Exploring ‘Routes’ with Wilsons Republic

Wilsons Republic recently hosted its 10th birthday event at Bates Mill, Huddersfield, gathering creatives from many disciplines. As a Graphic Design student on placement year from Loughborough University, I have missed northern spirit and grit so proudly spoken of by Darren, one of the organisers. This being my first Wilsons Republic event, I was excited to connect with the Yorkshire creative community.

This year’s theme ‘Routes’, represented the evolution of Wilsons Republic events over the years. Quite an open premise, each speaker interpreted the prompt in their own unique way. The disciplines across the six speakers spanned product design, interiors, graphic design, illustration, and games design, each talk offering a new perspective. Listening to the speakers’ thoughts, I gained a glimpse into their processes and career.

As a young designer I found it comforting to know that the journey within a project or
even a whole creative career is never linear. I left the day feeling empowered to
embrace the ups and downs, and as Laura Wellington said, ‘A little wobble isn’t a
fall’. Speaking to fellow students throughout the day, this is something we all
resonated with. It was great to discuss our experiences studying Graphic Design, the
projects we were most passionate about and which areas of the industry we hoped
to succeed in.

The event was a great opportunity to speak to industry professionals about their
roles and ‘routes’ within their careers, and I took something valuable away from each
of the speakers and the guests. As someone who loves illustration, I was thrilled to
speak to Sheffield-based illustrator Lisa Maltby after her talk, gaining an insight into
her inspirations and working practices.

Back in the Picture Smiths office I plan to put everything I learned into practice on
upcoming projects I am assigned throughout the year, as I carve out the route of my
own education and career. This event inspired me to embrace the wobbles,
challenge myself to do the things I am not yet good at, and to do it messy!