8 minute read
Robert Lomas Independent Design for the Time
ROBERT LOMAS: THE TRUE COLOURS OF MODERN DESIGN
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Words by Robert Lomas & Matt Thompson. All images and designs by Robert Lomas
This term, ‘design’. It means a lot of things. Depending on what field you work in, you could be creating web pages, immersive gaming experiences, user interfaces to help people interact with online shops, sites or apps easily, branding and product designs; or even designing interiors for people to live or work in and love.
Design affects everything around us, altering how we see the world around us from massive spaces to the little things we eat, drink, use and buy. The scale of this skillset and the impact it has on our lives is monumental.
That brings us to Rob Lomas, an independent or freelance designer. Raised in Blackpool but now based in Manchester, he does everything from animation and motion graphics to social content creation, to branding, illustration, typography and even character design across print and digital.
For Rob, his path into designing is a self-described ‘lifelong obsession’ that started when he was around four years old, drawing his nan and her friends on betting slips at Blackpool bingo halls and passing out the slips. His work these days, he says ‘uses bold typography and bright colour palettes and is positive and playful.’ Rob’s not wrong about his work being bright and bold. Looking at his work, it immediately catches the eye and it’s easy to see why he has worked on so many huge projects for clients such as Arts Council England, the NHS and Mixmag. His work feels energetic and modern, built to stand out in a city the size of Manchester.
You could argue that his work being so bright and colourful stands in a confusing contrast against the stereotypically un-colourful bingo halls of England, until you see his list of inspirations - a long list of artists and creatives known for colour and individuality including Keith Haring, Prince, Morag Myerscough, Henri Matisse and even House music, rave culture and The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.
‘The thing that puts these people or items on my list of inspiration is the way that colour, typography, words or sounds have been used to tell a story and bring people together’ said Lomas. And certainly, you can feel the foundations laid by their work throughout Rob’s designs today.
Living in the modern world, industry trends come thick and fast, especially in an area as creative as design. Have current industry trends changed how Rob works? ‘Being honest, I try not to get too caught in trends, although I am aware of them through looking at social media and design blogs. I try to focus on creating work relevant to the brief and then if I can also explore themes that interest me during the process then that’s great too.’
Despite largely not getting caught up in the newest trends, we asked him if he’s seen anything that stood out in particular to him - ‘I suppose kinetic (moving) type is a current design trend and the popularity of that has fed into me exploring type and motion more in my work, especially as more clients are asking for kinetic type animations.’
Naturally, as a freelance designer, you have to have work coming in on a rolling basis and that means being able to adapt quickly to a range of different types of project. How does Rob approach a new project? He says ‘pretty much every new project starts with a conversation and me scribbling down lots of (sometimes unreadable) words in my notebook.’
‘I then provide an outline of the project via email, breaking down work involved, timeframes and costs which is absolutely essential at this stage so that everyone is singing from the same song sheet. Once it has all been agreed, I then look over the notes and make an action plan.’ Organisation and openness with clients is the key to any working relationship, especially on a new project.
Once the scope and needs of the project have been defined, it’s time to get creative. We asked Rob how he gets his creative juices flowing. ‘I like to try and break a project down at this stage and really get to grips with what’s needed and try to think of potential ways to create it visually. After that, I usually do some research using Pinterest and Vimeo before I get stuck in.’
With any project and any role can come challenges. Challenges are natural byproducts and not always a bad thing, providing a great opportunity to grow and develop. Rob has a refreshingly honest answer when we ask him about the challenges he faces at work and how he overcomes them, saying ‘Working as an independent designer can feel lonely at times and when you haven’t got any work on or the bank account is a little low on cash it can be easy to slip into negative thought patterns where you start to lose confidence in yourself and your work. Scheduling in some time to contact new clients and also having a catch up with existing ones is a great way
to reconnect with people and can lead to new work.’
Of course, it’s not always about a lull in the amount of work coming in. Sometimes it’s a case of having too much to do, something Rob is also very familiar with - ‘it can reach a point where you feel completely overwhelmed when you have too many projects going at once. Writing lists and scheduling in time to get off the computer and go for walks is essential to keep my head working properly.’
‘I also find that meditation is a great way to stop my head from overthinking, making me calmer and more content overall. I also try to meet up with friends for a brew and a chat to keep me positive!’
Speaking of being positive, we asked him his favourite part of doing what he does. ‘There’s lots that I really enjoy about my job - the freedom and flexibility, meeting like minded people, the fact that every project is a chance to learn something new. I also love that magic moment when an idea happens and everything you’ve been working on starts to fall into place and make sense. My favourite part is seeing people’s positive reactions to my work, and of course, being able to listen to music all day is great too!’
Off the back of some great advice about structuring workload and taking some time out, we asked what his average day looks like. Waking at 7 AM, Rob tells us he meditates and then takes his son Jack to school, starting work at 9 AM by catching up on emails with a brew. He then writes a task list for the day and works from that list until 6 PM, with a break for lunch at midday and a brew (typical northerner) at 2:30.
On the subject of what he works on, he offers ‘my work can be pretty varied and I can find myself working on an explainer animation one day and then amending a menu design the next.’
Next, we look to the future and what that could look like for animation and design in general. ‘As the shift from print to digital media continues, more and more people are going to want animation work to tell stories and bring things to life, which is great. I also see more new apps including artificial intelligence that will open up new ways to make things move. Designers will have more options than ever, but they will need to be adaptable to keep on top of it.’ Technological advances bring new challenges and new opportunities. Some things get easier as workflow becomes faster and more efficient, and designs can get more ambitious and complex but at the same time there is a rush of competition as professionals push to stay at the front of the wave. Rob offered some words of advice for the next generation of animators and design professionals, saying ‘be a good human. Be adaptable, ignore the competition, stop trying to be the best at everything. Find something that you really enjoy doing and are good at and stick to that.’
Great advice from a man who from a young age was already forming the foundations of his future career. His scope may have developed as he learned, but he’s also stayed true to his roots and used his experiences to inform what he does, utilising his inspirations throughout his work to create a truly recognisable and vibrant style. And surely that’s what design is really about, something that stands out and brings something to our environment in a unique way.
Rob brings our conversation to an end by saying ‘If you think about it, what I do now is still exactly the same as when I was 4 years old even though the process and end product may have changed - creating something visual for somebody else to enjoy.’
Designing, whether illustration, animation, branding, product or UI is exactly that. Something visual, created for somebody else to enjoy, and who wouldn’t want to be a master at that.
If you’d like to know more about Rob, find him online here: Website: robertlomas.co.uk Twitter: @robertlomas82 Instagram: @robertlomas
