Introducing the collective: 

Carli

Carli is our designer and illustrator with an MA from Cambridge School of Art, a BA in Graphic Communication and a fearless creative attitude. She loves to experiment with bold colour palettes and her favourite part of the design process is the ideas stage; allowing herself time to play and experiment.

Interview

Where are you based?

I am based in Cambridgeshire.

In a nutshell, what’s your creative experience, skill set and responsibilities?

I have a BA in Graphic Communications and an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. I’ve been a freelance designer since 2019. My skill set is ideas, artwork and colour. I love to experiment with bold colour palettes and my favourite part of the design process is the ideas stage; allowing myself time to play and really experiment. All of my design begins with hand drawn sketches, be it logos or illustrations, and involving an element of craft where possible is important to me.

What’s one surprising source of inspo that influences your work?

I like to cross pollinate across artistic genres; I may be inspired by an architectural feature, a piece of music, fashion, fine art.

Who’s your creative hero?

My creative heroes are people who have been unafraid to express themselves without compromise, who have defied sticking to one art form, and who have continuously pushed themselves to explore and experiment; David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Salvador Dali, Georgia O’Keefe, David Lynch, Tilda Swinton, Thom Yorke.

What’s your creative point of view (pov)?

For me, human emotion, communicating truth, and hand craft underpin all design. Imperfections and mistakes can lead to brilliant ideas. Without the human touch, AI art and design lacks soul and can only be a mimicry. I may be a Luddite but I think it’s important to keep the knowledge of traditional ways of making things alive.

If your design style had a theme song, what would it be?

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Freebird

What would you be if you weren’t a designer?

If I wasn’t a designer, I’d be a song writer – I like creating and producing music, although I haven’t done this for a long time. Or a journalist or writer.

What would you say is the value of working with Slade Design to a business owner who’s still deciding?

When you work with Slade Design, you get the benefit of the varied experience of different team members as well as Richard’s leadership. We all care very much about the work we produce and view each project as a way to make our clients shine.