Odorifous: Kate Quinby

Posted by Troy | Filed under Odorifous

Field Manual for Creative Endeavors
I first spotted Kate Quinby’s work on the album cover for She & Him: Volume 2.

It’s my kind of style and probably would have made me pick up the cd in a record store (if I still did such things).

At the time that album released, Kate told me about the thesis project she was swimming in and it sounded pretty dang cool.

It is pretty dang cool.

Inspired by her mom’s philosophy of home design she developed FIELD MANUAL: Working Methods for Creative Endeavors – a guide through 28 methods that every artist (or any person, really) should follow.

Rather than a list of “rules” that you might learn in design school, these instructions are about instinct. In fact, she used the methods themselves as her guide in designing the book. Every decision came from the gut, things moved often, images selected by “I like this,” and the mismatched typefaces may just reflect her mood at that very moment of selection.

Some of the quips like “acquire nothing new,” “ignore the original purpose of things,” and “change colors often” were inspired by her mother’s subconscious design sensibilities, while others came from respected designers like Martin Venezky, Geoff Kaplan, Micheal Beirut, and Dario Robleto.

Everything about this project and Kate’s work is encouraging to me as a designer… Instincts trump market research as far as I’m concerned.

Love the book, love her interview:

Tell us one of your favorite odors.

This isn’t a particularly pleasant scent, but I love the smell of freshly printed books. Not all of them have the exact smell I like, and I don’t know what it is about the ones that do, but occasionally I open a book and it just smells like ink on paper in the most awesome (but kinda gross) way.

What is it about that particular smell?

aha.. I kinda jumped ahead, didn’t I? Sorry. I guess I don’t know, other than that smell is part of the experience of a book. The ones with that smell are usually pretty ink-dense, and full of pictures. And, actually, they’re often design, illustration, or photography books, which of course, I love.

What experience makes you feel alive?

Right now, because I just finished three intense years of grad school, small normal things make me feel most alive and human. Folding clothes, cooking dinner with my boyfriend, watching 30 Rock. I’ve missed these things so much. He talks about people needing periods of input as well as output in order to stay creative. I think I’m just starting an ‘input’ phase, of observing the world, and that feels awesome.

What fears do you have?

oh, tons. Many have to do with figuring out how to balance work and life… trying to be successful at both.

What have you learned about yourself over the past year?

I’ve learned that I am no longer able to pull all-nighters. I used to be able to stay up all night working on a project but about a year or so ago, I lost this ability. Now I am all about a full night’s sleep. The best part of learning this was that I also learned that I actually do better (and more) work if I call it quits a little earlier in the evening and start fresh in the morning.

Are you working on anything cool right now?

Cool to me! I’m engaged and just started thinking about designing/planning the wedding. There are SO MANY details that a designer can get lost in for an event like that. It’s wonderful because, unlike grad school, I can just relax and make things fun and cute. Words I would never ever use in school are popping into my head, like “whimsical” and “sweet.” Wedding planning may just be the ultimate guilty pleasure for a designer.

Do you find your creative work a spiritual experience? In what way?

hmm… I don’t think I would use the word spiritual. But, It does satisfy me in a very personal way. I don’t consider myself an “Artist”, but I do feel like the work I do feeds my soul in a way I imagine painting or sculpture might for others.

What tunes have you been hooked on lately?

Sadly, I’m pretty behind on music these days, but I’m looking forward to discovering some new stuff. I listened to Ra Ra Riots last album for about a year straight, and they’ve got a new one coming out soon… so, I’m pretty stoked for that.