The most challenging part of being a freelance designer is getting to know the culture of the organization in a timely manner without letting your own assumptions take over. As I tried to tell a story through the prints I designed for the Collection, I realized the Company itself hadn't yet established a clear identity. While most brands could not sustain longevity without a clear identity, HUDSON prevailed, perhaps for its cutting edge idea of focusing on its product and by keeping its production local as oposed to overseas. Still I really felt the need to dig a bit further and the only way I could think of to explain and share that experience with others was through a visual diary, that exposed our clients and editors to the process of designing the Collection.
Through this process it was evident the amount of passion every individual of our team had for the brand, from the sketch to the dye house, sharing with our audience what inspired the collection visually all the way to the books, magazines and playlists that surrounded the team through the process.
The first unorthodox method I suggested was introduced to me during my years working as Senior Graphic Designer at Ed Hardy. The technique better known as 'sublimation' is achieved by printing a high definition image onto a heat resistant paper using inks developed by NASA that evaporate when exposed to the heat press onto the polyester fibers found in the fabric. The ghost effect on the Owl print could only be controled in a large scale production due to the actual fabric content, this exclusive blend of 70% Cotton, 28% Polyester and 2% Spandex.
Having no previous experience designing a book, the most difficult part was trying to make the layout interesting while instructive. There are only so many sillouettes you can look at before you get blue in the face (no pun intended). Having the freedom to direct the collection photoshoots allowed me to work closely with the photographer in order to push the limits of his creativity and in that way elevate my own limits.
