Behind The Door

Emma Reed

11/08/24

Something I have always loved about our fine city is the incredible relationships that exist among our artistic community, allowing a range of amazing shows, plays and exhibitions to come together.  

From musicians providing tracks for art shows, to artists designing gig posters for local venues, these relationships truly allow this community to thrive! 

A few weeks ago, I caught up with local Graphic Designer Emma Reed to discover their journey as an artist, where they look for inspiration for their brilliant work, as well as their plans for the rest of the year! 

Where did your journey begin as a graphic designer? 

I’ve been creating art for literally as long as I can remember – when I was young my Grandad would sit with my every day after school, drawing wacky and colourful designs together (he was a lot better at it than me!). As I got older, I gradually shifted over to digital illustration and design. But I would say that I really started to develop my own style in 2020 – I was still 16 at the beginning of lockdown and all I wanted to do was listen to music (I had the Broken Machine Album by Nothing But Thieves on repeat) and draw – so naturally I started to design my own versions of my fav album covers and gig posters, as well as developing my own designs – and I haven’t really stopped since! 

What inspired you to pursue graphic design? 

As I mentioned previously 2020 was a major turning point in my graphic design career – because I suddenly had so much free time, I set up my design account on Instagram and found a great online community of designers and creatives who were incredibly encouraging and supportive. Various accounts were running daily design challenges and competitions and it really helped my confidence and skills develop as a designer – I think this was the first time I really realised that I could continue designing as a career rather than a hobby! 

What impact do you aim to have on those who engage with your work? 

Art is always subjective so I don’t expect everyone to love my work, but my main goal when designing is to make sure the design stands out - if people notice it then I’ve done something right! 

Where do you look for inspiration for your work? 

Honestly I would say my surroundings are a big source of inspiration for me, I’m a maximalist to my core and the more art and colour on my walls the better! I also find my best ideas through bouncing ideas off of my friends and peers – the sense of community among creatives in Norwich is also always an amazing source of inspiration, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go to Pinterest for inspo as well! 

Talk us through the process of creating one of your designs! 

Depending on the brief/project my process can change in many ways, some days I’ll have a clear idea for the design straight away and will then jump straight into Photoshop to bring it to life digitally, whereas for others I need to take some time to develop the idea in my sketchbook first! For every Voodoos gig poster that I design, I always have the artists Spotify playing in the background – it helps me focus on getting the vibe right and I’ve also discovered loads of new favourite artists this way as well! 

Do you have a favourite piece you’ve created? 

There’s so many to choose from but I think the two posters I designed for Karma Sheen at Voodoo Daddys will always be some of my favourites! The first poster (Their 11th June ‘23 show) was one of the first I designed for Voodoos, and whilst I would definitely approach the design differently now, it will aways be a fav because of the first. I also still love the composition and colour of the second poster (Their 22nd October ’23 show) and I loved designing it whilst listening to their music (very vibey!) 

Do you like to experiment with your designs? 

I love experimenting with designs! I’m constantly thinking of new ideas and styles to try – working on the gig posters at Voodoos means I often get to experiment with different styles to match the bands sound and vibe – this has really helped me develop my skills as a designer! 

What is your favourite element of the artistic community of Norwich? 

Since coming to Norwich for Uni in 2021, I’ve always found the artistic community in Norwich to be incredibly welcoming – everyone is super friendly and just wants to see you succeed! 

Have you got any plans for 2024? 

I have so many plans and goals - Its going to be a busy end to the year and I can’t wait!! I will be continuing working at Voodoo Daddys as the Design and Marketing manager as well as the Ticketing and Events rep. As well as this I’ve got lots of ideas brewing and a sketchbook full of designs waiting to be developed. Now that Uni’s over and I finally have time to breathe, I’ll be selling original prints on my Etsy shop again (EmmaReedDesignsss) – Stay tuned because I’ll be releasing a range of print collections in the next few months! 

Before all of this however, I’ll be at Wild Fields Festival this August – It’s going to be amazing seeing the festival that we’ve all worked so hard on for past year come to life! 

And, if you want to keep up to date with the work of Emma, then you can check out their Instagram (@emma.reed.designs)!