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Subplot
www.subplot.com
Matthew Clark and Roy
White are the minds
behind Subplot. Matthew
took a circuitous route
to design. Prepping
in high-school for a
medical career, he sat
on the fence by enrolling
in both advanced
biology and studio art
before fully switching
to a fine art major
with concentrations in
psychology and literature
from the University of
British Columbia. Roy,
instead, was born in
London, and graduated
from the Mander College
of Art and Design at
eighteen cutting his
teeth early at renowned
UK design firms, The
Partners and Carol
Dempsey and Thirkell.
Shortly after he founded
his own successful
design firm, The Third
Man, working with the
likes of Virgin Records
and the Royal Opera
House. Their experiences
combined make Subplot
one of Vancouver’s and
Canada’s most respected
graphic communication
practices.
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851 START ON PAPER. We believe that ideas
should start on paper and only when approved
as a concept by the client do we move onto a
computer and develop. We are initially asking
a client to buy into a concept, an idea, and not
a particular typeface, or color, or “look.” We
fi nd that at the early stages these things can
be a distraction for clients and detract from
the decision-making at hand, which is: which
concept is most appropriate, most relevant and
compelling?
852 B
EST DESIGN BOOK EVER.
A smile in the
Mind
by Beryl McAlhone & David Stuart,
published by Phaidon Books. Full of “the”
smartest, clever, conceptual design projects
from the last 20 years. Second best book ever
Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type
Works
by Erik Spiekermann, for all you type
hounds out there, a book that every design
student should read to get a grasp that
typography is much more than throwing a few
typefaces on a page.
853 T
IDY FREAKS. Our studio is a 2,000-
sq-ft open plan. Both my partner and I are
tidy freaks. This is in our personalities but also
in an open-plan working environment such as
ours it is a must or the place would look like a
bombsite.
854 D
ESIGNERS ARE GENERALLY NOT THE BEST
SALESPEOPLE! That’s not to say we do not sell
ourselves, but we do it through creating
great work, ensuring that we then share it
with publications and industry magazines and
regularly enter into design awards. We fi nd
exposure has increased our profi le in the
industry and has led to generating a lot of
new business. Most of our work comes
through recommendation.
276 1,000 Ideas by 100 Graphic Designers
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860
R
ESEARCH IS CRUCIAL. Without it you
are designing blind. There needs to
be a clear understanding of not only
the client and how they currently
present themselves, but also the
competitive landscape within which
they operate. Who are their key
competitors? What do they say?
What do their brands stand for?
How do they present themselves?
All these questions are asked. Our
job is to help our clients stand out
and defi ne their category. Without
diligent research one never knows
if what you are saying is unique to
you or is being said by everyone else
in the category too. We will always
complete a client audit, a category
audit, and a best practices audit,
which may not be direct competitors
but will often encompass things
that the client may not have thought
of. Key interviews with corporate
stakeholders and even key clients
also reveal branding challenges that
will be anticipated in our solutions.
For larger consumer brands we
will work with a research fi rm to
conduct qualitative and quantitative
research as is appropriate. This is
particularly vital for packaged goods
and “revolutionary” branding changes
for our clients.
855 OUR IDEAL CLIENT IS ONE THAT IS A FIT FOR
US AND US FOR THEM. It’s not a specifi c project or
type of project or project in a certain category.
This is something we ask ourselves of any new
prospect or potential project. It is based on one
simple question and two very simple principles:
is this organization entrepreneurial and
visionary? If the answer to either is no, then it
is likely not a very good fi t for either of us. We
work best for organizations that are looking
to defi ne their category, break the mold of the
category norms, stand out, and be different. We
look for potential clients who have the ability
to recognize good design, and appreciate the
value it can bring to their business.
856 O
N COMMUNICATION. Like the rest of the
world I am completely lost if I leave my matte
black pigeon at home.
857 Favorite font: has to be Auto, created
by Underware Typehouse in Holland. Amazingly
beautiful font with wide range of weights
available. The italic has the most beautiful
quirks to some of the characters.
858 Font I always wanted to use: Mr. Bear,
an alphabet created out of a bear in different
positions to create letters. Just waiting for that
perfect project to use it!
859 T
AKE IT TO THE END. We fi nd that clients
come to Subplot for a specifi c creative product
that they see, that is in part to the contribution
and what the two partners have to contribute
and bring to the table. Any client has one of the
two partners as the lead on the project and
actively involved at all times.
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861 To be successful in
anything—and graphic design is not
an exception—you must have talent,
strong motivation, determination, and
patience.
862 The best ideas come
naturally. All you have to do is sit
down, take a piece of paper and a
pencil, and get cracking.
863 Learn to enjoy the creative
process itself. Don’t take the
commissions you make or projects you
work on just as your job.
864 Try to avoid dull
commissions, which don’t have
any creative air about them. They
will do nothing for your creative
development. On the other hand,
don’t be afraid to do interesting
projects for free. They can bring
you positive experience and good
promotion.
865 Always do your job well and
on time. If the client is happy with
your work he/she is very likely to
recommend you to his/her friends,
colleagues, business partners, etc.
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870
If people don’t know about you, it
means you don’t exist. Make the world
aware of your presence; create a
portfolio on the web and send out
news letters about yourself or your
studio to the sites and blogs, that
are likely to post about you or offer
you some work. The more e-mails you
send out, the better.
866 Get good social connections.
We received the most interesting
commissions through our friends and
acquaintances.
867 Think twice before
working together with anyone. Even
good friends can turn out to be
irresponsible when it comes to work.
868 Try to spend less time
surfi ng the web. There is a lot of
information, which you don’t really
need and that will distract you from
work.
869 Don’t be carried away by
trends. Originality is something that
attracts people’s attention and that is
always in demand.
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