Computerlove™

November 30th, 2008

Let's Talk, Luke Lucas

Luke Lucas has been infatuated with design since the late 1980s, a time when he was as interested in riding a skateboard as he was with the artwork covering the underside of the deck. This led to a crash course in visual study—i.e. hours spent pouring over the work of skateboard artists like Jim Phillips and Vernon Courtlandt Johnson in the latest issues of Thrasher, Transworld, and Big Brother. However, as often happens, Lucas evolved and began forging his own style, primarily working to create original typography and striking editorial design. Today, the 32-year old Lucas—who lives and works in Melbourne, Australia—balances his duties as co-founder and executive director at Lifelounge (a multi-disciplined creative firm) with a diverse roster of freelance projects. I recently had a chance to talk with Mr. Lucas. Here’s how our conversation played out. -Matthew Newton

There's a ton of character and humor in your work—from your typography design to your magazine spreads. What first attracted you to design and how would you say your style developed?

I’d say my interest in design was mostly influenced by growing up as a skater in the 80s and 90s. It definitely influenced my tone of design and what I find funny or interesting or cool or whatever. I used to love getting my hands on the new editions of skate mags like Thrasher or Transworld and later Big Brother to see what the latest skateboard graphics, logos, and designs involved. Even the ads were interesting. I think the general attitude of irreverence that came from that scene at the time and apparent lack of structure or rules helped to mold whatever style it is that I have. Illustrators like Jim Phillips and Vernon Courtlandt Johnson were pretty much like gods to me. The way they worked with type and illustration still, to this day, spins me out.

Do you still find inspiration from skate culture, or has that time passed for you?

I think that time has definitely passed me by. I still skate as much as I can and am still interested in what’s happening in that world. But in terms of design inspiration, I look elsewhere these days.

Can you tell me about the concept/philosophy behind Lifelounge—when it got started and how the idea came about?

Lifelounge has taken on many forms over the last 9 years but the fundamental values that all of us here possess is the genuine desire to create the kinds of things that people like ourselves can be entertained or inspired by. In all facets of what we do, it’s apparent on some level. In it’s first form Lifelounge was a website set up to be a news source on everything that was happening in the world of snowboarding, skateboarding, inline, surfing, BMX, and even music and fashion. It’s definitely changed a lot since then but that was where our heads were at at the time.

Fortunately, considering the fate of many Internet companies that were launched in the late 90s, the business began to branch out into client services work, offering design, marketing, and advertising to companies that wanted to communicatae with the same people we were already talking to. If we hadn’t broadened what we offered at this point we would have folded for sure.

Branching out, and being diverse, seems critical to survival for those in the creative field. Do you sometimes wish you could just focus on a single aspect, like typography or editorial design, all day long? Or do you prefer a varied workload?

Yeah, for sure. I’d love to just focus on editorial and typographic design. The sad truth with that kind of work, and I’m sure many others in the world of niche publishing would agree, is there’s actually not really enough money in it to sustain a comfortable living. The main thing that keeps us there is a genuine passion for our magazines and what they represent. The reality is, a good portion of what pays the bills in creative fields are relatively painful jobs but luckily, as the years have gone by, I probably don’t need to do anywhere near as much of the crap work as I used to.

The cover designs for Lifelounge Magazine are incredible. Can you talk a little about how you develop cover concepts?

Thanks Matthew, I’m glad you’re into them. Each edition of Lifelounge is based on a different theme so that generally sets the tone and direction of where the cover design might head. Although there will be a general idea for where the cover is heading or what I want to achieve, like with most of my design work it generally works backwards from the typography or the type treatment of the name Lifelounge. I love including subtle hidden details or elements of humor on the covers and back covers that at a glance people won’t notice but they might reveal themselves after they’ve been looked at a few times.

So does Lifelounge consume most of your time?

Yeah, definitely. The good thing about being a co-owner of a business is that you mostly can dictate the way you work and what you work on, but the flipside of that is that you never really switch off. The majority of the magazine is put together outside of a standard work day. In saying that, it doesn’t bother me so much as it’s enjoyable work. I’m fortunate that through Lifelounge I have the ability to work on a diverse range of projects so even though I’ve been here for the last 9 years, I’ve never really felt bored.

You create typefaces from scratch. How involved is this process and why does it appeal to you?

It’s just something that has always really interested me and I’m not really sure why. For me, the typeface in a layout or particular design, especially in magazine design, is one of the most important elements on the page next to what it is you’re trying to communicate.

It can be really easy for designers to get caught up with using faddish typefaces or whatever’s popular at any given time but in doing that a lot of design work can end up looking the same. You end up seeing waves of typeface fads which I find it pretty uninspiring.

If I can’t find a typeface that represents where my head is at for a particular design or magazine theme, then I usually try to make my own. Apart from the kerning side of typeface and font design I actually really enjoy the process although sometimes it can be frustrating. There have been heaps of occasions where I’ll commence a typeface only to work out 15 or 20 characters down that it’s not going to work, but I struggle to leave them un-finished. It’s like a book half read or walking out in the middle of a movie or something.

On a whole, the process varies from typeface to typeface but generally an idea can be spawned from picturing a particular weighted shape or arc, stem or tail, or even elements of an existing typeface. It does vary though.

Are there any aspects of design that you would like to tackle but just haven't had the time yet?

I think if I had the time I’d definitely like to do more animated title graphics and motion typographic design. I’ve done a few bits and pieces in the past and it’s always been pretty fun. In saying that, I tend to prefer working on design projects where the end result is something physical that I can touch and look at away from a screen.

What is the most challenging part of your work? And what is the most rewarding?

I guess this links back to looking at something away from a screen because I’d say the most challenging part of my job is the hours upon hours of computer time. We have a bit of a love/hate relationship my computer and I. Like with a lot of creative work, it’s really momentum based so if you’re on a good creative train of thought, it’s really hard to step away. Before you know it you’ve been sitting in front of the computer for two days and haven’t slept. That’s probably the other most challenging part of my work is that it often involves a lot of hours of my time on weekends and at nights. The most rewarding thing is probably completing a project, viewing the final result and seeing an idea realized (particularly when it works). Whether it be the first time you pick up a magazine from a printer, or seeing someone wearing a t-shirt you’ve designed down the street down, it’s all kind of cool.

If you had the chance to take another path in life, would you still choose a career in design?

I used to joke with a designer mate of mine, I think it was when I working on a painful 100+ page styleguide for a Vodka company that shall remain nameless, that we should have become gardeners. The idea of working with your hands in the open air with things that grow seemed like the perfect alternative to being stuck indoors working in front of a computer on crap design work. In all seriousness though, I think whatever path I would take it would need to be a creative one. The scale and longevity of architectural design has always really impressed me. Being able to help shape a city and working on projects that people will interact with people well beyond your years is an amazing privilege.

Related links: www.lukelucas.com www.lifelounge.com www.behance.net/Luke_Lucas www.lifelounge.com/blog/Luke.aspx

Posted by: mnewton