Getting Under the Hood with…Aaron Troy from Jasmax
Ahead of our next Under the Hood (get tickets here), we speak with Aaron Troy about which project he will share at the event, the different personalities of Kingsland, hazy IPAs and building a 3ft mini ramp in his backyard.
Kia Ora Aaron, thanks for joining us on Under The Hood. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, what your background is, and how you first got started in the industry?
My name is Aaron and I’m a senior brand designer at Jasmax. I’m a graphic designer by trade but am fortunate enough to work in an multi-disciplinary practice where I get to learn a little more everyday about the built environment and working with different medium. The start of my creative career began studying fine arts at Whitecliffe. I never took art subjects at high school so this was a completely new territory but looking back I’m glad I got my start as a bit of a blank canvas.
What insights to your methodological approach or philosophy can you give us?
My methodology is very process driven and always starts from a good strategic base. Making art is terrifying. The beauty of design is that you’re responding to a question or a need that lets you remove yourself from the work to look at it objectively. I like to think that a project really drives itself and I’m just here to keep nudging it in the right direction.
What project will you be presenting in Under the Hood?
The Electric, an identity and display suite for a new apartment building in Kingsland
What was the most challenging part of the project and what lessons did you draw from it?
Surprisingly I can’t think of one. The project ran pretty smooth, lot’s of ideation over hazy IPAs at the Portlander. But perhaps it’s just my brain remembering the good times over the bad
Was there an ‘Aha!’ moment in the project when things clicked and fell into place?
There was. When we named the project we felt it was really strong but I started getting stuck in the obvious metaphors of neon and light play which weren’t feeling right. Then I decided I needed to get away from my computer and spend some time walking around the streets, that inspired our idea of collage, this layering of information to express the different personalities of Kingsland.
Now that the project has finished, what are you working on?
A similar project in Epsom. It’s exciting to see how much of a different direction it has taken responding to a different neighbourhood.
Do you have a favourite paper stock? If so, why/what about it stands out?
Unfortunately I feel like our print budgets are in an ever steady decline so fancy stocks are few and far between.
Outside of work hours what creative projects and/or hobbies are you involved with?
I’m still a 12 year old boy at heart. We built a 3ft mini ramp in our backyard so that tends to fill up a sunny Saturday. I’m also building a house so there’s lots of staring at plans and daydreaming about all the crazy stuff I want that I was never allowed as a kid.
And finally, where to next for you? What areas of your work or personal development are you hoping to explore further?
I’m just taking it slow and steady content in the fact that we work in an industry where we learn something new each day and get to ponder life’s big questions while we’re on the clock. I think the goal as I get older will be to suppress the ‘cynical old man’ archetype and hold on to that childlike wonder.
