Athletics: Ideas in Context

The old adage about too many cooks spoiling the broth doesn't seem to apply to New York-based creative collective, Athletics. Its slew of members are versed in a variety of disciplines, from music to film to graphic design to digital. As individuals, they pursue their own dreams and projects, and as a collective are able to pool together their vast set of talents to bring their clients experiences which may not have been possible otherwise. Behance caught up with Matt Owens to see how the squad clears hurdles like organizational issues, inspiration sources and the importance of personal expression in professional surrounds.

Our team has long been proponents of generating ideas in moderation, and building boxes for them to live in. Athletics thinks along the same lines, and stores their ideas away for later. "Every idea has potential. One innovation can be built upon the next. To this end, every idea can be applied to a context that can make it work. We have so many good ideas that have been shut down -- story boards, logo ideas, web site designs, anything visual. All of these approaches are filed in a library where they can be accessed or re-visited. Every client has its own needs and the end result is specific to the client's needs, so if other ideas come to light and are not used, these should be considered ammunition for future projects, not things to be discarded. It's all about context. An idea that might be wrong for one project might be the perfect solution for another."

Athletics has also found that following a set process every time helps creativity, rather than hinders it.  "The key to staying organized is to treat all projects the same and to apply a process to every project. Whether it's personal or a professional, establishing your own process and sticking with it will help keep a project on track. For us, a process serves as a guideline that helps define the order in which things need to occur; often a creative idea may spur another idea or lead in a new direction. As a designer, a process can help you keep track of your ideas and help you better manage your time. We always have a paper trail that documents ideas and what has been done. We also work hard to present information in the most efficient way possible -- I want the designer on a project to have the most amount of time to do what they do best: design. To do this, it may require the producer on the project to put together a clear brief and work with the art director to provide clear creative direction."

But, unwilling to fall into a funk, and remembering that the core essence of their work lies in creative stimulation, the team is prepared to seek out anything required to help stoke those fires. "Any designer needs to lead a full life. Your work is only as interesting and informed as you are. If you sit in front of your computer all day and do not read and explore and go see art and music and culture then your work will suffer. Inspiration goes beyond just surfing Google images or Flickr for the right reference. If design culture is the equivalent of a good dinner party, then you should be able to chat about a range of ideas and topics. This versatility will make you a better creative person and fuel you with new ideas. We can all learn the newest software but few of us can translate our experience and ideas into smart design solutions."

The motivation to better themselves as individual designers, as well as a team, drives them to consider the impact of design past their own house, so to speak. "I think we all want to do good work for ourselves as well as clients -- it's not so much a mission as it is a state of mind. From our studio model to our working process, we hope that we are showing ourselves, clients and the design community as a whole that we have a unique perspective on the discipline and are trying to push ourselves to do better work. I feel there is always more to learn and always room to grow. To be a good designer you must also be a fan and supporter of design and see the discipline in the larger context of art making and cultural production. I think that we embrace the larger vision of what design can be as well as the smaller joys of doing something well."

With this in mind, Owens offers this advice for any and every designer: "[You need to have your] own perspective and communicate that to clients personally and through the work. Your work is only as unique and interesting as you are, and communicating your unique perspective on design is what will distinguish you and your work from everyone else."