You can’t schedule creativity. That’s the MO behind creative couple Daniel To and Emma Aiston, aka Daniel Emma, an Adelaide-based design duo who seek inspiration in the everyday. Their latest project? Up, Down and All Around: Daniel Emma for Kids, a hands-on exhibition for kids at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), supported by Major Partner, Officeworks. The exhibition encourages little people to learn about the role of design in the world around them and seeks to inspire our next generation of budding designers through creative challenges.
The couple met while studying industrial design at the University of South Australia back in 2003 and have been a partnership in both work and life ever since. Following a stint in London where they crammed in as much hands-on studio experience as possible, they returned home to Adelaide to set up and start creating. And it’s not stopped since. We spoke to the pair about how the collaboration with the NGV came about and what fires their imaginations to create their ranges of furniture, lighting and accessories.
SEE ALSO: Fun At-home Kids’ Activities From the NGV
Rules of Engagement
Daniel: When we were in London, I worked for a husband-and-wife design studio called Committee. There was this really nice rule that they had, which we’ve continued on. And that’s if one person doesn't agree with [an idea], then it's not a design or the right way forward. We both have to agree on something. And so that enabled us to think about designing together.
Emma: Yeah, it's not one person's vision. What’s magic is when two different minds come together, and the outcome of what they're creating.
Daniel: One of the biggest things I took from that time is how to work together with someone, and that what's unique about a collaboration is input from both sides. That combination of input is what’s special – it’s not one person driving the thing. From a creative point of view, we are both very conscious about being equal.
Encouragement Is Everything
Emma: We spend a lot of time together, but we have lots of fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously. We approach things with excitement and lightheartedness, which spurs the other person on. It becomes infectious, like a snowball effect. And here we are, 20 years later!
Beginning the Design Process
Daniel: We talk a lot before we even pick up a pencil or anything, and then we might sketch it, or draw it on the computer or make models. That’s what we enjoy, approaching it in different ways.
Emma: There are times when one of us might think of a particular product or a particular concept and share it with the other person. And what the other person gets from the explanation could be vastly different to what the initial thought was. But then sometimes that takes you on a wild ride to a completely different outcome, which is a nice thing.
A Creative Space
Emma: We have the studio at home, where we spend most of our time. It’s cosy, warm and tidy. But we also have a warehouse, which is less nice to look at but very practical. Having that space enables us to produce furniture, lighting and dispatch everything. I don’t think we’re going to the warehouse for inspiration, but sometimes it helps to get my mind clear.
Daniel: The studio at home is detached from the house, and it’s right at the back of our block. And we’ve sort of made it look like a little house, with this big yellow door. It’s full of little samples or prototypes, but then it also has things that we’ve collected throughout our time spent travelling.
Emma: Our studio is kind of an extension of our house; there isn't such a huge difference in terms of an aesthetic. We’re surrounded with things that make us happy, and things that have memories or good times associated with them.
Inspiration Is Everywhere
Daniel: Our inspiration is from everyday life and things [we] do and see. A good example for us is if we go to a city that we’ve never been to. Even if it has those sorts of iconic tourist landmarks, we’d rather walk the streets and look at normal daily life and things, or go to the supermarket. Be inspired by food or packaging…
Emma: …or nature, or buildings. Our list of inspiration is kind of limitless. But it’s all those little bits in-between everyday life that really inspires us. We spend lots of time looking at things and getting excited about weird stuff.
Emma: We still occasionally do touristy things, but for us visiting a different place, even if it's just interstate, isn't necessarily about ticking off the list of must-sees. It's more about experiencing the place in a very day-to-day way.
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Routines are Overrated
Emma: 9-to-5 routine? Absolutely not! Some mornings, we'll get going really early and be pumping stuff out at 7.30am. And then there's other days, where the dog has been involved and we’ve gone for a walk to the beach and had a bit of a slow start, and now we're warmed up. There's a balance there. But it varies. With all creativity, it's very hard to force something out. And if you are doing that, then it sometimes feels contrived.
Designing for Kids
Daniel: We wanted to show people that anyone can be creative. Sometimes output is through design, but you can be creative in lots of different ways. And for people just to enjoy the everyday like the title suggests: look up, down and all around. There are so many fun things to see and be inspired by
Emma: The [NGV exhibition] space is so immersive. The way kids react and just ‘be’ in the space [we have created with the NGV team] is almost the polar opposite to how you’re supposed to behave in a gallery environment. The main takeaway, I hope, is that you can be creative in so many ways. That you don’t have to be like a cookie-cutter version of a creative in order to be creative, if that makes sense.
Kids as the Audience
Emma: I think a lot about how our products work and the way we approach design is very playful and not too serious. So I think for children that's a really approachable and casual thing for them to be able to come into. It's not, you know, adult life or stuffy but equally not too kiddy. I think trying to make it feel grown-up but still attainable for children is important for us.
Tools of the Trade
Daniel: We use lots of paper, especially different coloured papers, card stock, a variety of pens… something as simple as a different coloured piece of paper can start a journey or thought process. Using different tools is a big part of our design process because that allows us to think differently. We recently got a Cricut machine, which is like a digital cutting machine, and it was actually the beginning of our Lucky Charms accessories sort of process.
Emma: We had been making a bunch of jam and all these really cute shapes and labels and stickers, and we thought, how would that translate into something like acrylic? A lot of the catalysts for design start at a very basic level with all of our day-to-day things.
SEE ALSO: Celebrating the Creative Process with Alice Lindstrom
Advice to Budding Artists
Daniel: To draw inspiration from everything, not just what other people are doing. Draw inspiration from your daily life, work hard and be stubborn. Keep on going.
Emma: And I think, most importantly, there's no point doing any of it if you're not having a good time.
The Most Satisfying Part of a Creative Life
Emma: We get to spend our life doing really fun stuff, and we get to spend time with each other. I think if we were told this would be the case 15 years ago, neither of us would have believed it was a possibility.
Daniel: Making a design is a bit like a puzzle. You put that final piece in and see the full picture at the end of each project. You get such satisfaction.
What To Try
- Kadink A4 Coloured Card 180gsm 30 Pack
- Quill A4 Paper Pastel Assorted 250 Pack
- POSCA PC-3M Paint Markers Assorted 16 Pack
- Keji Graphite Pencils HB 5 Pack
- Cricut Maker 3 Machine
- Cricut Basic Tool Set
- Born Dual-Tip Brush Markers 50 Pack Assorted
- Born Acrylic Paint Markers 5mm Assorted 20 Pack
- Staedtler Triplus 0.3mm Fineliners 334 Assorted 10 Pack
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