How long does it takes to create a whole movie, with filming, postproduction and sound, and how much people are involved?

Clients seem to want everything quickly. When you’re developing video or interactive work along side printed assets you normally have the luxury of time, but if it’s a music video then it’s always a quick turn around. Earlier this year we did a 4 min motion graphic piece for Motorola. There were only 2 people on the project and it took about 6 weeks. Motion graphics = late nights. Keeping ideas simple and focused is always a good idea, we’ve learnt that the hard way.

You also made some interface systems, could you describe one of your work?

I (Jody) studied an Msc in Virtual Environments at the Bartlett where I did a lot of work with augmented reality. The time spent working with spacialised digital systems was some of most informative experimentation I’ve done. The thing people have been going on about for so many years is 3D user interfaces, but so many of them are clumsy and inefficient. Doing my own work with 3D information systems, spacial display and interface technologies educated me in understanding what actually works and why. Both of us can program well enough to prototype and build web based interfaces. Its great when you design something for print and can understand how it could develop in an interactive or time based environment.

Drawings

I enjoy your drawing, is this just something you do as a sideline?

Drawing is something we have both done all our lives without fail. Neather of us really think or make a conscious effort to draw, our mother is a fine artist, so it’s always been a natural creative outlet. We’d be lost without a sketch book in our bags, it’s where every project gets it’s first breath of life.

What do you think about the graphic scene in London / England?

The graphic scene in London is rocking, there’s so much good work around. It’s all very healthy and inspiring. Just in the studio with Jethro Haynes, Sanderson Bob, Nicola Pecoraro we’re swamped with good stuff. There seems to be a swing back to idea based work, there was a period that was very style heavy in London, but anything goes now…

What will be the content / concept of your exhibition in Japan?

The main exhibit is still in development and will be a digital piece called ‘Responsive Type’. The concept was to look at typography and how it is interpreted in digital environments. Font design and render techniques are still very print based. We set out to develop a type system that is better suited and more native to screen based display technologies. The system renders the letter forms in realtime, this enable the forms to adapt and responed to the context they exist within. The font responds to its scale at small point sizes by simplifying its form, this gives the type greater legibility. Then as it gets larger it increases in complexity, responding to the display nature of fonts at bigger point sizes.

We are currently working with some really great people to get the exhibit application developed, these people are Tom Carden, Michael Chang and Julien Gachadoat.

We will also be showing several posters printed from the font and and some personal work that hasn’t previously been shown.

What is next for Hudson-Powell?

We’ve been having a lot of fun, and current projects are stretching the way we think about design and communication. So just keeping at it really, and hopefully the thought and enjoyment will keep coming through in each project.

Anything else you would like to say?

Communicate. Don’t be precious. Talk ideas through it can give concepts depth and allow them to be relevant to more people. Hello Studio is safe.

Hudson-Powell
Address: Unit 3-4 Sunbury workshops, 25 Swanfield st., London E2 7DS
Tel: +44 (0)20 7729 6788
studio@hudson-powell.com
https://www.hudson-powell.com

Hudson-Powell “Responsive Type”
Date: October 17th – 30th, 2005
Open: 11:00-21:00
Place: SOSO CAFE
Address: 1F Sansei Bld., South 1 West 13, Chuo-ku, Sappro
Tel: +81 (0)11 280 2270
https://www.shift.jp.org/soso/