Contacting Studios and Clients

During my tutorial with Dom this morning, one of the comments was that I should try contacting some designers and studios that work internationally/have international clients as primary research for my essay.

When contacting studios and designers last year for the PPP creative report, almost all of the responses that I got were via Instagram DM, so I decided to message the designers and studios I wanted to contact via Instagram first and then ask whether they'd like me to send the questions over message or email.

The questions:

1. Do you think it’s important to consider the clients’ culture through research in order to create work appropriate for them? If so, in what way?

2. Do you feel that your culture and background has impacted your design process and work aesthetic?

3. Do you feel that when working for clients, the work you create is an integration of both who you are, what appeals to you and what you think will appeal to the targeted audience?

4. Have you ever faced any difficulties or communication issues when working internationally? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?

5. Do you think cultural appropriation needs to be considered within design? If so, in what way?

I re-contacted one of the designers that I contacted for my creative report last year; Claudia Chanhoi (@brainxeyes). I felt that she'd be really relevant for my essay research as she comes from an East Asian background and decided to move to London for her studies, she also has a large global following and has exhibited her work all across the world. 

Claudia's work focuses on her personal experiences as a woman, so I'm interested to see whether her culture and travels have had an impact on this. 'Claudia’s work is based on her personal experience as a heterosexual woman in the modern world dating and her view on female sexuality along with humour and sarcasm'

Claudia Chanhoi (@brainxeyes) alongside her work

Luckily, Claudia responded not long at all after I'd contacted her today which was great! I have been able to send over the questions along with the participant consent form for her to sign.

Conversation with Claudia:

My email to Claudia:

Two other studios that I have contacted are Middle Boop and Kissmiklos. I have followed these studios for quite some time now and always loved their work, both studios have worked for international clients and brands so they're relevant towards my essay topic and specific questions that I want to ask. 

In the messages, I mentioned why I particularly think they would be useful towards my research and specific projects of theirs which relate to international clients that I have enjoyed, I did further research into them and their work before sending the emails.

Message to Middle Boop:

Message to Kissmiklos: