Designer Island

We have launched our website designerislandlife.com finally!

We look forward to sharing with you stories of the makers of our beautiful twin island republic, Trinidad and Tobago and the neighboring Caribbean islands.

I have consistently been passionate about where I am from and even more so about becoming more aware of the creatively interesting things people are doing, writing and making from the Caribbean.

Designer island started as a school project while I was dabbling in a Communication degree at COSTAATT. While I never finished the program (due to disappointments in some aspects) the time spent was completely fruitful in tickling my interest to attempting to understand what the idea of the Caribbean Aesthetic is and this idea has been growing and coming to life on designerislandlife.com.

My very good friend Ayanna, joined me in the last year to develop the website when she came along as an editor and it is our hope that Designer Island continues to grow and be collaborative.

I've had the pleasure of interviewing some really interesting people like photographer; Alex Smailes, designer and artist; Richard Mark Rawlins, designer; Marlon Darbeau an soon to be posted jeweler and maker; Jade Drakes who we interviewed over breakfast at her home.

Designer island is not just about creatives, but about expanding the idea of who we are as a Caribbean, West Indian people and showing how it expands from spending Sunday mornings on the beach to shopping at Organic Green Market's on Saturdays, attending Fashion shows, Art exhibits, dining and being jet setting industrial designers and jewelers and store owners. It's about how the folks who maybe that don't club on and island entertain themselves, lime, hangout and sip wine at our favourite wine bars, go hiking in the rainforest and then go to work on a Monday morning. It's abut our varying passions.

I hope you enjoy our offering and leave us comments and feedback.
Get in touch with us and welcome to designer island life.

Let us so you why we're so island :)

Island Identity...On Caribbean or Island Aesthetic with Katinka Bukh

Katinka Bukh is the Director for katbukh design ltd.

She was formerly a Creative Director for Abovegroup, Trinidad.
Business Relations and Strategy Care part of position.
Abovegroup is now partnered up with Ogilvy and now called AbovegroupOgilvy.

Does the term 'Caribbean' or 'Island Aesthetic' mean anything to you 

and if so what?

As a Danish Creative Director having worked in Trinidad for a year

I found that ..

Its a small world containing a lot of worlds.

I had almost no knowledge about the Caribbean. But somehow I felt that since I'm from a small place myself - an island in fact :) - it was not to different, from a human perspective.

From a design perspective it was very different. Mostly because the confusion about what a local expression should look like. And what good design is.

Essentially there are two things I feel drive the creative process towards finding that answer in the region - its curiosity and diversity.

You can't create good design without being curious. Almost nosy in fact. You have to know everything about anything- everywhere. That makes a good designer. Cause inspirations comes from all places.

There is a sense, I feel, that there is .. a shame in looking towards other countries in the quest of finding a visual Caribbean identity. I don't agree. We all have to look in and outwards to find great answers to great questions. And we all leave our mark.

So everything coming out of the Caribbean is already Caribbean, being it good or bad.

And it leads me to the energy which springs out of the diversity that exist here. There is such a strong presence in a island cause it is by nature isolated. So here we are - close together with a distant dream of other places beyond the horizon. We are all coming from somewhere else, even it's generations ago. Its a strong history to share. I think being a young nation matters a lot. But it matters in a good way. There is no set way of doing things. There is a lot of pioneering.

New ways to be discovered. And a will to do it.

As a European having worked in three countries I dont know anymore if I'm a 'danish designer'. Where does inspiration come from? I know what my cultures aesthetic past is - for better and for worse, but does that make me that? For me its not so important anymore, because I feel as a part of the globalisation having worked in 3 countries with people from all over the world.

But when I'm in Denmark I can see it is important because its the visual clothes we wear. How we make things look tells a story about who we are. To each other and the rest of the world.

I cant wait to see more art, fashion, design, branding etc coming out of the cracks and corners of the Caribbean.

And I feel happy and privileged being a small part of that world.

Katinka Bukh

Island Identity... Does the term Caribbean or Island Aesthetic mean anything to you?

I'm starting a mini series asking questions about 'Caribbean or Island Aesthetic.'

So between colour palettes, design work and beautiful pictures, expect to get some discussion about this from some of the designers, writers, artists, creative directors, directors and other friends of mine.

Some of these interview answers will be presented in written post and later a few will be video recorded. I hope you find the answers to these as interesting as I do and you share your views!

Island Identity 1.

Richard Mark Rawlins is a Graphic Designer/Photographer/Artist/Creative Director, working in advertising in Trinidad for the last twenty years. Rawlins is the publisher of the online magazine Draconian Switch (www.artzpub.com) . Draconian Switch is currently in the GLOBAL AFRICA PROJECT at the Museum of Arts and Design.

Richard Mark Rawlins
photo by Rodell Warner

Does the term Caribbean or Island Aesthetic mean anything to you and if so what?

I think it's a matter of perception, exposure and age.

Island Aesthetic

Age:

At 44 I am a post independence child. That means that I was part of a new movement heading towards a nationhood building.

The smallness and expectation of "ISLAND" culture never entered into my psyche at all. Black power was another nation shaping thing in a sense that set to put the "islandness" of things in another place once and for all.

I had aunts and uncles in UWI involved in the movement, that was about 'black pride'. That shaped me.

Pride in self and seeing yourself as beautiful was foremost.

Exposure:

A decade of living in a north america opened my mind to a bigger world of possibilities, but not a wanting for replacement of what I had. If anything it left me with an even bigger sense of pride and place and appreciation for what I had an where I came from.

All my national pride moments came from a place of "countryman " pride vs island pride.

While I understand the clichéd...a small island nation that went before a Ms. Universe, or a Miss Worldor a Hasely Crawford or an Ato Boldon or Dwight Yorke or Brian Lara, the bigger understanding was always nationhood and people power.

Perception:

I don't work in an environment or rather I am not around many "foriegners" or expats. 

My country is seen through my eyes as just that "my country". I really don't ascribe an aesthethic to it other than a love of "BREEZE" blocks. In recent times I've heard the "island" culture discussion coming from my own people, and I guess I would have to link it to their relationships to the large amount of Europeans that are now working  alongside them.

I think the fraternization has created a psuedo-aesthetic actually. One in which the local re-inteprates their landscape through foriegn eyes. So much so that they themselves see their country as an island and adopt terms like the 'locals' , when they themselves are the locals.

Final analysis:

The discussion should really be around Banana Republicanism and the Carnivalesque adsurdity of our Political systems rather than about our Caribbean or Island Aesthetic.

Draconian Switch is an Art and Design e-magazine published in Trinidad and Tobago by Richard Rawlins with the collaboration of a group of artists, designers, and writers. The Magazine’s primary goal is to feature the work of CONTEMPORARY artist currently working in Trinidad and Tobago or with GLOBAL Caribbean connections.

Comitted To Caribbean Beauty- 'Immortelle Beauty' A Product of International Cosmetic Quality, Created for the Caribbean Woman...

 

In January 2011 I worked on the Identity, Branding and package Design for 'Immortelle Beauty' 

'Immortelle Beauty is  a newly formed Caribbean Cosmetic company. Immortelle Beauty strives to create elegant, safe, cost-effective, and efficacious products which appeal to all West Indian women. These products will be the bridge which connects the advanced European, Asian and North American cosmetic technologies with the Caribbean consumer. Quality products made with the Caribbean woman in mind....' Kathryn Nurse, the creator and founder of Immortelle Beauty is a Trinidadian Woman  to watch out for! Working with her to create her brand was an absolute joy as she was a fantastic client who like me did not see her self as limited to living on an island. Her aspirations, goals, wants, taste and expectations were tremendous. The aim was BEAUTIFUL and nothing less. Abovegroup Ogilvy started work on this project in 2010 with an intensive brand analysis by the strategy team and then conceptualising the design began.    The colour palette and textures of Immortelle Beauty’s Brand was inspired by the ocean, beaches, plants; sugarcane plant, avocados, plum.   The aim was to create a brand that could easily rival any international brand but clearly was special and echoed tailored hints of the Caribbean.    To read more about creating the brand for Immorettle Beauty go here What do you think when you think about Local Brands?

An Island Identity

My name is Tanya Marie Williams and I have always been obsessed with design, advertising, books, products, style and beautiful things.

I'm a graphic designer on an island, working for a brand engineering firm, creating and developing brands. I work with and know some amazingly gifted and intellectual artists, designers, architects, strategists, photographers, writers and fantastic inspiring people!

Some of these great people were born and raised on the island. Others were born here but grew up and went to school abroad then came back home with degrees and different experiences. Some people aren't at all from the island but the melting pot of amazingness adds to my 'wordly-island view'

I'd love for you to share your views and comments with me while I continue to craft  

my idea of an 'island aesthetic.'