. quick turnaround once he concept is established.

8) What attributes should a good layout have and why?
follow the content, over and over again.

9) What considerations need to be made when developing a layout for editorial design?
follow the content, over and over again.

10) Which publications do you think are particularly well designed?
sorry, have to pass - will take me too long now to assemble a list

11) Where do you see editorial design heading in the future?
i'm positive about it - books aren't going to die out. magazines will, eventually

12) Anything else you’d like to add, or any other advice you could give to a budding designer?
keep going...