COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COMopportunities or blocks to arrange on a
page. Supporting and expressing the ideas
and emotions within the words is what
I find interesting about working with Tom.
His poetry acts as both brief and content
for me. The writing gives me loads to think
about as it unfolds from draft to final poem.
I’ll read and reflect initially, listen to what
Tom has to say about it and share my own
instinctive responses. By talking openly,
concepts emerge from both sides. How it
should feel comes first and how it should
look follows. Agreement happens when the
ideas feel right to both of us.How does Naomi’s Poem differ to your first
collaboration, Twelve Moons of Madness?
TS: Naomi’s Poem is a single, long poem,
whereas our first publication was made
up of 12 individual poems. That definitely
changes how you approach the design
and reader experience. And because it was
our second piece, we’d developed a
shared language, which made some
discussions easier.
KT: It was a similar process, but definitely
more open and natural as a result of our
previous work. With the subject matter
of this piece, it was important to feel
comfortable discussing something so big
yet so personal.AUGUST 2019 COLLABORATIONS
How did you decide on the design of
Naomi’s Poem?
KT: The concept of the poem was clear, and
it was in progress before we started talking
about design. Tom is totally at home with
designers and his work is full of incredible
imagery. It’s unsurprising that he already
had some really clear feelings on the tone,
and some specific ideas he wanted to
explore. These became my starting points.
The idea of the French folds was arrived at
much later, and that brought everything
else together within the reading experience.What makes a good collaboration?
TS: Large egos, in that you desire to produce
something for the ages. No egos, so that you
step aside for another person’s better ideas.
KT: Listening. I think it’s about being
interested in other people and how they
think. As long as I respect someone
creatively, I have no problem sharing
the process wholeheartedly. You have to
let go of ego a bit, and feel okay about
leaving your comfort zone.
The projects I enjoy most are usually
collaborative, within creative teams but
also with clients. It’s not always easy,
especially at first, and it can make people
feel vulnerable, but it does tend to be richer
when you let other minds in.Readers have to rip open the French folds of
Naomi’s Poem (top and left) in order to read
it. Twelve Moons of Madness (above) explores
poet and creative director Tom Sharp’s
mindset on each full moon of a year.