First off, let’s address the key difference between my background and other designers. It might help explain my path to becoming a multidisciplinary designer.

I didn’t start my career after a 4-year university course, that came later. I did two years training in visual design, got a HND (which is like the Scottish version of a 2-year tech college) and began working in a Makerspace.

I was a graphic designer who suddenly knew how to use 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, CNC machinery. Not only did I have to know how to use this equipment, but I had to train members of the public on how to use them too.

At this stage in my career, I was itching to travel and felt like a weird hybrid designer. I was trained in Graphic Design but none of my peers were working on projects similar to mine. I thought I was an imposter.

Everything changed when a member of the studio, who I trained on all of the software and equipment, sold his prototype to a company for five figures. I realized that this is where I wanted to expand my creative career. I realized the power of prototyping and left to retrain in Industrial design…

Adding a New Discipline

Only something weird happened. When I started learning Industrial Design so many things were similar, the process was similar, we were even learning Adobe Illustrator and vector graphics. I was even accused of cheating by my lecturers when I made a South Park character in only a few minutes for a lesson!

But another thing happened. We were introduced to historical figures in industrial design. Some of whom we were learning about in Graphics!

In graphics, we looked at the graphic motifs of Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, then a few years later I was learning about his products and interior designs. Why were we only learning about the areas of their work that fit the educational program, rather than trying to understand how someone was able to be so versatile? We were avoiding looking at the bigger picture.

It posed a question, one that will continue to drive me and the mission for Nollie, “What did they know that I didn’t?”

It was weird, I found myself longing for a different time. I became jealous of designers who had this versatility. With all the improvements in Technology and Education surely this would be easier than ever before, not harder?

Even an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription offers this type of versatility today, but yet we get entrenched in our “specialties.”

After my training, I began working in Industrial Design environments and something weird happened. I was being commended for my versatility. I even have a reference that mentions the ability to jump between Industrial Design and Graphic Design.

So how was everyone saying it’s a good thing, despite every guru saying to specialize?

Evidence to the Contrary

I began looking at the designers who actually are multidisciplinary. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Charles and Ray Eames, Massimo Vignelli, who also gave us the amazing quote “If you can design one thing, you can design everything.”

That phrase has done a lot of heavy lifting in me trying to convince designers of the value of multidisciplinary skills.

One thing that stands out is not that they chose to be one thing or another. They’re driven by something totally different. Solving problems. It’s not about what you do, it’s about WHY.

Most of the time it’s about putting your stamp on everything that you feel needs addressed. For Mackintosh’s Willow Tea Rooms for example, he designed the architecture, the interiors down to the spoons.

Part of me began thinking this was only obtainable by architects. But if an architect can use their creative skillset to go from buildings to graphic design, why can’t we do the same in reverse?

So that’s the plan. I want to show you the holistic creative skills to go from designing posters all the way to post and beam self-build architecture. If design is about solving problems, then why not solve them for ourselves.

So here’s the plan, I want to show you just how transferable your skills are. If you can design a basic poster, then guess what, you are already creative enough to master multidisciplinary design. All you need is to adjust your output.

So that’s the plan, we’re starting with posters and working our way up to post and beam architecture. Now I’m not saying I have all the answers, but it’s going to be a hell of a journey.

If you are interested in expanding your creative skillset, or just want to see where this goes, sign up to the Nollie Newsletter!