Two Times Elliott on the experimental workshops that improve their client work, process and morale

Since mid-2021, we have been developing a series of workshops following long periods of independent working. These workshops are an informal opportunity to experiment as a team through varying disciplinary outputs.

“Since the start of my design career – travelling back to university days, I’ve always enjoyed non-conformity and deconstruction. Throughout my education, the design schools I have attended are known for being ‘experimental’ and this informs my approach to briefs – be it personal, client or self-initiated. It came naturally to me, to create a set of frameworks for the studio alongside the founder, James, so that everyone could benefit. As a studio, it's crucial to keep expanding our routes to creativity both from a thought perspective as well as practical development. To collaborate and learn from others around us is vital to our reasons for a number of initiatives the studio passionately develops – including this series of workshops. They help us all to discover and explore in ways that not all client projects allow. Another common aspect with our workshops is being away from the screen, using analogue methods to craft our ideas rather than a reliance on computers.”

— Noemie Courtois, Senior Designer

The concept for March 2022’s Dial 111 workshop came from the observation of family members, clients and colleagues – always scribbling on scrap paper and documents blissfully unaware whilst on calls. We loved the marriage aesthetically of the regimented, formal documents overlaid by random collections of doodles. Studies have shown that scribbling or doodling, particularly when sitting down, opens a door to the subconscious. With that in mind, the workshop was constructed around a two-hour playlist made up of various audio clips. Each member of the studio was then asked to respond to the audio played through their headphones, using an array of different mediums. In conjunction with the audio, a cue card with instructions was selected at random before each new sound was played. The result of this was over 250 different visual responses. These were then scanned and reassembled digitally on top of documents that were collated by the team. We then created a script that generated over 50,000 responses using the scans and documents.

These workshops have already had a significant impact on our approach to client work, new ways of thinking and also team morale. They allow us to produce work that helps to inform alternative processes and routes to exploration. The studio is looking to varied ways to create, starting our processes away from the computer. As we look to unveil our new website and branding, it’s so exciting to see how well our collaborative vigour and new approaches have crafted widely different and incredible outcomes. You’ll have to wait just a little while longer for the grand reveal.