interview with robert walmsley and graham sykes of teacake

we recently spoke to robert walmsley and graham sykes of teacake, a design studio based in manchester specializing in branding, typography, editorial and exhibition design.

DB: please could you tell us how you met and why you decided to form a studio together?
TC: we met at the very start of our design adventure studying design and art direction at the manchester school of art. we both shared similar interests and moved within the same social groups before a trip to new york where we plotted teacake’s conception during the very early hours of a tuesday evening, in a bar in brooklyn. rob is originally from up north and graham, the midlands we both had slightly different routes of study but essentially formulated our partnership right at the start of our learning and a vast amount of our experience since then as teacake has been shared.

identity and applications for charles campbell bespoke tailoring

identity and applications for charles campbell bespoke tailoring

charles campbell christmas card in collaboration with ilyanna kerr

DB: how do your skill sets and personalities differ and compliment each other?
TC: this isn’t something that is easy to answer from inside the partnership… our work process has always flowed very organically. we know when we are in need of a nudge in the right direction and share our thoughts. but we are also more than happy to take aspects of a brief and work on things individually. the key is that we hold one vision in mind, and a shared goal for the project and put everything before our ego’s. as we shared the latter stages of our education our approach as ‘teacake’ has been developed together and eight years down the line it is very often impossible to say who did which part of which brief if we have both worked through the process together. one logo could have had a number of iterative touches form either of us by the time it emerges in its final state.

DB: how would you describe teacake’s approach?
TC: we are considerate, creative craftsmen with a passion for providing intriguing, honest identities for decent folk from all walks of life. we love visual organization, people, places and typefaces – and aspire to create a tangible reaction with those who see our work. by getting to know our clients, their ambitions and what drives them – in essence their ‘why’ – we can strive to deliver ideas that will amplify their offering and boost interaction with heir brand. collaboration is essential and we pride ourselves on not being the conventional agency structure. we partner with a wide range of talented individuals across a variety of disciplines.

teacake identity and stationery

teacake identity and stationery

DB: what attracted you to specializing brand identities?
the crafting of a word mark / logo is still a really enjoyable part of our job. creating things that give people a voice, direction and signature for their own personal endeavors is a rewarding process. the best thing about working on identity projects is the impact you can have when you share a client’s vision and get under the skin of their desires – be it a small, independent ice-cream manufacturer, highly esteemed supermodel or historic country hotel the process remains the same. you are helping them to craft their signature, their mark of authenticity that says ‘I did that’.

branding and promotional collateral for an exhibition featuring a special collection of photographs taken by the late tom culley.

DB: what are your thoughts on specialization vs generalization?
TC: everyone, whether a highly individual illustrator or a multi-faceted international agency needs to specialize to form a point of view, a reason for being or unique selling point. however it cannot be ignored that in the multi-faceted, multi-platform world we live the lines between output disciplines is increasingly blurred. regardless of what the intended outcome the goal to strive for is a simple one – it is to produce immaculate work, that works for our clients. if this involves us needing to take things out of the studio and involve a specialist developer, printer or photographer then so be it. we have always believed two heads are better than one and our background in art direction has meant we have continually been seeking the opportunity to work with others who can realize our ideas better than we can. I think the overarching point here is that no-one wants to be, or to work with a ‘generalist’ unless they specialize in being a ‘generalist’ and confident they can work to create the desired end result.

jerwood charitable foundation identity and stationery

jerwood charitable foundation identity and stationery

DB: do you draw and do you think it’s important for a graphic designer to be able to draw?
TC: first and foremost it is important for a graphic designer (or designer of any sort) to be able to get an idea out of their head and into the world. only then do things really take shape. this may be verbally or through a biro sketch on the back of a beer matt, the point is that these iterations should be pure and uninhibited catalytic in their infancy to leave the most amount of scope for development. they often prove useful in illustrating a thought process when in front of a client. there is something altogether inclusive, unpretentious and delightfully un-finished about a sketch that can help involve a client rather than alienate them.

identity for the quangos band

EP artwork for the quangos band

DB: what’s the biggest lesson you have learn’t since you set up your studio?
TC: work hard and be nice to people… but never be afraid to say no.

freitags identity and promotional collateral

DB: besides design, what are you both passionate about?
TC: to be passionate about design you must first and foremost be passionate about life itself and all its nuances, both good and bad. naturally both of us have other interests and pursuits, such as football, travel, cycling, food and drink — and back again.

a triptych of posters created for a very green conference at kew gardens in london, in collaboration with johnson banks

DB: do either of you have any superstitious beliefs?
TC: we don’t open umbrellas inside, walk under ladders or put new shoes on the desk… in working life we make sure we do the things we don’t want to do first, start early on a monday and finish early on a friday whenever possible, after all the weekend is for fun and frolicking and not for grafting. our desks are tidy like our minds… but our draws are treasure troves of chaotic unpredictability.

tote bag design for the kopparberg unestablishment festival, in collaboration with ilyanna kerr

taking the names of key, creative and un-conventional figures we set about creating stylised mugshots of each with extrovert deformities and eye twisting expressions.

 DB: what do you want to do in 2014 that you have never done before?
TC: we have a number of plans in the pipeline – first up is a new website… however this is something we have done before! something we haven’t done is have a retail offering for our found design-wares, scrounged artefacts and lovely print work. we are hoping that 2014 will be the birth year of the teacake factory outlet. this is a project we have been considering for a while and want to move it up to the top of the priority list for 2014.