Interview in Progress with Creative Director and Designer Marlon Darbeau

Marlon Darbeau is a Designer and the Creative Director of Abovegroup Ogilvy

Brand Enginnering Agency. He is a collaborator in the Alice Yard initiative. He is a 'Maker' and he is also my manager and friend for almost a decade now!

I wanted to talk to Marlon and get his view on the aesthetic learning curve and design.

You'll see his video soon and a new shooting location says Kibwe... 

I hope you're all are doing great!

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!

'POTHOUND (2011)' - A Short Film

I am not at all the kind of person you'd call a 'dog lover' I've never owned a pet in my life other that a few fish which as far as I'm concerned don't count. But this short film about a 'Pot Hound' by Chris and Lizelle Guiness. Two Trini born creatives, was too cool and too well done not to share and they're right 'Dogs are Cool'.

Take a look, share and adopt an animal from your local animal shelter 'pet lovers'!

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?