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 :)

Happy Sunday from Designer Island...

Designer: Marlon Darbeau 'Jazz On The Beach'

Designer Marlon Darbeau gives us a behind the scenes look at designing the set for Mt Irvine 'Jazz On the Beach' 2012.

See more here.

At the Callaloo Company in Trinidad. Making the set.

Jazz On The Beach Mt. Irvine Bay

Photos courtesy marlondarbeau.blogspot.com

Arc Magazine's 5th Issue is out!

Arc Magazine Issue 5 cover

Arc Magazine's 5th issue has been released and I anxiously await adding it to my collection!

Since the first issue that I had the pleasure of being featured in, Arc holds a special spot on my desk (not even my book shelf; I keep them close).

With amazing artist and writers, the fifth issue also promises a limited edition run of Trinidadian artsit Rodell Warner's Riskzine, which was created in January as a part of a Commonwealth Connections Residency in South Africa.

Featured artist, Surinamese Charl Landvreugd interacts with Dutch scholar, cultural critic and writer Rob Perée to produce Don’t talk Black, Do Black.

And Jamaican jeweller and metal smith Jasmine Thomas-Girvan’s recent body of work, ‘Gardening in the Tropics’, who's exhibit I was fortunate enough to attend and was in awe of.

I'm completely in love with the cover artwork by Charl Landvreugd and I'm very excited to see what else is in there.

Get your copy of the new issue at Arc.

'Pictures From Paradise' - Book Launch

On Thursday I went to the launch of the book, ‘Pictures From Paradise’,
A Survey of Contemporary Caribbean Photography.

The launch was held at Medulla Art Gallery in Woodbrook, Trinidad.
The book comprised of the works of 18 Artist from 7 Caribbean Countries.

While the book is titled Pictures From Paradise, the images inside are anything but the stereotypical sun, sea, sand and coconut trees you’d be accustomed seeing portraying the Caribbean.

They are real images of the our experiences, realities and lives. They are contradictions of a diverse range - beautiful, unique stories even where similarities exist.

We all live on an island and while our islands are not far from each other we often seem isolated when we in fact have so much in common, so much to share with each other and so much more to gain from being more connected.



‘Pictures From Paradise’
Published by Robert & Christopher Publishers in Trinidad and Tobago.
Editors: Melanie Archer and Mariel Brown
Essay by: O’Niel Lawerence
Designed by: Richard Rawlins

Designing Trinidad Lookbook

my desk at work

 Hi everyone! Check out my post and behind the scenes look at designing Trinidad Lookbook's primer print magazine on my personal blog TanyaMarie and look out very soon for my new video post on Caribbean designers and what they're up to in our 'Designer Island' series.

Hope everyone's new year is going great so far!

The Caribbean or Island Aesthetic with Ayanna Gillian Lloyd

Ayanna Gillian Lloyd is a  Writer and Blogger. 

She is currently a Literatures in English Teacher at the prestigious Bishop Anstey High School in Port of Spain Trinidad and pursuing a masters at Arthur Lock Jack Graduate School of Business studying Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

Ayanna currently writes one of my favourite blogs about Literature and Culture and is very interested in the creative industries. 

She's a beautiful smart woman and I totally admire her (and wish I had her brain!)

I've also quoted her in one of my earlier post; 'So Island, Anya Ayoung-Chee. A Sense of Pride."

Because of Ayanna absolute smarts and genuine interest in the Arts and in how to make creative industries here better I had to ask her the question, 'What does the term Caribbean Aesthetic mean to you?' 

Please check out the video and leave your thoughts by commenting! :)

'I think it's something that moves along a spectrum of influences and you can't really define it. It depends on your where you sit, where you're from, where you start, where you reach, where you going.' -Ayanna Gillian Lloyd

The recording and editing of this video post was done by Photographer; Kibwe Brathwaite

Alex Smailes: Does the term 'Caribbean' or 'Island Aesthetic' mean anything to you?

Alex Smailes.
Photo by Ryan Goodman

Alex Smailes is a photographer and a Director at a Brand Engineering Agency
in Trinidad and Tobago — Abovegroup Ogilvy. 

Alex:  At first it's easy to stereotype and answer on gut reactions, such as: Barbados understands style & grace, has historic preservation laws in place, immaculate public services that work and keep organic roadside development at bay. In terms of innovation, for years they have had rain water collection and mandatory solar heating. Many areas are serviced by electrical and fibre optics underground rather than ugly overhead lines. Someone invented a garbage bin that fits into a hole in the ground with a clip lid, so dogs don't strewn rotten food and nappies over the streets each morning. Vagrants are actually part of the solution and provide a fantastic, profitable glass recycling programme. Okay – mostly human functional aspects, but ultimately it adds to the general aesthetic by allowing the environment, urban or countryside, to breathe.  

Smaller islands from old English, Dutch or French equally influence a tranquil harmonious relationship with the human footprint and the surround space people live in. It feels quieter, a sense of calm, colour palettes blend with the surrounding hills or forest. Jamaica with its hundreds of years heritage is proud and celebrate the historical classic buildings they have left. Even Haiti, Port au Prince once the richest, most developed and most strategically important island nations had almost been caught in a time vacuum and (prior to the earthquake) was still one of the most beautiful cities in the Caribbean. If you scraped away the decades of blood, sweat and tears.

Trinidad, my island of residence inspires me everyday. From handmade iron burglar proofing designs that are clearly influenced from art nouveau, deco movements. A hand painted sign at the side of the street, by someone who could not decide what he was trying to sell on such a small sign and wrote- Water nuts. I sometimes presume watermelon, sometimes coconuts depending on supplies, price or mood. For my personal work, it rains for half the year here, much of my photography work is dark, grey, moody, backdrops of unpainted breeze blocks, a recycled galvanize out of necessity not social consciousness, a wooden door now a wall.

Unfortunately, there is a greater force of distaste spreading, on the grand scale it is felt in the urban development plans of various governments, destruction of green spaces, walkways, spaces for humans to interact, eradication of historic buildings. Major design decisions are in the hands of just the wrong people and committees. On a smaller scale, one of the worst destroyers of our daily aesthetic – the deadly combination of photoshop and affordable large format vinyl printing. This will or has already destroyed our daily visual journey I'm afraid.

Thankfully I'm surrounded everyday by very talented and driven people willing to learn, push themselves and absorb from the global community when needed. They figure out how to produce work that is locally relevant, yet to international standards. I truly believe we can keep chipping away and producing great work that stands out and is noticed.

It's up to the older generation of trained creatives to share knowledge and experience, if the younger ones listen, we may be able to keep the aesthetic killers at bay for a while.


Alex worked on his first book, Trinidad and Tobago, for the first two years after returning to this country. Published by Macmillan, it was designed by Gareth and represented the first joint project between the two. Along with third partner Sam (who is now based in London), Abovegroup was formed shortly afterwards.

*Photos of Alex's book courtesy Abovegroup Ogilvy

So Island! - Anya Ayoung Chee. A Sense of PRIDE.

Anya Ayoung-Chee photo to the right taken by Laura Ferreira

I had such an intense sense of pride when Anya Ayoung Chee was pronounced the winner of Project Runway Season 9 last week!

Trini to D Bone Island to D Bone!

She chose to stick to who she was and where she came from and it made me feel all kinds of excited when her models came down the runway and when Heidi announced that she had won!

In the last few years of my 20's, as I approach my 30's with a sense of love and pride for who I am and where I am from so this couldn't have been more perfect in timing to see.

I've been told so many times that being from the Caribbean meant that I couldn't be more than just that- 'island' and that nothing was good unless it was 'foreign' and if I did a design that was 'good' I was instantly told it was so 'cause it look foreign' because 'local' is a dirty dirty word... possible sandy...

But I am from here, of here, proud, curious and full of aspiration not bound by the salt water and the coconut trees.

I am inspired and interested by many things local and international

I don't think with the boundaries of the so-called 'Caribbean Aesthetic' in my mind but I am happily aware of and in love with them and how it inspires me.

Anya 'Did her' and no one else. She did it with absolute pride and integrity and I admire that fully.

"Who knew we could look so good? Who knew that our style, our freedom, the sexiness of just being so island could look so good on a world stage? Who knew that one of our own could just look so chic and sophisticated and confident? We always say that we are excellent and can compete on the world stage but I wonder sometimes whether we really believe it, whether we really believed she would win. We are accustomed to honourable mention, to second place, to the bronze medal and we celebrate that because we know when you are from a small place you are just glad to be there, to represent, to wave your flag and say, “Look we! We here too!” But this time, we won!"- Ayanna Gillian Lloyd- 'Anya Ayoung-Chee From The Caribbean To The World'

A Colour Story... 'South Sunday'

I have a folder on my desktop of over 2000 pictures of things I call beautiful. They range from clothes, shoes, interiors, jewelry and furniture to sites and scenes (local and foreign) all either photographed by myself, a friend or borrowed from the internet. It all inspires my design aesthetic in some way. I am curious about everything. I am excited to learn new things and I am never ashamed to say 'I Don't Know'.

As a Designer you should be curious about everything and have your mind and eye always ready to absorb because creativity is the connecting of things learnt, things developed, things evolved, things felt and things absorbed; A synthesis of things experienced with things new.

From San Fernando to the Temple in the Sea - Trinidad

  

Today was 'South Sunday' with my friends. We got up early and met to take a trip to South Trinidad so we can say hello to friends, eat some good food, take a drink or two, and enjoy the scenery and drive.

Besides needing the relaxation from my thoughts and the routine of the 'north'  I looked forward to taking random pictures of things, textures and colours from which I could pull colour palettes.


Not only is this a hobby of mine but also an excellent work practice that comes in very handywhen designing brands and Brand guides for clients at work.

Colour is also a great way to start my thought process in design if I'm not starting with word association or inspired by a font after reading the brand audit.

In my ongoing desire to pull ideas and inspiration from my life around me, it's so interesting to discover the colours around you that add such vibrancy to a palette, often in combinations and shades you may not have otherwise put together yourself. But nature combines them for you...

Temple in the Sea- Central Trinidad.

'I am Clearest when I Feel with what I Think. – Everything Inspires’ me.' 

Where do you find your inspiration?

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.

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.'