On Design: ACTUAL SOURCE

I read that you first met in 2004. How did you meet, and when and why did you decide to start working together creatively?

We met at our friend Chaunte’s house in Provo. We stayed friends, and about four years later, we both attended design school at the same time. In 2013, Davis moved back to Utah from LA and started working as a designer at a tech company in Provo. I got hired there later that year, and we’ve worked together ever since.

You’ve now worked together for over ten years, how has your relationship and collaborative style changed over that time?

It’s actually exactly the same. We are like family; we have been sitting next to each other for over 12 years. We are constantly showing things to each other throughout the day. If we both like something, then we will take it further.

How has the broader industry you work within, and the kinds of work you’re drawn to, and sought out for, changed too?

We work within a pretty niche area of design. I don’t know if it's changed all that much. We have been working with many of the same people since we started the studio. We like these types of long-term projects and relationships.

Actual Source is a very multifaceted operation: You run a bookstore, have a studio practice, and create books, apparel and objects. Before we go into each of these aspects, I want to ask broadly how the different parts of what you do influence, and interact with, each other?

We really see all of those things as one big project. Everything we make is influenced by our previous work and research.

As a studio you work on a broad range of projects, from books, to websites, to visual identities for physical spaces. How do you design for different mediums? And what kinds of things do you consider when you take on a new project like this?   

We tend to approach all projects in a similar way. We start with research and sketches, and then find ideas that we gravitate towards. It can be something visual, it can be humour, or it can be materiality, etc. It’s just a process of collecting ideas and seeing how they can fit together in a convincing way.

What have you learned from running a book store? 

That we need to sell more than books to make it work. We are always trying to improve how we do and make things while keeping it fun. 

Do you think you need variety to stay stimulated creatively? 

We are happiest when we have different types of projects in the studio. That's why we built our design practice around so many of our varied interests.

You created Antenne’s new website. How did you arrive at the final design, and what felt important to you in terms of what you wanted to communicate?

A lot of the functionality of the website was determined by the needs that Marius had. The look and feel of the site is an extension of the new visual identity we had been working on the previous year with the Antenne team. We needed to make something that could grow with them as a distributor and express the attitude of the brand.

How was it to design for another book store? 

Very fun. It is also fun to work with friends and think about how to make the experience of buying books better.

In your work, broadly, I can see an ongoing inventiveness and a willingness to try new industries and approaches. Is there a project, or even field, that you would love to work on in the future?

We would love to work on more physical environments.