Alex Russell

Image found at http://www.alexrussell.com/Images/big/alex_russell_am1234.jpg
Alex Russell is a freelance designer based in the UK with clients from all over the world. His studio offers a wide range of printed textile design, surface pattern, graphics, illustration and other creative services for fashion/apparel, interiors, home furnishing/lifestyle and editorial and publishing. He is highly skilled in both traditional and digital media, with a deep understanding of textile print process. I recently got the chance to meet him and learn about his studio and the industry. I was able to see some of his work and he gave me an insight into his experience in freelancing.

Alex Russell has worked in the creative services for eight years. He started out by doing a foundation course, then printed textiles, and then progressed further by doing an MA focusing on large architectural textiles. It was his time spent working on theatre set design where he got a lucky break in design.

In 2000 he set up his own design business in Brussels working free-lance. During the initial setting up period, which took six months due to bureaucracies, he was able to spend quite a lot of time designing and building his portfolio which he would later send to agents etc all over the world. He believes that the best way to promote yourself and to show your designs is to actually send them out to people rather than by email etc. Even though you may only get a couple of enquiries from doing so a potential client may keep hold of your portfolio for future work and contact you months, sometimes even years later.

Alex Russell did manage to get work with an agency in Amsterdam and Chicago. Also by approaching companies directly he was got a good job working for Levi's. He stressed that it was jard work working for them but was very well paid. His work involved merchandising and range illustration of which he did for 18 seasons!

There was a time after working in Belgium in which he worked with a group of designers to produce inspiration boards. He found this very interesting and inspiring and decided that together they would do a trend book, which eventually led to six. These were aimed at print and knitwear for fashion. Alex Russell told us how difficult it was working to deadlines for these books and in the end they decided to cut out knitwear and focused on jeans, going with a smaller scale version. During this time he was also working free-lance alongside it.

70-80% of his work is for fashion, but some interiors/furnishing and giftware also.

When generating designs he uses lots of styles, constantly painting and drawing using various types of media e.g. pencil and paper and acrylics which he uses to collage and monoprint and then works into them further. He really enjoys using photoshop and illustrator, scanning in his drawings, then applying colour, to produce his final designs. Most of his design process is done on computer. He creates geometric images entirely from digital context.

Alex Russell is constantly looking at potential inspiration e.g. illustrations and graphics, but not usually fashion and interiors.

He stresses that you must always have a definite idea of who you are designing for by understanding the product. Alex Russell also states how this is crucial for your design process and that you must know who your audience is.

Alex Russell sometimes attends Premier Vision to sell designs and mentions that potential buyers at these events know what they are looking for. He advises us to be specific e.g. he says some buyers for childrenswear may ask you if you have any designs with monsters on, so you must be ready for this and give them what they want.

Alex Russell informed us that the high end of furnishing is usually Scandinavian companies who like abstract, minimal pieces that are stripped of colour.

His working process for fashion is fast, sometimes producing collections of 8-10 designs over 2 days from start to finish. For furnishing he takes longer, 4 days.

Alex Russell likes to grab moments to work wherever he is e.g. sat in a traffic jam, by doodling away his ideas. This is due to his busy schedule. He states that we must get used to working very quickly.

He mentions how in order to be a good designer you must be adaptable and be able to do what people tell you, even if it is not to your personal taste and other important aspects to consider when designing are, never ever use the same image again in any design or somebody else's or even a photograph of an image. Also some clients are cagey about numbers in designs due to copyright.

Alex Russell's advice on working free-lance:-

How to get started - Put together a portfolio of designs, physically send your work out to potential clients/agents, rather than email, as too many emails with attachments end up not even being looked at! The layout of your portfolio is important and you must put a covering lettrer and CV with it.

Have a blog - keep up-dating it but be strict with what you put on it e.g. only your best work, a variety, and less is more! Blogs are a useful way of getting people to see you and a good way of networking. Make links with other blogs, mates, designers etc. It is a professional space to show off your work and portfolio.

Pro's and Con's - You tend to free-lance after having experience in a previous designing job. It can be difficult to earn a living but good to have it alongside other jobs/projects. It takes a while for it to take off and it is very difficult to make huge amounts of money out of it. Say yes to everything! There are usually long hours involved and you must be self motivated. There is a lot of work involved in running your own business e.g. accounts, marketing etc. You must listen to what other people say. Selling takes time.

Tip - start with an agency, the agent takes 40-45%. When you first approach an agency remember its a two way thing - ask who they are selling to, where they are selling, commission costs, you need to find out as much information about them as you possibly can. In terms of contract you have to sign something, exclusivity - basically that you won't design for the same market etc. You should clarify with them how they will pay you - usually an invoice and then they pay you in a month of themselves getting paid! The agent will not tell you who they have sold to. Check what happens if an agency goes out of business - have an exit strategy.

You must put your address on your contact - very important.

There is a standard way of selling - basically you are selling the copyright.

Even when working for yourself put a time scale on it, say, two years, if it is not working then change tactics!

Getting started with free-lance - There is free help with getting a business started - BUSINESS LINK. HMRC Tax people are very helpful and run good courses which are free. Set up N.I. Contributions. If your profits are more than £68000 you have to register for VAT. If you are interested in working abroad the DTI can give you lots of help - UK Trade and Industry. Work out costing - furnishing design £600 - £900 per design due to size and fashion is £275 per design. Occasionally people charge on an hourly rate. You should be getting approx £150 per day designing (£20 per hour) - you are a professional! Prices go up depending on how big the company is!

Top Tips - Think internationally. Other countries are really interested in UK design. They like the fact you have contacted them - makes them feel special! Never ever mess with copyright - no-one will touch you with a barge-pole! Look outside of fashion and textiles for inspiration. Think carefully about where you are working, the space etc. Use different types of media to draw with and have it all laid out in your work space ready. Hit deadlines and answer briefs. If you thnk you are unable to meet the deadline then you must tell the client before it is too late!! You will have to work very hard. Sort out your colour pallette first as this is probably just as or more important than the design itself! Go to trade fairs for agents - most of them are there e.g. Premier Vision. Have fun, enjoy it - it will come accross in your work. Try and always be as good as you possibly can.

Alex Russell looked at some of my work from a recent fashion print brief and gave me some valuable feedback. The inspiration from this brief came from florals, geometric shapes and architecture. He advised me as follows:-

To keep aware of the audience, to think about after college with screen printing - will I be able to have access to printing facilities?, there is always a big market with floral prints so find new ways of doing it, to mix florals and architecture in my portfolio and merge the two together, to remember to use light, bright colours for Spring/Summer collections and dark, muted colours for Autumn/Winter, big floral prints are aimed at the higher end of the market as they have more impact, to cut out dress silhouettes and put my designs over them to get an idea of placement and how they will look on a garment ie design to garment shape as oppose to rectangular samples, take pictures of white garments and scan into photoshop to use to show print in visualisations, draw garment illustrations to show how the design would function, continue with my sketchbook drawings and working on ideas, show artists who I have been inspired by on mood boards, and to look at fashion print designer Mirjam Rouden for ideas/inspiration who uses hand print techniques.