Women in Design... Rosalind Clark, typeface

Women in Design… Rosalind Clark, typeface

We love the opportunity to get to know our DA friends better, so we’re happy to get the chance to speak with typeface’s Rosalind Clark. We spoke to Rosalind about her pathway to typeface (and the challenges of being self-employed), we learned about the culture of the practice, her methodology and multidisciplinary output, the mahi she is proud of, fostering innovation in her work and ambitions for the future.
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What led you toward design?
A natural inclination to problem solve and influence the visual world around me.

Can you describe the creative path you took to get where you’re at now?
My parents encouraged me to explore my creative talents. I enjoyed painting, drawing, and constructing things with paper and fabric from a young age. I have worked across graphic design, film, magazine design, fashion design, screen printing, art gallery director, and illustration. All these creative industries influence each other and dabbling in each one brings a positive effect onto the next.

What does a typical day at typeface look like for you?
Get myself, my partner, and my almost 3-year-old daughter ready and out the door in the morning can be one of the biggest challenges of the day. Once I get to work it’s time for a coffee, Team meeting then ready to take on the day ahead. The team at the typeface studio are both designers and account managers. We work collaboratively on projects and distribute the workload. Time for lunch (Lunch yoga on a Wednesday.), then back to work, work, work. End of the day I pick up the toddler from daycare. We head home. Feed the family dinner, including ‘Ziggy’ our new kitten addition to the family.

What project are you most proud of? Why?

The Lighthouse children’s book series I illustrated for Grant Sheehan’s publishing house Phantom Tree House. There are three books in the series. Ivan and the Lighthouse, set in Auckland, the story revolves around a loose history of the Bean Rock longhouse. Lucy goes to the lighthouse, the second book in the series, set in Wellington is about the history of the first female lighthouse keeper at the Pencarrow lighthouse. And the third book, Oliver goes to Stephen’s Island Lighthouse, is set in the Marlborough sounds and describes a combination of the authors experiences visiting the remote island alongside a history of the Stephen’s Island lighthouse. Illustrating children’s books has been a lifelong goal of mine, so having a published series of my work available, signifies an accomplishment.

What is the most challenging project you’ve ever worked on and what did you learn from it?

The most challenging project was being a self-employed gallery director. The work was satisfying because every success was my own doing. From the outside, it seems like the dream job. On the inside, it is an all-consuming beast with no downtime, holidays, or certainty. I learned a lot, creative freedom and financial stability are two very separate virtues. Too much time spent on one will cause the other to demise.

When you’re given a brief, where do you start?

The best work happens when you and the client are on the same page with expectations. It’s rare to be given a complete brief. So I usually start by filling in the areas which are undefined. It’s also important to add value where I can see the potential.

Unexpected routes lead to new territory! How do you mix things up and foster innovation in your work?
I’ve often found when you are looking for inspiration, you can’t find it. It happens between the spaces of the intention to look. If I’m open to opportunities throughout all areas of the day, the cultivation of innovation flows more naturally. I’ll collect little insights and refer back to them when a specific task is presented at a later date.