Co-founder / Creative Director - Man vs Machine
Vortex caught up with Mike Alderson after his well earned break in Sweden. Mike is an ex St Helens student and highly successful partner in Man vs Machine, a cutting edge motion graphics design company based in London.

Whilst at school Mike won a scholarship sponsored by Pilkington Glass to study and practice engineering.  However, having talked to a friend who was studying Graphic Design at the College he had second thoughts and successfully applied to study Graphic Design also.

Whilst further studying at Ravensbourne in London, Mike won a BBC placement through a motion graphics competition and from there was headhunted by 442 South one of the best young design agencies in London. He then moved to Mainstream where he became Head of Design and last year set up Man vs Machine. Take a look at the work by logging on to:-

http://manvsmachine.co.uk/


Which of your design projects have given you the most satisfaction?
At the beginning it was always nice to work for the major brands/channels such as BBC, Channel 4, Five, MTV, Volkswagen, etc... But nowadays I particularly enjoy the projects that involve multiple medias and formats, maybe because I take as much satisfaction from the 'bigger picture' of a project as I do from designing/tweaking the finer details ñ anything from creating a graphic animation and website to work in unison ( Space: http://www.manvsmachine.co.uk/?work=space ), to designing the set and choreographing a funny little dance for a TV promo ( Popworld: http://www.manvsmachine.co.uk/?work=popworld ).

Design courses often include contextual studies (design history) modules in the curriculum, is this relevant?
Probably more so now than ever, due to modern design trends being so disposable.

If yes, are there any artists or designers from the past that have influenced you or that you particularly appreciate the work of?
Lance Wyman / Otl Aicher / Saul Bass / Stanley Kubrick / David Hockney / Stanislaw Lem / Douglas Adams / Edward De Bono.

Are there any current designers or design studios that have influenced you or that you particularly appreciate the work of?
Acne & a genuine multidisciplinary design company based in Stockholm. I appreciate the ethos just as much as the work itself.

Also big respect for: Psyop / Made Thought / Universal Everything / Digital Kitchen / Marc Jacobs / Zeitguised / Aesthetic Apparatus / Josh Keyes / Tara Donovan.

What kind of music do you have on your ipod?
Anything and everything. Current most played:
Beirut / Robyn / The Knife / Bobby Conn / Cat Stevens / Passion Pit / Minotaur Shock / Johnny Cash / Chromeo / Studio / The Welcome Wagon / Le Tigre / Isobell Campbell & Mark Lanegan.

Do you listen to the radio?
Yes, particularly Gideon Coe's show on BBC 6Music (weeknights 9ñ12).

What books are on you currently reading?
'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follet and 'Call Me Ted' by Bill Burke.

What kind of clothes do you find uncool?
A wise old owl once said to me "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" ...doesn't answer the question but it's a nice little saying.

The cinema has long been a source of inspiration for designers, are there any movies (or directors) that you particularly like and if so why?
Too many to mention, a few that resonate particularly strongly:
Black Cat White Cat / Fight Club / Julien Donkey Boy / Requiem For A Dream / Gallivant / Donnie Darko / American Psycho.

Where do you work on your design projects and what would be your ideal environment for this?
Itís a bonus to have a studio that reflects your design principles, but for me, the people and general atmosphere around you are probably more important than the place itself.

When you work, what do you need?
1. Time.
2. Money.

Can you describe the design process that you employ in your work?
We tend not to have a set process. We structure each project according to the nature of the job/client (sounds wanky, I know). I guess it makes it more exciting for us too - variety is good.

Is typography important?
I'm a type geek, so there are few things more important to me.

When you were young, did you always want to become a designer?
Not really, I came in to design through the side door. After a decidedly uncreative education Broadway High School in St.Helens, I started as a mechanical engineering apprentice at Pilkington Glass. Those two years were extremely valuable, in that they taught me exactly what I didn't want to do! ...and having observed a friend's brother working on HND Graphic Design projects I became interested, he suggested I go and have a chat with a certain Mr. Green at St.Helens College... and it started there.

In your opinion, are there ethics in design?
There are certainly ethical responsibilities when considering the content/topic of a piece of design due to the ultimate aim being to stimulate, influence or even change the thoughts of the another person. Looking from another angle, these social values can also be used as a publicity tool by design/art by intentionally defying what is considered to be acceptable.

What is the best time of the day?
When you wake up and realise you're still alive.

Do you read design magazines?
I wish the answer was yes, as good magazine design is an art in itself, but no, mostly blogs nowadays.

Is news important and if so where do you receive news from?
Depends. Information is good, but not when it's all negative scare mongering.
No news is good news:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9wHFlxW606o

Do you have any pets?
No.

If the answer to the last question is no and you had the opportunity in the future, what would you choose if anything?
A dyslexic dolphin called Bingo.

Who would you most like to design something for?
Liverpool Football Club - I reckon the current club crest/brand could do with a refresh.

To what would you most like to apply design?
It would be an amazing challenge to design/style all aspects of an airline, from creating the logo and applying it as livery on the aircrafts, to directing/animating the in-flight safety film.

Do you discuss your work with other designers?
To a certain degree. Collaborations between companies are increasingly common in the design community because it can often lead to a better end product. For example, we (ManvsMachine) are currently working on a full rebrand of the Sci Fi channel in collaboration with Proud Creative.

Is copyright protection an issue for you or your studio?
Not so far.

What are the challenges facing design schools?
Balancing the importance of ideas and technology, the same challenges faced by the industry, hence the reason we decided on the name: Man vs Machine.

Do you have any advice for students of design?
If you donít love design then don't try and make a living out of it, all the most successful designers I know are genuinely passionate about their work. It must be your hobby as well as your job.

Do you have any advice for the young?
Leave your mark.

Is there anything about the future that worries you?
The young.

Jan 2009
http://manvsmachine.co.uk/