Discover the interview of Conor Smyth in Monaghan, Ireland
How did you become designer ?
Looking back I always had an interest in design as a kid. I used to spend time redesigning the artwork of my favourite movies using Microsoft paint (no easy task!). However, I never really thought to pursue it as a career. So as it happened, I really just stumbled upon Graphic Design. My first choice in college was Product Design which I studied for a few months but realised fairly quickly that aspects of it weren’t for me. So it was back to the drawing board. Thankfully my father introduced me to a career guidance teacher who pointed me in the direction of Graphic Design as a career. I didn’t know a whole pile about it at that stage, but after 1 year in college that was it – I was hooked!
How would you define your vision of design, your style ?
Mainly, I work on packaging design for alcohol brands, which is a passion of mine (the branding, and the alcohol). I believe you should always try to focus on things you are passionate about. That way you produce the best work possible. It’s more personal. When it comes to alcohol packaging, I think you have to be open to a variety of styles. One style just isn’t an option. Every new brand has a new story to tell and my job is to tell that story the best way possible through visuals. As most designers would appreciate it is extremely difficult to come up with totally original concepts so one of my favourite approaches would be pulling inspiration from old designs of the past, vintage typography, vintage posters or illustration styles and then breathing new life into them.
For the future, what are your professional projects ?
What do you like the most in your job ?