Stevo is a Dublin born Animator & Illustrator. He moved to London in the mid 90’s to pursue a career in traditional animation. It was here; through work at a new media company he was introduced to Flash animation. Having learnt about new media, web design and authoring, Stevo was employed by boo.com. Since then he has worked for a vast array of companies both in full time and freelance positions. He is currently working freelance from his studio in East London.

Which of your design projects have given you the most satisfaction?
The 1’s I’ve art directed, designed and animated myself… very rare ;)

Design courses often include contextual studies (design history) modules in the curriculum, is this relevant?
It might not seem so starting out, but yes I believe it is very important to know where art has come from and how it has developed over time. You can never have too much knowledge or avenues for your inspiration. The best chance of getting inspired is to have an open mind.

If yes, are there any artists or designers from the past that have influenced you or that you particularly appreciate the work of?
Hmmm…Yeah I’ve never really felt directly influenced by any artist or designer… more inspired by tings I’ve seen. The first designers I ever thought were cool were TDR. They definitely inspired me to learn Illustrator and Flash when I first started out about 10 years ago. I’m inspired by allsorts of things these days which is how I like it! Hi-Res were rocking it when I was learning Flash. They were a big inspiration… they produced a flash site for Amon Tobin about 10 years ago which is still Sweet! ;)

Are there any current designers or design studios that have influenced you or that you particularly appreciate the work of?
Yeah I appreciate companies who push the limits of what can be done technically and creatively. Interactive design is going through major changes over the past few years with the introduction of broadband. It’s funny, 10 years ago optimization was a huge issue for designing flash websites. Now that that’s a ting of the past the boundries are so much wider, it’s great!

People pushing it at the moment are…
Companies: Allofus / UsTWo / Universal Everything
Illustrators: Taplabs / John Slade / Superexpresso

What kind of music do you have on your ipod?
Hip Hop / Electronica / Rock 70’s 80’s and the rest

Do you listen to the radio?
Yeah I listen to BBC6 in the morning until George feckin’ Lamb comes on. I also listen to Smooth FM and Annie Nightingale’s show on Radio, Stacey Tough on pointblankFM, and KickFm for the non-stop 80’s Select.

What books are on you currently reading?
Altered State by Matthew Collin and John Godfrey. ☺

What kind of clothes do you find uncool?
Speedos are very uncool

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?
Yeah I like allsorts, I’m easily entertained… my favourite films for obvious reasons are… The Big Lebowski, Blade Runner, Scarface, The Champ, The Dark Night and Fantasia.

Where do you work on your design projects and what would be your ideal environment for this?
I work in my studio in East London on all of my projects. I think this is the best place for me right now. As long as I’m happy I can work anywhere. The guys I share with are all very easy going. Hey lads!

When you work, what do you need?
A Mac or PC with Illustrator, Flash, Photoshop,Internet, notepad, pencils, a lightbox, lots and lots and lots of coffee ☺

Can you describe the design process that you employ in your work?
Usual ting really, I sit with my client and get some ideas of what they want. Then I go away and scamp up my ideas based on those discussions. Then I run them by my client. If they’re happy I mock up some visuals either in Photoshop or Illustrator. Next stage is to get sign off on those. After this production starts which again, I carefully coordinate with the client. I won’t ever do more than a couple of days work without running it by the client for feedback. Earlier in my career I would try to finish something before showing to the client. More often than not they would want to make changes which would mean altering a whole weeks work… Ouch! Try to show them a work in progress as often as possible. It covers you and them in case it all goes belly up ;)

Is typography important?
Typography is important of course but not to me personally, I’ve no interest in it… Well what I mean is is that I don’t know much about it. I believe that Typography needs to be learnt separately. It’s a discipline in itself, the same way animation is. I might do a course in it someday… or maybe not ☺

When you were young, did you always want to become a designer?
No I just knew that I had no interest in Studying and doing exams for years. School was the most stressful period of my life. I still have exam nightmares ha ha

In your opinion, are there ethics in design?
Yeah but I’m definitely not the man to talk to about it

What is the best time of the day?
3am. Everyone else is sleepin’ 

Do you read design magazines?
No… well sometimes, I try not to

Is news important and if so where do you receive news from?
Of course news is important… I watch the News at 10 and use the BBC News website to see wha gwan ;) Also I keep an eye on the stock markets hourly to see how my shares are doing.

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 Liger

Who would you most like to design something for?
Scarlett Johansson

To what would you most like to apply design?
I’d like to make her some PYKY underwear. I’m working on
the prototype as we speak… BAM!

Do you discuss your work with other designers?
No, not unless we are collaborating on a project together

Is copyright protection an issue for you or your studio?
Yeah though not so much for me… most of my work is digital
1 of the guys here had a load of his illustration work ripped off last year by this Dutch guy. He tried to persue it through his agent but found out there was nothing he could do…Crazy! The best way to protect your work for free is to date it and post it to yourself… oh and don’t open the envelope when you get it ;) Then there’s ACID who are pretty cheap and do a good job if you’re worried about getting ripped off.

What are the challenges facing design schools?
The most challenging ting is to get across to students…
No matter what it ends up looking like… IDEA IS KING!

Do you have any advice for students of design?
Keep an open mind to everything
Party hard!

Do you have any advice for the young?
If you have any interest in anything creative or otherwise get started early. You’re never too early to start. Experience is opportunity. Seize the day! There are more courses in England than anywhere else in the world so noe excuses

Good Luck!

Is there anything about the future that worries you?
No not at all… Bring it on!

http://pykystudio.com/